Argentina Calls For Placing Limit On Antarctic Tours

November 27, 2007 8:40 a.m. EST

Buenos Aires, Argentina (AHN) - Argentinean Environment Secretary Romina Picolotti called Tuesday for a limit on Antarctic tourism following the sinking of a Canadian-operated cruise vessel off the Shetland Islands. M/S Explorer hit an iceberg before midnight of Friday, all of its 154 passengers and crew were evacuated.

She told Argentinean news agency Telam, "The purpose of the Antarctic is not tourism. Nations must make a greater effort to impose stricter controls." She pushed for reducing the number of ice tourists which had doubled over the recent years.

The sunken cruise ship spilled fuel covering three miles in diameter and five miles depth. Picolotti said Argentina will ask its operator, Gap Adventure, to repair the damage it caused the environment, although she said it is not necessary to place a barrier around the oil spill. The Explorer used light marine diesel fuel which evaporates easily. The blowing winds help disperse its vapor, she explained.

In 2006, the environmental group Antarctic and Southern Ocean Coalition expressed concern over the growing attracting of the region to various kinds of tourists, partly spurred by the international showing of the documentary "March of the Penguins". The increased number of vacationers has serious implications on the breeding and feeding pattern of penguins and other ice creatures endemic to the region, warned ASOC, which represents 200 conservation groups from 40 nations.

In 1990, less than 5,000 tourists came to the region. By 2003, their number have risen to more than 24,000 and this summer it is expected to climb further to 30,000. The visitors are not just gawkers or regular tourists who merely want souvenir shots with the penguins. Activities there include parachuting, skiing, motorbiking and flying a helicopter across the continent.

In view of the threat to the environment brought by tourism, ASOC executive director Jim Barnes proposed, "Mass commercial tourism requires the sorts of checks and controls that the industry has to accept everywhere else. The alternative is a free-for-all."