What Cruise Ship Sank in the Antarctic?

By Alice Nichols

On November 23rd, 2007 the MS Explorer, a cruise ship operated by the Swedish-based tour company, Lindblad Expeditions, sank in the Antarctic after striking an iceberg. It was carrying 154 passengers and crew members and was on an expedition to Antarctica.

The MS Explorer had set sail from Ushuaia, Argentina on November 11th and was heading for the South Shetland Islands when it struck the iceberg. At first, passengers reported feeling a minor jolt, but then they heard a loud noise and began to realize that something was seriously wrong.

The crew sprang into action and began issuing orders to evacuate. Passengers were told to put on their life jackets and abandon ship.

Everyone was able to make it off safely thanks to the quick reaction of the crew members. The passengers were then taken aboard another nearby vessel, a Norwegian cruise liner called the Nordnorge, which had been close by when the accident occurred.

The exact cause of the accident is still unknown but it’s believed that strong winds pushed the ship into an area where there were large chunks of ice floating in the sea. This is something that experienced expedition cruise ships such as this one should have been aware of and prepared for.

The loss of MS Explorer is considered one of the biggest maritime disasters involving a tourist vessel in history and has raised questions about safety standards for these types of vessels operating in icy waters.

Since then new measures have been put in place including increased safety drills for passengers before embarking on voyages through icy waters as well as improved navigation technology that can be used to avoid areas with large chunks of ice or other hazardous conditions.

Conclusion: The MS Explorer sunk in Antarctica on November 23rd, 2007 after striking an iceberg while en route from Ushuaia, Argentina to the South Shetland Islands. All 154 passengers and crew members were rescued safely due to quick action from both them and the crew members onboard but this raised questions about safety standards for vessels operating in icy waters which have since been addressed with new measures such as increased safety drills and improved navigation technology.