Britain is to warn a summit on the Antarctic that soaring numbers of tourists flocking there on cruise ships could have serious environmental implications for the world's last great wilderness.
Delegates at the annual Antarctic treaty meeting this week will call for tougher safety regulations. Experts say a fuel spill from a stricken vessel close to shore could cause significant pollution that would endanger the region's wildlife and take years to clean up.
Close to 30,000 people are expected to descend on Antarctica to observe penguins, seals and seabirds this year - about four times as many as 10 years ago. Adding in those who pass through without coming ashore brings the total to 37,000.
Tourists are increasingly gazing in awe at the icy landscapes not just in small former research vessels with space for up to 200 but from vast liners which spend just a few days in the waters of the Antarctic peninsula as part of longer voyages.
Earlier this year the 109,000-tonne Golden Princess became the biggest cruise ship to sail into the region, carrying 3,700 passengers and crew aboard a floating palace complete with five pools, a casino and a nine-hole putting green. Its sister ship the Star Princess is due to return next year, with 16-day trips costing up to £2,800 for the most luxurious accommodation.
The two-week meeting of the signatories to the 1961 treaty that designated Antarctica as a natural reserve devoted to peace and science comes in the wake of the first accident involving a tour boat in the region. The Norwegian MS Nordkapp ran aground at Deception Island in January, spilling a small amount of fuel.
John Shears, of the British Antarctic Survey, who is the senior environmental adviser to the UK delegation to the treaty meeting, said that although no one was hurt and other ships were nearby to help, the incident was a "wake-up call".
"The Nordkapp was very lucky," Dr Shears said. "It was an ice-strengthened vessel with a crew who were experienced working in those conditions and only about 350 people on board.
"It used marine diesel fuel, which disperses in water quite quickly, but some bigger ships use heavy fuel oil, which can be very persistent and exceptionally difficult to clean up."
A spill of hundreds of tonnes of heavy fuel close to the shoreline could see thousands of penguins getting coated in oil, Dr Shears said.
Clean-up equipment would have to be brought in from South America or the US, by which time the oil could have spread.
"It would be very, very difficult to clean the coast up and also to do something about the wildlife that had got coated in fuel. Nature is a great healer and will clean everything up over time, but because heavy fuel oil is so persistent it could be several years before the environment righted itself."
The British team also has wider concerns about the environmental impact of the bigger boats.
"When those ships set sail in the Antarctic they're burning fuel so they're adding to emissions and helping cause climate change," Dr Shears said. "The Antarctic is a global warming hotspot. There have been temperature rises of 3C over the last 30 years, which has resulted in widespread melting of glaciers and ice shelf collapse."
The UK wants a ban on ships which have not been specially strengthened to deal with sea ice entering areas of water where ice coverage is more than 10%.
It is also calling for a "buddy system" for large ships so that if one gets into trouble there is always another vessel nearby which it can call for help. Antarctica has no coastguard.
"If you were trying to deal with large cruise ships with large numbers of passengers, many of them elderly or retired, any rescue operation would be complex and difficult," Dr Shears said.
Environmentalists are also concerned about the impact of visitors coming ashore from the smaller tour boats, fearing they could disturb wildlife, trample on important mosses and lichens and damage the region's unique ecosystems by introducing non-native species.
Another proposal would see a ban on landings by passengers from vessels carrying more than 500 passengers, even in staggered groups. Those on the biggest cruise liners do not make landings.
Tourism in Antarctica is currently regulated by the International Association of Antarctic Tour Operators (IAATO), which sets out strict guidelines. But the system is voluntary and there are already two operators who for several years have not been members.
IAATO welcomed the British moves, saying that they would give the body more teeth. "I think the regulations are going to tighten up a little bit, so there will be a little more pressure on the tourism industry to get after those who are not signed up," John Splettstoesser of IAATO said, adding that larger boats already avoided sea ice.
IAATO's executive director, Denise Landau, said the body was not worried about the possibility of big cruise ships running aground.
"They're not at all interested in compromising safety for any reason," she said. "They're not interested in trying to get close enough to even run aground."
Princess Cruises, which operates the Golden Princess and the Star Princess, said it prided itself on the highest standards of safety and environmental practices.
"Large ships have been sailing to the Antarctic region for the past 15 years without incident, and Princess has brought visitors to these waters for the past four years, also without incident," a spokeswoman said.
The ships sailed in relatively ice-free waters at a time when there was little or no ice on the charted route, and had extensive safety systems and emergency contingency plans.
The company employed strict measures to address issues including waste disposal, oil pollution prevention, air emissions and wildlife protection, she added.
Delegates at the annual Antarctic treaty meeting this week will call for tougher safety regulations. Experts say a fuel spill from a stricken vessel close to shore could cause significant pollution that would endanger the region's wildlife and take years to clean up.
Close to 30,000 people are expected to descend on Antarctica to observe penguins, seals and seabirds this year - about four times as many as 10 years ago. Adding in those who pass through without coming ashore brings the total to 37,000.
Tourists are increasingly gazing in awe at the icy landscapes not just in small former research vessels with space for up to 200 but from vast liners which spend just a few days in the waters of the Antarctic peninsula as part of longer voyages.
Earlier this year the 109,000-tonne Golden Princess became the biggest cruise ship to sail into the region, carrying 3,700 passengers and crew aboard a floating palace complete with five pools, a casino and a nine-hole putting green. Its sister ship the Star Princess is due to return next year, with 16-day trips costing up to £2,800 for the most luxurious accommodation.
The two-week meeting of the signatories to the 1961 treaty that designated Antarctica as a natural reserve devoted to peace and science comes in the wake of the first accident involving a tour boat in the region. The Norwegian MS Nordkapp ran aground at Deception Island in January, spilling a small amount of fuel.
John Shears, of the British Antarctic Survey, who is the senior environmental adviser to the UK delegation to the treaty meeting, said that although no one was hurt and other ships were nearby to help, the incident was a "wake-up call".
"The Nordkapp was very lucky," Dr Shears said. "It was an ice-strengthened vessel with a crew who were experienced working in those conditions and only about 350 people on board.
"It used marine diesel fuel, which disperses in water quite quickly, but some bigger ships use heavy fuel oil, which can be very persistent and exceptionally difficult to clean up."
A spill of hundreds of tonnes of heavy fuel close to the shoreline could see thousands of penguins getting coated in oil, Dr Shears said.
Clean-up equipment would have to be brought in from South America or the US, by which time the oil could have spread.
"It would be very, very difficult to clean the coast up and also to do something about the wildlife that had got coated in fuel. Nature is a great healer and will clean everything up over time, but because heavy fuel oil is so persistent it could be several years before the environment righted itself."
The British team also has wider concerns about the environmental impact of the bigger boats.
"When those ships set sail in the Antarctic they're burning fuel so they're adding to emissions and helping cause climate change," Dr Shears said. "The Antarctic is a global warming hotspot. There have been temperature rises of 3C over the last 30 years, which has resulted in widespread melting of glaciers and ice shelf collapse."
The UK wants a ban on ships which have not been specially strengthened to deal with sea ice entering areas of water where ice coverage is more than 10%.
It is also calling for a "buddy system" for large ships so that if one gets into trouble there is always another vessel nearby which it can call for help. Antarctica has no coastguard.
"If you were trying to deal with large cruise ships with large numbers of passengers, many of them elderly or retired, any rescue operation would be complex and difficult," Dr Shears said.
Environmentalists are also concerned about the impact of visitors coming ashore from the smaller tour boats, fearing they could disturb wildlife, trample on important mosses and lichens and damage the region's unique ecosystems by introducing non-native species.
Another proposal would see a ban on landings by passengers from vessels carrying more than 500 passengers, even in staggered groups. Those on the biggest cruise liners do not make landings.
Tourism in Antarctica is currently regulated by the International Association of Antarctic Tour Operators (IAATO), which sets out strict guidelines. But the system is voluntary and there are already two operators who for several years have not been members.
IAATO welcomed the British moves, saying that they would give the body more teeth. "I think the regulations are going to tighten up a little bit, so there will be a little more pressure on the tourism industry to get after those who are not signed up," John Splettstoesser of IAATO said, adding that larger boats already avoided sea ice.
IAATO's executive director, Denise Landau, said the body was not worried about the possibility of big cruise ships running aground.
"They're not at all interested in compromising safety for any reason," she said. "They're not interested in trying to get close enough to even run aground."
Princess Cruises, which operates the Golden Princess and the Star Princess, said it prided itself on the highest standards of safety and environmental practices.
"Large ships have been sailing to the Antarctic region for the past 15 years without incident, and Princess has brought visitors to these waters for the past four years, also without incident," a spokeswoman said.
The ships sailed in relatively ice-free waters at a time when there was little or no ice on the charted route, and had extensive safety systems and emergency contingency plans.
The company employed strict measures to address issues including waste disposal, oil pollution prevention, air emissions and wildlife protection, she added.
