More than 50,000 expedition tourists visited Antarctica in the 2019-2020 season, while another 18,000 were only able to observe from larger cruise ships, the Washington Post reported.
The most recent incidents occurred on foreign-flagged ships between November 15 and December 1; The travel season for Antarctica generally runs from November through March.
Two American citizens died on November 15 when they were on a rubber boat that capsized with six passengers on board near Elephant Island in Antarctica. The inflatable came from World Explorer, a ship chartered by polar adventure company Quark Expeditions.
Quark Expeditions said in a statement that the “tragic accident during the Zodiac cruise” appeared to have been caused by a breaking wave. Antarctica cruise travelers can get up close and personal with wildlife or natural landmarks aboard heavy-duty inflatable boats called Zodiacs.
The operator said in a statement on Wednesday that it was aware of the Coast Guard’s announcement and pledged to “continue to cooperate fully with the investigation.”
Since the world explorer flies the Portuguese flag, Portugal is the leading country in the investigation. The Coast Guard is investigating “as a state with a significant interest in supporting the NTSB.”
Investigators are also looking into two incidents on board the Viking Polaris, a Norwegian-flagged ship. In one, a US citizen was injured during a mishap on an inflatable boat that the Coast Guard described as bladder failure near Damoe Point.
Another accident that occurred aboard the Viking Polaris received significant media coverage. Late on the night of November 29, as the ship carrying 378 passengers was sailing toward Ushuaia, a rogue wave hit the ship, Viking Cruises said. An American citizen died and four others were injured.
The Coast Guard described the wave as a “large wave” and said it struck the ship in the Drake Passage, a notorious body of water located between Cape Horn and the South Shetland Islands.
Norway is the lead country in investigating both incidents. The Coast Guard is investigating as a “significantly interested state” with support from the NTSB.
In the fourth incident, an American citizen died from injuries sustained on board the Plancius, a Dutch-flagged ship operated by Oceanwide Expeditions. The Coast Guard is investigating with authorities in the Netherlands and the Falkland Islands.
The person died after an “accidental fall” onto the ship that did not occur during any activity or landing, Franklin Brickman, Antarctic program manager at Oceanwide Expeditions, said in an email.
“Medical support was provided immediately, after which we arranged the evacuation,” he wrote. Unfortunately, these measures were not enough to change the tragic outcome of the accident.”
Viking did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Wednesday.
“We extend our deepest sympathies to the families of those affected by these tragedies,” Capt. Gretchen Bailey, Commander of Coast Guard Activities in Europe, said in a press release.
“The safety of American passengers on ships around the world is a priority for the U.S. Coast Guard. We are proud to work alongside the NTSB and our international partners to investigate these incidents and make meaningful safety improvements to passenger ship operations around the world, especially in environments Unique and high-risk areas such as Antarctica.
