ANTARCTIC NON-GOVERNMENT ACTIVITY NEWS
Tourism Industry |
Brief news items on Antarctic and sub-Antarctic
non-government expedition activities.
ANAN 80
Wednesday, 28 August 2002
News in this edition:
80-01. ATCM tourism discussions face tight timetable, competing issues.
80-02. East Antarctic tourist berths available on national program vessel.
80-03. Clean-up achievement promoted on fringes of Environment Summit.
80-04. Argentina remains the key 'corridor' for Antarctic tourism.
80-05. SGP traverse proposed as part of planned polar trifecta.
80-06. Coming Events Relevant to Non-Government Activities.
ATCM TOURISM DISCUSSIONS FACE TIGHT TIMETABLE, COMPETING ISSUES
[ANAN-80/01]
Discussions on 'tourism' scheduled for the 25th Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting (ATCM-XXV) early next month appear to face a tight timetable due to the subject's complexity and the presence of other important issues on the meeting agenda. ATCM-XXV is due to be held in Warsaw, Poland, from 10-20 September, with overall time allocated for formal consideration of all agenda items limited to just eight days.
"Detailed discussions" on tourism were listed for discussion in Warsaw following brief consideration of the matter at ATCM-XXIV in July last year, that meeting's final report noting that "... there is an increase in the diversity of tourism activities which may present new management challenges" (ANAN-52/01, 1 August 2001).
Discussion at ATCM-XXIV resulted primarily from difficulties experienced by a number of adventure tourism operations during the 2000-01 austral summer, although concerns have also been expressed by some about management arrangements for tourism as a whole (ANAN-52/02, 1 August 2001 and ANAN-56/03, 26 September 2001). In addition, the involvement of the national programs of some countries in tourist operations in recent years has also been seen as a complicating issue (ANAN-77/02, 17 July 2002).
Several other major issues are listed for consideration in Warsaw. These include the practical aspects of establishing a permanent secretariat for the Antarctic Treaty, a matter that was agreed to at ATCM-XXIV, and the latest round of the long drawn-out negotiations on liability for environmental damage. Liability has been discussed at length over the last decade and to date has proved to be a very difficult issue on which to obtain consensus among Antarctic Treaty nations.
At this stage it is not clear just how the tourism issue will be handled at ATCM-XXV. A number of sub-groups are scheduled to meet during the eight days of formal discussions, and their reports will be forward to plenary sessions of ATCM-XXV for formal consideration late in the second week. But which of those groups will be assigned tourism to consider has not yet been made public.
The Fifth meeting of the Committee for Environmental Protection (CEP-V), which deals with issues related to the Madrid Protocol, is to meet over five days in the first half of ATCM-XXV. Working Group I (WGI), whose focus is on legal and policy matters has eight days or virtually all of ATCM-XXV assigned for its discussions, while Working Group II (WGII) which deals with operational or 'practical' matters, will be held over three days at the end of the second week.
While it is possible that CEP could be asked to provide some input to tourism discussions, consideration of the issue is expected to be assigned to one of the two Working Groups, although the subject has facets that are strongly related to both.
WGI has the both the liability and secretariat issues assigned to it, and it seems possible therefore that whichever of the two groups is given tourism to discuss, the timetable for detailed discussions on it appears likely to be tight. It is possible therefore that this could result in detailed consideration of the matter being listed for ATCM-XXVI in mid-2003.
It would appear probable that the report from the meeting on Antarctic tourism that was convened by the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators (IAATO) last April will be presented to whichever group is assigned tourism.
That two-day meeting, which was viewed as successful by the sixteen participants, some of whom will attend ATCM-XXV as delegates, addressed a range of issues. These included the nature and scale of tourist activities in Antarctica, possible future trends, and the existing framework for regulation and oversight of tourist activities in Antarctica, its effectiveness and possible system gaps (ANAN-74/01, 5 June 2002).
General information about ATCM-XXV is available on line at http://www.25atcm.gov.pl, although areas of the site that contain meeting papers submitted by participating nations are currently password protected. ATCM papers are normally made available to the general public at the conclusion of each meeting.
Initial results of ATCM-XXV discussions will be made public at a press conference that is scheduled to be held in Warsaw on 20 September.
ANAN-80 ends.
Tourists are believed to be being offered the opportunity to visit research stations on the coast of East Antarctica during the 2002-03 austral summer on board the Russian national program vessel 'Akademic Federov'. Current information suggests that berths may be available for paying passengers on two voyages in the next six months, although just how many places will be available on each operation is not clear at this time.
Details currently available suggest that the first voyage, which is to last 45 days, is to leave Cape Town, South Africa, on 21 October and visit Russia's Mirny and Progress stations on the coasts of Queen Mary and Princess Elizabeth Lands respectively. The second is at the end of summer and is a shorter 24-day trip to Germany's Nuemeyer station at the western end of Dronning Maud Land (DML). It is currently scheduled to leave Cape Town on 17 February.
Berths on selected voyages of the Russian national program's flag ship are being marketed by INTAARI, a 13-year-old company based in St Petersburg, Russia. The firm is, in effect, the commercial arm of that nation's operations in both the Arctic and Antarctica.
INTAARI is also involved in the Cape Town-based joint venture 'Antarctic Logistics Centre International' (ANAN-61/06, 5 December 2001), which is offering tourist access to the DML region by air, although details of 2002-03 season flights have yet to be released (ANAN-73/02, 22 May 2002).
'Akademik Fedorov' was built in 1987 in Finland to support polar operations and can carry up to 160 passengers, while crew numbers are close to 70. Few details are available about the coming season's voyages on the ship at this time, although a proposal for a similar operation with the ship that was advertised by INTAARI for earlier this year sheds some light on their possible scope. That operation was to have involved a 60-day voyage from Cape Town on 'Federov' from 13 April to 11 June this year, a timing that is not unusual for the Russian Antarctic Expedition (RAE).
Potential clients interested in that service were warned that they would be participating in the voyage of "a working icebreaker, not [that] of a cruise ship or passenger liner" and that schedules and activities that would be carried out could not be guaranteed. "The main aim of the voyage [was] to carry out the plan of the [RAE]", and "delays in returning to Cape Town are possible", warned INTAARI on its web site (http://www.intaari.nw.ru).
According to the company, the 13 April voyage would have seen 'Federov' visit both Progress and Mirny, as well as Novolazerevskaya station on the DML coast. The voyage's aim was to conduct 'routine' station resupply and personnel transfer operations, at least one Mil-8 helicopter being carried on board to support ship-shore work. Despite the plans, 'Federov' was unable to undertake that voyage due to serious mechanical problems, and the German vessel 'Magdalena Oldendorff' was eventually chartered to replace her (ANAN-77/06, 17 July 2002).
The web site says that 'Federov' was to have spent five days at Novolazerevskaya in late April, a week at Progress around mid-May, and 10 days at Mirny at the very end of May. Both daylight hours and temperatures would have been low in the region at that time as the winter solstice neared.
What INTAARI described as "tourists from all over the world" were to have had the opportunity to stay at the stations and have excursions to nearby areas. Lectures by RAE personnel on their work, and Antarctica in general, were to have been provided, both at the stations and at sea during the nine-week voyage. A "voyage highlight" was to have been visits to emperor penguin colonies located close to Mirny station.
The per person cost ex Cape Town for the 60-day voyage ranged from $US3,190 to $US5,115 depending on the type of cabin. Accommodation was offered in what INTAARI describes as "comfortable twin, single or family cabins with shower and [toilet]".
For their fare, those taking part were to have been provided with" 'four meals per day, refreshments in cabins; a welcome and farewell drink with the [ship's] Master; visits to the "polar bases" (when possible according to the RAE plan); an English-speaking leader of the group; lectures on board the vessel read by [RAE] scientists; and visits [to Federov's] bridge". It is possible that a significant number of tourists could have been carried as INTAARI indicates that visits to the Bridge would be limited to 12 people at a time at the discretion of the ship's Master.
Passengers were also to have been able to purchase additional services, including: helicopter flights at a per person cost of $US150 per hour for a minimum group of six; alcoholic drinks; laundry services; satellite communications; and "special Antarctic clothing" whilst on board the vessel.
In what appears to have been a coincidence, plans were also drawn up by Olendorff's operators last year for tourists to be carried on two voyages on that vessel to DML in 2001-02).
Although those voyages did not take place, there were some media reports in the UK that there were tourists on the 'Oldendorff' when, operating as a replacement for 'Federov', she became beset off DML in June (ANAN-77/06, 17 July 2002). The German vessel, with a 'skeleton crew' on board, is still beset; all other passengers and crew having been returned to Cape Town on the South African national program vessel 'Agulhas' in July.
If the reports of tourists were correct, they might have been taking part in an INTAARI-organised venture, although it has not been possible for ANAN to determine the accuracy of the UK media stories
UK-based non-government group 'Mission Antarctica' (MA) is promoting its 'clean-up' of Russia's Bellinghausen station as an example of "positive environmental action" during the United Nations' World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD). MA removed over 1,000 tonnes of rubbish and other materials from the station in January, thus improving the general visual outlook in the vicinity (ANAN-65/01, 30 January 2002).
The WSSD is being held in Johannesburg, South Africa, over the next two weeks. Some 40-50,000 people from around the world are expected to be in the city in association with the meeting and its related activities, while the heads of state of over 100 governments have indicated that they plan to attend its formal sessions.
MA's exhibit on the fringes of the conference has been titled 'Ice Station Johannesburg'. It is a "specially-designed venue" that can hold over 200, where "sponsored employees, schoolchildren, teachers and WSSD delegates [are being] invited to experience Antarctica and the MA story". Its centrepiece will be the group's 19-m yacht '2041' that has worked in the Antarctic Peninsula region over the past three austral summers (ANAN-66/06, 13 February 2002).
Minus its mast and renamed 'Earthship Mission Impossible', '2041' arrived in Johannesberg earlier this month after a 12,000-km, three-month road trip from Cape Town on a large low-loader. The yacht took part in a series of events en route to publicise 'Mission Antarctica' and promote the aims of the WSSD.
Twenty-five people from a range of nations, including some who have taken part in 2041's voyages, have been selected to look after the exhibit during the two-week Summit. MA's corporate sponsors are covering the costs involved in flying most of them to, and accommodating them in, Johannesburg.
'Mission Antarctica' attended an annual meeting of the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators (IAATO) for the first time early last month. The group is currently an Associate member of IAATO, and its Operations Manager, Garry Evans, told ANAN that they are currently "happy with [that] status", although they might "think about applying for Provisional [membership] in the future".
According to Evans, MA joined IAATO in order to obtain a "wider perspective on non-government activity in Antarctica". He says that MA "doesn't plan to be a big operator", but that the Association provides an "important forum for ideas" and acts as "a key coordination point for information".
Evans also feels "more comfortable" now that MA can take advantage of IAATO's emergency evacuation procedures in the Peninsula area. While that system would not have saved the life of the crew member of '2041' who died near King George Island in January 2001 (ANAN-52/05, 1 August 2001), Evans believes that having access to it now is "very important".
'2041' will not be travelling to Antarctica during the 2002-03 austral summer, as it will be under going a major refit in Cape Town. Details of the refit will not be known until advice "on the condition of the mast" is received by the group, as that aspect is expected to determine the overall costs involved.
Despite the absence of '2041', 'Mission Antarctica' is believed to have "plans" for further field work in the Peninsula region later this year, and for "most of the remainder of this decade". Details of the program envisaged have not been released as they depend on sponsors being found to support the work.
Indications are, however, that initial work proposed is "reconnaissance" in nature and that it "may involve a different kind of vessel" to 2041. Mission Antarctica used the larger vessel 'Anne Boye' for the clean up at Bellingshausen last January, however, it could only carry a few passengers.
The air-link south from Buenos Aires, Argentina, and the southern port of Ushuaia, will again be the key corridor via which the majority of tourists will travel to the southern-most continent during the coming southern summer. Tour ship schedules suggest that in line with recent years, close to 90 per cent of recreational visitors to Antarctica, and a similar proportion of total voyages, will leave from or return to Ushuaia in the four months from 1 November.
Data currently available indicate that, in addition to an unknown number of yachts, some 108 voyage departures and 104 arrivals of tour ships, which will make landings in the Antarctic Peninsula region, could occur at Ushuaia in 2002-03.
Overall passenger capacity on advertised voyages from the port is just under 13,000, and for those returning near 12,600. Therefore, if voyage load levels of the last few seasons are achieved, around 11,500 people who set foot in Antarctica could pass through the port in 2002-03, with the majority utilising the air link from there to Buenos Aires to connect with the world beyond.
Information available suggests that the presence of three to four Antarctic tour ships in Ushuaia on a single day throughout the season will not be unusual. There are also several days in January when five vessels are expected to have to share port facilities and associated support.
Antarctic-related visitor numbers to Ushuaia could be swelled by up to a further 3,000 by the passengers from large cruise ships that are to operate 'sight-seeing' operations in Antarctica, however, those vessels will only be making 'day' visits to the city (ANAN-69/02, 27 March 2002). Other large cruise vessels will also visit Ushuaia, but they will not be involved in Antarctic visits (ANAN-5/02, 29 September 1999).
After Ushuaia, Stanley in the Falkland Islands is again expected be the second busiest Antarctic tour ship gateway in 2002-03. About 15 voyages, which is similar to that estimated for 2001-02, are to leave from, or arrive back there with around 1,500 passengers transiting from or to the 'outside world'; most of them will fly via Santiago, Chile.
Like Ushuaia, however, 'day visits' by Antarctic tour ships will also be important economically for Stanley, there being over 30 ship visits that could carry as many as 4,500 passengers during the four-month season.
Other ports in the South American region that will see the start or conclusion of Antarctic tour ship voyages are: Punta Arenas, Puerto Montt and Valpariso in Chile; and Buenos Aires and Puerto Madryn in Argentina. Valpariso and Buenos Aires activities are primarily related to the operation of the three large cruise vessels, 'Amsterdam', 'Ryndam' and 'Crystal Symphony' (ANAN-75/02, 19 June 2002).
Puerto Montt will see four departures and five arrivals, and possibly as many as 1,200 passengers, most of whom will be connected to the 'Nordnorge' which is to start a joint Chilean-Norwegian operation to the Antarctic Peninsula later this year (ANAN-51/07, 18 July 2001).
Very few Antarctic voyages will depart from or arrive at Punta Arenas or Puerto Madryn. 'Day' visits by the three large tour ships could see in the order of 2,500 people go ashore at the Chilean port, while those at Puerto Madryn may be close to 2,000.
In the Australasian region, ports will see very few Antarctic cruise tourists compared with the South American sector. This reflects the very small number of voyages in the Pacific and Indian Ocean sectors planned for 2002-03 (ANAN-75/04, 19 June 2002).
Bluff in southern New Zealand is listed for the most voyages in the region (three departures and two arrivals) with possibly 250 Antarctic tourists passing through. The nearby port of Lyttleton, will like Hobart, Australia, have one Antarctic departure and arrival, with the total passenger numbers involved at each probably being fewer than 150.
Albany, Australia, Cape Town, South Africa and the Indian Ocean islands of Mauritius and Reunion will also see limited Antarctic and sub-Antarctic tour ship activity.
Paul Landry from Canada and Brian Cunningham from the UK are proposing to trek the 1,100 km from Hercules Inlet on the coast of Ellsworth Land to the South Geographic Pole (SGP) late in 2003. The traverse, along what is now a well established route, is one of "three classic Polar journeys", that the pair say that they hope to complete in a single year.
The journey to the SGP is the last segment of Landry and Cunningham's three-part expedition plan. Their 'Polar Trilogy Expedition' (PTE) timetable calls for them to leave Hercules Inlet on 1 November 2003, and they anticipate reaching the Pole some 60-70 days later using a combination of man hauling and parasail techniques.
In addition to the Antarctic leg of the polar trifector, the two men are also proposing to use dogs to travel from Ellesmere Island in the Canadian Arctic to the North Geographic Pole (NGP), and to cross the Greenland ice cap. The NGP trek is listed for March-April next year and the Greenland crossing immediately after that in May. Parasails will be used for the latter trip.
The overall cost of the three-part expedition is put at around $US454,000, the budget for the Antarctic traverse ($US254,000) accounting for over half of that total. It is not known how successful the PTE has been in its fund raising activities to date. No details of the logistics support for the SGP trek has yet been provided.
Landy and Cunningham undertook a dog-sled expedition on Baffin Island last February as part of their training for next year's polar journeys. They have also travelled together in Greenland and are both experienced ultra-distance runners. In 1999 they became the first team to complete the 100-km traverse across Baffin Island's Auyuittuq Park in under 24 hours.
Landry has also reached the NGP previously, doing so with a Singaporean colleague in May this year. He also guided two clients of US tour company Adventure Network International on one of their commercial 'Ski South Pole' treks last January (ANAN-74/04, 5 June 2002).
The only other high plateau traverse for the 2003-04 season that has been announced to date is that planned by five Australian women. As the 'Ice Maidens', they propose trekking from the Patriot Hills to the Pole at around the same time as Landry and Cunningham (ANAN-70/06, 10 April 2002).
Further details of the proposed Polar Trilogy Expedition are available on line at: http://www.polartrilogy.com/index.htm.
Please forward notice of events via e-mail to: tourism@aad.gov.au. Up-dates are made to ANAN's web site at: http://www.antdiv.gov.au/goingsouth/tourism/Research/BibConf/Confer/default.asp as soon as new information comes to hand.
YEAR 2002
10-13 September (Warsaw, Poland)
Fifth Meeting of the Committee for Environmental Protection (CEP V)
10-20 September (Warsaw, Poland)
Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting XXV (see ANAN-80/01 preceding).
16-28 December (South Geographic Pole)
High Plateau Marathon (see ANAN-79/10, 14 August 2002).
Contact: general@adventure-network.com
YEAR 2003
3 March (King George Island, Antarctica)
Sixth Antarctic Marathon and Half Marathon (see ANAN-68/09, 13 March 2002).
Contact: marathon@shore.net (Thom Gillian).
Date to be confirmed pending finalisation of ATCM XVI date] (Seattle, United States).
IAATO year 2003 annual meeting.
Contact: iaato@iaato.org (Denise Landau)(invitation required).
9-20 June (Madrid, Spain) (to be confirmed at ATCM XXV)
Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting XXVI
18-20 September 2003 (Cambridge, U.K.)
Conference on the future of South Georgia (see ANAN-77/07, 17 July 2002).
24 November (Queen Mary and Dronning Maud Land regions).
Total solar eclipse (See ANAN-79/09, 14 August 2002).
YEAR 2004
Sometime around mid-year [Dates to be set] (Christchurch, New Zealand).
IAATO year 2004 annual meeting.
Contact: iaato@iaato.org (Denise Landau)(invitation required).
Next edition issued on Wednesday, 11 September 2002 @ 0600 UTC.
Deadline for items: Sunday, 8 September 2002 @ 2359 UTC.
ANTARCTIC NON-GOVERNMENT ACTIVITY NEWS (ANAN)
IN READING PLEASE NOTE: This newsletter is produced in the interest of improved information sharing in the Antarctic and sub-Antarctic community. Inclusion of information in it should not be taken to imply endorsement, by the publishers of ANAN News, of any company, program or associated activity that is listed, nor that the activity has necessarily completed all environmental impact assessments required under the legislation of the 'home' nation concerned.
Links provided in ANAN stories are working at the time of first publication.
AVAILABLE ON LINE TWENTY-FOUR HOURS A DAY:
ANAN archive (including this issue with its built in links):
http://www.antdiv.gov.au/goingsouth/tourism/News/default.asp
Coming events related to non-governmental activity:
http://www.antdiv.gov.au/goingsouth/tourism/Research/BibConf/Confer/default.asp
Links to tourist industry web sites:
http://www.antdiv.gov.au/goingsouth/tourism/Industry/default.asp
EDITOR: Dave Moser (David.Moser@aad.gov.au).
POSTAL: Australian Antarctic Division, Kingston, Tasmania, Australia 7050
TELEPHONE: +61-3-6232-3347 (2200-0600 UTC).
FACSIMILE: +61-3-6232-3357.
RESEARCH/WRITING: Martin Betts (Martin.Betts@aad.gov.au)
TELEPHONE/FACSIMILE: +61-3-6267-4790 (2200-1100 UTC).
FACSIMILE: +61-3-6232-3500.
© Commonwealth of Australia 2002
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