A monument that heralded Antarctica’s age of innocence’s demise, the badly gashed orange hull of a cruise liner lifts from the chilling blue waters. Penguins are surrounded with danger from the sheen of oil in the water but they perch atop the vessel that has sunken without any fear.Most of the tens of thousands of gallons of diesel fuel that spilled out of the shipwreck has since evaporated, but more is slowly leaking.

At Earth’s final frontier, times are changing.Tons of bulldozers, aircraft, ships and amphibious trucks are being dispatched by countries that aim to claim a portion of the Frozen Continent. Research efforts are undertaken with nationalistic fanfare along with new bases being established. Every austral summer week, well heeled tourists come in hundreds aboard cruise ships, military transport planes or supply vessels as arranged by specialized agencies for travel. You’ll get further resources on affordable antarctica tours by visiting there.

Individuals on board polar skiing expeditions and private yachts are able to venture to Earth’s final frontier even without a passport. Much like the perilous icebergs around Antarctica’s uncharted seas are the many legal, political and environmental questions that keep hounding the final frontier of the earth thanks to damaging instances like the oil spill caused by the sunken cruise liner, posing a huge threat to Antarctica’s wildlife. As per the Antarctic Treaty regulation, not one country owns this continent so it is bound by no laws.

The pact, which aimed to make nations set aside their territorial claims and allow research to thrive in Antarctica for 30 years, was signed by 12 countries in the year 1961. After this, there have been eight more nations joining that pact and were endowed full voting rights while 18 more only hold observer status but have agreed to abide by the laws. Every two years call for a meeting among the treaty nations. An article allowing strict regulated mineral reserve exploration and exploitation has been drafted by the organization. They are now beginning to see themselves tussling with issues on indemnification, air safety, medical and evacuation facilities and even proliferation of work bases.

Scheduled to call on Palmer, 30 or more cruise liners enable about a hundred tourists per occasion to come in especially once the austral summer season sets in. Tourism is uncontrolled and, to some, out of control. There was a short lived attempt by the Science Foundation in the past year to inhibit tourists from coming in, believing that these impeded the research processes. But then with many prominent Americans demanding to learn how their tax money are being spent, the ban got lifted. If you need more details on antarctica holiday visit there.

Among the staff of the station is a medical corpsman who mans a small clinic that can be used to treat up to two to four dozen individuals situated at the base. It lacks skill in managing maritime disaster. The workers from the station assert that fair weather alone could prevent a disaster from striking. They were mostly open inflatable rafts that missed oars and motors, they shared when asked about the lifeboats found in the sunken cruise ship. The day was extremely calm, making them easily able to be towed ashore using work boats. Workers share that this could have been blown out to sea with the raging Antarctic weather or have overturned, making things worse.

Immediately, the National Science Foundation responded to the oil spill by dispatching navy and civilian pollution control teams wielding specialized equipment weighing 52 tons to address the problem caused by the oil spill. The mission went beyond 2 million dollars. Clean up work that cost so much are done by the Chilean and Argentinian navy men sent there. The clean up ended in mid March, although the sunken still holds about 63,000 gallons that can’t be safely reached and pumped out It could spill if the ship breaks up in a winter storm or simply seep out for many months as the wreck gradually disintegrates. Hauling the ruins away would prove to be too costly, states the experts.

The area of the spill teems with wildlife, including penguins, skuas, cormorants, Arctic terns and other birds. Passing through the bay are whales and seals. As per the results derived by science experts in their research, indirect evidence exists on the death of many penguins and birds caused by the oil spill but when it comes to the extent of the damage, no clear data has been found.In the hopes of analyzing the environmental damage caused by the spill and its impact, 15 researchers from Chile, Argentina and America have arrived.To be completed, so many years will have to pass and this without the promise of any damages to be rewarded.

As American holds no territorial ownership to the place specifically at or surrounding Palmer Station, they are not eligible for any damage compensation and it will only be on the Antarctic Peninsula, countries such as Great Britain, Argentina and Chile that do. An article that will push each country to contribute financially for any damages especially to the environment shall be proposed by Chile in the next Antarctic Treaty. Pressing for agreement on cost sharing for the clean up missions along with forming an international coordinating office for emergencies is something being planned by the Science Foundation.