Damaged ship and changed plan!

This Day Changed the Voyage

The day started slow and rainy. After a great lecture on seabirds, we passed our first major iceberg—an impressive sight, even in bad weather.

Around 11:30, we approached Shag Rocks, two small rock islands in the middle of the ocean, about 120 nautical miles from South Georgia. As we neared the islands, the captain slowed the ship, and we got closer to the ominous-looking rocks. They’re called Shag Rocks because many shags (seabirds) live and breed on these remote outcrops. Most of the guests, including me, went out on deck to photograph the islands and the birds.

After a few minutes, the ship suddenly turned sharply and made abrupt contact with something. This was followed almost immediately by a second bump. The ship’s alarm sounded, and a “Code Bravo” was announced—indicating a fire on board. Fire wasn’t the main problem but I’ll get back to that.

I quickly left the outer deck and headed back to my cabin, meeting my colleague Steffan on the way. He simply and calmly said, “Pack the most necessary items in a dry bag and be ready.” A few minutes later, the emergency alarm sounded, and we were instructed to gather in the lecture room with warm jackets and life vests—just like in the drill at the start of the trip, but this time it was real 😳

I had expected some panic, but things remained fairly calm overall. Of course, there was anxiety among the guests about what might happen next, and the alarm sound itself created a nervous atmosphere. The crew systematically ensured everyone was accounted for in the lecture room. We were then divided into lifeboat groups and waited for the decision on whether we needed to evacuate the vessel.

Those 15 minutes felt very long. Eventually, we received word that another expedition ship had responded to our emergency call and was en route to assist us if an evacuation became necessary. That was a huge relief, especially considering we were about 2,000 kilometers from the mainland.

After 15–20 minutes, the captain called me to the bridge. We had a brief discussion about the situation and our options. Since the ship was still stable, we decided to continue toward South Georgia. This decision was partly influenced by a major storm approaching as I write this, making South Georgia the best option for shelter.

The bottom of the ship is partly flooded, and one of the ship’s stabilizer wings is broken. The other stabilizer cannot be used due to flooded electrical systems. For now, the plan is to proceed east to South Georgia, wait out the storm over the next 3–4 days, and then hope for a safe weather window to sail back to Argentina. Unfortunately, this means no Antarctica for us on this voyage. Hopefully the weather over the coming days still allows us to visit the impressive place, we will know tomorrow.

As expected, the guests are frustrated and disappointed. There’s a lot of work ahead for us in the coming days and weeks, but I’m grateful to be here and able to contribute to managing this situation.

I’ll update my travel diary in the coming days and hope for some incredible wildlife sightings before we head back to Argentina. For now, I’m simply relieved not to be sitting in a lifeboat in 3–4 meter waves waiting to be rescued. It’s been an emotional and somewhat stressful day, but we’ll make it through.

(A few pictures from the day, lectures, Black Browed Albatross, Antarctic Shag and the Shag Rocks.. pictures 2-3 mins before impact)Read more