By Xinhua
Buenos Aires : An oil spill after a cruise vessel capsized off Antarctica has been posing a serious threat to marine ecology, Argentinean officials said.
The cruise ship Ms Explorer struck submerged iceberg off Antarctica Friday and began sinking. Some 75 people on board, who survived, arrived in southern Chile Saturday.
Argentina’s Environment Secretary Romina Picolotti Saturday said the spill, which formed an 8-km pollution belt in nearby seas, was within control.
But the official, who visited the scene, said that if the crack in the cruiser’s hull widened, letting more fuel oil to spill onto the seas, the damage could be disastrous.
Argentine authorities have informed the Canadian travel company G.A.P. Adventure, which owns the cruiser, about the situation and demanded the company own responsibility for the accident.