Photo by the Chilean Navy shows the EXPLORER before she sank beneath the waves.

Update: MV EXPLORER Cruise Ship Has Now Sunk
The Argentine and Chilean navies say that the mv EXPLORER has now completely sunk...



According to reports by the Argentine and Chilean navies on their websites, the adventure holiday cruise ship EXPLORER has finally succumbed to the icy waters of the Southern Atlantic.

After striking what was believed to be a submerged iceberg the vessel took on water and listed inexorably, with pictures showing her keeled over with half her hull exposed.

In a statement the Argentine Navy said that nothing of the ship or wreckage could now be seen, presumably some 20 hours after she first got into difficulties.

However the Chilean Navy carries a report on its website that says wreckage has been observed, but agrees that there is no sight of the ship itself.

The GAP Adventures website reported earlier that she was last observed at a 90 degree list, but no further updates have appeared on their site since then.

The nationalities who were on board the vessel, all of who are described as safe and well on King George Island are given as:

2 Argentines, 10 Australians, 2 Belgians, 24 British nationals, 12 Canadians, 1 Chinese national, 3 Danes, 17 Dutch, 1 French, 1 German, 2 from Hong Kong, 4 Irish, 1 Japanese, 4 Swiss, 14 Americans, 1 Colombian and 1 Swede. The captain of the ship is Swedish and the majority of the crew are 'understood to be from the Philippines'. The crew onboard M/S Explorer consist of 45 Filipinos, 4 Swedes, 2 Bulgarians, 2 New Zealanders, and 1 Pole.

Doubts have been cast on earlier reports, reported from the company itself,  that said a 'fist sized hole' was punched in the hull of the vessel, However,  the Argentine Navy claim they observed damage that was much more severe.

See also yesterday's Shipping Times' report on the sinking of mv EXPLORER