Like a monument to the end of Antarctica’s age of innocence, the cruise ship’s badly gashed orange hull rises out of ice blue waters.

Penguins happily perch on the overturned cruise ship not knowing that the glistening oil in the water’s surface spells trouble. The tens of thousands of diesel fuel gallons that poured through the shipwreck has evaporated since however, more is leaking out gradually.

At this planet’s final frontier, times are changing. Nations that envision owning a slice of the Frozen Continent send in aircraft and sea vessels, amphibious trucks and bulldozers consistently.

Bit by nationalistic fanfare, new bases are build and research efforts fortified. During the austral summer, well heeled tourists Tadacip arrive by the hundreds each week on cruise ships, supply vessels or military transport planes contracted by specialized travel agencies.

The last frontier of Earth does not require any passports and so even people aboard private yachts and polar skiing expeditions come in without much hassle.

Multitudes of accident have occurred and are still bound to occur and like the case of the oil spill caused by the sunken cruise liner, the wildlife of Antarctic has to pay the price and this a very unfortunate fact, luring in growing questions on politics, legalities and environment, the way many dangerous icebergs abound throughout Antarctica’s seas which are hardly charted.

The continent of Antarctica belongs to no one so no laws apply to it, as stated in the Antarctic Treaty.

The treaty involved 12 countries who signed it back in 1961, making them all set aside their territorial stakes for around 30 years and allow peaceful research to thrive for at least the next thirty years.

Eight other nations since have joined the treaty with full voting powers, while an additional 18 have agreed to abide by its provisions and hold observer status.

Every two years, these treaty nations meet. The group ordered the development of a plan that enables strictly regulated exploration and exploitation of the continent’s vast mineral reserves.

However, they are now beginning to struggle with issues on marine and air safety, proliferation of hubs and bases, indemnification, medical and rescue facilities as well as other concerns.

During the austral summer season, more than 30 cruises were scheduled to call on Palmer, bringing an average 100 tourists on each occasion. Uncontrolled tourism often seems to be like a wild animal.

The Science Foundation, saying that the arrival of tourist disrupted their research, attempted to ban them last year. But the ban was lifted when influential Americans complained, claiming a right to see how their tax dollars are being spent.

One of the valuable employees of the station also include a medical corpsman over at a small room which is able to hold even up to around four dozens of people working over at the compound. Its forte is not maritime disaster management.

And station workers said only fair weather prevented a disaster. All of them saw that the open inflatable rafts from the sunken ship did not have any oars and motors.

Typical station work boats can tow it ashore without much hassle thanks to the very calm day. Workers share that this could have been blown out to sea with the raging Antarctic weather or have overturned, making things worse.

In response to the diesel spill, the National Science Foundation dispatched navy and civilian pollution control experts with 52 tons of specialized equipment. The mission went beyond 2 million dollars.

Expensive clean up missions are done by Argentina and Chilean navy men.

The clean up, which lasted until the middle of March, still was not enough for the submerged ship still contains around 63,000 gallons that can’t be safely pumped out and it will keep seeping out as the wreckage disintegrates in time or worse, it could spill massively if a winter storm breaks the ship up. Getting the wreckage out would be very pricey, states experts.

The area where the spill is home to birds like penguins, skuas, Arctic terns, cormorants and many other kinds. Passing through the bay are whales and seals.

Scientists say there already exists indirect evidence that many penguins and other birds were poisoned by the spill, but they have been unable to determine the extent of the damage.

Researchers from Argentina, Chile and the United States make up the special team of 15 to study comprehensively the impact of the spill to the environment. It will take years to complete, yet there is no way a claim for damages can be made.

Because the United States of America holds no property rights to the area at or around Palmer Station, they will lose in their fight to seek compensation the area of the catastrophe on the Antarctic Peninsula but only the countries Great Britain, Chile and Argentina.

Chile recently announced plans to propose, at the next Antarctic Treaty, an article to hold each country financially responsible for environmental or other damages.

For the amounts spent on spill and accident clean up missions, cost sharing agreements should be set in place along with establishing an office for international emergency coordination and these are all being spearheaded the Science Foundation.

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