A Russian woman stranded on a ship in Antarctica told about the faulty vessel

The participants of the expedition to Antarctica were initially put on a faulty ship and today are actually kept locked up. This was told to Izvestia by Russian Karina Ross, who was stranded on the ship.

According to the girl, the tour from the company Quark Expeditions is booked for eight days.

"Drake Strait we flew by plane for two hours and landed already in Antarctica on King George Island. Our flight was delayed for two days due to 'inclement weather', but the sun was shining clearly. <...> As soon as we boarded the ship, we were informed that the ship's navigation was not working and we could not go anywhere," Ross reported.

It has been the sixth day the ship has been anchored in the lagoon. During this time, according to the girl, the captain came down only once, saying that the crew can not find the fault, and the engineer is trying to solve the problem remotely. At the same time, the company refuses to send the tourists back, while there are two days left to the end of the tour.

"We are standing in the lagoon, no crew comes down to us and they don't explain anything, it's like we're being held hostage. 120 people, half are Americans, the other half are Chinese, of the Russians only I am the only one," the interviewee added.

Ross noted that the arrival of the engineer on the ship is expected later in the day. At the same time, another group of tourists is due to arrive on the ship on January 16, and they were told that the board is serviceable.

"We were boarded already on a faulty ship. We were not offered to fly back. We were not offered to cancel the trip before we left Punta Arenas. We were just kept on the boat for six days. Honestly, it felt like I was in a movie. It's eerie to be so far away without being able to get off the boat. Is it even safe to stay on the boat? We are just stuck in the middle of the lagoon," the girl concluded.

Earlier, on November 29, passengers of the SH Diana liner heading to Antarctica, including Russians, went on hunger strike due to engine failure. Tourists heading to Antarctica went on hunger strike after technical problems interrupted their trip. Cruise company Swan Hellenic refused to reimburse them in full. According to the passengers, the trip cost them between £7,000 and £10,000.