- Excursion boat took 10 minutes to sink
- Taking passengers to Ilulissat Icefjord
- Donnant L’Austral is regarded as one of most luxurious
Ponant’s luxury excursion ship L’Austral, which visited Dublin recently, reports that 23 passengers were rescued when an excursion boat used for a shore tour sank at Ilulissat Icefjord off the coast of Greenland.
The captain of L’Austral sent Zodiacs to collect the passengers, as well as three crew members from the Greenland company after the “ingress of water” was noted. The 264-passenger ship was located 100 meters away. The excursion boat Inuk II disappeared entirely under water 10 minutes after it began leaking. The Arctic Journal reported that water had risen to waist level by the time the last passenger left.
Ponant said in a swritten statement: “the Zodiac outings which Ponant runs are subject to all of the precautions dictated by the ISM: pilot license, operating manual containing the safety rules, including those that apply to sailing off a glacier terminus. Ensuring the safety of our passengers has always been our topmost priority and the primary concern of our experienced personnel.”
