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Irish tourists on trapped cruiser Trapped cruiser to be evacuated
(about 4 hours later)
Five Irish tourists are among 65 passengers on a cruise ship which is trapped in ice in Antartica, it has emerged. A cruise ship which ran aground in Antarctica with more than 100 people on board - including five Irish tourists - is to be evacuated.
The MV Ocean Nova became stuck close to an Argentine base on Tuesday. The Bahamas-flagged Ocean Nova carrying 74 passengers and 39 crew members became trapped near an Argentine navy base on Tuesday.
The Argentine Navy, which has flown a plane over the ship, confirmed there was no loss of fuel or electricity. The Argentine navy says the tour company is sending another ship to take on the stranded passengers.
A statement on the navy's website said there was no risk to any of the 65 passengers and 41 crew members on board. They will then be delivered to the southern city of Ushuaia.
Quark Expeditions, which operates the Ocean Nova, said the captain was planning to dislodge the vessel at high tide. It confirmed there was no loss of fuel or electricity.
As a contingency, other ships were sent to the area to aid a possible rescue. "All aboard continue to be safe and there is still no sign of leakage of any kind," the US-based tour operator Quark Expeditions said.
The Ocean Nova was built in 1992 to sail in icy waters around Greenland. High winds pushed the vessel into craggy rocks, the company's president, Patrick Shaw, told AP news agency.
The company said those on board included 21 Americans, 18 Filipinos, 17 Britons, eight Canadians, seven Australians, five Irish nationals, and five South Africans, among others.
It said the 240-ft (73m) Danish-built ship should be able to break free on its own as the tide rises, but high winds had prevented two attempts so far.