A Chilean navy icebreaker set sail Tuesday on a mission to disperse the fuel slick caused by the shipwreck of a cruise ship that sank off King George Island in Antarctic seas last Friday.
"Considering the depth, the presence of ice, the effect of the wind and the currents and the absence of technology to contain spills on open seas - and at depths of more than 1,000 meters, it is only viable to disperse the slick mechanically," the Chilean navy said.
The cruise ship Ms Explorer struck submerged ice off Antarctica and began sinking last Friday. Her 100 passengers and 54 crew were rescued the same day.
The cruise ship sank 15 hours later.
King George Island, the largest of the Southern Shetland Islands, lies about 1,127 km south of Cape Horn, the tip of South America.
Source:Xinhua
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