SCENIC Luxury Cruises & Tours’ Scenic Neptune, the submarine offered as one of the experiences for guests aboard Scenic Eclipse, has been safely recovered, along with its passengers & pilot, after being damaged during a deployment in Antarctica. The cruise line confirmed the incident took place during a routine excursion...
SCENIC Luxury Cruises & Tours’ Scenic Neptune, the submarine offered as one of the experiences for guests aboard Scenic Eclipse, has been safely recovered, along with its passengers & pilot, after being damaged during a deployment in Antarctica.
The cruise line confirmed the incident took place during a routine excursion operation in Antarctica’s Weddell Sea.
“During flat calm conditions, a katabatic wind event took place,” according to a statement provided to Cruise Weekly.
“At the time, Scenic Eclipse’s submersible, Scenic Neptune, was conducting a dive with guests on board,” the cruise line said.
“As per Scenic safety procedures and IAATO guidelines, the submersible driver and sea-based team aborted the dive.
“During the return to surface process, Scenic Neptune encountered sea ice floes and sustained slight damage to external tanks.
“The crew continued to follow the Scenic and IAATO protocols, and all guests and crew returned safely to the ship within two hours and the Scenic Neptune submersible was taken into its onboard garage shortly thereafter,” the statement said.
The submarine (pictured) is “currently in the process of being assessed, and will return to service when it is repaired and compliant,” Scenic added.
The cruise line said all guests on board Eclipse, as well as those with upcoming bookings, have been informed of the status of the underwater excursion vehicle.
Scenic noted the ship’s onboard Discovery Team is committed to providing the many other unique experiences in the Antarctic region, with guests “enjoying the Zodiacs, kayaking, stand-up paddleboarding, the two state-of-the-art helicopters, all in ultra-luxury on board Scenic Eclipse”.
The recent Weddell Sea visit featured “many special encounters” including a rare Emperor penguin sighting and use of the helicopters to venture beyond the horizon, Scenic added.
