9 Dec 2008

Antarctic cruise ship freed on second attempt

10:25 pm on 9 December 2008

A cruise ship stranded in Antarctica has been freed on the second attempt.

The Ushuaia became stuck on a rock and started leaking fuel on Thursday in Wilhelmina Bay, a peninsula that reaches towards the southern tip of South America.

One hundred and 22 passengers, including a New Zealander and 11 Australians, have been evacuated to Argentina.

Chilean naval crews refloated the ship during high tide on, after a failed first attempt on Sunday.