Alan Lam reporting

The first Antarctic-bound expedition cruise vessel of the season has just departed the Argentine port city of Ushuaia. On the morning of 20 October the 90-pax Antarpply Expeditions docked at the capital of Tierra del Fuego and departed the following day for the White Continent, taking its enthusiastic international guests on an adventure and a “journey into the unknown”.

The current Antarctic cruise season will end on 2 April 2016. During this time a total of 31 ships are involved in expedition cruises to this destination, including the 262-pax Le Lyrial of Ponant and the 872-pax Asuka II of Asuka Cruises.

For the period the port of Ushuaia expects 331 calls by 45 ships. Only 31 of these ships will be involved in Antarctic voyages.

The Antarctic itineraries vary from 10 days to three weeks, often including calls to Sub-Antarctic islands of South Georgia, Sandwich and South Orkneys. Normally, upon departing Ushuaia, the ships head south, crossing the Drake Passage in the direction of the extreme Northwest of the Antarctic Peninsula, about 1,000 kilometres from Tierra del Fuego. The journey takes two days.

According to Gianfranco Guardamagna, the president of Tierra del Fuego Institute of Tourism (Instituto Fueguino de Turismo), this season will see the biggest number of expedition cruise passengers arriving in the region. “This also means a great responsibility for the province,” he emphasized, “as it is the point of departure for 95 per cent of Antarctic-bound cruise passengers, representing more than two percent of global cruise traffics.”

He went on to say that there were many port projects underway “on the provincial level” aiming at providing better services to this industry from one season to another.