Uh, oh: Federal Government to seek full cost recovery for Antarctic expedition rescue
Federal Environment Minister Greg Hunt yesterday said costs, estimated at about $2.4 million, would be sought from the insurer of the operators of the vessel.
The MV Akademik Shokalskiy, chartered by the University of NSW-associated Australasian Antarctic Expedition to retrace the steps of explorer Sir Douglas Mawson, became stuck in thick sea ice on Christmas Eve.
The 52 passengers were rescued by the Aurora Australis on January 2.
Mr Hunt said the Commonwealth would seek compensation for the recovery effort.
“We will be seeking full cost recovery through insurers for the up to $2.4 million costs incurred by the Australian government,” he said.
“We have a duty to protect life at sea and we do that willingly.
“However, what we see here is that there are some questions as to whether or not the ship was detained by the action of those on board within an area the captain had identified as potentially being subject to being frozen in.
“I think we have a duty on behalf of taxpayers to seek full cost recovery.”
Source: http://www.news.com.au/national/federal-government-to-seek-full-cost-recovery-for-antarctic-expedition-rescue/story-fncynjr2-1226809033585
h/t to Lucia at the Blackboard
Related: Battle begins over Antarctic rescue bill
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I’m betting that with this revelation…
About 2.30pm the weather deteriorated. At the same time Captain Kiselev saw slabs of sea ice moving into the open water channel from which the ship had entered the area. He called for everyone to return.
A passenger standing near Professor Turney overheard the voyage leader, Greg Mortimer, telling him over the radio to bring passengers back to the ship so it can leave.
But minutes later, Professor Turney drove six more passengers into the field.
…the insurers will likely say the incident was caused by neglience on the part of Dr. Chris Turney, and toss the claim back in their laps.
UPDATE: Gosh, the hardships these Guardian guys faced is just inspiring. So is the lack of self-awareness.
And finally, @loztopham gets his peanut butter milkshake. At Dubai airport. pic.twitter.com/CJaVVTrp4e
— Alok Jha (@alokjha) January 24, 2014
A small legal point but one often misunderstood. No injured party claims money from an insurance company. You sue the insured party (the university). The claimant (government) isn’t interested if the the university is insured or not. The insurance is for the insured not the claimant.
M Simon says: January 24, 2014 at 2:18 pm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pan-pan – message.
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Quite. Yet I’m reminded of the split in the ships hull above the water-line I saw somewhere/CA? (pressure of ice). Australia takes a primary role in S/R in the Southern Ocean and after all it was their people at risk. I’m pretty sure the Australian government wanted its people off that ship despite the captain’s intentions to stick it out. Keep in mind, if the captain and crew abandon the ship it can be seized and “ransomed” for salvage by any third party or scuttled as a derelict and hazard to navigation.
This might be appropriate here…
I don’t sing, but if I did…
I would sing this to the tune of Michael’s Jackson’s “Beat It”
They told you don’t you ever come around here
Don’t wanna see your facts, you better disappear
The clouds are in their minds and their words aren’t really clear
So heat it, just heat it
It’s getting cold you gotta do what you can
You want some heat you just call Michael Mann
You need some more grants, better do what you can
So heat it, but you want it so bad
So heat it, heat it
No one wants to be defeated
Show ‘em your models, get in there and fight
It doesn’t matter if they’re wrong or they’re right
Just heat it, heat it
Heat it, heat it!
Global warming’s out to get you, better die while you can
Exhale your CO2 now, before it gets banned
Fly to a climate conference so you can work on your tan
So heat it, just heat it
You can show the people how to stay alive
The truth is out there, it’s in AR5
The models goin’ up but global temps are in a dive
So heat it, but you want it so bad
So heat it, heat it
No one wants to be defeated
You got supercomputers that run day and night
It doesn’t matter if they’re wrong or they’re right
Just heat it, heat it
Heat it, heat it!
You don’t want to be a turkey better show them there’s ice
Gotta get rough this ain’t no time to be nice
Charter a boat South, share your cold bunk with some mice
So heat it, just heat it
After peanut butter banana milkshakes the food just tastes yuck
Prove the world Antarctic ice is gone and you’ll be in luck
Too much time sightseeing and now you got stuck
So heat it, but you want it so bad
So heat it, heat it
The penguins showed up to greet it
Show ‘em open water, show ‘em you’re right
It doesn’t matter if the boat’s not upright
Just heat it, heat it
Heat it, heat it!
But one way or another, it’ll make Alarmist propaganda expeditions like this much more expensive (financially and politically).
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Amen…
And now the parties start jockeying to get into position for the start of litigation … and the lawyers start salivating … and Professor Turney is going to finally discover that actions have consequences.
$2.4 million! That would have to be the tip of the iceberg for the total costs of this pantomime on ice.
I think Dr Tony Fleming is being very conservative and generous in his estimate in the cost of the rescue which takes into account fuel, chartering and staffing costs. Does it take into account the disruption the Australian Antarctic Division’s 2013/14 program?
The Aurora Australia was already 3 weeks behind schedule because of unforeseen thick summer sea ice on its first trip to Davis base. This little episode must have shot the entire season’s maritime itinerary into smithereens.
And what about the costs to the Chinese? And to the Americans for the involvement of the Polar Star? Have they been taken into account? I’m sure when you add up the total costs you could easily quadruple the good doctor’s estimate.
And who is going to pay? Well, Dr Fleming says any formal inquiry would be the responsibility of the ship’s flag of state – Russia. Hidey Ho there. I can’t see the Captain of the Akademik Shokalskiy being sent to the salt mines over this one and Vladimir coughing up one rouble.
But the REAL cost is to that of the CAGW movement. That is immeasurable. And on the other side of the ledger when some-one pays – some-one gains. And the gain to the sceptic’s movement against CAGW is likewise immense.
So much so that I move that Professor Chris Turney be awarded the inaugural WUWT Sir Douglas Mawson Medal for outstanding achievement above and beyond the call of duty in the cause of questioning Catastrophic Anthropogenic Global Warming.
Wow, way to go Australia!
I hope you recover at least some dignity, but money?
The most comprehensive story i have seen so far is here
http://www.illawarramercury.com.au/story/2040209/the-inside-story-of-how-expedition-went-so-wrong/?cs=12
papertiger says:
January 24, 2014 at 1:00 pm
“”
I bet 2.4 million is enough to end an Antarctic tour company.””
Maybe not … 52 X cost of berth X number of voyages. After all, the AS was on time to take its next group out to the damncold.
Nice little earner.
King of Cool says:
January 24, 2014 at 2:50 pm
…. Does it take into account the disruption the Australian Antarctic Division’s 2013/14 program?….
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
That is</strike Those are a separate law suit[s]…Snicker, chuckle, gufaw…
But the REAL cost is to that of the CAGW movement. That is immeasurable. And on the other side of the ledger when some-one pays – some-one gains. And the gain to the sceptic’s movement against CAGW is likewise immense.
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Exactly. It was dramatic and big news for weeks even if details were withheld by lackey media. The news in Australia didn’t stop once passengers were evacuated.
This story is also about new management in Australia hammering these CO2 enthusiasts. Belay that. Devotees is more apt. 🙂
That is</strike Those are a separate law suit[s]…
Snicker, chuckle, gufaw…
___________________
Gail, total nightmare unless you are a team of lawyers, who specialize in maritime law. SNORT. 🙂
a question. how come Chris Turney, who received yet another Award recently, & has been the subject of world news for a month, DOES NOT HAVE A WIKIPEDIA PAGE? i’ve searched and am still not able to locate one but, if anyone can, please post a link:
LinkedIn: Chris Turney
Chris led the radiocarbon dating on the ‘Hobbit’ fossil of Flores, Indonesia that hit the headlines worldwide in 2004.
Education:
University of East Anglia
BSc (Hons), Environmental Science
1994 – 1997
Honours & Awards:
2009 Bigsby Medal, The Geological Society of London.
2008 Philip Leverhulme Prize, The Leverhulme Trust.
2007 Sir Nicholas Shackleton Award for Most Outstanding Quaternary Scientist, International Union for Quaternary Research (first recipient).
2004 J.G. Russell Award, Australian Academy of Sciences.
http://au.linkedin.com/pub/chris-turney/25/8a1/926
“But minutes later, Professor Turney drove six more passengers into the field.”
Agent Turney played his role very well. The warmists obviously had no clue he was an undercover MegaOilCorps operative tasked with discrediting warmism once and for all. Those hapless dupes.
I suggest we let Agent Turney infiltrate IPCC HQ next.
“the insurers will likely say the incident was caused by neglience on the part of Dr. Chris Turney, and toss the claim back in their laps”
They can’t do that. They have issued liability insurance. That is, they took a premium to insure against the possibility that the insured will incur liability. They can’t then say – well, it’s your liability, not ours.
Nick Stokes,
What you say is very possible, but it will depend on the exact language of the policy, and the details of the exclusions in the policy. At this point, we really just don’t know.
Nick Stokes says: @ur momisugly January 24, 2014 at 3:34 pm
…. They can’t do that. They have issued liability insurance. That is, they took a premium to insure against the possibility that the insured will incur liability. They can’t then say – well, it’s your liability, not ours.
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Nick try telling that to a friend of mine who is staring at several million in claims because the insurance company settled out of court and then handed him the bill. He then had to sue the insurance company.
The case has dragged on for over ten years and STILL is not settled. It is the NC State Fair e-coli poisoning and he had a several million dollar policy that cost him a bundle.
What Peter Miller said.
Turney is listed fifth of 14 on the “Hobbit” dating study. No wonder he switched from boring lab & field science to the much more generously endowed “climate science”, with its lavish junkets:
Morwood, M. J.; Soejono, R. P., Roberts, R. G., Sutikna, T., Turney, C. S. M., Westaway, K. E., Rink, W. J., Zhao, J.- X., van den Bergh, G. D., Rokus Awe Due, Hobbs, D. R., Moore, M. W., Bird,
M. I. and Fifield, L. K. (October 27, 2004). “Archaeology and age of a new hominin from Flores in eastern Indonesia”. Nature 431 (7012): 1087–1091. Bibcode:2004Nature.431.1087M. doi:10.1038/nature02956. PMID 15510146.
Why did the Mawson trip take place at a time when there was still a great deal of sea ice ?
Surely it should have been timed to coincide with minimum sea ice. Perhaps the timing of the expedition was dictated by Australian holidays rather than ice state. Thus influencing the success or failure of the expedition.
They can’t then say – well, it’s your liability, not ours.
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Don’t be silly. They can deny the claim and it happens all the time, in which case you win the unique adventure of suing your insurance company. Free advice friends, if you are ever sued for real money and you are insured, get a personal lawyer to keep his/her boot on the insurance companies throat until they accept the claim.
Insurance is a tricky thing. So is establishing cause for liability. My guess is the Australian government is just drawing a line in imaginary sand. The bill will be paid. Russians will still run their reinforced (non ice-breaker) boats in the Antarctic. But maybe poorly thought out “exploration” projects will full under greater scrutiny. I’m not hopeful.
Al made a billion off this rubbish. Maybe he would pick up the tab.
Insurance companies can write whatever they like into their contracts,but any clauses found to be at variance with the law of the land, or more likely in this case maritime law, are nul and void. These situations are often complex and can only be resolved in a court of law, and sometimes not even then as some posters have quoted examples of.
Seems like a very reasonable speculation.