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
Alas, what Turney is supposed to have done or said in internet and newspaper reports is not actually evidence.
Everyone involved will shut up, and the insurers will claim that the icing-up was an Act of God, for which the maritime rescue organisations should pay. Turvey will then produce ALL his friendly Climate Change experts to back him up, and, with no other evidence, I don’t even think it will get to court.
Certainly the Climate Change warmists in the AUS government will be applying considerable pressure for this to happen. And I assume that all the possible witnesses are being briefed about the correct thing to say as we speak. They’ll all hang together. If pressed about why they’re changing their story, they will just say they ‘misheard’…
This will boil down to a fight between the boat and unsw insurance companies.
He boat will try and shove the bill to unsw, which will then try and claim insurance.
However the expeditionrisk risk assessment will come into play. The responsible staff
On the trip much comply with the protocols that were stated in their own risk assessment.
For example, use of sat phones to maintain communication between ship and shore.
If risk assessment sates sat phones are to be used, and they are not, then the unsw
Insurer will likely state that the insurance company is not liable since the unsw did not
Follow their Own stated safety processes.
Now if turney did not comply with stated process on risk assessment, the unsw can
Possibly turn around and sue him as an individual.
Richard D said @ur momisugly January 24, 2014 at 4:01 pm
My sister was stopped at a stoplight when she was rear-ended by a truck. It took 15 years to force the insurance company to pay.
Whatever the legalities here – from a moral standpoint, at least, Turney and his alarmist friends should pay out of their own pockets for the cost of rescuing them. In addition, anyone Turney deceived into thinking this trip was safe, including any misrepresentation by him that there would be no ice to obstruct travel, as an inducement to come along on it should be reimbursed by him for the amount for which they are liable themselves. If Turney doesn’t have sufficient assets to make good on all these claims, then his income should be garnished for as long as it takes to recover the remainder of the damages – even if that means he lives at absolute minimum wage for the rest of his life. And if he has no income to garnish, then he’d better hope some homeless shelter will take him in. His actions could have resulted in many deaths, an should be punished accordingly.
GLOBAL WARMING ALARMISM KILLS.
The Pompous Git says: January 24, 2014 at 5:33 pm
My sister was stopped at a stoplight when she was rear-ended by a truck. It took 15 years to force the insurance company to pay.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++=
Wow, she’s persistent. Sorry to hear but hope she was ok otherwise. Some states have an insurance commission that is consumer friendly and will help keep insurance companies from pulling this crap. With the ship of fools, international treaties and maritime law is controlling.
JEM says: @ur momisugly January 24, 2014 at 12:28 pm
I’m betting that Turney et al was probably concerned that some of his hangers-on would probably be clamoring for a refund if they didn’t get time on the ice.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Any bets that Ms. Janet Rice, green party Elect was in that group Turney took out the last time?
As I recall Turney was silent during the time Rice sent this info. I do not think she was aware of what was going on until she got back to the ship.
No conclusive but a bit suggestive.
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.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
How old is the guy 16? He sure whines like a two year old image
Jim says: @ur momisugly January 24, 2014 at 5:13 pm
… For example, use of sat phones to maintain communication between ship and shore….
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>..
They had two sat phones. One in the control of Greg M. and one in the control of Turkey.
According to this article How And When To Buy A Satellite Phone, a sat-phone costs between $600 and $1700, depending upon the network. Considering the cost per person of the trip and who these people were and where they were going, why in heck did they not have at least one or two more of these phones? One with each group leader. Or at minimum one at the ship with Greg M. and one with a designated watch dog on shore. The radios only had a 5 mile range but the sat phone on the shore could be used to relay messages from the ship for the short range radios.
At the very least there should have been a coordinator on shore and another on ship both with a sat phone. Instead both sat phones with the shore parties went unanswered.
What an absolute unorganized mess.
Maybe they could sell movie rights to help raise cash. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ishtar_%28movie%29
“Here in Antarctica, I found the spirit of Mawson!” http://ishtarthemovie.com/downloads/RogersAndClarke-HelloIshtar.mp3
Good luck finding the shipwrecked green royalty. Their agenda is choke-full of award ceremonies.
Richard D said @ur momisugly January 24, 2014 at 5:47 pm
She was quite severely injured, not just whiplash, but brain damge as well. But yes, she is a very determined woman. When she returned to work as a nurse’s aide after several months of recovery, she announced she intended to undergo training as a nurse. Her nurse and doctor colleagues attempted to dissuade her due to her (at that time) “obvious intellectual impairment”.
Janet went on to complete two degrees in nursing and for a time lectured in neurology. She does not enjoy teaching and returned to working as assistant to several surgeons who value her immensely. Not as immensely as The Git it must be said.
@ur momisugly The Git.
That’s a remarkable story and outcome. Whiplash is not good and brain injury is worse. Imagine the forces her brain experienced. I’m so glad she’s not just ok but thriving!
We would like to think that the general public is catching on to the absurdities of the AGW position. But have a look at the comments that follow this posting. (I am really annoyed at the position of The Conversation because it is published by the Univ of Melbourne and I did my master’s there,)
Ian M
http://theconversation.com/an-insiders-story-of-the-global-attack-on-climate-science-21972
Did the American icebreaker really suffer huge losses in this debacle? As far as I can remember, it reduced it’s shore leave at Sydney by 3 days and then changed course slightly towards the AS. I maybe wrong, but I thought the fools were rescued before the American ship got anywhere near.and after that reverted back to its original mission. According to the head of the French Antarctic survey, the French lost 2 weeks of missions while the Chinese lost a whole season—words no doubt expressed in the heat of the debacle and probably needing more specifics.
January 24, 2014 at 11:46 am | jbird says:
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Not necessarily. The government is not likely to top up the university’s grant to cover these costs … it will have to come out of the university’s revenues.
I hope to see a modern remake of Monty Python And The Holy Grail with Turney as the Black Knight and Michael Mann as head of the Knights Who Say Ni.
@Old Data;
Ah, but they no longer the Knights who say Ni!
They are now the Knights who say… “Ekki-Ekki-Ekki-Ekki-PTANG. Zoom-Boing. Z’nourrwringmm.
Ni!
“Eric Worrall says:
January 24, 2014 at 1:06 pm”
There is talk, and I can’t find the link, of changing/introducing laws in Australia to limit expeditions like the Turney fiasco to Antarctica in the future.
Here are some pictures of Mawson’s Second B.A.N.Z.A.R.E. Voyage in 1931. They were stuck in pack ice for three weeks. Mawson said there was a lot more ice than in 1912.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/uon/702147690/in/set-72157600614667459/
Someone should award Turney the “Costa Concordia Leadership Award” if not the “Fletcher Christian Bounty Award“.
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The Russians are used to working those ice strengthened ships through ice north of Russia. Even as oil carriers. No doubt the captain was a little vexed to find out how unprofessional and irresponsible this “scientific expedition” is. In Russia, “Specialists” as graduate degreed are a mark of professional distinction and presumed responsibility. Not so much at UNSW eh, Igor (capt)?
Richard D says:
January 24, 2014 at 10:50 am
“So long as it wasn’t criminal negligence, I believe insurance will pay.”
Does disobedience of a direct order from the Captain of a ship, in matters relating to the safety of the ship and her passengers constitute criminal negligence?
First of all, it is not a vessel. Ask anyone who is Russian. It is a wessel. Mind you, I have a good friend who is Russian and for years insisted his car was a Pontiac Wibe. We teased him mercilessly about his Wibe until one day he became very upset and stormed out shouting that he was going to trade the Wibe in on something new. Sure enough, he returned the next day driving a….I’m not making this up…. a Grand Witara. But I digress.
My expectation is that the captain will come out of this just fine. Had he abandoned the passengers, they most likely would have died. He was faced with that or endangering the ship in order to save their lives. Ultimately, he was legally bound to save their lives, but they were equally bound to return to the wessel when he ordered them to. By failing to comply with his orders (even though they were not on the ship at the time) they became responsible for the wessel’s predicament, and hence the costs associated with the entire rescue operation.
But the legal shenanigans are just beginning. There’s going to be a tangled up web of contract law and jurisdictional issues not to mention that the passengers may well turn on each other with those not participating in the land excursion seeking to protect themselves from damages accrued by those that did.
Oh the popcorn! Lotsa popcorn!
Perhaps not the way Prof Turney originally imagined it, but he has already earned his place in the history books.
…it sounds as if Prof. Turney is in the market for a new ship….this one would fit the bill, and the price is right!
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-ghost-ship-starving-rats-20140123,0,2318033.story