Ships in distress

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17 Britons on grounded Antarctic cruise ship

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• Matthew Weaver
• The Guardian, Thursday 19 February 2009

Seventeen British tourists were among 106 passengers and crew stranded yesterday on an adventure cruise ship that ran aground in Antarctica.

The 73m-long Ocean Nova ran into trouble in high winds near an Argentinian research station west of Debenham island at about 3am yesterday. The Danish captain, Per Gravesen, issued a distress signal after failing to dislodge the ship.

The tour operator, Quark Expeditions, said there was no threat to the lives of those on board. It claimed the passengers, who paid up to £ 13, 000 each for the two-week trip, were " enjoying the regularly scheduled lecture programme" while they waited to be rescued or dislodged at high tide.

Another Quark ship, the Clipper Adventurer, has been sent to the area in an attempt to reach the Ocean Nova.

The Argentinian navy has flown a plane over the site and confirmed there was no loss of fuel or electricity. A statement on the navy's website said there were " no risks" to the 65 passengers and 41 crew aboard. Last night the Argentinian navy said attempts to release the cruise ship had been unsuccessful and it was planning to evacuate the passengers. They would be taken to Ushuaia, Argentina's southernmost city.

In a blogpost written from the rescue ship, one of the passengers, David Sinclair, wrote: " All on board the Clipper Adventurer are in good spirits, everyone is understanding and happy to assist." He told of watching mink whales, cruising through " iceberg alley" and how one of the men on board had proposed to his girlfriend.

Patrick Shaw, president of Quark Expeditions, said: " I have been in contact with the ship and the passengers are enjoying themselves as best they can. They had a good night's sleep and are making the most of the spectacular scenery."

The Ocean Nova was built in 1992 to sail in icy waters around Greenland. Its toughened hull was excellent for polar expeditions, Quark said.

1. Put it in Russian:

To be stranded, to dislodge the ship, at high tide, to make the most of the spectacular scenery, rescue ship, to release the ship, regular scheduled lecture programme, mink whales, a grounded Antarctic cruise ship

2. Put it in English:

Сесть на мель, сигнал бедствия, угроза жизни, самый южный город Аргентины, укрепленный корпус, пассажиры развлекаются как только могут, связаться с кораблем

3. Imagine that you work for a news agency. Make a radio report from the adventure cruise ship Ocean Nova, which is in distress.

Text II

Gales causing emergency situation for ships in Black Sea Several ships were reported as being in distress in the Black Sea on Tuesday because of severe gales. ITAR-TASS news agency reported that a floating dock and a research ship had sunk in a gale near the Crimean port of Feodosiya. The Ukrainian navy rescued one crew member from the vessel which is lying at a depth of six metres. Bad weather was preventing any attempts to raise the ship, it said. In a separate report, it said a Georgian ship had been wrecked near Feodosiya and was washed ashore after sustaining a hole in its side. The crew of seven, who were uninjured, were rescued. A Brazilian ship with 22 people aboard was also in distress near the Russian Black Sea port of Novorossiysk, it said. In a separate report, Interfax news agency said three Russian ships had spent several hours searching for a Turkish ship in the Black Sea region. The search for the ship was being hampered by storms, poor visibility and very faint SOS signals. Unprecedented weather conditions for the region, with gusts reaching 45 metres a second and temperatures of minus 15 degrees Celsius have created an emergency situation, it said. ITAR-TASS added from the Russian city of Krasnodar that four ships, including an oil and ore carrier, were being driven towards the shore in the Azov Sea. The vessels had 52 people on board, it said. 1. Say it in Russian: To be in distress, severe gales, to be wrecked, to be washed ashore, was being hampered by storms, an oil and ore carrier 2. Say it in English: Затонуть в шторм, лежать на глубине 6 метров, получить пробоину, плохая видимость, слабый сигнал СОС, беспрецедентный 3. Work with your partner. Make up an interview with a sailor who survived the emergency situation in the Black sea. Text III