US embassy cable - 05QUITO733

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 QUITO 000733 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: CASC, EC 
SUBJECT: TOUR BOAT WITH 12 AMCIT EXCHANGE STUDENTS SINKS IN 
GALAPAGOS: ALL ARE SAFE AND SOUND 
 
1.  Summary.  At approximately midnight on March 18, 2005, 
the Galapagos tour boat Andardita capsized causing the twelve 
Amcit exchange students aboard and the five-member crew to 
abandon ship.  All made their way to the Andardita,s dingy, 
which was cut loose before the ship sank, and were rescued 
about twenty minutes later by other nearby tour boats.  The 
event was given only the scantest coverage in Ecuadorian 
press.  Various mission personnel are engaging GOE officials 
for information and investigation reports.  End Summary. 
 
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Luckily, Tragedy Avoided 
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2.  Twelve exchange students from various parts of the U.S. 
were taking a tour boat cruise of the Galapagos Islands. 
They were the only tourists on the vessel.  Their vessel, the 
Antartida, was making its way from the island of Espanola to 
Santa Fe.  As is common in these cruises, most of the open 
sea travel occurs at night so that tourists can awake to a 
brand new tourist site.  The students reported that at about 
midnight, in calm weather and under a star-filled sky, the 
vessel took a hard roll to the left and possibly took on 
water over the side of the boat.  They reported that the 
captain at this point cut the rudder hard right - perhaps in 
an attempt to compensate for the roll - and that the vessel 
rolled hard right - too hard, in fact, because it capsized. 
 
3.  The captain reportedly sent a mayday signal and on his 
way overboard ordered everyone to abandon ship.  Another 
crewmember cut loose the vessel,s dingy and everyone went 
into the open waters and made their way to it.   Roughly two 
minutes after capsizing, the vessel sank.  Twenty minutes 
later, two passing tour ships (the Yolita and Reina Victoria) 
rescued them.  The students lost all their possessions but 
are safe and sound. 
 
4.  The students reported that the vessel felt unstable 
during the entire trip, often rolling in calm waters.  They 
also said that the vessel had a permanent tilt to the left. 
Life vests were also a concern.  The students said that there 
were no life vests on the deck of the vessel or in the dingy, 
but that each cabin was equipped with life vests. 
Moreover, they did not receive a safety breifing after 
boarding the ship. 
 
5. The students are participating in the Brethren Colleges 
Abroad semester abroad exchange program with the University 
of San Francisco of Quito.  Paul Breucker, the coordinator of 
the program, said that the program had used the same vessel 
in the past with other student groups, and that he himself 
had also sailed on it, although he was not on board this time. 
 
6. Mr. Bruecker has arranged three counseling sessions for 
the group.  Despite the close call, all the students are in 
very good spirits and none have asked to leave Ecuador early. 
 Mr. Bruecker also said that the Tierra del Fuego (the tour 
company) and Galasam (owner of the vessel) have contacted 
their insurance companies to reimburse the students for lost 
possessions.  We will monitor this.  The consular section is 
assisting the students to obtain replacement passports. 
 
7.  Despite the potential catastrophe, the event garnished 
very little attention in the local press.  The public affairs 
section reported only one small blurb in one of the national 
newspapers. 
 
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Comment 
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8.  Thankfully, all the students were on deck admiring the 
stars and enjoying the weather when this occurred.  An hour 
or so later and most probably would have been sleeping in 
their cabins and this cable would be tragic. 
 
9.  Post is obviously concerned about the students, reports 
that there were no life vests on deck or in the dingy or that 
they did not receive a safety briefing.  Also, the unstable 
character of the vessel is cause for concern.  A leading 
tourist player in Guayaquil told us that this is not the 
first Galasam boat to capsize, hinting that extra decks are 
sometimes added to boats without the extra ballast required 
to stabilize them.  The Coast Guard attach is seeking a 
report from his counterparts and other Mission personnel are 
seeking similar details.  The topic will also be covered at 
Post's regular Galapagos Working Group meeting, along with 
officials from the Consulate General in Guayaquil. 
 
KENNEY