Clinton urges controls on Antarctic tourism

By Sue Pleming

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Monday urged tighter controls on cruise ships and tourists in Antarctica to prevent further environmental damage to the fragile region.

Addressing an international meeting on both the Antarctic and the Arctic, Clinton said as tourism increases to Antarctica there must be more regulations governing that travel.

"We have submitted a resolution that would place limits on landings from ships carrying large number of tourists. We have also proposed new requirements for lifeboats on tour ships to make sure they can keep passengers alive until rescue comes," she said, without providing further details.

Clinton was speaking at a joint session of the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting and the Arctic Council, two bodies that discuss issues at both poles.

Tourism to the Antarctic region has increased five-fold since the early 1990s as tens of thousands of people cruise during the Southern Hemisphere's summer to see shrinking icebergs and wildlife.

In the past four months, there have been two rescue efforts for cruise ships stranded in icy Antarctic waters. Over a year ago, more than 150 crew and passengers escaped in a dramatic rescue after their ship hit ice off Antarctica and sank.

Clinton also said more needed to be done to prevent further degradation of the environment around Antarctica caused by vessels going to the region.

There have been concerns over shipwrecks, oil spills and aggravation of stresses on animals and plants that may already be suffering from global warming.