BUENOS AIRES,Nov.24 (Xinhua) -- Oil fuels spilled from the shipwreck of a cruise ship that sank off Antarctica were posing a serious threat to the environment, Argentine Environment Secretary Romina Picolotti said on Saturday.

    The spill, which formed a 8-km pollution belt in nearby seas, was still within control, Picolotti said after visiting the scene, quoting experts.

The Explorer cruise ship sinks hours after hitting an iceberg off the coast of the Antarctic, in this photo released by the Chilean Army, Nov. 23, 2007. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo) Photo Gallery>>>

   He also said that if the crack in the cruiser's hull became bigger, resulting in the leaking of all the remaining fuels in the shipwreck, the ecological damage to nearby seas could be disastrous.

    Argentine authorities have informed the Canadian travel company G.A.P. Adventure, who owns the cruiser, of the situation, demanding the firm shoulder the consequences.

    The cruise ship Ms Explorer struck submerged ice off Antarctica and began sinking on Friday. About half of the more than 150 passengers and crew who survived arrived in southern Chile on Saturday.

    154 passengers rescued after cruiseliner crash in Antarctic Ocean

    LONDON, Nov. 23 (Xinhua) -- A total of 154 on board a luxury cruiseliner which sank after hitting an iceberg in the Antarctic Ocean were rescued on Friday.

    The stricken Explorer is now listing at 45 degrees near the South Shetland Islands, off the Argentinian coast, Sky news reported. Full story

    Chilean Navy rescues sunken cruise liner's passengers, crew members

    SANTIAGO, Nov. 23 (Xinhua) -- The Chilean Navy participated on Friday in a successful international operation rescuing a cruise liner's 100 passengers and 54 crew members after the boat crashed against an iceberg in the Antarctic Ocean.

    The 2,400-ton cruise liner M/S Explorer hit an iceberg early Friday near King George island in the Antarctic Ocean near a Chilean base and the Shetland del Sur islands. Full story

    Ship carrying 154 people sinking in Antarctic

    BEIJING, Nov. 23 (Xinhuanet) -- A ship carrying 154 people struck an object in Antarctic waters and is sinking, Britain's Coast Guard said Friday.

    All passengers have been evacuated from the ship named Explorer, said Neil Oliver of the Coast Guard station at Falmouth, England. Full story