The "Polar Code" just approved by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) will revolutionize Antarctic tourism assures "El Mercurio" newspaper informing of this IMO meeting in London, England.

The Polar Code is a guide for ships operating on Polar waters inviting countries to join willingly to these regulations starting on January 1st of 2011, setting regulations for tourism cruisers which travel to the Antarctica.

The new Polar Code standardizes regulations already in practice for ships traveling to the Artic and will "revolutionalize" the Antarctic tourism market regularizing its development on a clear action to avoid damages to the sea environment.

The document could mean a limitation of the amount of passengers on each ship and a request to use fuels more volatile and easy vaporizing such as marine gas oil (MGO), friendly with environment.

Currently the IAATO (International Association of Antarctic Tour Operators), an organization which gathers Antarctic tourism operators, suggests ships to carry no more than 500 people, including passengers and crew. For this season 40 cruisers are estimated will travel to Antarctica. Last season 37 thousand tourists came, mostly from Argentina and Chile and in lesser measure from New Zeeland, Australia or South Africa. In Chile operates about then chips but most of them sails from Ushuaia, Argentina.