World-famous shipwreck incredibly preserved in the Antarctic at risk of being lost forever

A world-famous shipwreck, miraculously well preserved in the Antarctic Ocean, is at risk of being lost forever, with conservation groups fighting to protect the wreckage.

Ernest Shackleton once called the Weddell Sea the "worst portion of the worst sea in the world", after an unforgiving ice shelf destroyed his renowned vessel Endurance in 1915.

The legendary ship lay hidden for over a century until its discovery in 2022, remarkably well preserved despite the extreme conditions.

Conservation groups now fear shifting environmental conditions and growing interest from exploration vessels could endanger the historic wreck.

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The UK Antarctic Heritage Trust has put forward a proposal to designate the site and surrounding waters as the first specially protected underwater zone in the Antarctic region.

"This is about foresight," says Camilla Nichol, chief executive of the UKAHT - which the British Government commissioned to oversee management of the site.

Ms Nichol points to declining seasonal ice coverage over the past decade and increased maritime traffic as key concerns.

She said: "Shipwrecks have always held a romantic appeal, and submarine activity is growing. The Antarctic is the last frontier, which adds to its appeal, and accessibility will only increase."

The proposal cleared a significant milestone last month, when nations governing Antarctic activities unanimously voted approval at a gathering in Hiroshima, Japan.

However, one crucial step remains before protections take effect, with the final agreement expected from the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources, which convenes in September.

The 27-nation body, whose membership includes China and Russia, has previously struggled with geopolitical deadlock over establishing marine protected areas.

Despite these challenges, the UKAHT remains optimistic following three years of discussions.

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"South Korea, Japan, Norway, everyone around that table agreed that it matters," said Ms Nichol.

"Culture, heritage, our stories matter to us and they matter to the rest of the world."

Rising global temperatures present another threat to the vessel's remarkable state of preservation, with scientists fearing warming seas could allow new species to colonise the wreck, damaging its wooden structure.

Dr Huw Griffiths, a marine biogeographer with the British Antarctic Survey, said: "The Antarctic is one of the few places in the world that a wreck could exist without damage to the wood."

He noted the ship's timber appears as "good as the day it went down", because no sea life has evolved to consume wood in these waters.

Yet researchers examining images from 2022 spotted fist-sized squat lobsters from the genus Munidopsis - a species which feeds exclusively on timber.

"It is likely that this species is new to science, because it can withstand such low temperatures," said Dr Griffiths.

The wreck rests 3,000 metres beneath the surface in what oceanographers term the "midnight zone," at a comparable depth to the Titanic, which sits at 3,800 metres in the North Atlantic.

Current regulations already require vessels approaching the Antarctic to obtain permits from Antarctic treaty signatories before entering within 1.5 kilometres of the historic location.

Establishing a specially protected area would impose far stricter conditions on any access.

The submersible team that located Endurance could not venture inside the hull, but captured striking three-dimensional imagery of its exterior.

"We would love to see what is inside the wreck, when technology permits," said Ms Nichol.

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