Tag Archives: Northwest Passage

Hurtigruten Prepares for Growth, Establishes Separate Expedition Cruise Entity

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Hurtigruten has announced it will redefine its growing cruise operations by establishing a separate expedition cruise entity, citing strong demand for 2021 and 2022 expedition sailings.

“2020 is a tough year for everyone in the travel industry. But the set back is only temporary. For the second half of 2021 and beyond, we are seeing a strong demand across all markets and all destinations, including the Norwegian coast, the Arctic and Antarctica,” said CEO Daniel Skjeldam.

“The demand reflects our predictions that expedition cruises, with all our advantages such as smaller ships, more flexibility and fewer guests, will prove even more popular post-COVID-19,” he added.

“We have only seen the beginning of what’s to come. Hurtigruten sees great demand and equally great opportunities in the expedition cruise segment from 2021 and beyond. This is the growth we are preparing for.”

Thus, the company is reorganizing its cruise operations in two different entities: Hurtigruten Expeditions and Hurtigruten Norway.  

Hurtigruten’s expedition cruises include more than 250 destinations from pole to pole, ranging from the Northwest Passage, Greenland, Norway, Svalbard, the British Isles to the Caribbean, South America and Antarctica.

Asta Lassesen has been appointed CEO of Hurtigruten’s global expedition cruise operations.

“As Hurtigruten continues to grow our expedition cruise offering, we will keep doing what we do best: Combining almost 130 years of exploration with cutting-edge innovation and our unparalleled commitment to sustainability to deliver unique experiences in some of the world’s most awe-inspiring destinations,” said Lassesen.

Hurtigruten’s expedition cruise entity will operate a fleet of eight small sizes, custom-built and green expedition cruise ships, the company said.

Regent cancels Northwest Passage cruise

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Map of The Northwest Passage

Regent Seven Seas Cruises has canceled a Northwest Passage cruise scheduled to depart Alaska next summer.

Based on this year’s weather pattern, Northwest Passage navigational experts said too much sea ice was likely on the route during July.

The cruise was scheduled to depart July 19, 2017, from Seward, Alaska, and terminate in Montreal, with calls in Alaska, Canada and Greenland.

Regent spokesman Jason Lasecki said that the July departure date became problematic when the climate variance this summer caused large Arctic ice packs to flow south in July, producing transit delays. Postponing the cruise until August, as experts recommended, would have had a cascading effect on subsequent itineraries, Regent said.

Instead, the Seven Seas Navigator will do three cruises, from Vancouver to San Francisco, San Francisco to Miami and then Miami to Montreal.

Guests booked on the Northwest Passage voyage will get a refund and a $1,000 credit that may apply to any other 2016 or 2017 Regent cruises. Travel partners who had guests booked on the trip will get $250 per booking.

World’s most dangerous cruise? 1,070-Passenger Ship To Enter Northwest Passage

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Crystal-Cruise-Ship

The 1,070 passenger (plus 655 crew) ship Crystal Serenity.

by Ethan Lou (Reuters) The first commercial cruise ship to sail through Canada’s Northwest Passage was set to depart on Tuesday, part of a growing Arctic tourism industry spurred by rising temperatures and receding ice.

The ship Crystal Serenity was to depart from Anchorage, Alaska, and cut through frigid northern waters before reaching New York in one month, according to a schedule from its American operator, Crystal Cruises.

The route was first navigated more than a century ago by Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen, but has been ice-free only in recent years. The journey raises questions about further human degradation of a region disproportionably affected by climate change, where temperatures are rising twice as quickly as the world average.

The World Wildlife Foundation recognizes that Crystal Cruises has been planning this voyage for years and tried to minimize its environmental impact, but the area lacks the infrastructure to deal with potential accidents, said Andrew Dumbrille, a foundation specialist in sustainable shipping.

Crystal Serenity likely will not cause problems, but more cruises will follow, said Michael Byers, a professor at the University of British Columbia who studies Arctic sovereignty and the environment.

Byers said ships, which can traverse the waters only because of melting ice, have large carbon footprints, and an accident would be devastating for the fragile Arctic.

“They take advantage of climate change, and they cause even more climate change,” Byers said. “That is an enormous problem and also a terrible irony.”

Crystal Cruises did not respond to requests for comment.

The cruise was priced at a minimum of $19,755 per passenger, which is more than $600 per day higher than last year’s average daily cruise price of $168.43, according to the industry analytics firm Cruise Market Watch.

Crystal Cruises has said the trip is sold out and that it is planning another cruise in 2017.

The Arctic has been warming quickly because a thaw of white ice and snow exposes darker ground and water below that absorb more of the sun’s heat.

Tourism has grown in some polar areas. The number of nights spent by visitors to the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard north of Norway rose to 107,000 in 2013 from 24,000 in 1993.

While Canada claims sovereignty over the Northwest Passage that flows through parts of the country, the United States and the European Union have disputed that, calling the waters an international strait.