EXPEDITION CRUISING: TO THE POLES AND BEYOND - www.seatrade-cruise.com - By Liz Gammon Independent Cruise Consultant Written May 2020
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EXPEDITION CRUISING: TO THE POLES AND BEYOND By Liz Gammon Independent Cruise Consultant Written May 2020 www.seatrade-cruise.com
INDEX
3. Foreword
4. Introduction
5. Great Influencers | Past and Present
6. From Russia with Love
9. Future Focus | The First Expedition World Cruise
11. Facts and Figures | Ships and Operators
It is important to note that this report focuses on the Arctic and Antarctic.
This report does not cover any river or exotic expedition cruising activity.
This report was researched and written in Q1 2020 and published in May 2020
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FOREWORD
The mission of compiling and I was also intrigued to learn that with his day. The passengers and crew,
researching this overview has been Victorian Ladies were great fans of having long scarpered back to the
much like an expedition in itself. Arctic cruising – so great in fact that vessel to watch the unforgettable, if
A journey of enlightenment and independent lady travellers were not slightly bizarre, spectacle unfold.
discovery that has left me with awarded their own 12 berth cabin
an even deeper sense of awe and onboard the 142 berth St Sunniva for The great Russian Captain, Petr
wonder about this specialised and the 1888 season. That’s 8.45% of the Gorlikov who delighted in taking
environmentally sensitive sector of the total capacity. Such was demand! his passengers to some of the most
cruise industry. remote areas of the Arctic and
Every era has been dealt its own set of Antarctic – setting new records in the
To say that I have enjoyed the challenges. The war years, the interwar process and providing his guests with
challenge, is an understatement, for I years, the introduction of the airplane, wonderful lifelong memories. He is
have loved every minute of it. financial crashes and climate changes. fondly remembered as a formidable
But the pioneering spirit that fuelled after-dinner host, leading mentor and
Upon starting out, it became apparent expedition cruising in the first place, Ice Master Extraordinaire!
that in order to make any sense of the has burned brightly throughout. Those
present, and indeed the future, I first that craved adventure would find it. What wonderful legacies these great
needed to dig into the past. And find it they did. explorers have bequeathed us. It is
now over to today’s itinerary planners
And so, dig I did, unveiling a vibrant Take Lars-Eric Lindblad, the and expedition leaders to take the
history of passion and adventure, high explorer, entrepreneur and noted batten and set a new course for
jinks and determination. environmentalist who pioneered expedition cruising.
tourism to many remote and exotic
I love the fact that the very first Arctic parts of the world. Inspiring so many They too will leave a ripple of legacies in
expedition cruise was an independent new explorers to follow their dreams their wake and face their own challenges
charter organised by an art collector and discover this wonderful world as they sail into the unknown.
and an American artist. for themselves.
New ships, new itineraries, new
William Bradford (1823-1892) dreamt And the stories... the barbeque on an explorations, new experiences and
of painting the Arctic. He had seen ice flow that attracted a curious Polar new responsibilities – matched with
pictures and vowed to experience Bear, who, having taken full advantage the old adage of exploring responsibly
this sight for himself. The light, the of the fine steak on offer and washing and with purpose.
landscapes, the icebergs, the silence… it down with a bucket of Coca-Cola,
Google him, his work is spectacular! slipped away and continued quietly Let the voyage begin!
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INTRODUCTION
Expedition cruising is without doubt Not only is this an exciting As an example, page 9. discusses
the fastest growing sector of the predication, but there are those that Silversea Cruises’ first ever 167-day
cruise industry. might argue that such unprecedented Expedition World Cruise and the
growth might add a rather unhealthy opportunities created as a result of this
More than 39 new ice-classed, burden to what some describe as an new worldwide overview of expedition
expedition vessels are set to enter the already crowded arena. (Noting that cruising.
market within the next three years. tourist vessels are but one of several
contributing factors.) An indication that there is every reason
A majority of these vessels will carry to get excited and involved in learning
less than 300 passengers and range in Another factor to consider is that more about this aptly nicknamed ‘last
size from 5,590 GRT 1 to an incredible climate change has now ensured the frontier of cruise holiday development’.
30,000 GRT 2. Northwest and Northeast Passages are
even more open to navigation in the 1
Oceanwide Expeditions - Hondius
At the time of writing it is estimated Arctic summer months. 2
Compagnie du Ponant - Le Commandant Charcot
that there are currently around 57
expedition vessels in operation – Hence the need for more destinations
sailing predominantly in the Arctic and and ports outside of the Polar regions
Antarctic regions. If we add on the to become actively involved in
anticipated orderbook numbers, this showcasing what they have to offer
brings the total number up to 96. this growing sector.
USHUAIA, ARGENTINA TO TROMSØ, NORWAY
240 passengers
167 days
10 routes
30 countries
4
(correct 1.1.20)
GREAT INFLUENCERS | PAST AND PRESENT
The story of Arctic expedition Lindblad chartered the 56 passenger, In 1989 he was promoted to Master
cruising essentially begins in 1869 Argentine supply ship Lapataia for of the Kapitan Khlebnikov, one of
with American artist, William the 1965/66 season. The trip had Russia’s most powerful diesel-electric
Bradford’s cruise to Greenland in the a strong scientific focus which was icebreakers and shortly thereafter
Newfoundland sealer, Panther. This to be the trademark of all Lindblad began a 30-year collaboration with
was followed a few years later by cruises and was a resounding Quark Expeditions.
Thomas Cook’s North Cape cruise in success, however, ongoing charter
the President Christie in 1875. challenges eventually led to Eric-Lars Alongside many other great
Lindblad’s decision to build his own achievements, Captain Golikov
And whilst Antarctica has research ship, the Lindblad Explorer. commanded two complete
stations that date back to 1957, cruise circumnavigations of Antarctica, one
tourism in Antarctica is a relatively Alongside sailing Antarctica, the ship of which was the first-ever passenger
new phenomenon. also embarked on Arctic cruises and voyage in 1996 with Quark Expeditions.
in August 1972 Lindblad Explorer He also commanded numerous
It wasn’t until the arrival of the 2,398 managed to get to 82°N, a record at voyages into the uncharted waters of
GRT Lindblad Explorer in 1969 the time for a cruise ship. both the Ross and Weddell Seas.
that things really changed, and the
Lindblad Prototype arrived on the Lars-Eric Lindblad went on to establish In the Arctic region Golikov frequently
scene, all thanks to the travel visionary, Creative Travel and died in 1994, but transited the Northwest Passage (six
Lars-Eric Lindblad. his son Sven-Olof still continues the times), led the first ever expedition to
family tradition today having founded the geo-magnetic North Pole, and the
Lars-Eric Lindblad is said to have been in Lindblad Expeditions Inc. in 1979. first ever passenger circumnavigation
Outer Mongolia acting as tour leader for of the Arctic Ocean. Throughout these
a group of adventurous tourists, when, Another of expedition cruising’s great passenger voyages he assisted many
somewhat under the influence of a influencers is the renowned polar nations – bringing staff and supplies to
potent, fermented local brew, Koumiss, explorer and icebreaker Captain remote scientific outposts, and always
he was asked where his next trip would Petr Golikov. ready to assist in any way needed.
be.. he consulted a Pan America World
Airways map to see where they did Born in Vladivostok, Russia, Golikov Captain Golikov passed away
not go and noted that Antarctica graduated from the Far Eastern April 15th, 2020.
was not even on the map – he Marine Academy in 1970 and began
decided there and then that his remarkable career as a junior What wonderful
this was to be his next officer with the Far Eastern Shipping legacies these trail
destination. Antarctica. Company (FESCO). blazers leave!
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FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE
Captain Golikov also features in this coincided with the crumbling of the These research, and the small ice-class
next instalment. Soviet Union. passenger ships, formed the backbone
of the emerging polar expedition fleet.
For he, along with his fellow FESCO Coincidentally, there had been an
Captain colleagues of the time, ongoing surge in the building of They came complete with competent
suddenly found themselves catapulted research and oceanography ships crews that understood navigating
into a new working environment – during the 80s. in ice, had acceptable, if basic,
one with a completely new set of accommodation and charter rates
responsibilities and duties. Passengers! Almost all of the ships built in Finland, were very reasonable.
had facilities for 50-100 scientists and
It can not be stressed enough how came with varying degrees of comfort. The importance of these Russian ships in
great an impact the political reform the development of expedition cruising
in Russia during the 1980s had on Not just that, but all had at least can be appreciated from the fact that
expedition cruising. nominal ice-strengthening, whilst prior to their availability from about 1991
others were true icebreakers. onwards, there were only three small
A short history lesson and timeline ships cruising in polar regions; the Illiria,
reveals why. The Berlin Wall fell on November built in 1962; Lindblad Explorer built in
9th, 1989 and the accelerating 1969; and World Discoverer, built 1975.
Mikhail Gorbachev opened Pandora’s deterioration of the Soviet Bloc
Box in 1985 with his policy of Glasnost was effectively complete by 26th Two companies, Quark and Marine
(loosely translated as transparency). December 1991. Expeditions, were early adopters of the
Russian research ships for polar cruising.
His reforms, along with After the collapse of the Bloc, the
growth in Soviet passenger research ships became available, Quark Expeditions is applauded for
and research shipping primarily for charter, but later for pioneering North Pole cruises with
in the 1980s, outright sale in some cases. Russian icebreakers.
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EARLY HISTORY OF
EXPEDITION CRUISE
American artist, William Bradford’s
1869 cruise to Greenland in the
Newfoundland sealer, Panther
Thomas Cook’s North
Cape cruise in the
President Christie
1875
Antarctica Research
1957 Stations established
Illiria built for
Adriatica line 1962
1965 Lars-Eric Lindblad chartered the
Argentine supply ship Lapataia this
1966 season for research trip to Antarctica
Lindblad Explorer built 1969
7
Captain Petr Golikov graduates
from Far Eastern Marine Academy
1970 and joins Far Eastern Shipping
Company (FESCO) as junior officer
Lindblad Explorer sets
record of 82*N 1972
1975 World Discoverer built
Lindblad
Expeditions Inc.
founded
1979
Mikhail Gorbachev introduced
1985 policy of Glasnost
Captain Petr
Golikov is promoted
to Master of the Kapitan
1989
Khlebnikov
Captain Petr Golikov commands
first ever passenger voyage
1996 circumnavigating the Antarctica
with Quark Expeditions
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FUTURE FOCUS | THE UNCHARTERED WORLD TOUR
Silversea’s 2021 uncharted World Tour is a genuine concern that the tried historical roots. Tastes and stories.
marks the beginning of worldwide and tested polar routes will become Authenticity and originality.
expedition cruising. congested.
Traditionally, most expedition cruise
A wonderful first. A new adventure and As will some of the river routes lines operate rather differently
a new way of thinking. Dispelling, in favoured by expeditions cruises to the more mainstream
one swoop, the rumour that expedition such as the Amazon and Mekong. cruise lines in that they
cruising only applies to polar regions – Sustainability is key in managing this tend to run the majority
namely the Arctic and Antarctic. growth effectively, which explains of their excursions
why itinerary planners are actively independently
Silver Cloud will sail with 240 seeking new ideas and mapping out and via their own
passengers from Ushuaia, Argentina to new routes the world over. This is expedition teams.
Tromsø, Norway on a voyage that will exactly why destinations and tour
take 167 days, navigate 10 routes and operators are encouraged to rethink Preferring to come ashore
visit 30 countries. the typical cruise product and create and explore via their own
new experiences with the expedition landing craft. Often not even a pier
One day visiting a landmark port, the market in mind. or harbour is required for landing.
next snaking up a river in search of
rare birdlife. Expedition cruises are known for their This obviously changes from region
focus on nature, geology, history, to region and from line to line and it is
It is not in the expedition cruise wildlife, birdlife and marine mammals. worth noting that there are still good
operators’ interest to overcrowd the Cultural experiences that reflect a opportunities to be found in the form
destinations that they visit, and there region or destination’s cultural and of pre and post cruise options.
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9
Ships’ expedition leaders and teams really is the basic kit for all expedition as helicopter and submarine touring,
are responsible for the running of cruise ships. come at an additional price. Some
expeditions and zodiac landings companies also charge an additional fee
ashore. These teams are typically Some of the new luxury builds for zodiacs and kayaking so it’s always
made up of historians, geologists, also boast helicopters, submarines, good to check the small print!
scientists, experts in marine mammals, remotely operated vehicles (ROVs)
local cultures etc. and aqua bikes. The expedition sector is destined to see
enormous growth over the next few
Almost all expedition vessels carry Worth noting is that, whist almost all years with an impressive number of new
large inflatable landing craft (zodiacs) companies include zodiac landings and builds expected to join the existing fleet
used for exploring and remote touring in the ticket price, not all do and by the end of 2023-39 at the time of
landings – along with kayaks. This some of the high-end experiences such writing (3 May 2020).
www.seatrade-cruise.com 10FACTS AND FIGURES | SHIPS AND OPERATORS
If anyone reading this has already Group A those that own and operate selected ships (quite often the name of
tried to make sense of the expedition their own ships. the ship is not mentioned.) These are
market, it is hardly any wonder that not included in the tables below.
they might have come away scratching Group B those that charter the ship
their heads! (paying the owner for the ship and the There are also quite a number of
operating crew but using their own operators who offer mega yacht and
Because no matter how it is set up, it is guides and staff.) yacht style cruises to regions favoured
complicated. by expedition cruise operators.
Group C those that charter, and part
Today’s expedition operators are made own the ships. These are typically 25 passengers
up of several groups and, on occasion, or less and are not included in the
these groups overlap – which is why Group D those that advertise following tables.
ships might be mentioned twice. expedition cruises and sell groups onto
ARCTIC 2020/21 SEASON Correct 1/1/2020
Company | Operator Ship(s) newbuilds included
Abercrombie and Kent Le Boreal
Adventure Canada Ocean Endeavour
Albatros Travel Ocean Atlantic | Ocean Victory (2021) |
Ocean Albatros (2022)
Aurora Expeditions Polar Pioneer | Greg Mortimer | Sylvia Earl (2021)
G Adventures Expedition
Hapag Lloyd Bremen | Hanseatic Nature | Hanseatic Nature |
Hanseatic Spirit (2021)
Hurtigruten Fram | Spitzbergen | Roald Amundsen |
Fridjof Nansen (2020)
Lindblad Expeditions National Geographic Explorer | National Geographic
Endurance | National Geographic Resolution (2021)
Noble Caledonia Hebridean Sky | Island Sky | Caledonia Sky
Oceanwide Expeditions Hondius | Plancius | Ortelius | Nordlicht
Plantours Kreutzfarhten Hamburg
Polar Quest Quest
Ponant Le Boreal | Le Soleal | Le Commandant Charcot (2021) |
Le Jacques Cartier (2020) | Le Bellot (2020) |
Le Dumont D’urville | L’Austral | Le Champlain
Poseidon Expeditions Sea Spirit | 50 Let Pobedy
Quark (North Pole Cruises) 50 let Pobedy
Quark Ocean Adventure | Ocean Nova
Seabourn Seabourn Quest | Seabourn Venture (2021)
Silversea Cruises Silver Cloud | Silver Explorer
Bibliography: With special thanks to Christopher Wright, Of Penguins and Polar Bears,
A history of cold-water cruising.
www.seatrade-cruise.com 11ANTARCTIC 2020/21 SEASON Correct 1/1/2020
Company | Operator Ship(s) newbuilds included
Abercrombie and Kent Le Lyrial
Albatros Travel Ocean Atlantic | Ocean Victory (2021) |
Ocean Albatros (2022)
Antarpply Expeditions Ushuaia
Antarctica XXI SA Ocean Nova
Aurora Expeditions Polar Pioneer | Greg Mortimer | Sylvia Earl (2021)
Bark Europa Europa
G Adventures Expedition
Grand Circle Corporation Corinthian
Hapag Lloyd Bremen | Hanseatic Nature | Hanseatic Spirit (2021)
Heritage Expeditions Akademik Sholalskiy | Spirit of Enderby
Hurtigruten Fram | Spitzbergen | Roald Amundsen |
Fridjof Nansen (2020)
Lindblad Expeditions National Geographic Explorer | National Geographic Orion |
National Geographic Endurance |
National Geographic Resolution (2021)
Noble Caledonia Island Sky | Caledonia Sky | Hebridean Sky
Oceanwide Expeditions Ortelius, Plancius
Plantours Kreuzfharten Hamburg
Ponant Le Boreal | Le Soleal | L’Austral | Le Bellot (2020) |
Le Commandant Charcot (2021) | Le Lyrial
Polar Latitudes Hebridean Sky | Island Sky
Quark Expeditions Island Sky | Ocean Diamond | Ocean Endeavour |
Ocean Adventurer
Poseidon Expeditions Sea Spirit
Seabourn Seabourn Quest | Seabourn Venture (2021)
Silversea Cruises Silver Cloud | Silver Explorer
Zegrahm Expeditions Island Sky | Caledonia Sky
Bibliography: With special thanks to Christopher Wright, Of Penguins and Polar Bears,
A history of cold-water cruising.
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