In the News

Explorer Lounge on Roald Amundsen (sister ship to Fridtjof Nansen) Courtesy Hurtigruten Filming of a new Mission Impossible movie, was under way in a remote area of Northern Norway earlier this year, but had to be suspended due to the pandemic. The production company has reportedly chartered two of Hurtigruten’s laid up expedition ships (Fridtjof Nansen and Vesteralen) to house cast and production crew. However, there could be a problem as Norwegian unions claim that…
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Covid 19 is a major problem for cruise companies, and even the best financed are having problems staying afloat. Some of the smaller ones are starting to fall by the way side. The most recent company to enter bankruptcy administration is Cruise and Maritime Voyages in the UK, and their sister company TransOcean Tours in Germany. The company had been trying to obtain funding to see it through the pandemic, but this did not work…
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A news report on 30 April 2020 advised that OneOcean Expeditions had filed for bankruptcy. While it is always upsetting when an expedition cruise operator is unable to continue, in this case it was not unexpected. It also seems particularly unfortunate, as Penguins and Polar Bearshad a strong connection to the company; they very kindly gave the author access to their photography bank, and the book benefited enormously from the many quality images provided. A brief…
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Between 25th August and 6th September 2016, the Crystal Serenity made a successful west to east transit of the North West Passage. Although the largest ship so far to make the passage (it was 25m longer than the bulk carrier Nordic Orion which made a west to east transit in 2013), and carried more passengers than The World in 2012, it was not the first cruise ship. The Lindblad Explorer made the first passenger ship…
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