AECO’s Joint Arctic SAR TTX 2016
On April 6th and 7th 2016 AECO, in cooperation with Iceland’s Coastguard, is organizing a Joint Arctic Search and Rescue (SAR) Table Top Exercise (TTX) workshop which will take place in Reykjavik, Iceland.
The TTX is initiated by AECO and co-hosted by Iceland’s Coastguard. AECO is also in dialogue with other partners from different Arctic SAR Entities.
The objective for this TTX is to strengthen the cooperation and exchange of knowledge between the Arctic cruise industry and various Arctic SAR. AECO would like to encourage the institutionalization of industry/agency collaboration concerning information exchange and planning coordination.
The workshop in Reykjavik will in addition to the TTX based on expedition cruise operations in the Arctic, aim at improving information exchange regarding resources and capabilities and discussing potential cooperation and way forward in regard to SAR cooperation plans, enhanced contingency plans and continuous voyage risk assessments.
The event will be open to relevant participants from Arctic Search and Rescue entities and operating members of AECO (operation managers and commanding bridge officers).
Preliminary invitations have been send. For further information, please contact AECO’s secretariat.
AECO’s 12th Annual Conference
AECO’s 12th Arctic Cruise Conference and Annual Meeting took place in Copenhagen in October 2015. The conference was attended by representatives from Danish, Greenlandic, Norwegian and Canadian governments and authorities, researchers and many other cruise industry stakeholders. The agenda included updates from different Arctic tourism authorities and regulatory bodies, including an update from CLIA and IAATO, an update and status about the polar code, the IAATO-AECO Field Staff Conference, an update on a Search and Rescue Exercise held in Svalbard, updates regarding SAR initiatives and input from ship builders. AECO’s next Arctic Cruise Conference and Annual Meeting will take place in Oslo on Wednesday October 12th 2016 (Arctic Cruise Conference) and October 13th 2016 (Annual Meeting).
AECO members can view all relevant material from this year’s meetings by login into the members only sections on AECO’s webpage.
IAATO Animated Briefings
Inspired by AECO, IAATO has developed animated briefings to ease communication of guidelines to clients. The short films, which have been produced for IAATO’s three main types of member operators (land, cruise only and seaborne with landings), supplement IAATO’s existing mandatory briefings and will be available this season. The briefings use unique sequences of puzzle pieces to deliver key messages and educate and inform IAATO member’s passengers and guests.
Russian Site Guidelines implemented
The
National Park Russian Arctic has, in cooperation with AECO, developed six new Russian site Guidelines for Franz Josef Land. At AECO’s Annual Meeting in Copenhagen in October AECO’s members decided to make these new site specific guidelines mandatory for all AECO operators. The guidelines will soon be made available on AECO’s webpage.
Polar bear picture by Christian Kempf
Polar Bear conservation
The Polar Bear Range States (Canada, Denmark (Greenland) Norway (Svalbard), Russia and the United States) all signed the Agreement on the Conservation of Polar Bears in 1973. In September 2015 a Circumpolar Action Plan regarding a Conservation Strategy for the Polar Bear was published. Besides up to date information about Polar Bears the document contains strategies to address threats to the Polar Bear population.
As a part of the Norwegian efforts in regard to the new conservation strategy AECO has been invited to participate in a Government of Svalbard initiated working-group on Tourism and best practices in regard to Polar Bears.
The 2015 Circumpolar Action Plan can be accessed via AECO’s webpage
here.
NEW VESSELS
New Generation of Expedition Cruise vessels
As vessels used for expedition cruise operations are not all new, the industry is on the threshold of a new generation of vessels - that is: if/when the decisions to build new vessels are taken. Some purchase decisions have already been announced.
Hurtigruten acquires new Expedition vessel
Hurtigruten has acquired and are currently rebuilding its new expedition ship, which will be named ‘MV Spitsbergen’. The vessel will initially replace MV Midnatsol on Hurtigrutens traditional coastal route, when MV Midnatsol sails down to Antarctica in the autumn of 2016. MV Spitsbergen is expected to alternate between Hurtigrutens Norwegian coastal route and Hurtigruten Explorers polar expeditions. MV Spitsbergen has a gross tonnage of 7.025 and a capacity of 320 guests in 180 berths. The vessel was originally build by the Portuguese shipyard Estaleiro Navais de Viana do Castelo (ENVC) in 2009.
Silver Cloud to Join Silverseas Expedition Fleet
Silversea Cruises moves Silver Cloud to its expedition fleet in November 2017 after the vessel has been refurbished and converted to an ice class vessel the very same year. The vessel will be destined mainly for polar waters. Silver Cloud which currently has a Gross Tonnage of 16.927 and a passenger capacity of 296. After the conversion the vessel will be able to accommodate 260 guests, but when sailing in the Arctic or Antarctica the number of guests will be limited to maximum 200.
NEW DESIGN
New Expedition Cruise Vessel design
In regard to design there are a number of projects, which works to address the needs expedition cruise operations demands of a vessel. Some are:
Sunstone Project Unlimited
The Sunstone Project Unlimited is working on a design for a passenger vessel which takes up to 240 passengers (this could be substantially less) all in cabins with balconies.
Knud E. Hansens Expedition Ships
Knud E. Hansen’s new green-design expedition ship consists of a 300 passenger vessel with 150 cabins. The vessel features innovative heating, lightning, insulation, ventilation and air conditioning systems which reduce energy consumption.
STX France’s Project Ulysseas
STX France’s Project Ulysseas was revealed in March and consists of a 145 meters, 200-passenger expedition cruise vessel design.
New 237 pax vessel to be delivered in 2018
An approximately 10.000 gross ton passenger vessel with a capacity of 237 passengers has been ordered from the Croatian shipbuilder Uljanik for delivery in 2018. Uljanik has not disclosed the identity of the purchaser.
