Guest essay by Eric Worrall
The North West passage is an infamous graveyard of ships, where the weather can turn deadly without warning, and floating ice is an ever-present peril. But this arctic track record of disaster is not deterring the owners of the Crystal Serenity, and passengers reportedly paying a staggering $22,000 + per berth, from attempting a daring journey from Alaska to New York starting on August 16th this year.
A new Titanic? US and Canada prepare for worst as luxury Arctic cruise sets sail
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The loss of Arctic sea ice cover, due to climate change, has spurred a sharp rise in shipping traffic – as well as coast guard rescue missions – and increased the risks of oil spills, shipping accidents, and pollution, much to the apprehension of native communities who make their living on the ice.
It’s into these turbulent waters that the luxury cruise ship Crystal Serenity will set sail next August, departing from Seward, Alaska, and transiting the Bering Strait and Northwest Passage, before docking in New York City 32 days later.
The scale of the Crystal – 1,700 passengers and crew – and the potential for higher-volume traffic in the Arctic has commanded the attention of the coast guard, government officials and local communities, all trying to navigate an Arctic without year-round ice.
“If something were to go wrong it would be very, very bad,” said Richard Beneville, the mayor of the coastal town of Nome, which the Crystal is due to visit. “Most cruise ships that get here have passenger manifests of 100, maybe 150. This is a very different ship.”
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Prices for the journey aboard the 14-deck luxury liner start at nearly $22,000 rising to $120,000 for a deluxe stateroom – and this year’s cruise is sold out, according to the company.
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You know what? I wish I had a berth. I can completely understand why the ship is fully booked, despite the risk. The Arctic is beautiful, and utterly alien, compared to more temperate regions. I only visited the Arctic once in my life, a week in Bodø in April. The snow covered mountains, the familiar seaside sights, mixed with the utterly unfamiliar, the sun which hangs just above the horizon for 18 hours, before dipping into a brief twilight, the people, the strange landscape. I would love to see places like Nome, one of the stops on the planned route.
If it all ends badly, as seems a real possibility, at least everyone is embarking on this adventure with their eyes open – unlike the ridiculous ship of fools, the Crystal Serenity owners appear to be taking the safety of the passengers seriously.
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This ship is being escorted by an ice breaker, so it appears even the owners have some concerns over the journey.
What does this prove anyway? They have an ice breaker to clear the way, and with that load of rich people on board any trouble will come with scores of helicopters to the rescue.
Are they trying to prove that in this “Warmest time Ever” that we can do what was done in the past?
“What does this prove anyway? They have an ice breaker to clear the way”
Luckily those ice breakers never get stuck in heavy ice. Oh, wait….
With 1700 passenger and crew: how many “scores of helicopters” and where will they magically come from.? We’re not talking about Manhattan Island here.
everyone, that is, except for the hundreds of responders who will be required to put their own lives at risk to bail out yet another ship of fools.
This whole venture is grossly irresponsible, though with something like 1400 paying passengers and AT LEAST $22k per head, + berths + meals + bar takings + saunas + casino takings, etc. etc. they probably are talking about 100 MILLION dollar revenue if they pull it off.
And if it goes aground the boat will be well insured and the Canadian tax payer will pick up the bill for the rescue mission, and possible loss of life.
At least I hope that they do not have an italian captain who will run away at the first sign of trouble, and watch his ship roll over from the safety of the shore.
Definitely not Manhattan but perhaps they could plan and staff a temporary Heliport in Tuk. I would certainly sue if they didn’t deliver and seek some of my investment back
They have ‘two’ ice breakers with them Marstoval.
One does wonder just what cruise ships do with their wastes.
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ATheoK March 30, 2016 at 4:49 pm
“…They have an ice breaker…”
My error markstoval, I misread Goldenberg’s sentence about the icebreaker and two helicopters. You are correct that there will be only one icebreaker in attendance.
Well, they really shouldn’t need an ice breaker if they think there’s no ice. What a joke!
I imagine that the Canadians and their insurance companies told them that they HAVE to have an icebreaker along. Think about the problems with potentially having to rescue many hundreds of people in a remote area with basically no infrastructure and the potential for nasty weather even in August.
If you ask me (and no one will) this is a likely truly stupid idea. Running a SMALL cruise vessel through the region every year for a decade or so to get some experience might make sense. … maybe … But 1700 people?
From the wikipedia article on the trans-Alaska pipeline
“In 1969, Humble Oil and Refining Company sent a specially fitted oil tanker, the SS Manhattan, to test the feasibility of transporting oil via ice-breaking tankers to market.[16] The Manhattan was fitted with an ice-breaking bow, powerful engines, and hardened propellers before successfully traveling the Northwest Passage from the Atlantic Ocean to the Beaufort Sea. During the voyage, the ship suffered damage to several of its cargo holds, which flooded with seawater. Wind-blown ice forced the Manhattan to change its intended route from the M’Clure Strait to the smaller Prince of Wales Strait. It was escorted back through the Northwest Passage by a Canadian Coast Guard icebreaker, the CCGS John A. Macdonald. Although the Manhattan successfully transited the Northwest Passage again in the summer of 1970, the concept was considered too risky.”
Don,
Sorry but 1700 is a modest-sized cruise vessel, these days.
And that includes the crew, concessionaires, etc [who will likely number 250-350].
The last time I did a Polar Conference, we were assured that the Canadian Coastguard only ever operated helicopters in pairs.
You a r e your own support up in those latitudes.
Hence, the ice breaker
I’ve sailed round the Nordkapp in Norway, bathed by the Gulf Stream – but never into ice.
That c a n be done – with circumspection.
I trust their bathymetric data is good. Cruise ships have [comparatively] shallow drafts [probably 25 to 28 feet, I guess for a ship that size], so perhaps this is not a great problem – but everywhere they go they may be stretching the envelope, as much depth information may have been derived from lead-line surveys.
If the accompanying ice breaker is good, and the Crystal Serenity has a master [or senior officer] with extensive ice experience, this may pass off well.
And then the casino profits will repay the company handsomely.
I’m sure they have done their risk assessment – they are risking the capital cost of the ship, future revenues – and, crucially, reputation.
Given the possibilities for the known unknowns, and the unknown unknowns, this is risky – but perhaps not fool-hardy.
Auto
I don’t agree with the author – these people are no better prepared than the “ship of fools” and they are booking with their eyes wide shut. They truly have no more idea of what the real danger is than did the Australian jackasses. I would expect the cruise ship to be wider than the icebreaker, certainly has far thinner skin, and if it has to follow through a path cut by the icebreaker in a storm, there won’t be many survivors unless God intervenes and they have a miraculous rescue effort costing many, many more millions of dollars than the ship, crew, and passengers are worth. If that last sentence sounds harsh, too bad. Idiocy doesn’t need to considered as anything but.
Not many jackasses in Oz.
We do have a few drongos, some with roos in the top paddock or a tinny short of a six-pack.
Please use the correct cultural references.
“…there won’t be many survivors unless God intervenes and they have a miraculous rescue effort…”
I would point out that God is notoriously unreliable in this respect.
They should all be charged with environmental vandalism.
If the Arctic is such pristine unique habitat, and the polar bear survival depends on a continuous around the year Arctic Ice cover; why should anybody be allowed to deliberately break up that ice so it can blow away in the wind, and uncover the arctic ocean leading to catastrophic man made global warming climate change.
This is utter madness to even contemplate such environmental destruction.
G
I guess because Nunavut doesn’t have a big enough lobby in Ottawa?
“polar bear survival depends on a continuous around the year Arctic Ice cover”
Nonsense. Almost all polar bears actually live in areas with seasonal ice cover. Polar bears do need ice cover in winter and spring, not the rest of the year.
tty,
george was being typically sarcastic.
For information, recent successful, single season transits for vessels of all sizes of the NWP have been as follows:
2007, 5
2008, 8
2009, 13
2010, 12
2011, 14
2012, 20
2013, 19
2014, 10
2015, 13
http://www.americanpolar.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/NWP-2015.pdf
Note well that “all sizes” caveat. Most are boats crewed by two to four. A couple good size yachts and one polar ice capable bulk cargo freighter carrying a year’s worth of nickel ore concentrate.
Philip,
All noted.
An apparent peak in 2012, with an apparent declining trend after that date.
Auto.
“If something were to go wrong it would be very, very bad,” said Richard Beneville, the mayor of the coastal town of Nome.
I do sound morbid but I will be utterly fascinated, watching to see if this voyage ends in tears.
Sometimes I think that’s what it will take. Sad but true.
Hopefully not led by proff Chris Turney of the Antarctic Expedition 2013-2014 infamy
Air New Zealand used to run tourist flights to Antarctica. No landings, just fly over it. Ended with the Mt Erebus disaster. Terry Pratchett coined the phrase “réja vu”: I am going to have seen this again. Me, I’m a *real* Eco-tourist: I don’t go.
There’s a lot of truth in the old saying “more money than sense”.
A whole lot of Hillary votes could be lost if something goes wrong !!
I would guess that the ticket prices are that high to cover costs of insurance for the vessel. Crew and passengers would have to sign a disclaimer stating that they were aware of any risks. I have never seen personal travel insurance that has Arctic or Antarctic cover, but I bet it would be expensive.
In 2015 on the Northern Sea Route, the Russian shipping lane, there were only 18 crossings, of which 7 did the whole trip from Bering to N Atlantic. This is down from 53 in 2014 and 71 in 2013.
Here’s a link to the data about the NSR that Ron cites…
http://www.arctic-lio.com/nsr_transits
The Russians also have nuclear powered ice breakers to mow through the ice. Heck, in 2014, they were charging only $12,000 per passenger to go to the North Pole on one of their ice breakers.
A few years ago the Russian icebreaker fleet numbered 75, with some newer nuclear ships added lately.
http://www.dieselduck.info/historical/02%20articles/ns_Yamal.jpg
BTW the nuclear icebreaker pictured is named Yamal (same as the infamous hockey stick tree)
To add to the irony, I wonder if the passengers will be able to spot the petrified coniferous forest on Ellesmere Island.
http://pubs.aina.ucalgary.ca/arctic/Arctic41-4-314.pdf
” I wonder if the passengers will be able to spot the petrified coniferous forest on Ellesmere Island”
Nope. They sure as hell won’t be going that far north. It is probably impossible for a cruise ship by the way, even with icebreaker assistance.
The Nunavik managed the whole transit of the northern route in 11 days a couple of years ago using the same route as the LaRouche once did:
http://www.fednav.com/en/voyage-nunavik
Not as far north as Ellesmere Island but not far off.
“here is a wonderful painting in the art collection of the Maritime Museum of British Columbia which depicts the historic meeting of the HBC schooner Aklavik with the RMS Nascopie at Fort Ross, Northwest Territories. In 1937 the Nascopie sailed from the Eastern Arctic to Prince Regent Inlet and into the Bellot Strait to allow the Hudson’s Bay Company to establish Fort Ross. While there she was met by the HBC schooner Aklavik which had sailed into Bellot Strait from the Western Arctic”
http://www.nauticapedia.ca/Gallery/Aklavik_Nascopie_Painting.php
Well now, iffen Prudhoe Bay “oil” is a source of your wealth, …… why not spend a wee bit of it on a cruise ship tour just to see what the place looks like?
its not as if the pasage has never been ice free.
but
I admit I hope they get well n truly stuck
of course an escorting icebreaker..wont be mentioned if they DO get through
Actually the northern, deeper, route that they will probably be following hasn’t ever been ice-free. The very crooked, narrow and shallow southern route has been, a few times.
The fools and their money are soon parted.
Well, at least this time is the fools and their money, unlike Proff Turney’s ship. That was the fools and our money.
“departed”?
‘The Arctic is beautiful, and utterly alien, compared to more temperate regions.’
I think the tourists will find much of the coasts low and utterly uninteresting.
Yeah, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I much prefer turquoise waters, white sandy beaches with swaying palm trees, blue skies with scattered puffy clouds and very warm temperatures.
Tell me again why warmer is bad?
Tom…not to mention bikinis or less as swimming apparel! Now there’s some “sight seeing”
Tom: In your lovely sun-soaked vision, is there, down by the shore, an orchestra playing, “Begin the Beguine”? If so, make room for me!
In August of 1964 I was north of the Artic circle in the Chukchi Sea for several days aboard a U.S. Navy ship. We were in fog the whole time, with visibility about a half mile. Even if there had been anything interesting to see, we wouldn’t have seen it. I was led to understand that this was not uncommon.
If the SS Manhatten navigated the NWP in 1969 why not a ship today,
It was reinforced unlike this cruise ship.
And it was significantly damaged by ice in one of its transits through the Canadian Archipelago — enough so that the oil companies elected to spend a billion dollars (which turned out to be 8 billion dollars) on the Trans-Alaska pipeline rather than use hardened tankers to get the oil out of Northern Alaska..
did the Manhatten have this-
“MacGarva also says the cruise ship will be outfitted with ice searchlights and a forward-looking sonar that will help spot underwater obstacles that may not be charted”
They better keep moving. Thar be poley bears about, aye.
.
.
On the bright side, the odds of being hijacked and held hostage by Somalian pirates is slim to none.
H.R. Somali pirates no but the chances of running up on back of a U.S., Russian, British, Chinese submarine are probably greater.
Dang!
Every silver lining has its cloud, fossilage.
They better hope the polar bears don’t organize to take advantage.
I did not know they already have wind powered icebreakers. Cool.
If the thing gets stuck in ice they’ll blame “global warming”. If the thing manages to get through they’ll blame “global warming”.
I wonder if they have contracted Reggie and his blowtorch to clear the way for them?
The MS Bremen has been making the passage (both ways with icebreakers) for several years.
One of the reasons I question the accuracy of ice measurements is all the maps showed the Belot Straight ice free, but Bremen’s bowcam showed an icebreaker pushing through solid ice.
Are you sure that the MS Bremen has made the whole transit in the past rather than just voyages into the Arctic? I can see from their website that the ship is trying it later this year, along with an NSR attempt…
http://www.hl-cruises.com/destinations/the-arctic#currency=EUR&template=teaser&sorting=departureDate&filter:regions=7;destinations=632
Sorry, I see it now. Remark w/drawn.
Sure, there is less ice now than in the 70s and 80s. But rising demand for visiting exotic places, as well as eco-tourism are propelling this. A lot could go wrong. What if there’s an outbreak of norovirus, for example?
I would suggest running at full bore to set a speed record and tie up the radio with personnel messages and useless climate travelogue info. Then if something happens blame others. But don’t let the climate change trip leaders get into the life boats ahead of you.
Theme song: On a clear day, you can see Lavrentiya.
If the cruise ship is not fortified for any ice it still may encounter, even with the help of an ice breaker, they still can have severe damage.
Some long time ago I was sailor (engine room) on a tanker, which delivered heating oil to Stockholm a few days before the harbor was closed (February 1966) because of too much ice in the Baltic Sea. When we returned we had to stop for three days in the channel from Stockholm to the sea, because of lots of pack ice at sea was driven Southwards by wind. Even with “only” 20 cm of ice thickness, the bow and propeller were damaged and after being freed by a huge ice breaker, the ship needed urgent repairs…
http://www.ferdinand-engelbeen.be/klimaat/klim_img/Stockholm_02_1966.jpg
After the ships stopped, the pilots just stepped down on the ice and were picked up by the pilot vessel in the still open held (by ice breakers) channel in the middle. The next day we had a football game with the other crew on the ice…
But I agree with Eric, Norway is a fantastic country, as well for the fjords in the South, the glaciers, the mountains, the “vidda’s” (plateau’s) as for the Lofoten and Lapland in the North… Still looking for a trip to Antarctica, but prices are too high for my budget, even not as high as the trip through the NW passage mentioned here… Used as alternative Greenland in 2000, which also has lots of ice…
I’ve seen that channel in the summer. The snow/ice makes it look foreboding.
I hope the Cdn govt has the good sense to say no to this voyage, although with the current govt, it wouldn’t surprise me to hear the Prime Adolescent has a bunkie on board for the trip. Irrespective of the risk to human life (which frankly, given the opportunists who will waste 22K for the “experience”, there, I could care less), there may be a very real risk of a ship like that foundering mid voyage, ice breaker or not. Then there would be the problem of getting it’s massive hulk out of there. Canada does not need a massive American steel inukshuk” rotting on a reef in the Arctic.
“I hope the Cdn govt has the good sense to…”
That’s hard to know since the last election!
Why would they have any say at all? It starts and ends in the USA, and will likely stay in international waters for reasons of gambling and other regs. Canada could only deny help, and places to dock for land visits. I assure you, the arrival of a cruise ship of this size would be a financial boon to any town visited.
According to Canada the NW Passage is not international waters therefore a cruiseship entering the Passage would have to check in with Canadian authorities, I’m pretty sure that happens when anyone sails through there
I just hope whatever the Canadians call their coast guard has a large number of helicopters.
I’ll modify my traditional comment: People who climb mountains aren’t heroes. People who rescue people who try to climb mountains are heroes…
Oh, and we call it the Canadian Coast Guard. At least they’ll get some experience, but see my line above. If someone gets hurt (not a lot, just enough to learn a lesson), I hope its a celebrity or a gazzillionaire, and not someone who actually works for a living.
I wonder what Switzerland calls their coast guard?
Effecient.
Switzerland contracts their coast guard services from Bolivia.
Well they have a lake in Geneva, and it most surely has a coastline, so a Coast guard would be needed. They weren’t able to help my little sister, who got moved to a coastal village opposite Geneva. She got sick there and they weren’t able to get her back to Geneva in time.
I spent a month on a boat on the Pacific Ocean. Good thing I didn’t get sick, we weren’t near any helibirds in those days.
G
These United States does have a Coast Guard Station on Lake Tahoe http://www.uscg.mil/d11/staLakeTahoe/
I will have to modify a saying I’ve been using for a few years:
“People who climb mountains aren’t heroes.
People who rescue people who try to climb mountains are heroes.”
Well, at least Canada’s S+R folks will get some experience.
BTW, this is one of those “re-announcements” that the MSM picks up on a yearly basis:
http://www.thestar.com/news/world/2013/09/13/is_canadas_northwest_passage_the_next_everest.html
http://www.thestar.com/news/world/2015/09/30/study-raises-doubt-about-viability-of-northwest-passage-as-shipping-route.html
http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2009/01/12/new_policy_emphasizes_us_interests_in_northwest_passage.html
http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2009/03/13/researchers_plan_trek_across_northwest_passage.html
http://www.thestar.com/news/2007/09/16/arctic_melt_opening_up_northwest_passage.html