By Sonia Elks LONDON, Aug 13 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - A lust for adventure tourism is driving a rise in the number of cruise ships touring the Arctic, but local people are not seeing the benefits, experts said on Tuesday, after an explorer raised fears over "party ships" in the region. Indigenous communities are being "overwhelmed" by ships that drop up to 1,000 … [Read more...]
Linblad Orders Second Polar Expedition Cruise Ship at Ulstein
Expedition cruise company Lindblad Expeditions (NASDAQ: LIND) announced the signing of an agreement with Norwegian shipbuilder and designer Ulstein to build a second new polar vessel, expanding the line's National Geographic polar fleet to four ships. Lindblad Expeditions is an expedition cruise tourism company that operates cruises in partnership with National … [Read more...]
SunStone Orders Two More Expedition Ships in China
Miami-based expedition cruise ship operator SunStone Ships has confirmed orders for two more of its Infinity-class ships, bringing its total orderbook to five ships. SunStone announced Tuesday it has signed an agreement with China Merchants Heavy Industries for the fourth and fifth vessels in the class to be built in China. The order is part of a ten-vessel Framework … [Read more...]
SunStone Orders Second Ice-Class Expedition Cruise Ship
Miami-based expedition cruise ship owner SunStone Ships has exercised an it option to construct an additional ice-class expedition vessel at China Merchants Heavy Industry shipyard. In 2017, SunStone signed a contract with CMHI calling for the construction of a single ice-class expedition vessel to be built by CMHI in China. The contract included options for a total of nine … [Read more...]
Hapag-Lloyd Cruises Faces Outrage After Guard Kills Polar Bear During Arctic Cruise Excursion
German cruise line operator Hapag-Lloyd Cruises has found itself in the middle of an online firestorm after a guard shot and killed a polar bear during a shore excursion to an Arctic archipelago from one of its expedition cruise ships over the weekend. In a statement posted to Facebook on Sunday, Hapag-Lloyd Cruises says it "very much regrets" the incident but made … [Read more...]