Arctic Cruise Ships

[QUOTE=lm1883;192197]Russia is asserting its sovereignty and acting as a counterbalance in a multipolar world, no more, no less. They are not interfering in our elections any more than we interfered with theirs. Your comment infers that the US is a victim when the actual case is quite the opposite.[/QUOTE]

Here are some security and eastern european political experts talking about this issue. They may not agree with you, completely.

http://www.foreignpolicyi.org/content/fpi-conference-call-russian-interference-foreign-elections

I don’t know if your specific election has been targeted. I read one well-positioned opinion, that said that the Brexit vote could have been interfered with by the Russians. The Gibralter of the Arctic is Wales AK. On your toes, is all I’m saying.

[QUOTE=Lee Shore;192203]The few American companies already operating in the Inside Passage and coastal Alaskan waters could expand their routes and ship inventories. They cater to a niche market and their business model is more along the lines of expedition style cruising than the floating hotel/casinos the size of aircraft carriers.
Their current ships are capable of accommodating fewer than 100 passengers and are similar in size to the converted TAGOS ship in your rendering. There are yards in BC and Seattle capable of purpose building these pocket cruise ships from scratch.
We should concentrate on expanding that corner of the market. I don’t see us being able to compete with the likes of Carnival Cruises and other FOC operators who load thousands of passengers in a style reminiscent of cattle drives and who pay their third world crews peanuts.
These floating monstrosities are generating huge profits and by their sheer size are the ones most likely to impose a burden on existing facilities and cause environmental damage.
Canada should impose a cruising tax based on tonnage in preparation of such an eventuality and we should concentrate on solidifying our grip on the niche market we already own.[/QUOTE]

Vancouver welcomes the giant cruise boats with open arms directly into our downtown core. Sometimes 4 tied up at the same time. Its awsome: they buy a few trinkets and a lot of bunker. Packed with Americans who don’t know they aren’t still in Washington or California or where-ever these things embark from. All bound for Alaska. Coasties need to be able to do a better job policing those monsters: notorious for throwing over garbage and untreated sewage in AK waters. Fine them in to behaving themselves. Impose some basic labour standards on them. I reckon the passengers mostly don’t much care where they are cruising, as long as the booze are included and its cheap and comfortable.

Those big monster “shoe box like” ships, more akin to floating shopping malls with hotel facilities (or v.v.) that is seen in Vancouver does not all come from California, or whatever. Many are “homeported” there for the Alaska season.
They are not entering the Arctic and have no need for “Ice Class” notation in the part of Alaska they are visiting today. Few goes passed Glacial Bay National Park, with he odd call at Anchorage.
If they originate in Seattle, or points south, they mostly call at Victoria to meet their “foreign port” requirement.

What is coming is small ships (200-500 Pax) with high ice class that can take their “guests” to exotic parts of the Arctic or Antarctic, as well as to other places not accessible to the large “Shoe boxes”. That will open up a market that has barely been touched, so far. There may be a dozen ships in that class now. Many second hand Research vessels from Soviet days.

Some of these smaller vessels visit as far north as Nome, or even transit through the North west Passage, but they are few and far between: http://www.visitnomealaska.com/bering-sea-cruises/
None of these cruises originate from US ports, or are on US flag vessels, as far as I can see.

The possibilities for any US flag Polar expedition vessels appears slim for the time being. Small converted vessels calling at ice free Alaskan ports, other then those presently on the itinerary of the large ships, should absolutely be possible.

Such vessels could be “homeported” in Anchorages and be calling at small settlements along the coast, including at island in the Bearing Strait. (You can ACTUALLY see Russia from there)

That may attract some more adventurous cruisers during the summer months. Problem is the short season. Where could such vessels find gainful employment in the off-season? Cruising outlaying islands of Hawaii maybe? Or could it be possible to attract people who like to see Northern Light to cruises in ice free waters during winter??

[QUOTE=ombugge;192209]

The possibilities for any US flag Polar expedition vessels appears slim for the time being. Small converted vessels calling at ice free Alaskan ports, other then those presently on the itinerary of the large ships, should absolutely be possible.[/QUOTE]

Pacific Catalyst, for example.

[QUOTE=Emrobu;192207]I reckon the passengers mostly don’t much care where they are cruising, as long as the booze are included and its cheap and comfortable.[/QUOTE]

Ah…the booze, the food, the karaoke on the pool deck , there’s just nothing else like it.

[QUOTE=ombugge;192209]None of these cruises originate from US ports, or are on US flag vessels, as far as I can see.

[U]Except the ones originating in Seattle.
[/U]
Such vessels could be “homeported” in Anchorages and be calling at small settlements along the coast, including at island in the Bearing Strait. (You can ACTUALLY see Russia from there)

That may attract some more adventurous cruisers during the summer months. Problem is the short season. Where could such vessels find gainful employment in the off-season? Cruising outlaying islands of Hawaii maybe? Or could it be possible to attract people who like to see Northern Light to cruises in ice free waters during winter??[/QUOTE]

[U]The Hawaiian thing has already been tried and it wasn’t a successful outcome. People do go bananas over the northern lights though.
[/U]

[QUOTE=ombugge;192209]That may attract some more adventurous cruisers during the summer months. Problem is the short season. Where could such vessels find gainful employment in the off-season? Cruising outlaying islands of Hawaii maybe? Or could it be possible to attract people who like to see Northern Light to cruises in ice free waters during winter??[/QUOTE]

The Hawaiian thing has already been tried and it wasn’t a huge success. People do go bananas over the northern lights though.

[QUOTE=Lee Shore;192213]The Hawaiian thing has already been tried and it wasn’t a huge success. People do go bananas over the northern lights though.[/QUOTE]

Pacific Catalyst and her people spend winter with the whales in Baja, and also day-cruising in the San Juans. Lovely outfit, nice folks, cool ship. I get the feeling that many of their passengers are interested in wildlife photography. They were looking for an engineer earlier in the season and invited me. It would have been amazing. It broke my heart to turn them down: they don’t meet the requirements for the boxes I need to tick and their tours conflicted with my classes.

UnCruise Adventures also operates in the Sea of Cortes in winter.
American Cruise Lines is one of the companies operating in the Inside Passage. The ships referred to in this link are slated to operate on the East Coast but it looks like they are in a position to expand their West Coast operations if there is a demand.

[QUOTE=Lee Shore;192351]UnCruise Adventures also operates in the Sea of Cortes in winter.
American Cruise Lines is one of the companies operating in the Inside Passage. The ships referred to in this link are slated to operate on the East Coast but it looks like they are in a position to expand their West Coast operations if there is a demand.

http://www.marinelink.com/news/american-cruise-ships418126[/QUOTE]

Yes there are small cruise ships, existing and under construction, that is able to cruise along the Inside Passage of BC and Alaska, but these are not able to operate in Arctic waters.(i.e. North of the Arctic Circle)or even Sub-Arctic waters prone to sea ice. Glacial Bay in the summer is as close as they get to ice in any form.

Yes, that’s fairly obvious but they do offer a “northern” experience for people who don’t necessarily want to spend the time and money to go the full route.

Is there no end to the appetite for small Polar Expedition vessels?: http://worldmaritimenews.com/archives/206288/brodosplit-to-build-polar-expedition-cruise-ship/
This time apparently designed and built by Croatian shipbuilder Brodosplit.

More info on the Polar Expedition vessels to be built at Brodosplit: http://www.shippax.com/en/news/oceanwide-expeditions-confirm-the-brodosplit-newbuilding.aspx

Put an ROV and some marine archeologists on a cruise ship and go visit the Erebus wreck. Fantastic! If you’re going to put $20K on a cruise, that’s a cool feature.

Its a good thing we have laws in place to protect our marine history from people who’d like to pick it up and take it home with them. Ahem. Baymaud.

The Ulstein Yacht concept is coming to fruition: http://www.smp.no/naeringsliv/2017/02/23/Komplett-kontrakt-til-luksusyacht-14301687.ece?cx_front_click=baseline_test&cx_front_click_place=13&cx_front_click_articles=1
This one will be equipped with all the bells and whistles you find on the newest Offshore vessels designed by Ulstein, plus all the luxuries and toys you would need to enjoy yourself at sea.

Are there any comments on this design??

PS> U;lstein has also recently signed a contract to build a hybrid RoPax ferry, but without the X-Bow: https://ulstein.com/news/2017/contract-signed-on-building-the-worlds-largest-plug-in-hybrid-vessel
Not Polar class though, but with Ice C class for the odd years that the Oslofjord freezes, if it ever will again.

[QUOTE=ombugge;195523]Are there any comments on this design??[/QUOTE]

…FUGLY…

X-Bow and the rest is square like his head.

And if you were offered a job on this wonder, you would turn it down???

[QUOTE=ombugge;195530]And if you were offered a job on this wonder, you would turn it down???[/QUOTE]

I’d rather sit on the beach and gnaw on a piece of driftwood.

[QUOTE=Fraqrat;195528]X-Bow and the rest is square like his head.[/QUOTE]
You must be the only one that can see anything square with a curved design like the Ulstein X-bow.

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[QUOTE=Lee Shore;195531]I’d rather sit on the beach and gnaw on a piece of driftwood.[/QUOTE]

You just gnaw on whatever and somebody else will take the jobs.
Then you can complain about the unfairness of life to your hearths content.