Uncharted waters: Mega cruise ships sail the Arctic

[TexasTowelie]

SVALBARD, Norway — A surge in Arctic tourism is bringing ever bigger cruise ships to the formerly isolated, ice-bound region, prompting calls for a clamp-down to prevent Titanic-style accidents and the pollution of fragile eco-systems.

Arctic nations should consider limiting the size of vessels and ban the use of heavy fuel oil in the region, industry players said, after a first luxury cruise ship sailed safely through Canada's Northwest Passage this summer.

The route, which connects the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans via the Arctic, was once clogged with icebergs but is now ice-free in summer due to global warming.

With a minimum ticket price of $19,755, the 1,700 passengers and crew on board the Crystal Serenity followed – in reverse – the route first navigated more than a century ago by Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen. They left Anchorage in Alaska on Aug. 15 and docked in New York on Sep. 16.

Read more: https://www.adn.com/arctic/2016/10/10/uncharted-waters-mega-cruise-ships-sail-the-arctic/

[MADem]

1. If they want a little fun just cross the North Atlantic in winter--better than a roller coaster! nt

[pangaia]

2. Crystal Serenity !! Are you freakin' kidding me????

Looks more like a doomsday machine.

These monstrosities should be banned from planet earth.

I once rounded a corner in Old Town San Juan and suddenly was confronted by two of this monstrous things.. The most ugly, out of place constructs I think I had ever seen..

[Rex]

3. Wow that a big freakin ship!

Can you get mega viruses on those type of ships?

[central scrutinizer]

4. Giant floating slums

Saw one in the harbor in La Habana, Cuba in February