IKALUKTUTIAK/CAMBRIDGE BAY
Plans call for a floating universe called the Crystal Serenity to depart Seward, Alaska, travel slowly through Arctic water off the coast of Nunavut via the Northwest Passage to New York City, powered by low-sulphur fuel and with only two of its six diesel generators operating for the majority of its 32-day voyage, beginning Aug. 15.
The luxury cruise ship Crystal Serenity, weighing 68,000 tonnes and measuring 250 metres long, is planning to sail from Seward, Alaska to New York City, New York, via Cambridge Bay, the Northwest Passage and Pond Inlet from Aug. 16 to Sept. 17. - photo courtesy of Crystal Cruises |
It's a voyage unlike any seen in the Arctic thus far.
The 250-metre (820-foot), 68,000-tonne, 13-deck luxury cruise ship will carry 1,070 passengers and about 650 crew members, including a full expedition team experienced in the Northwest Passage to advise and work with the captain when the journey begins.
Earlier this month, an international headline asked the question, "A new Titanic?" about the luxury expedition, calling to mind a catastrophic encounter with ice while passengers sip champagne in the ballroom.
But is this voyage really such a big deal?
Peter Garapick, Canadian Coast Guard superintendent of Search and Rescue for the Central and Arctic Region, says it is a first, but "first and foremost, the Canadian Coast Guard's top priority is and always will be the safety of mariners in Canadian waters."
Garapick says cruise ships have been going to the Arctic since the early 1980s.
"In 2012, the number of persons aboard one vessel was 508. In a five-year period, from 2009 to 2013, the number of persons on board averaged approximately 150 to 300. This will be the first cruise ship to enter the Nordreg Zone (Arctic), with an estimated 1,600 persons on board."
Paul Garcia, director of global public relations for Crystal Cruises, responded to the headline in an e-mail to Nunavut News/North.
"First and foremost, the safety of our guests and crew is of paramount importance," he stated.
"We have been working on this project for three years and will be implementing a number of additional precautions to ensure the safety of all guests and crew, as well as to protect the pristine environment.
"We have taken many extraordinary operational and equipment-related measures to ensure a safe voyage. The typical conditions along the planned route during the Arctic summer are substantially free of ice. With these extremely low ice concentrations, keeping the ship well clear of ice is entirely feasible."
Garapick says the company has been working closely with the Coast Guard and has been "very" co-operative.
Agencies the Canadian Coast Guard is working with include "several federal, territorial and local agencies, primarily Transport Canada, Department of National Defence, Fisheries and Oceans Canada - Canadian Hydrographic Service, Environment Canada - Canadian Ice Service, as well as the United States Coast Guard, and other territorial/municipal or local agencies," said Garapick.
While many are eager to describe the late-summer state of the Northwest Passage as more or less ice-free, the reality is quite different. In fact, when asked what the Coast Guard's greatest concerns might be, Garapick responded.
"The Arctic will continue to experience extreme variability in ice conditions from year to year and from area to area. Vessels transiting through the Northwest Passage should be prepared for rapid changes in weather and ice conditions."
Crystal Cruises is "finalizing terms for our choice of the escort vessel (icebreaker) and we are planning to officially announce it in the next week or so," said Garcia.
The escort vessel will carry additional safety and environmental protection equipment, as well as personnel specifically trained in its use. In addition, it will serve as a platform for a helicopter and zodiacs, and be manned by a crew highly experienced in all aspects of operating safely in this unique area, according to the website.
Further, the Canadian Coast Guard is participating in a table-top exercise being hosted by the United States Coast Guard in Anchorage, Alaska, April 13 and 14, simulating a search and rescue scenario that would trigger a response to a cruise ship incident in the Arctic, said Garapick.
From a Government of Nunavut perspective, concerns include sensitive sites and waste.
"Any cruise ship visiting sensitive sites in the territory has to go through the Nunavut Impact Review Board," said Bernie MacIsaac, assistant deputy minister of economic development for the Department Economic Development and Transportation.
"The ship will follow strict procedures to limit its impact on the environment, such as not releasing waste until it is outside of the territory."
Garcia explains how waste will be managed.
"Crystal will operate, as it always does, with a 'nothing overboard' policy," he said.
"No garbage or food waste of any kind will be thrown overboard. Some garbage will be burned in the incinerator on board, while other trash, recycling and food waste will be collected and stored on board the escort vessel. This waste will then be offloaded outside of the Arctic communities into specific collection facilities that are equipped to handle waste.
"Grey and black water discharge parameters will exceed international requirements per company policy, to include discharge no less than 12 nautical miles from shore, and comminuted (reduced to minute particles or fragments) and treatment of black water via a Type II marine sanitation device."
Garapick says the Canadian Coast Guard will monitor the voyage daily while the ship moves through the Northwest Passage through the Marine Communications and Traffic Services Centre in Iqaluit, adding the centre in Iqaluit is equipped to accommodate current and future levels of marine traffic.
"With traffic patterns changing, the Coast Guard will ensure that search and rescue resources are deployed strategically to ensure the safety of mariners and the protection of the waters in which they sail. The Coast Guard is currently reviewing Arctic search and rescue requirements and is working with Transport Canada to identify key marine transportation corridors in the North to focus future investments," said Garapick.
The Canadian Coast Guard is deploying up to seven icebreakers throughout the Arctic to support program and operational commitments in 2016.
