Tragedy on a scenic Arctic cruise

For our third trip to Svalbard, the Arctic archipelago northwest of mainland Norway, my wife, Gwen, and I chose to travel on Quark Expeditions’ (Waterbury, VT; 888/332-0008, www.quarkexpeditions.com) all-suite, 120-passenger Sea Spirit. The ship is the old “Spirit of Oceanus” of the former line Cruise West.

Excluding airfare but counting a 5% discount for being past customers, the cost for our 10-night, 11-day cruise, June 14-24, 2013, was approximately $20,000 for the two of us. 

This included hotel/ship transfers, all meals and snacks on board, all Zodiac-craft transfers and shore landings, daily lectures by noted naturalists, service taxes, port charges and emergency evacuation insurance (coverage up to $100,000).

Most passengers arrived in Longyearbyen — on Spitsbergen island in the Svalbard Archipelago — the afternoon of embarkation, Friday, June 14. You can fly there from Oslo either nonstop on Norwegian Air Shuttle ASA or via Tromsø on SAS. 

From the airport, you’re taken by bus to the center of town and left to wander on your own for about two hours. Since Longyearbyen is cold and windy and it’s often raining there, it’s wise to dress warmly and pack your hat, gloves and waterproof jacket in your carry-on. But, since Quark provides each passenger with its excellent signature yellow parka and fleece on the ship, you do not need to carry your heavy winter jacket.

Embarkation may be by Zodiac, so it’s also a good idea to have your waterproof pants in your carry-on, since the ride out to the ship can be a wet one.

The cabins aboard the Sea Spirit were spacious and nicely appointed. Gwen and I had a premium suite with two singles made up as a king bed plus a foldout couch, armchair, coffee table, TV/DVD player and a good-size private balcony. For an expedition ship, you couldn’t ask for nicer accommodations. 

The hotel staff was excellent, and we never lacked for towels or toilet amenities. 

The tap water in the cabins was supposedly safe to drink, but it had a yellow-brownish color. The chief engineer told me the reason for the off-putting color was that the ship desalinates its water. Bottled water was available and we preferred that.

If you are planning to hand wash any clothing while aboard, I advise washing only dark colors. The yellow water stained our whites and light-colored clothing. 

The ship lacked adequate hot water. This was not a problem if you timed your showers with care. My wife chose to skip breakfasts so she could get a hot shower while the other passengers were eating. I was always up an hour before the morning wake-up call, and on most mornings I was able to have a quick hot shower. 

Quark provided only liquid soap, so if you prefer to use a bar soap, pack your own.

The Sea Spirit has a small gym and one outside deck on which you can walk around the ship (170 meters). The presentation room and the lounge are both nicely appointed and large enough to hold all of the passengers, as is the dining room. 

The ship has an excellent kitchen, and the staff was accommodating of specific dietary needs. The food on the Sea Spirit was, by far, the best we have eaten on any expedition cruise.

Gwen and I have been on seven cruises in the Arctic and one 30-day Antarctic cruise; three of those cruises have been operated by Quark. Over the course of this cruise, we went ashore eight times and took four Zodiac excursions. This was less time off the ship than we expected, and in this regard we were not alone in being disappointed. 

The issue seemed to be the ship’s inability to sail through ice, even if the ice was broken. One expedition staff member told me the ship has a low ice rating and has to avoid sea ice. 

As a result, we spent several days cruising in the open ocean and were unable to enter some of Svalbard’s most beautiful fjords or to sail along the face of its largest glaciers. Still, what we did see was pretty spectacular.

The Svalbard Archipelago is a beautiful place, with snow-covered peaks, magnificent glaciers and an almost innumerable number of places to walk on stone-covered beaches or tundra.

If you take this cruise, you will see lots of birds and are almost certain to see reindeer. With luck, you may also see a few polar bears and an arctic fox and visit a walrus haul-out. Many passengers had come for the wildlife and not the spectacular scenery. 

Svalbard is sold as the realm of the polar bear, but, in our experience, to have the best chance of seeing polar bears you need to be able to venture into the ice, and that is something this ship cannot do. 

On our cruise, passengers were able to see three polar bears, including a mother with a cub, through binoculars. A fourth was spotted only a couple of hundred meters away one evening on a Zodiac cruise to a walrus haul-out. For many of the passengers, that was the highlight of the cruise. 

The low point came the fourth day out when we stopped at the 14th of July Glacier. 

Since boarding ship the evening of the first day, the passengers had gotten off the ship only once, so even though the winds were high and the seas quite choppy, we got into the Zodiacs to cruise past a bird cliff and the glacier. An expedition staff member told me that Quark will conduct Zodiac operations in winds as high as 35 knots. This is possible because Zodiacs are remarkably stable craft. 

The sea in front of the glacier face was calm enough for those who had signed up for a kayaking excursion. However, the sea was not calm by the bird cliff, where waves were crashing upon the rocks. There also were submerged rocks close to the shore. 

The expedition coordinator made sure that none of the Zodiacs ventured too close to the glacier, since a calving glacier can generate a huge wave, but, apparently, no such instructions were given to the Zodiac drivers who took their Zodiacs to the base of the cliff. 

Upon approaching the cliff, the Zodiac my wife and I were in was knocked about so badly in the surf that we were concerned we would be dashed against the rocks. Another passenger and I became so sea sick, we had to be returned to the ship.

Unfortunately, a tragedy occurred when one of the Zodiacs that had been taken close to the cliff was overturned by a crashing wave. One woman died, and two passengers were evacuated by helicopter to Longyearbyen for medical treatment.

Nine other passengers and the Zodiac driver were able to make it to shore, freezing cold but with only minor injuries. Some of those passengers had been trapped under the overturned Zodiac for about five minutes, though (I was told on the ship by a relative of a passenger in the capsized craft) they were able to stand and did have air to breathe and ended up wading to shore. One passenger hit her head on one of the rocks; she came to lunch that afternoon with an ice pack on her head. 

With respect to those most in need of medical attention, the crew seemed to respond well to the emergency.

A retired nurse did complain that when the soaking-wet passengers returned to the ship, the staff had not prepared heated towels or blankets. She told me she went from cabin to cabin collecting towels and blankets and used a hair dryer to warm up one severely chilled woman. 

At the end of this cruise, disembarkation in Longyearbyen is at about 9 a.m., and if you are flying back to Oslo that day, you will be left in town for about four hours and then taken to the airport.

Keep in mind that the SAS flight from Longyearbyen to Oslo stops in Tromsø, Norway, where you and all hand and checked baggage are unloaded.

Svalbard is a part of Norway, but, because it is a tax-free zone, you must clear passport control and Customs in Tromsø and then go through security before reboarding your aircraft. For this reason, our flight out of Tromsø was late, so it is not wise to have a short connection in Oslo.

Gwen and I flew from Longyearbyen to Oslo the same day the cruise ended. One suggestion — to check in for your flight from Longyearbyen to Oslo, use the computer at the Radisson Blu Polar Hotell Spitsbergen and print your boarding passes before going to the airport. The charge is NOK3 (near 50¢) for each page printed — a bargain, since you then can go straight to baggage drop and right through security without having to stand in the long check-in line. 

Gwen and I spent the night at Oslo’s Radisson Blu Airport Hotel, which was a short outdoor walk from the airport terminal, before continuing home the next morning. 

I realize this report is not all positive, but if you are looking to spend some time in the high Arctic, there are few places that are as accessible and beautiful as Svalbard.

AL KALTMAN

Vienna, VA

ITN emailed copies of Mr. Kaltman’s account to Quark Expeditions on Aug. 20, 2013, and was sent a copy of the following “Media Statement No. 5”:

Quark Expeditions, Inc., confirms that an accident occurred during a Zodiac sightseeing excursion near the 14th of July Glacier, just outside of Longyearbyen, Svalbard, Norway, at approximately 11 a.m. local time on Monday, 17 June 2013. 

A Zodiac carrying 12 passengers capsized, resulting in the fatality of one passenger and the injury of two other passengers. The injured passengers were not critically injured, received medical care in Longyearbyen and were released from the hospital. Quark worked with the passengers’ travel agents in arranging for their return home.

The ship, Sea Spirit, underwent a full formal investigation by local authorities and the Bahamas flag stage in Ny-Ålesund, Svalbard, Norway, and was released to continue the rest of the expedition.

The results of the formal investigation have not yet been released. Quark did carry out a full and thorough internal investigation which indicated that the emergence of a sudden large wave caused the Zodiac to capsize.

An additional statement included the following:

First-aid- and CPR-trained staff were on the scene immediately following the accident. The first on the scene was our kayak guide, who is a registered nurse and wilderness first-aid instructor. Additionally, Quark’s doctor arrived within 10 minutes, followed by the ship’s doctor. Each of Quark’s ships has two doctors on board… . The Governor of Svalbard also dispatched additional medical support via helicopter.

On June 17, 2014, Al Kaltman emailed to ITN a copy of the “Report of the investigation into the capsizing of a Zodiac craft and passenger fatality at Fjortende, Juli-Bukta, Norway, on the 17th June 2013,” issued on Feb. 10 by the Bahamas Maritime Authority (120 Old Broad St., London, EC2N 1AR, U.K.; www.bahamasmaritime.com/downloads/Casualty%20Reports%202001%20onwards/Se...). The report included numbered chapters titled as follows: 1. Summary, 2. Particulars of Vessel, 3. Narrative of Events, 4. Analysis, 5. Conclusions and 6. Recommendations. Here are selected passages from the extensive report, with each preceding number indicating the chapter and paragraph:

[3.6] Sea conditions at the time were reportedly calm to moderate, with a long, southwesterly swell breaking onto the shore… .

[3.7] Shortly before 10:55, whilst passing along the shoreline, the Zodiac “Poseidon” was struck by two rolling waves in short succession. The driver and passengers were thrown overboard into the water, with some trapped underneath the craft, itself. Deck log book entries indicated a sea temperature of six degrees Celsius (42.8°F).

[3.8] Having completed the predeparture safety checks in line with the company operating procedures, the driver had attached the engine kill cord prior to commencing the expedition. This safety measure ensured that the engine was stopped immediately once the driver had been thrown clear of the craft.

[3.9] By 10:55, all other tour boats were on scene to provide rescue assistance, and a medical party muster was completed on board the Sea Spirit. The capsized Zodiac was reported to have beached in the upturned condition with “large waves smashing into it.” 

Weather conditions at this time were reported as being “very challenging,” with “large waves dumping on shore.” These conditions made it extremely difficult for the other Zodiac craft to land on the beach at this time. This meant that expedition staff had to enter the water to assist the occupants of the capsized Zodiac to safety.

[4.4] The driver of the Zodiac “Poseidon” at the time of the incident was qualified by Quark… up to a “Level Three” standard, as defined within the Quark training competencies, as having the capability to “carry passengers in calm conditions.” A Level Four competency would certify the driver to operate a Zodiac carrying passengers in “any weather condition”… .

[4.9] … none of the statements taken during the investigation indicate any concern amongst the Zodiac drivers or passengers that conditions were anything other than relatively calm when the trips began.

[4.10] All statements are consistent in reporting that two large waves in close succession were experienced. The appearance of these waves appears to have taken everyone by surprise, but it is clear that the attention of everyone on board, including the driver, was directed towards the shore and wildlife.

[4.11] It is noted that the Quark Expeditions Arctic Handbook 2013 – Zodiac Operations (at sections 9.6.6, “Zodiac Underway”) states, inter alia, “Each Crew driver should be paired up with an English-speaking driver, and for all cruises there should be an English-speaking nondriving staff member in the Zodiac, if at all possible. This is crucial for safety and for interpretation.” 

In this case, there appears to have been only a driver in the Zodiac (i.e., no “nondriving staff member” was present) and, at the time of the incident, the driver’s attention was divided between pointing out wildlife and watching water depth.

[5.3] Both the capability and competency of the operator of the Zodiac “Poseidon” were in compliance with the Quark Expedition training and competency standards for Zodiac operations in calm conditions. However, given the prevailing weather conditions and reported sea state at the time of the incident, it is considered that a higher level than the driver possessed may have been necessary.

[5.4] The absence of an English-speaking nondriving staff member from the Zodiac is considered to have resulted in the driver’s attention being divided between providing a tour guide service to the passengers and the primary responsibility of operating the craft and monitoring the surrounding waters. 

It is possible that this diversion may have prevented the early recognition of the two rolling heavy waves which appeared in quick succession and capsized the craft.

In October 2014, ITN sent Quark Expeditions a copy of all of the above and received the following in a reply.

Following the incident last year, a number of investigations were carried out, including a formal and exceptionally thorough one undertaken by the Norwegian authorities based in Longyearbyen, in whose jurisdiction the incident occurred. They concluded that the matter was a tragic accident which could not have been foreseen or forestalled. 

We would point out that certain statements made by Mr. Kaltman are contrary to investigative findings involving the incident. 

I can confirm that Quark is the only polar expedition cruise company to currently operate an externally accredited health and safety system. The external accreditor carried out their own investigation following the incident and concluded that there was no reason to rescind or amend Quark’s accreditation.

I would like to take this opportunity to reiterate Quark’s commitment to health and safety and advise that we consider these to be key aspects of the Quark Expeditions product. We are constantly reviewing our processes and practices to ensure that we fully comply with industry standards and requirements.

We note Mr. Kaltman’s comments about the Sea Spirit and would like to advise that, for the Arctic cruise itinerary described, we have replaced the Sea Spirit with a vessel that has a higher ice-class rating, which we are confident will optimize the wildlife experience for passengers taking this voyage.

RACHEL HILTON, VP, Marketing & Product, Quark Expeditions

Quark Expeditions’ website showed the “Sea Spirit” scheduled to sail on Antarctic cruises from late 2014 through March 15, 2015.