Spitsbergen cruise, polar bear watching cruise

We are a Full Member of the International Association of Antarctic Tour Operators (IAATO) and the Arctic Expedition Cruise Operators (AECO) and, as such, have agreed to abide by some of the tourism world’s most conscientious codes of conduct. We go beyond ‘best practice’ in our polar operations, and have established guidelines for respectful interaction with the peoples and cultures we meet in the north.

We have a responsible purchasing policy which ensures that, wherever possible, our produce (including seafood) is harvested from sustainable sources, and all provisions – right down to our cleaning products – are chosen for their low environmental impact. We have recently completed a refurbishment program on the ships’ engines, enabling them to operate at maximum efficiency with minimal environmental impact.

We support a variety of conservation and cultural initiatives in both the Arctic and Antarctica. We have teamed up with Professor Andrew Deroucher of Alberta University, to study the impact of climatic variation and climate change on polar bears in the Canadian Arctic – specifically the disappearance of sea ice, which is the bears hunting platform. Working in conjunction with existing projects in other locations, the study will track and monitor bears, and develop predictive tools to assess the likely impact of climate change on them and their prey.

We also participate in the Clean Up Svalbard project, in conjunction with the Governor and people of Svalbard. In many places on the archipelago, rubbish, including plastic, lost fishing nets and other refuse – largely from the Barents Sea fishing fleet – accumulates along the shore line. On each voyage, you will be offered the opportunity to spend a few hours in rubber gloves, picking up litter along the beaches.

Our ships are state-of-the-art, working scientific vessels. During our expedition voyages (without any disruption to our itineraries) and during seasonal mobilisations we help fund on-going scientific research aboard the ships. This has included the on-going collection of data for critical meteorological and oceanographic studies. We also provide logistical support for many scientific study groups.

We have made a commitment to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions created by our business. In fact, since 2008 we have been turning our offices ‘green’. Our head office is now supplied with renewable energy and we’re also balancing all the emissions generated by staff air travel.

We’ve calculated the carbon offset amount for each voyage and listed it as an optional payment separately to the tour cost so you can clearly see how much it is. Please help us to do the right thing for our planet by adding the carbon offset payment to your final balance. This payment will go directly to our offset partner, Climate Friendly, which will invest in projects aimed at ‘neutralising’ your contribution to greenhouse gases. Climate Friendly is an Australian-based ‘profit for purpose’ company that invests all funds into renewable energy.