Russia has denied permission for Hurtigruten’s MS Spitsbergen to land two of its scheduled calls to the Arctic archipelago Franz Josef Land.

In an official statement, the expedition cruise line has commented how its ship did in fact meet the requirements of the Polar Code and was given permission to operate in this part of the Arctic. However, Russian authorities unexpectedly and at the last minute denied the expedition cruise line the necessary permits. As a result, it therefore does not have the final sailing permission it needs to enter Franz Josef Land.

“Hurtigruten has engaged in a long-term dialogue with Russian authorities about the planned expedition cruises,” commented the cruise line.

“Their last-minute decision comes as a surprise, further highlighted by the very vocal strategy from Russian authorities to attract more cruise traffic and new operators in general – and Hurtigruten in particular – to Russian Arctic waters.

“Hurtigruten apologises for the inconvenience this decision creates for our guests on these two voyages. We are currently in the process of reaching out to guests, offering compensations and alternative Hurtigruten expedition cruises.”

The cruise line has said that it will “continue the dialogue with Russian authorities with regards to future voyages to Franz Josef Land.”

The voyages that have been cancelled are as follows:

• Tromsø – Franz Josefs Land -Tromsø: 29/8-19 – 12/9-19
• Tromsø – Franz Josefs Land -Tromsø: 12/9-19 – 26/9-19

The cruise line will be setting up an extra sailing with MS Spitsbergen to Svalbard on these dates, and all guests will be offered to take part in this sailing, in addition to other compensation. The next sailings to Franz Josef Land will take place in September 2020.

Earlier this week, Hurtigruten announced that it would be transforming three of its expedition vessels to in a bid to be more sustainable.

For more information, visit hurtigruten.com.