Cruise News - Maritime News

On December 9, 2019, the Norwegian Government issued a press release stating that the Norwegian Government is considering a generalized ban on heavy fuel oil (HFO), size limitation on passengers ships in Svalbard and other measures to manage growing tourism.

Norway’s Ministry of Climate and Environment says it is also mulling tougher sanctions on the disturbance of polar bears and vessel landings in remote locations. The authority says the rules that are currently in play were established yesteryear.

“If Svalbard is to be preserved as an attractive destination in the future, the traffic must be regulated so that the vulnerable wilderness nature of Svalbard is preserved,” the government said.

Svalbard and Social Security Minister Ingvil Smines Tybring-Gjedde said, “We have mapped the challenges the travel industry poses for the environment, safety and preparedness. Against this background, the government will consider making the heavy oil ban a general ban, as well as imposing size restrictions on ships in the protected areas. The government will also consider the possibility of limiting the scope of tourism activity on the archipelago for emergency and security reasons.”

AECO comment

As an industry association dedicated to managing responsible, environmentally friendly and safe tourism in the Arctic and strive to set the highest possible operating standards, AECO welcomes regulations that support this goal. AECO believes that an organized and well-managed travel industry is the best way to ensure that Arctic tourism is carried out with the utmost consideration for the vulnerable, natural environment, local cultures and cultural remains, as well as the challenging safety hazards at sea and on land.

HFO ban

AECO has long been a supporter of a generalized ban on the use and carriage of heavy fuel oil (HFO) in Svalbard and the Arctic. AECO was an early signatory of the Arctic Commitment which calls for a phase-out of heavy fuel oil (HFO) from Arctic shipping. The current practice among the association’s members is to refrain from using HFO when sailing in the Arctic. This practice was formalized as a mandatory guideline when AECO’s Annual Meeting implemented a the  self-imposed ban on the use and carriage of heavy fuel oil (HFO) by AECO members operating in the Arctic. This ban applies to all AECO members.

According to Executive Director Frigg Jørgensen, banning HFO has broad support among the association’s members.

“AECO represents the great majority of operators that offer expedition cruising in the Arctic. By formalizing this ban, the expedition cruise industry is sending a message to decision-makers that it is time to act to protect the Arctic from the risk of HFO pollution. We welcome the proposal from the Norwegian government to introduce a generalized ban on heavy fuel oil (HFO) in Svalbard. We hope that other Arctic nations and the International Maritime Organization will follow Norway’s lead,” says Jørgensen.

Size limitation on ships

When it comes to size limitation on ships, Frigg Jørgensen states that the association’s core membership is the Arctic expedition cruise segment. As such, AECO’s members generally operate small and medium sized vessels carrying up to 500 passengers, with the average passenger capacity ranging from 150 to 200 passengers.

“We see many benefits of using relatively small vessels. The ships are less reliant on port infrastructure and are able to visit remote sites in a sustainable manner. Smaller passenger groups can also be more manageable for Arctic communities receiving them as visitors. In addition, a recent study from Svalbard shows that the expedition cruise vessels on average contribute 5.2 times more in local income per passenger compared to conventional cruise tourism. From a search and rescue perspective smaller vessels may also be easier to manage. In other words, there may be some benefits to favoring small vessels” says Jørgensen. “However, tourism is a major industry in Svalbard and the local community is depending on income from the cruise tourism in general. Before any regulations are enforced, the impact this may have on local business and communities should be researched, and local as well as industry stakeholders should be consulted.”

Other measures to manage growing tourism

According to the Government’s press release, the Government will also consider additional measures to protect wildlife, nature and cultural heritage, which may include stricter rules about polar bear disturbance, and landings in fragile areas.

AECO has developed and imposed a number of guidelines and standards to ensure responsible and considerate operations. These guidelines and standards are mandatory for all AECO members and come in addition to legal requirements. This includes guidelines for observation of polar bears and other wildlife, biosecurity and operational guidelines dealing with safety and preparedness. It also includes site-specific guidelines that provide detailed instructions on how to carry out safe landings without disturbing local wildlife, natural features and cultural heritage. Site-specific guidelines have been made a legal requirement for visiting certain landing sites. AECO is in support of making site-specific guidelines for ship landings a legal requirement in nine additional sites proposed by the government in the management plan for West-Spitsbergen national park.

AECO’s guidelines are mandatory for all AECO members, but operators that are not members of the association are not required to follow these strict guidelines. AECO’s experience from Svalbard shows that unorganized operators can represent an environmental and safety risk because they are held to lower operational standards.

The same applies to competence requirements. AECO requires that staff working for AECO members complete and pass an online assessment about legal framework, guidelines and considerate behavior. AECO has also enforced an observer scheme and members of AECO must carry an observer that will help ensure compliance with legal framework, guidelines and standards.

These are examples of other measures that the industry has put in place. AECO believes that Svalbard would benefit if more operators were held to the same high standards as those that the expedition cruise industry has imposed on itself through the AECO guidelines. AECO would welcome measures related to competence requirements for guides.

Norwegian expedition cruise line Hurtigruten welcomed the initiatives by governing bodies. Sanctions seem to be the only way to regulate and hold less progressive companies accountable.

Hurtigruten have been in partnership with the Clean Arctic Alliance, fighting for a ban on heavy fuel for years.

However, there are still expedition companies and ships that work outside of AECO that both disregard and are in denial of the impact they have on the destinations that feed their very existence.