Icebreaker will provide operational, safety an shore excursion support to Crystal Serenity
By
Rebecca Gibson |
An icebreaker from the Tactical Marine Solutions of Victoria, Canada and British Antarctic Survey (BAS) is to escort Crystal Cruises’ Crystal Serenity on her 32-day expedition through the Northwest Passage this August.
Operated by BAS, RRS Ernest Shackleton is an ICE 05-class icebreaker and will provide operational support to Crystal Serenity, including ice-breaking assistance.
RRS Ernest Shackleton will carry two helicopters for real-time ice reconnaissance, emergency support and flightseeing activities. In addition to its robust ice navigation and communications equipment, the RRS Ernest Shackleton will have onboard supplemental damage control equipment, oil pollution containment equipment and survival rations for emergency use. The vessel will also carry newly acquired zodiacs for Crystal’s adventures, while crew will provide expert assistance during flightseeing adventures.
Crew will consist of an experienced ice pilot and expert guides with many years’ experience transiting the Northwest Passage, as well as a diver and support team trained in how to use the onboard emergency equipment.
“We have been planning this historic sailing for more than two years, working closely with expedition experts from EYOS-Expeditions, as well as Transport Canada, the US and Canadian Coast Guards and local agencies along the route to ensure the ultimate safety and a most memorable experience for our guests,” said Crystal president and CEO, Edie Rodriguez. “The RRS Ernest Shackleton’s assistance in navigating this region will only enhance the safety of our voyage.”
Prior to sailing the voyage, Crystal Serenity will be outfitted with forward-looking sonar technology, ice detection radar, ice searchlights and thermal imaging, as well as an ice navigation system that will display near-real-time satellite ice imagery and ice forecasts.
In addition, the master and bridge team will attend ice navigation training at a simulator in St John’s, Newfoundland, and two veteran Canadian ice pilots will be onboard to assist the bridge team in managing the information provided by additional equipment which is not typically found on cruise ships.
Crystal Serenity’s 2016 Northwest Passage voyage departs on 16 August from Anchorage, Alaska and finished in New York, US.