By
Alex Smith |
Helicopter management company Starspeed is to manage helicopter services onboard Quark Expeditions’ new polar expedition vessel Ultramarine.
Starspeed will operate two twin-engine aircraft and provide a crew of four pilots, two engineers and back-up crews. Both helicopters will be based onboard the ship, flying from their own purpose-built heliports for guest transfers, sightseeing tours, reconnaissance and medical evacuation.
“The partnership with Quark Expeditions is a logical consequence of our global maritime helicopter experience,” said Charlotte Pederson, CEO of Starspeed’s parent company Luxaviation Helicopters. “We are enthused to provide our helicopter management services to a company which has been the leading provider of polar adventure travel for three decades.”
Consultancy firm Maritime Aviation oversaw the tender process to select a helicopter operator and will continue to provide technical heliport consultancy, safety management and crew safety training for Ultramarine. The ship is scheduled to sail cruises in the Arctic and Antarctic from May 2021.
“We are looking forward to partnering up with one of the world’s largest and most experienced private aircraft operators,” said Andrew White, president of Quark Expeditions. “Having a global leader in commercial helicopter operations as a partner will not only further increase our guests’ outstanding travel experience on our game-changing vessel, Ultramarine, it will also provide them with optimised travel security.”