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Expedition cruise ships
Ensuring cruise tourism doesn’t hurt the Arctic
Loss of sea ice in the Arctic Ocean is giving ships access to regions of the Arctic that were previously difficult—if not impossible—to reach. In fact, from 2013 to 2023, the number of ships operating in the Arctic increased by 37 per cent. Although most are fishing vessels and cargo ships, there’s also been a surge in Arctic cruise tourism in recent years. The Circle spoke to MELISSA NACKE, head of operations with the Association of Arctic Expedition Cruise Operators (AECO), about how her organization works with expedition cruise operators to protect the Arctic’s natural environment and local communities—and ensure that tourism benefits the region rather than harming it.
Why do you think there’s a growing interest in travelling to the Arctic by ship?
I think there are different types of travellers. There’s the traveller who wants to cross the Arctic off their bucket list. There’s the traveller who’s keen on history and wants to learn about the Franklin expedition, for example. And then there’s the traveller who wants to know about wildlife and see a polar bear.
What steps do you take to ensure your members’ operations don’t negatively affect the Arctic environment and the people who live there?
In 2023, we had 51 vessels operating in the Arctic and a total of 427 trips. We’re aware that we’re contributing to warming and climate change, so we’re working towards greenhouse gas emission reductions. We actually just launched a formal climate commitment to reducing greenhouse gases. The commitment contains a new requirement for all vessels to calculate their emissions—even very small vessels that are not legally required to do so right now.
But it’s not black and white or easy. For example, some major elements are not in place, like access to biofuels and shore power so ships can actually connect onshore and not use their engines. These things are just not available in the Arctic. So, our climate commitment is about trying to find interim solutions.
© May Olga Lartce
Considering the power that you have, what steps can your members take to reduce their impacts on the Arctic environment and communities?
That is actually the backbone of our organization. Our mission is to reduce our footprint and be as sustainable as possible. We develop guidelines and standards that typically go beyond regulatory requirements. We have wildlife guidelines, biosecurity guidelines and cultural heritage guidelines. We also have community guidelines, and these are created by Arctic communities themselves. They come up with the “do’s and don’ts,” and we adopt those and make them mandatory for members. It can be very simple things, like not taking photos through people’s windows, or not picking flowers or petting Arctic dogs when visiting communities.
How do you make sure that operators—and the tourists who take their cruises—follow these guidelines?
Every operator that wants to be a member—and every existing member, every five years—has to have an observer who goes on board and looks at how they’ve actually implemented the guidelines into their daily practices. For example, that includes things like making sure passengers are aware of community guidelines before going ashore. We also have an incident-reporting system and a compliance, dispute and resolution committee. If there’s been a violation of a guideline, the committee evaluates the seriousness. This can lead to a member losing their good standing, or even in their removal from AECO, in very serious instances.
Have you seen that these guidelines are making a difference?
Definitely. We don’t do comparative scientific studies, but for example, when it comes to community guidelines, we hear from community members who say, “I finally feel like I’m part of the process to decide on how tourism is going to happen in my community.” That’s really vital. That’s what we want to see.
© Louise Palanker / Flickr
What are some of the other ways your members work to protect the Arctic environment?
We’re involved in a lot of citizen science and research projects. Some of the newer cruise ships are almost like research vessels—with tourists on board. We’re involved in a number of different projects to record marine mammal sightings, which helps assess populations. We’re also involved in an underwater noise project in the Canadian Arctic that will help us develop mitigation measures. When our members go into the Arctic, they also pick up tons and tons of marine litter from the shorelines, typically from the fishing sector.
And AECO has been an early and huge supporter of the ban on heavy fuel oil. In fact, we implemented a self-imposed ban many years before the International Maritime Organization implemented the ban. We also ban drones, and we are really focused on not disturbing wildlife.
What do you see as the future for the industry? How can it balance people’s desire to see this part of the world with the need to protect it?
There are some four million people living above the Arctic Circle—so I think the decisions on how to balance development and its impacts are for them to make. But for us, it’s vital that tourism is benefitting the regions we visit. We are hiring local guides and connecting with local artists and service providers. What we really want is that when tourists go home after their visit, they have a deeper understanding of the Arctic—the environment, the wildlife and the people living there. So, the future is about working with local communities to have mutually beneficial tourism. That’s the only way we can be sustainable in the Arctic.
By WWF Global Arctic Programme
