In the early morning of September 7, 2016 Hapag-Lloyd Cruises‘ expedition ship Hanseatic, once again navigated the Northeast Passage successfully. In 2014, the ship was the first non-Russian cruise vessel to navigate the legendary sea route. After sailing a total of 5,542 nautical miles, Hanseatic will arrive in Nome on September 10 and officially end its voyage.
The Northeast Passage is the legendary sea route in the Arctic Ocean, which runs along the north coasts of Asia and Europe, from the Bering Strait to the White Sea. The expedition voyage departed from Tromso on August 16. The first port of call was Murmansk, where the adventure of the Northeast Passage started officially. After cruising through the Barents Sea, MV Hanseatic stopped at anchor in Novaya Zemlya and Franz Josef Land, before the ship went on through Kara Sea to Severnaya Zemlya. Other stops at anchor took place off Siberia (New Siberian Islands), Bear Islands, Wrangel Island and Chukchi Island. The Northeast Passage officially ended on September 7, when the ship rounded Cape Dezhnev.
The cruise was fully booked. The crew organized 20 landings and tours with the 14 on-board Zodiacs, rubber boats, which are well suited to expeditions. During spectacular wildlife observations, guests saw walruses and polar bears. On one island, 16 polar bears at the same time were seen, some even mothers with their babies. In total 86 polar bears were counted from the bridge.