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Hurtigruten hails largest-ever ‘Season of Science’ in Antarctica
Hurtigruten Expeditions (HX) is setting new sustainability benchmarks in Antarctica research for the 2023-2024 season, with over 1,100 cruise nights donated to researchers which support more than 20 projects.
HX anticipates these guests will contribute 16,000+ data submissions through its Science & Education Program
“It’s been almost 130 years since HX pioneered expedition cruising. With this history, we have a profound responsibility to safeguard the places we explore,” says HX Chief Scientist Dr. Meraldi, the cruise industry’s first on-staff Chief Scientist.
Since 2018, HX’s Science & Education Program has forged partnerships with leading science institutions.
This season, HX has booked 1,158 cruise nights for third-party researchers in Antarctica, marking the highest number of cabins ever donated.
“Scientists spend weeks onboard conducting Antarctica research, often alongside our curious guests who are eager to understand the ecosystems they’re exploring,” added Dr. Meraldi.
By year-end, HX will have provided over 1,500 cabins to researchers across its global itineraries in 30+ countries.
HX will also achieve a milestone by providing support for more than 20 research projects.
Researchers collaborate closely with HX’s expedition team through lectures, demonstrations, and real-time data analysis in the Science Centers.
In the 2023-2024 Antarctica Science Program, projects span drone-based whale research, penguin colony monitoring, and baleen whale population studies.
A new project will study Humpback whale bubble net feeding behaviour.
The University of Tasmania’s Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies will also continue its social science study, examining the effects of Citizen Science activities on guest behavior during and after the cruise.
Participating institutions include University of California Santa Cruz, Oxford Brookes University, ORCA, Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, Norwegian Polar Institute and Western Washington University.
In 2013, HX started contributing data to the Citizen Science project Happywhale.
Since 2019, HX’s Science & Education Program has facilitated the publication of 17 scientific reports and papers.
These findings have contributed critical data to the scientific community and supported research at several leading institutions.
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