Small-scale sailing tour operators in the Arctic provide low-footprint operations and connect people to the fragile environment that no big cruise ship can. Sailing4Science are bringing small-scale sailing operators together to build best practices for sustainable and safe operations in the area and give the ever-increasing fleet a common voice in the meeting with new regulations.
Photo: @ Andy Mumford / Tilvera Expeditions
Check our project page: NAPA Eco-Arctic Blue Paper project
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Press release December 18th, 2024:
Creating a voice for Arctic sailing entrepreneurs.
Small-scale sailing tour operators in the Arctic provide low-footprint operations and connect people to the fragile environment that no big cruise ship can. Sailing4Science are bringing small-scale sailing operators together to build best practices for sustainable and safe operations in the area and give the ever-increasing fleet a common voice in the meeting with new regulations.
The ice in the Arctic is melting fast and increased accessibility opens up for both industrial exploitation and interest for tourism. The rapidly changing climate increases the research needs to underpin policy actions. This decade is appointed by UNESCO as the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development, and one of the officially endorsed projects Sailing4Science, is the core of this proposal.
– We want to create a joint platform for the small-scale sailing tour operators in the Arctic where they can offer an exclusive experience to clients rather than the mass tourism industry and also a way to increase arctic awareness and even life-transforming experiences that stick, which may lead the clients to go home as arctic ambassadors. This is one way we can give back to nature in a sustainable way, says Martin Hassellöv, scientist and project lead at Sailing4Science Arctic.
Citizen science is a newer form of open participatory science where the general public is invited and embraced in studies of their surroundings. While this initiative, benefits science with valuable data, it increases interest, awareness, engagement, and stewardship for the fragile Arctic ecosystems.
The present collective will also function as a joint platform for proposing suitable regulatory frames for this specific sector. (eg., the new rules for Svalbard, where small boats are embedded in the same category as big cruise ships with up to 200 people.)
The initiative comes from the NGO Sailing4Science and is backed financially with a project grant from the Nordic Institute in Greenland, a cultural institution under the Nordic Council of Ministers.
Sailing4Science has recruited players with vast experience in fields such as science, environment, sailing, communication, safety, and regulations.
– If well-managed, small-scale Arctic sailing can offer a low-impact, sustainable alternative to mass tourism. Unlike cruise ships, it minimizes environmental strain, fosters meaningful connections with nature, and supports local conservation, preserving the Arctic for future generations, says Belén G. Ovide, marine scientist at Tilvera Expeditions/OceanMissions (IS).
Participants: Sailing4Science/Hrimfare (SA), SeaScope (SE), Bertoft.com (SE), Explore North (NO), Tilvera Expeditions/OceanMissions (IS), OceanLadies association (FI), Leeways Marine (NL), Blue Ice Explorer (GL)
More info:
Contact information:
Martin Hassellöv: info@hrimfare.com
Tel: +46-737 062313
Jon Amtrup: jon@explorenorth.no
Tel: +47-93228926
You can download pictures for editorial use here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1iLIQUgxNm5nWRTC3RBsVhcovNK2AjT3U/view?usp=drive_link Photo: @Andy Mumford / Tilvera Expeditions
Picture of Martin Hassellöv here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1iLIQUgxNm5nWRTC3RBsVhcovNK2AjT3U/view?usp=drive_link
Download the press release (PDF) :