| Tragedy aboard the Sea Spirit

AN AMERICAN cruise ship passenger in her
60’s died tragically this week after being flung
into freezing Arctic waters on a shore excursion
during an 11-day Spitsbergen Explorer cruise
on Sea Spirit, operated by Quark Expeditions.
The incident occurred when six passengers in
an inflatable Zodiac vessel were hit by a wave
near the 14th of July Glacier in Longyearbyen,
Svalbard, off Norway’s northern-most tip.
Two others were injured, however the
woman died before an evacuation helicopter
was able to reach the vessel.
Local authorities carried out an investigation
before clearing the ship to continue its voyage.