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Hanseatic records northernmost position by a passenger ship in Northeast Passage

Hanseatic records northernmost position by a passenger ship in Northeast Passage
Hapag-Lloyd Cruises’ Hanseatic claims to have set a new record of the northernmost position ever reached by a passenger ship in the Northeast Passage.

The northernmost point at 85°, 40.7' north and 135°, 39.6' east was reached in the afternoon of August 26. The record was celebrated with a deck party. Captain Thilo Natke reported unusual ice conditions made it possible.The 122.8mtr long ship was some 480 kilometres away from the North Pole.

‘North of the New Siberian Islands in the Russian Arctic, there was a large ice-free zone stretching north through the Arctic Ocean, which we used for this spontaneous detour’, Captain Natke explained. In temperatures of around zero degrees and a brisk north-easterly wind, the passengers took a Zodiac ride along the edge of the pack ice.

Hanseatic’s current Northeast Passage cruise started in Nome, Alaska, on August 12, 2014, and is scheduled to end at Bodö, Norway, on September 10.

Hanseatic was delivered in 1991 and accommodates up to 175 guests. With the highest ice class for passenger ships (E4) the expedition vessel is able to operate in areas out of reach for most other cruise ships. Apart from serving the German source market, Hapag-Lloyd also offers a selection of international cruises (operated in both English and German) onboard Hanseatic.