Northerners consider new cruise ship rules after Crystal Serenity's voyage

The successful voyage of a mammoth cruise ship through theNorthwest Passage has left Arctic officials, industry leaders andlocal people considering new regulations to govern future transits.

The Nunavut government is already considering rules to reduce thecommunity impact of giant ships such as the Crystal Serenity, whichdocked in New York Friday with 1,700 passengers and crew.

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"The [territory]is considering new marine tourism regulationsthat would mitigate some of the impacts of larger ships like theCrystal Serenity," said Bernie MacIsaac of Nunavut's Department ofEconomic Development.

The new rules would limit the number of passengers that wouldvisit a community at any one time. The regulations would alsorequire cruise operators to distribute guidelines to their clientsand require the companies to detail the economic benefits theygenerate.

Nobody wants the cruise ships to stop. But controls on shorelandings would be welcomed by people like Vicki Aitoak, who managedCambridge Bay's response to the Crystal Serenity's visit.

Aitoak said the Serenity's visit went well and left about$110,000 in the community a significant boost for a town of 1,500.

But the cruise ship season is short and towns see a lot of them; the Serenity pulled in the day after another ship pulled out.

"A size limit and a number should be included," Aitoak said."We cannot do a 1,000-passenger ship for three days in a row."Locals burn out, she said."There just aren't that many people here. We're not going to flyin drum dancers."

Are communities ready for this?

Daniel Skjeldam, head of the Norway-based Hurtigruten cruiseline, is calling for size limits and strict regulations on shorevisits similar to those in effect for Antarctica, where ships arelimited to 500 passengers.

"This has to do with safety search and rescue but also to dowith the small communities that you come in to.

"We are concerned about the impact they have on these villages."

Many Inuit want to see tighter controls on all boat traffic inthe North, said Okalik Eegeesiak of the Inuit Circumpolar
Conference, an international Inuit group. For hamlets that don'thave wharfs or docks, it's partly a safety issue, she said.

"We are very concerned about the possible worst-case scenario,where the communities are not equipped to handle any emergency."

Crystal Cruises took precautions for the voyage of the Serenity; the ship travelled with its own icebreaker and helicopter. Itburned low-sulphur fuel and disposed of no garbage at sea.

The Association of Arctic Expedition Cruise Operators, whosemembers carry just over the half the passengers into the CanadianArctic, has set guidelines on the ratio of guides to guests and thenumber of people that can congregate at any one site.

"It will be challenging for larger vessels to meet some of therequirements in our guidelines," said spokeswoman Frigg Jorgensen.

Crystal Cruises spokeswoman Molly Morgan said the company beganplanning for the trip three years ago.

"Crystal team members made multiple trips to the region tocollaborate with the local communities and ensure that, as acompany, we were well educated on the culture, history and ecosystemthat makes up this delicate region."

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Skjeldam said he's already brought the issue before the ArcticCouncil, the group of eight countries that ring the Arctic Circle.

He said the industry needs to get together to ensure Arctic cruisesremain sustainable as ships increase in size before someone elsedoes it for them.

"We'd rather develop this together and be ahead of time ratherthan see something coming because we're not doing the right thing."