New regulations in Svalbard
New regulations in Svalbard from 1 January 2025
The Arctic nature is pristine and vulnerable to climate change. Ensuring responsible tourism growth is crucial for the well-being of our planet. From 1 January 2025, new regulations will come into force in Svalbard. This applies to ALL ship operators.
At PolarQuest, conservation is at the heart of everything we do, and we are deeply committed to protecting the Arctic wilderness. These regulations do have an impact on our operations. However, we have no doubt that our +25 years of experience, our very small ships and our knowledgeable guides and crew will enable us to deliver a first-class nature experience.
Tourism in Svalbard has grown enormously over the past decade, and regulations are needed. These new regulations do not come as a surprise to us, and we have been preparing our plans and itineraries for a long time to adapt to these changes.
Below you will find the most important changes, together with a comment from PolarQuest.
SMALL SHIPS – A WINNING CONCEPT
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Amendment: There will be a limitation of 200 passengers on board in nature reserves and national parks.
We are not affected by this. It is a great advantage to have only 12 or 50 passengers as we do on our three ships in Svalbard.
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Amendment: The number of landing sites/areas within the national parks and nature reserves will be limited to 43.
We can still visit these 43 sites and there are also numerous landing sites available outside of the national parks and nature reserves. Early season, until 25 May, we are still allowed to land on other locations in the national parks if the ground is frozen and snow covered. 36 of the 43 sites/areas have no restriction on where to walk once landed, giving us good opportunities for hiking. Our 25 years of operating in Svalbard gives us a huge advantage as we know the area well. Also, Zodiac cruising is a big part of our operations and the regulations do not affect our Zodiac excursions.
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Amendment: At 13 of the 43 landing sites/areas within the protected areas there will be a limitation of 39 people on shore per landing.
This does not affect our trips with M/S Stockholm or M/S Sjøveien. For M/S Quest it could mean that one or two Zodiacs do cruising instead of landing or take turns.
POLAR BEAR PROTECTION IS CRUCIAL
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Amendment: Keep a distance of 300 meters from polar bears around the archipelago (this is the general clause). Keep a distance of 500 meters from polar bears around the archipelago between 1 March and 30 June.
Protecting the polar bear from a growing tourism industry is crucial. We must keep our distance from polar bears within 12 nautical miles of the Svalbard archipelago. Weather and ice permitting, we aim to head towards the vast pack ice boarder. With more space and fewer ships, we will have additional opportunities to observe polar bears in their natural habitat.
LIMITING SPEED - ENHANCING THE EXPERIENCE
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Amendment: Speed limit of 5 knots within 500 meters from land outside bird cliffs in the period April 1 to August 31.
We always limit the speed close to bird cliffs; this only enhances the experience.
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Amendment: Motor traffic at sea must keep a minimum of 150 meters distance from haul out sites for walruses and the speed limit for motor traffic is 5 knots at a distance of 300 meters from haul out sites for walruses.
We are always careful close to haul out sites. Many sightings of walrus are also on the sea ice or on land. Ashore we follow the AECO guidelines and never go closer than 30 meters.
