Maritime
Information
about the current
incident in
Spitzbergen - MS
BREMEN
T
his Saturday on a trip ashore in Spitsbergen during
a BREMEN cruise an incident occurred: a polar bear
guard - an expert employed by the cruise line -
was attacked on land by a polar bear. The guard
suffered head injuries, however, he was responsive
after the attack and was airlifted. He is out of dan-
ger, with no threat to life. In an act of self-defence,
unfortunately, it was necessary for the polar bear
to be shot dead. We very much regret this incident.
Hapag-Lloyd Cruises is very aware of its responsi-
bility when travelling in environmentally-sensitive areas and respects all
nature and wildlife.
To illustrate the situation: Spitzbergen is a large geographical area,
about one and a half times the size of Denmark. Landings are possible
only in a few places; these are not there to serve the purpose of polar
bear observation, on the contrary: polar bears are only observed from
aboard ships, from a safe distance. To prepare for a shore leave, the polar
bear guards go ashore in advance after sighting the landing site as a
group and without passengers. They then set up a land station and check
the area again to make sure that there are no polar bears in sight. As soon
M/S BREMEN
Credits: hl-cruises.com
as such an animal approaches, the shore leave would be stopped immedi-
ately.
The incident occurred when the four-person polar bear guard team,
who are always on board for these expedition cruises as required by law,
prepared for a shore leave. One of the guards was unexpectedly attacked
by a polar bear that had not been spotted and he was unable to react
himself. As the attempts of the other guards to evict the animal, unfor-
tunately, were not successful, there had to be intervention for reasons of
self-defence and to protect the life of the attacked person. The injured
person was immediately provided with medical care and flown to a hos-
pital with a rescue helicopter. We are in personal, direct contact with him.
His condition is stable and he remains responsive.
Hapag-Lloyd Cruises has worked comprehensively and co-operatively
with the Norwegian authorities to reconstruct and clarify the incident on
the ground and will continue to do so.
Hapag-Lloyd Cruises has been travelling to these destinations for many
years with an experienced crew. The cruise operator is respected in the
destinations as a responsible partner and the experts actively inform the
guests about the appropriate behaviour required in these areas. We are
extremely sorry that this incident has happened.
www.hl-cruises.com
Hapag-Lloyd Cruises has worked comprehensively and co-operatively with the
Norwegian authorities to reconstruct and clarify the incident on the ground and will
continue to do so.
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