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Quark Expeditions

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Quark Expeditions
Founded1991
HeadquartersSeattle, Washington (U.S.; 2017 data)
Services
  • Polar Expeditions
  • Polar Cruises
  • Adventure Travel
  • North Pole Travel
  • Passenger Transportation
ParentTravelopia
Websitewww.quarkexpeditions.com

Quark Expeditions, a travel company headquartered in Seattle, Washington (as of 2017), offers polar region expeditions aboard expedition ships and icebreakers. The itinerary changes between polar regions with the seasons.[not verified in body]

History

[edit]

As of 2017, Quark Expeditions, a travel company, was headquartered in Seattle, Washington.[1][needs update] Quark Expeditions was founded in 1985 by Mike McDowell, initially specializing in small-ship dive expeditions.[citation needed] It then transitioned to polar expeditions, where McDowell had prior experience as the expedition leader of the MV Explorer.[citation needed]

In 1990–1991, McDowell chartered the MV Frontier Spirit during its inaugural season of operations for several voyages to Antarctica from Hobart, Australia and Bluff, New Zealand.[citation needed] After these voyages, Mike McDowell partnered with Lars Wikander.[citation needed]

Quark Expeditions ship, Sea Adventurer, at Griffin Inlet, Beechey Island, Nunavut, Canada

In 1998, McDowell sold his interests to Lars Wikander, who then became the company's majority owner.[citation needed] Three years later, Patrick Shaw joined the company as president and CEO, and Wikander moved to become chairman of the board.[citation needed]

In May 2007, the company became part of the UK-based TUI Travel group of companies;[citation needed] subsequently, in 2016, it became part of Travelopia, a division comprising some brands from the former TUI Specialist Group.[citation needed]

In 2012, the company reported via a trade publication that it would offer the first "carbon-neutral" polar expeditions, offsetting the carbon emissions of its vessel, Ocean Diamond.[2] The former roll-on/roll-off vessel uses Bunker C heavy-duty oil,[citation needed] and one voyage produces an estimated 5,682 tons of CO2.[2] The tour operator reported that it had signed a contract with the certifier The CarbonNeutral Company.[2][better source needed]

In 2016, the company mounted an Arctic expedition for the purpose of creating a YouTube film, a trip that included internet personalities and YouTube creators Ben Brown (the filmmaker) and Tim Kellner,[3] as well as YouTuber Tom Scott and expedition-lead, the retired Canadian astronaut, Chris Hadfield.[citation needed] The company's summer 2019 program in the Arctic included sailings to "Greenland, Canada's High Arctic, the Northwest Passage and the North Pole".[4][better source needed]

In April 2021, Quark took delivery of the "199-guest" vessel, Ultramarine, a product of the Brodosplit shipyard in Split, Croatia.[5][better source needed] its first solely owned ship.[citation needed]

Safety incidents

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As of February 8, 2023, The United States Coast Guard was investigating the death of two Americans after the capsize of an inflatable zodiac boat operating off of the World Explorer passenger ship, operated by Quark Expeditions under a Portuguese flag.[6] The incident occurred off of Antarctica’s Elephant Island, and the conditions were described by a Quark Expeditions spokesperson as being "light winds and [a] smooth sea state", with the accident having been caused by "a breaking wave".[6] The U.S. Coast Guard is involved in the investigation under international maritime law, as the U.S. is a "substantially interested state".[6][needs update]

On March 26, 2025, Quark Expedition's Ocean Explorer encountered waves estimated to have been 35-40 feet during a return leg to Ushuaia, Argentina that traversed the Drake Passage, at end of an Antarctic voyage that had begun on March 17th.[7] The Drake Passage defines a maritime, Atlantic-Pacific transition zone lying between South America's Cape Horn and Antarctica's South Shetland Islands, where the cool, subpolar conditions of the South American Tierra del Fuego archipelago meet the frigid, polar conditions of Antarctica; as a waterway it is 600 miles wide, and approaches 3 miles deep in places.[8][9] Nathan Diller of USA Today, who reported having experienced waves of 13-feet during an earlier traverse, describes the Drake Passage as a "notoriously treacherous waterway between Antarctica and South America".[7] News reports describe the ship as being "pummeled", and include video that suggested "walls of water... nearly all that is visible from the [ship's] windows", with the ship rocking enough that people were sliding across floors, a television was observed "slamming into a wall", etc.[7] Passengers filming and being interviewed expressed confidence in their safety, and Quark Expeditions, noting its "30 years of experience navigating polar waters" and its "purpose-built, ice-class fleet and expert crew", communicated via email that safety, and "ensuring guests are well cared for in all conditions" remained its "top priority", stating that its "ship, crew, and passengers completed their... voyage safely and without incident".[7]

Polar expedition fleet

[edit]

According to Lynn Elmhirst, Quark Expeditions "invented consumer polar expedition travel" with its 1991 expedition to the North Pole.[10] As of this date,[when?] the company was reported to have the largest and most diverse fleet of passenger vessels in the Antarctic.[citation needed] Quark offers both cruises and land-based expeditions.[citation needed] Expeditions involve the following ships:

Fleet
Icebreakers
Name Year Completed Shipyard Passenger Capacity Ice-class Notes
50 Let Pobedy (50 Years of Victory) 1993 Baltic Shipyard 128 LL1[11][better source needed] [citation needed]
Kapitan Khlebnikov 1981 Hietalahti Shipyard, Finland 108 LL3[12][better source needed] [citation needed]
Expedition Fleet
Ocean Adventurer 1975 Brodogradilište, Kraljevica, Yugoslavia SFR Yugoslavia (now Croatia) 128 1A[citation needed] To be retired from Quark expedition service in October 2024[13]
World Explorer 2019 WestSEA Shipyard, Viana do Castelo, Portugal 172 1B[citation needed] Chartered from Mystic Cruises, will be renamed STAR EXPLORER and will be handed over to Windstar Cruises in December 2026.[14][full citation needed]
Ultramarine 2021[15][full citation needed] Brodosplit shipyard, Croatia 199 1A+, PC6[16][better source needed] First ship fully owned by Quark Expeditions.[citation needed]
Ocean Explorer 2021 Haimen shipyard, Jiangsu, China 138 1A, PC6[17][better source needed] Chartered from Sunstone for the 2024-2025 Antarctic season, to replace Ocean Adventurer[18][full citation needed]

Sustainability & charitable initiatives

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Quark Expeditions describes itself as a long-time member of the Association of Arctic Expedition Cruise Operators (AAECO) and of the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators (IAATO) and describes these as "organizations that share our dedication to promote and commit to environmentally responsible tourism... to help us to ensure the footprints polar tourists leave behind are minimal", and itself as "active participants in many sustainability initiatives".[19][better source needed] In 2019, it announced a "Polar Promise" sustainability strategy.[clarification needed][20] In 2012, the company reported that Ocean Diamond made a carbon-neutral voyage to Antarctica.[2][better source needed]

Awards and recognition

[edit]

Quark has received several industry awards, including from Travel Weekly and National Geographic.[21][full citation needed][22][full citation needed][23][full citation needed][24][full citation needed][25][full citation needed][26][full citation needed]

Further reading

[edit]
  • Wenger, Michael (January 29, 2024). "Last Season for Popular Polar Expedition Ship". Polar Journal (PolarJournal.ch). Zug, Switzerland: Polar Journal AG. Archived from the original on July 14, 2024. Retrieved April 29, 2025.
  • Elmhirst, Lynn (October 19, 2021). "Quark Expeditions' New Ship, Ultramarine, is an Expedition Cruising Gamechanger". Open Jaw (OpenJaw.com). Toronto, Ontario: Open Jaw Network Ltd. Retrieved April 29, 2025.
[edit]

References

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  1. ^ Groer, Annie (March 23, 2017). "Checking Off My Seventh Continent: A Half-Price Voyage to Antarctica". The Washington Post. Retrieved April 29, 2025.
  2. ^ a b c d Quark Expeditions and ATTA Staff (April 20, 2012). "Quark Expeditions Offers First Carbon Neutral Voyages in Polar Travel History" (press release-based trade report). AdventureTravelNews.com. Monroe, WA: Adventure Travel Trade Association (ATTA). Archived from the original on May 11, 2012. Retrieved April 29, 2025.[better source needed]
  3. ^ Bishop, Jordan (October 26, 2016). "This 7-Minute Video Will Make You Drop Everything And Visit The Arctic" (text description of AV media, with outlink). Forbes.com. Retrieved April 29, 2025.
  4. ^ Quark Expeditions and CIN Staff (February 4, 2018). "Quark Expeditions Announces Arctic Program for Summer 2019" (press release-based trade report). Cruise Industry News (cruiseindustrynews.com). Charlotte, NC: Cruise Industry News (CIN). Retrieved April 29, 2025.[better source needed]
  5. ^ Quark Expeditions and CIN Staff (April 1, 2021). "Quark Takes Delivery of New Expedition Ship Ultramarine" (press release-based trade report). Cruise Industry News (cruiseindustrynews.com). Charlotte, NC: Cruise Industry News (CIN). Retrieved April 29, 2025.[better source needed]
  6. ^ a b c Matthews, Brad (February 8, 2023). "Coast Guard Investigating Incidents Involving 4 American Deaths Off Antarctica". The Washington Times. Washington, D.C.: TWT Holdings, LLC–Operations Holdings, Inc. Retrieved April 29, 2025.
  7. ^ a b c d Diller, Nathan (April 3, 2025). "'48 Hour Rollercoaster': 35-Foot Waves Pummel Antarctica Cruise, Passenger Video Shows". USA Today. New York, NY: Gannett. Retrieved April 29, 2025.
  8. ^ Eds. Ency. Brit. (April 29, 2025). "Drake Passage". Encyclopaedia Britannica. Chicago, IL: Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. Retrieved April 29, 2025. Drake Passage, deep waterway, 600 miles... wide, connecting the Atlantic and Pacific oceans between Cape Horn (the southernmost point of South America) and the South Shetland Islands, situated about 100 miles... north of the Antarctic Peninsula. The Drake Passage defines the zone of climatic transition separating the cool, humid, subpolar conditions of Tierra del Fuego and the frigid, polar regions of Antarctica. ...first traversed in 1616 by a Flemish expedition led by Willem Schouten... The Drake Passage played an important part in the trade of the 19th and early 20th centuries before the opening of the Panama Canal in 1914. The stormy seas and icy conditions made the rounding of Cape Horn through the Drake Passage a rigorous test for ships and crews alike, especially for the sailing vessels of the day. ... The passage has an average depth of about 11,000 feet... with deeper regions of up to 15,600 feet... near the northern and southern boundaries.
  9. ^ Eds. Ency. Brit. (April 29, 2025). "Tierra del Fuego". Encyclopaedia Britannica. Chicago, IL: Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. Retrieved April 29, 2025.
  10. ^ Elmhirst, Lynn (October 19, 2021). "Quark Expeditions' New Ship, Ultramarine, is an Expedition Cruising Gamechanger". Open Jaw (OpenJaw.com). Toronto, Ontario: Open Jaw Network Ltd. Retrieved April 29, 2025.
  11. ^ Quark Expeditions Staff (May 27, 2024). "50 Years of Victory [ship name]". Quark Expeditions (QuarkExpeditions.com). Seattle, WA: Quark Expeditions. Archived from the original (company vessel promotional page) on May 27, 2024. Retrieved April 29, 2025.[independent source needed]
  12. ^ Quark Expeditions Staff (August 12, 2024). "Kapitan Khlebnikov [ship name]". Quark Expeditions (QuarkExpeditions.com). Seattle, WA: Quark Expeditions. Archived from the original (company vessel promotional page) on August 12, 2024. Retrieved April 29, 2025.[independent source needed]
  13. ^ Wenger, Michael (January 29, 2024). "Last Season for Popular Polar Expedition Ship". Polar Journal (PolarJournal.ch). Zug, Switzerland: Polar Journal AG. Archived from the original on July 14, 2024. Retrieved April 29, 2025.
  14. ^ "Windstar Cruises to acquire two ships from Mystic Invest". Shippax. Retrieved April 13, 2024.[full citation needed]
  15. ^ "Brodosplit Delivers Luxury Expedition Cruise Ship Ultramarine". The Maritime Executive. Retrieved April 13, 2024.[full citation needed]
  16. ^ Quark Expeditions Staff (April 29, 2025). "Ultramarine [ship name]" (company vessel promotional page). Quark Expeditions (QuarkExpeditions.com). Seattle, WA: Quark Expeditions. Retrieved April 29, 2025.[independent source needed]
  17. ^ Quark Expeditions Staff (April 29, 2025). "Ocean Explorer [ship name]" (company vessel promotional page). Quark Expeditions (QuarkExpeditions.com). Seattle, WA: Quark Expeditions. Retrieved April 29, 2025.[independent source needed]
  18. ^ "Ocean Explorer going to Quark, Ocean Odyssey leaving cruise service (updated)". Seatrade Cruise News. January 22, 2024. Retrieved April 13, 2024.[full citation needed]
  19. ^ Quark Expeditions Staff (April 29, 2025). "Sustainable, Responsible Polar Tourism with AECO & IAATO" (company promotional blog). Quark Expeditions (QuarkExpeditions.com). Seattle, WA: Quark Expeditions. Retrieved April 29, 2025.[independent source needed]
  20. ^ Lestin, Yveneka (April 22, 2019). "Quark Expeditions Unveils "Polar Promise" Sustainability Strategy". Luxury Travel Advisor (LuxuryTravelAdvisor.com). Retrieved December 28, 2021.
  21. ^ "World's Leading Polar Expedition Operator 2013". World Travel Awards.[full citation needed]
  22. ^ "WTM London 2014 - Amadeus & WTM Travel Experience Awards Winners". Archived from the original on October 18, 2014. Retrieved October 9, 2014.[full citation needed]
  23. ^ "Winners List". Travel Weekly Magellan Awards.[full citation needed]
  24. ^ "50 best trips for 2013". Wanderlust. December 27, 2012.[full citation needed]
  25. ^ Loftus, Margaret (April 20, 2010). "Best Tours in Europe". National Geographic. Archived from the original on January 29, 2017.[full citation needed]
  26. ^ "The Wanderlist". Outside Online. March 1, 2006.[full citation needed]
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