HX Pauses New West Africa Sailings Due to Instability within the Area

HX is placing its new West Africa sailings on maintain due to instabilty within the area.

The cruise line, previously Hurtigrten Expeditions, launched within the area in November 2023 with a 14-day crusing from Dakar to Cape Verde and the Bissagos Islands.

The corporate didn’t share many particulars concerning the determination to tug again in West Africa, solely that it wished to “guarantee the security of our visitors and crew” amid “growing ranges of instability,” based on an announcement. 

HX described the change of plans as a “pause” for the upcoming season, which was scheduled to run September 25, 2024, by means of March 30, 2025.

The West Africa cruises had been supplied aboard MS Spitsbergen. HX continues to be figuring out the main points, however plans to ship MS Spitsbergen to dry dock and lay up from September by means of March.

Friends who had been booked on any impacted sailings will hear from HX straight or their journey agent. They will select to obtain a full refund or a 125 p.c future cruise credit score relying on their itinerary.

As well as, HX introduced that its ship MS Maud might be briefly becoming a member of Hurtigruten’s fleet to sail the Coastal Categorical. 

MS Maud expedition ship. (picture by way of Espen Mills / Hurtigruten Expeditions) (Photograph Credit score: (picture by way of Espen Mills / Hurtigruten Expeditions))

MS Maud made headlines in December when it was struck by a rogue wave within the North Sea. In January, HX mentioned MS Maud would bear repairs and return to service in mid-April for expedition cruises across the British Isles. The ship will spend the summer season within the Arctic.

Then, in November, it’ll then be a part of Hurtigruten’s fleet to assist the corporate fulfill its contract with the Norwegian authorities to run the Coastal Categorical. MS Maud is scheduled to return to the HX fleet in 2026.

Hurtigruten has been operating the Coastal Categorical—a route that travels up and down the Norwegian coast, stopping at 34 communities alongside the way in which—since 1893. The corporate’s identify means “quick route” in Norwegian and, traditionally, its ships transported individuals, mail and items alongside the nation’s fjord-lined coast. At present, the Coastal Categorical is a component sightseeing cruise, half ferry.

“Hurtigruten is enterprise probably the most vital environmental improve within the cruise business,” says Daniel Skjeldam, chief government officer of Hurtigruten Group. “The varied fleet capabilities of the Hurtigruten Group provides us the chance to briefly transfer MS Maud from HX to Hurtigruten, filling the void left by the improve program.” 

The corporate has reached out to all affected visitors or their journey brokers. Equally, visitors can go for a full refund or a 125 p.c future cruise credit score.

Friends who had been booked on some Antarctic sailings on MS Maud have been mechanically transferred to sailings on MS Fridtjof Nansen, MS Fram or Roald Amundsen.

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