Passengers on a cruise to Antarctica have gone on hunger strike after their journey had to be cancelled because of engine failure.
Swan Hellenic’s ship Diana left Cape Town on 13 November for a 20-night cruise to Ushuaia, where it will be based until March 2025.
The year-old ship had been due to sail for four days in Antarctica, but the 170 passengers, including about 10 Brits, were told the journey would have to be cancelled because of a problem with an electric motor.
The ship is now ‘crawling at 6 knots (11km/h)’ to Ushuaia and is due to arrive on Saturday, The Times reports. Engineers are due on board in Ushuaia to fix the ship before its next scheduled departure.
Swan Hellenic has offered passengers – who have paid between £7,000 and £10,000 – a 50% refund or 65% future cruise credit (FCC) as well as free excursions in Ushuaia once the ship docks until passengers leave on 3 December.
But The Times said some passengers are unhappy, including a ‘small group of Russian passengers’ who have begun a hunger strike and have been photographed with signs demanding full refunds. They have also written letters to the cruise line.
One passenger told The Times the cruise line ‘made the right call not to go’ but said the situation had been ‘handled very badly’.
Swan Hellenic CEO Andrea Zito told The Times the cruise line had offered a ‘very generous compensation package’, but said some guests had put pressure on the captain and senior staff to get higher compensation.
He added: “The initial unease has largely subsided. A select few chose to stage a hunger strike in their protest which is rather counterproductive. We are working towards a swift end to this action.
“Swan Hellenic would like to reiterate that we deeply regret that we had to change the itinerary due to the technical problems with the propeller drive and we understand the disappointment of our guests who were looking forward to a taste of Antarctic experience.”
