A small group of passengers onboard a luxury cruise to Antarctica have staged a hunger strike after mechanical difficulties cut short their voyage to the southernmost continent.
Around 170 travellers onboard Swan Hellenic’s SH Diana departed Cape Town on 13 November for the 20-night cruise before Antarctic plans were abandoned due to a fault with the vessel.
Three unhappy Russian passengers camped outside the ship’s dining room with signs that read “HUNGER STRIKE IN RESPONSE TO SH” in demand of a full refund for the rerouted journey.
According to a passenger on board, several Chinese guests are also calling for a full refund and a free cruise by wearing cardboard placards that read “100% trip refund and cash refund”.
Guests on the bucket list Antarctica cruise were unable to stop at the destination due to a “faulty bearing in a propellor shaft” on SH Diana, they said.
Captain Svein Strommes made the call to crawl to Ushuaia at the tip of Argentina due to the vessel’s inability to navigate the dangerous sailing conditions in the Southern Ocean.
A Russian passenger on ‘hunger strike’ camped outside the ship’s dining room (Supplied)
In Antarctica, the cruise had planned to tour Elephant Island, Paulet Island, D’Urville Monument, Yankee Harbour and Deception Island over four days of the trip.
A passenger onboard told The Independent that conditions on the ship were now “calm” following a “tense meeting” to iron things out during the final few days at sea.
They said that the part needed to fix the propellor shaft has been ordered and will be refitted once the ship docks in Ushuaia on Saturday, ahead of its next sailing on 3 December.
The passenger added that the SH Diana voyage had been a “great trip” around Tristan da Cuhna and South Georgia regardless of the ship malfunction.
Only one female passenger appears to be continuing the hunger strike as of Friday (29 November).
Swan Hellenic has offered those onboard 50 per cent cashback or 65 cent “future cruise credit” due to the itinerary change.
The majority of those onboard are believed to have accepted the compensation or are negotiating upwards with insurance providers and the company.
Cabins for the Antarctic journey may have cost passengers between £6,080 and £15,380 per person, according to the cruise line’s website pricing.
Swan Hellenic’s chief executive, Andrea Zito, told The Times that many “disappointed” passengers had already rebooked with the cruise line and accepted a “very generous compensation package, beyond what is legally required”.
He said of the hunger strike: “As expected, not all of the guests were immediately satisfied with this compensation and have tried to build up pressure through discussions on board and by making demands on the captain and senior staff in order to obtain an even higher compensation for themselves.
“The initial unease has largely subsided. A select few chose to stage a hunger strike in their protest which is of rather counterproductive. We are working towards a swift end to this action.”
Mr Zito added: “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.”
The Independent has contacted Swan Hellenic for comment.
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