Arctic cruise voyages

Expedition cruise vessel "Island Sky" in the White Sea. Photo: Thomas Nilsen

Walrus on an icefloe east of Spitsbergen. Photo: Thomas Nilsen

Foreigners on board cruise vessels can now visit ports like here in Arkhangelsk for 72 hours without holding a Russian visa. Photo: Thomas Nilsen

There are close very few people living on the remote islands in the Russian Arctic. Here a small hut on the Vaygach Island. Photo: Thomas Nilsen

Murmansk is Russia's largest Arctic city with a growing number of tourists. Photo: Thomas Nilsen

Tourist guide Sergey Arzumanov in Murmansk is waiting for more foreign cruise vessels to make port call to the city's brand new pier. In the background, icebreaker "Lenin". Photo: Thomas Nilsen

Port of Kirkenes with "The World" and Hurtigruten's "Trollfjord". Photo: Thomas Nilsen

Commissioned in 1969, "Explorer" became the first purpose-built expedition vessel for icy waters. Here from the Magdalene fjord on Svalbard. In 2007, she hit an iceberg in Antarctic and sank. Photo: Thomas Nilsen

Walrus on an ice floe in the Arctic. Photo: Thomas Nilsen

Polar bear on the ice in the Hinlopen Strait. Photo: Thomas Nilsen

Polar bear on the ice. Photo: Thomas Nilsen

Longyearbyen on Svalbard is the turn-around port for many expedition cruises in the European part of the Arctic. Photo: Thomas Nilsen