One of the Viking Octantis yellow mini-submarines for guided subsea tours with guests. Photo / Supplied, Viking
One of the Viking Octantis yellow mini-submarines for guided subsea tours with guests. Photo / Supplied, Viking
In recent years submarines have become increasingly common on high-end adventure cruises but following the news of the Titan submersible tragedy some liners have renewed safety guidelines for their subsea vessels.
This morning news surfaced of the tragic loss of three tourists and two crew aboard the deep-sea expedition vessel. The submarine was at the centre of a frantic search and rescue operation, since being reported missing on Sunday.
On Thursday Viking Cruises republished guidelines on “Submarine Safety”.
With cruise lines offering adventure experiences to guests using submersible craft, and many ships now carrying their own mini-subs to exotic locations, there has been a review of this service.
The yellow submarines named for the Beatles - John, Paul, George and Ringo - are big draws aboard Viking ships Polaris and Octantis. With each of the Polar Class vessels carrying a pair of submarines each, the experience was launched in April this year. Guests are charged $812 per person for the optional excursion.
Dives are to last no longer than one hour and not exceed a depth of over 300 metres.
The Viking Octantis is one of two Viking ships carrying a brace of mini-submarines for guided trips. Photo / Supplied, Viking
“The training our Submersible Pilots and Surface Officers receive exceeds all recommended industry standards, and regular safety drills anticipating every possible emergency situation ensure that each dive is conducted under the most stringent of safety conditions,” reads the updates to current sailings.
Viking said that it did not have anything further to add to the memo, which explains that its submarines are certified by maritime engineers Det Norske Veritas and never exceed depths that could not be retrieved by the ships.
Polaris and Octantis are hardly the only ships carrying mini-submarines for the pleasure of guests.
Both of Scenic’s Eclipse expedition yachts carry submarines made by manufacturers U-Boat Worx and Triton Subs.
Scenic Neptune, one of the passenger mini-submarines carried aboard Scenic's Eclipse-class expedition yachts. Photo / Supplied
Although the cruise company could not provide comment at this time, due to the circumstances, it was noted that their submersibles were a drastically different proposition to the Titan deep-sea submarine. Most submarine excursions offered by cruise lines are far shorter and operate at far less depth than the OceanGate expeditions.
It remains to be seen if the Titanic tragedy will have any impact on the appetite for submarine tours.
This story was updated on June 26 to reflect that Viking’s published ‘update to sailings’ was not a change but a renewal to submarine safety guidelines.
