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| Silver Discoverer, seen earlier this year in Australia's Kimberley region |
Boutique expedition ship Silver Discoverer, carrying about 85 passengers, has been refused entry to a remote
port in the Russian Far East.
The ship docked in the former military
port of Provideniya during a 12-night cruise from Seward, Alaska, to Nome.
Passengers and crew had all obtained the
necessary visas and were cleared by immigration, according to Silversea, but authorities
from the autonomous Chukotka region ordered everyone to remain on board.
It is not known whether the action was
the result of growing east-west tension after the downing of Malaysia Airlines
flight MH17 over Ukraine. A report in the Siberian Times, however, said the
local officials were following instructions from Moscow.
The ship made a number of successful
Russian port calls during the previous voyage, documented on Silversea’s expedition blogs.
Discoverer, which joined the Silversea
fleet earlier this year, replaced the
Russian visit with alternative ports in Alaska. It is expected that the
forthcoming 14-night cruise from Nome, departing today, will also be affected.
