Greenland port cancellations are a very real risk because of… ice. On our last visit, we experienced a last minute itinerary change, leading to cancellation of port visits in Qaqortoq and Nanortalik. And it’s not just Princess Cruises that encounter this problem.
Why are there so many Greenland port cancellations?
Every spring, the polar ice cap melts slightly, releasing icebergs into the Arctic Sea. Normally, these enormous chunks of ice then glide peacefully along the East coast of Greenland and off into the Atlantic, melting along the way. Polar ice is joined by glacier ice in this annual migration south.
Sometimes strong northerly winds push the ice back inshore, clogging up many of the inlets and harbours on the southerly and easterly coast of Greenland. Unfortunately, this means that ports like Qaqortoq and Nanortalik are inaccessible to large cruise ships like Island Princess and MSC Virtuosa.
It’s just ice, right?
According to a presentation by the Ice Pilots on board our ship, conditions are rated on a scale of 0-10 to indicate ice thickness. Zero denotes no ice, 10 is frozen solid. During out not-visit, both Nanortalik and Qaqortoq were rated 7.
Surely a modern(ish) cruise ship can cope with a little (lot) of ice? Having already been to Halifax once on that trip, the answer is categorically, NO.
Island Princess is rated to cope with conditions of 3. And many newer ships are rated lower still. Even if the ships did make it into port, they risk being crushed and/or trapped as the ice continues to move around the hull.
It’s not hull thickness that matters
Interestingly, the thickness and shape of the hull are less important than expected. According to the pilots, the spacing between hull supports is what matters; the smaller the gap, the stronger the hull and the higher the ice rating.
As such, only polar explorer-type ships are able to enter Nanortalik, Qaqortoq and Prince Christian Sound during thicker ice conditions. And even that is at the discretion of the ice pilots onboard each ship.
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What now?
As things stand, the eastern and southern coasts of Greenland remain inaccessible until the wind and currents change, hopefully carrying the ice back to sea. The ice pilots say that it is entirely possible that winds may not shift until very late in the season – or maybe not at all some years.
If you are on a cruise to Greenland, be prepared for a port cancellation announcement before your arrival. If you have not yet left, and Greenland is on your bucket list, you may want to contact your travel agent to check your cancellation or postponement options.
Will my cruise line warn me of problems in advance?
No. Greenland port cancellations are only announced once they are officially unavoidable. Despite ice problems lasting weeks or months, no notification will be made until well after your cruise has already begun.
As for us, we were lucky that the captain was able to arrange a consolatory stop in Nuuk on the western coast of Greenland.
Next year…?
Sadly, Princess Cruises has removed Greenland from all 2026 and 2027 itineraries. If you want to visit this majestic destination, you’ll have to consider an alternative cruise line.
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