AIDA Cruises has just announced the cancelling of its three planned calls to Klaksvik this summer in response to the new Faroese Pilot Whaling Act. Alan Lam reports.
The Act, recently passed by the local government will continue to allow pilot whales to be massacred or culled in the name of the Faroese cultural tradition, or food and resources management; it also empowers the authority to imprison - for up to two years - those found guilty of impeding the legitimate whaling activities of the self-governing islanders, who jealously defend their whaling right in spite of torrents of international condemnations.
Greenpeace and Sea Shepherd are among those taking direct action against this Act. It is believed that each year in Faroe Islands around 1,000 pilot whales are dragged into shallow waters and brutally killed with handheld knives. Haunting images of these slaughtered animals lying in a sea of blood are circulating throughout international media. There have been calls and petitions for the image conscious cruise industry to boycott these islands. Many cruise lines have scheduled calls to Klaksvik. They have been accused of supporting whaling simply by going there.
AIDA Cruises is the first major cruise line to make such a decisive move. The popularity of Faroe Islands as a destination has been growing among cruise travellers in recent years. This move by a major cruise operator is a serious blow to the local tourism industry, as it will mean losing up to 6,000 visitors to the islands, plus a substantial number of crewmembers.
Cruise lines will not want to be associated with the tarnished image of Faroe Islands. Aida will probably be the first of many to withdraw from this destination.