Clipper Adventurer

Figure: AI-generated.

History and name changes

The Clipper Adventurer was an ice-strengthened passenger ship used for expedition voyages in remote polar regions. Its history can be traced through several names and periods of operation: it was known as Alla Tarasova, then Clipper Adventurer, later Sea Adventurer, and finally Ocean Adventurer. These names all refer to the same vessel, IMO number 7391422.

The ship was built in Kraljevica, in what was then Yugoslavia. In 2010, the Canadian Transportation Safety Board described it as a passenger vessel with an ice-strengthened hull. According to the investigation report, it had been used extensively for adventure cruises since 1998. The ship could operate on expedition voyages in both the Arctic and Antarctic. Its operator at the time included Quark Expeditions; the name Clipper Adventurer is also documented in a list of Antarctic tour operators for the 2007/08 season.

A notable event was the grounding on August 27, 2010, in Coronation Gulf, Nunavut. The ship was on a 14-day Arctic voyage. Two days later, all 128 passengers were transferred to the Canadian icebreaker Amundsen and taken to Kugluktuk. No one was injured; the report recorded minor pollution. On September 14, the Clipper Adventurer was refloated and escorted to Port Epworth.

During an extensive shipyard refurbishment in 2017, the vessel, by then known as Sea Adventurer, received, among other upgrades, two new main engines, four generators, new propellers, and renovated control systems. The controls were renewed both at the main bridge console and at the bridge wings. The shipyard Ulstein also reported nine additional suites, refurbished passenger cabins, and fully renovated bathrooms; public areas were modernized. In the ship’s naming history, Sea Adventurer was followed by Ocean Adventurer. The ship had already undergone refits in 1999 and 2002; according to Quark Expeditions, the 2017 refurbishment was the most extensive of the three. In July 2017, Quark described the refurbished Ocean Adventurer as an expedition ship for 132 travelers.

Quark Expeditions used the Clipper Adventurer for polar voyages. Its operating areas included the Arctic and the Antarctic.