Greenland Calls for Fewer Cruise Ships in Certain Fjords

The government of Greenland (Naalakkersuisut) recently issued new guidelines asking cruise lines to limit, and in some cases totally avoid, sailing through specific fjords.

Why Is Greenland Asking Cruise Ships to Back Off?

The issue isn’t that Greenland doesn’t want cruise passengers. Cruise tourism brings a good deal of revenue to local communities.

But local communities have raised concerns about underwater ship noise disturbing marine wildlife and heavy vessel traffic crowding narrow fjords. Concerns have also been raised in regard to hunting, fishing, and recreational boating.

So, Greenland’s governmental authority has issued an official statement asking cruise lines to voluntarily limit their footprint in certain vulnerable areas. 

For now, it’s a request, but a legal framework is being worked on under the Tourism Act.

What Do the Numbers Show?

Cruising to Greenland has grown in popularity, with American cruisers making up for most of the cruise visits to the region:

• Annual Cruise Visitors: Greenland welcomed about 94,000 unique cruise passengers, accounting for more than 213,000 total port visits nationwide (The Independent).
• The American Connection: Over 50% of all cruise visitors to Greenland come from the United States (more than 47,000 passengers).
• Schedule Insights: Across 225 scheduled sailings in the region, popular ports like Qaqortoq, Nuuk, Paamiut, Nanortalik, and Sisimiut are getting seasonal cruise traffic.

Which Ships and Lines Are Scheduled in Greenland?

According to schedule data, Cruise Fever found at least 27 different cruise ships from major cruise lines with planned itineraries calling on Greenland.

Luxury and expedition cruise lines make up the majority of overall sailings, as smaller ships also frequently visit Greenland’s more remote ports of call:

• Seabourn: Leading the way in expedition sailings, Seabourn accounts for nearly 40% of all scheduled sailings in the dataset we looked at, led by Seabourn Venture (72 sailings), Seabourn Pursuit (12 sailings), and Seabourn Quest (8 sailings).
• Viking Ocean Cruises: Operating 58 total sailings across multiple vessels, including expedition ships Viking Octantis (19 sailings) and Viking Polaris (10 sailings), along with ocean ships like Viking Astrea, Viking Mars, and Viking Mira.
• Silversea Cruises: Operating 22 total sailings, led by Silver Wind (14 sailings), Silver Endeavour (6 sailings), and Silver Spirit (2 sailings).
• Atlas Ocean Voyages & Expedition Operators: Ships like World Navigator (12 sailings) and World Voyager (4 sailings) sail to Greenland.
• Explora Journeys: Luxury line Explora has 12 total scheduled sailings across Explora IV (7 sailings) and Explora V (5 sailings).
• Crystal Cruises & Azamara: Crystal Serenity (4 sailings), Crystal Symphony (3 sailings), and Azamara Quest (3 sailings).
• Mainstream & Premium Brands: Major cruise lines bringing passengers include Holland America Line (Zuiderdam and Volendam), Princess Cruises (Caribbean Princess), Oceania Cruises (Oceania Vista, Oceania Aurelia, and Oceania Marina), and Virgin Voyages (Valiant Lady).

If you are booked on an upcoming sailing to Greenland, your cruise likely won’t be canceled or see major changes. But cruise ships may adjust scenic cruising routes through narrow fjords to stay compliant with some of these new guidelines. More specifics will come once the requests are made into a more formal legal framework.