Finally – good news again from Spitsbergen: another book review about my guidebook “Spitsbergen-Svalbard” has been published in Polar Record, the polar science periodical from the Scott Polar Institute in Cambridge. The author is Nikolas Sellheim from the University of Lapland in Rovaniemi, Finnland. I just quote one sentence: “What independent writer, publisher and expedition leader Rolf Stange has accomplished with this book is extraordinary.”
Great that someone has recognized it – finally 🙂
Sellheim, Nikolas (2013) Book Review: Spitsbergen-Svalbard: A Complete Guide Around the Arctic Archipelago by Rolf Stange. 2012. In 49 Polar Record 3, DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S0032247413000260.
The guidebook “Spitsbergen-Svalbard” has recently received a very positive review in Polar Record.
More tragic news from Spitsbergen. Yesterday (Thursday, June 20) a worker died in the coal mine in Barentsburg. The 27 year old Ukrainian was caught by a rockfall in a ventilation funnel, 300 meters under the surface. The mine is now closed until further.
The Sysselmannen is investigating the case. When the Norwegian officials reached the mine, the body was, however, already removed from the mine.
Ventilation funnel in Barentsburg (archive image).
Some more details regarding the deadly Zodiac accident in Krossfjord on Monday have been published. It has now been confirmed that the ship involved was the Sea Spirit, which is currently under charter by Quark Expeditions, an American expedition cruising company, well known in the business. The victim was an US-American woman in her sixties. The accident happened during a Zodiac cruise near the northern side of Fjortende Julibukta in Krossfjord. All 13 persons fell into the water as the Zodiac was hit by a large wave. One woman lost her consciousness and died then for reasons not yet known in detail. Three more persons were injured, two of them were subsequently treated in the hospital in Longyearbyen.
Further details have as of yet not been published. Fjortende Julibukta is reasonably well sheltered from heavy seas. A wave large enough to cause a Zodiac to capsize might come from a very massive calving of the glacier or in case of extreme weather. It seems likely that a driving mistake was involved. Shallows near the little bird cliff on the north side of Fjortende Julibukta may have played a role: in case of a large wave rolling in from the glacier, it may be harmless over deep water, but break over a shallow. This may cause a boat to capsize. All this is, however, pure speculation; we have to wait for more confirmed information.