Quark Expeditions

Quark Expeditions
Founded 1991
Headquarters Seattle, United States
Key people
 Hans Lagerweij, CEO
Services Passenger transportation
Parent TUI Travel
Website www.quarkexpeditions.com

Quark Expeditions was founded in 1991 by Lars Wikander and Mike McDowell, specializing in expeditions to the Arctic and Antarctic aboard purpose-built expedition vessels. In 1998, Lars Wikander became the majority owner of the company.

Three years later Lars became Chairman of the Board, when Patrick Shaw joined the company as President and Chief Executive Officer. On May 1, 2007, Quark Expeditions became part of the UK-based TUI Travel PLC Group of Companies. Hans Lagerweij is the current President and CEO of Quark Expeditions.

The company have recently been featured in popular culture with an expedition involving internet personalities and YouTube creators including Ben Brown and Tim Kellner led by retired Canadian Astronaut Chris Hadfield in an arctic expedition.[1][2]

Polar Fleet

Quark Expeditions ship - "Sea Adventurer", weighs anchor to depart from Griffin Inlet, Beechey Island, Nunavut in the Canadian High Arctic.

Quark's Arctic fleet includes the polar-class icebreaker: the nuclear-powered 50 Years of Victory. purpose-built to navigate the frozen waters of the Russian Arctic. The icebreaker is equipped with helicopters and Zodiacs, enabling travel to remote locations that other vessels in the Arctic cannot, including the North Pole.

Quark has the largest and most diverse fleet of passenger vessels in the Antarctic, including the Sea Spirit, an all-suite ship, and the Ocean Diamond offering the first carbon neutral voyages in polar travel history.

The fleet enables Quark to operate the widest variety of polar itineraries of any other adventure company in the world, and the greatest number of departures to Antarctica.

Quark Firsts

August 1991 First-ever tourism transit of the Northeast Passage, the historic route across the Russian Arctic

November 1992 Quark offers first non-scientific visits to emperor penguin rookeries

November 1997 First circumnavigation of Antarctica for commercial passengers completed

July 1999 First circumnavigation of the Arctic Ocean

2004 Quark first to confirm most northerly emperor penguin rookery near Snow Hill in the Weddell Sea, Antarctica

June 2008 Quark offers maiden voyage on nuclear icebreaker 50 Years of Victory to the North Pole

April 2011 Three Arctic Islands trip voted one of National Geographic Traveler's 50 Tours of a Lifetime

November 2012 Quark launches first-ever CarbonNeutral® voyages to Antarctica aboard Ocean Diamond [3]

February 2013 Quark hosts Jonathan Shackleton (Ernest Shackleton’s cousin) and Falcon Scott (Robert Falcon Scott’s grandson) as they walk (and camp) on 7th Continent together

November 2013 Quark teams with Hot Docs to offer the first-ever floating polar film festival on board the Sea Spirit [4]

Recognitions

In October 2006 and 2007, Quark was named a recipient of National Geographic Traveler’s “50 Tours of a Lifetime” for their “Emperor Penguin Safari” and the “Far Side” respectively.[12]

In the March 2006 edition, Outside Magazine named the “Emperor Penguin Safari” as one of the New Trips of a Lifetime.[13]

References

  1. ↑ Brown, Ben. "Arctic Expedition". YouTube.
  2. ↑ "This 7-Minute Video Will Make You Drop Everything And Visit The Arctic". Forbes. 2016-10-26. Retrieved 2016-11-10.
  3. ↑ http://www.adventuretravelnews.com/quark-expeditions-offers-first-carbon-neutral-voyages-in-polar-travel-history
  4. ↑ http://www.hotdocs.ca/media/press_releases/quark_expeditions_rolls_out_red_carpet_for_polar_film_festival
  5. ↑ http://www.worldtravelawards.com/award-worlds-leading-polar-expedition-operator-2013
  6. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on October 18, 2014. Retrieved October 9, 2014.
  7. ↑ http://www.travelweeklyawards.com/winners/list/?l=&pageNum_winners=1&totalRows_winners=63&event=6&category=1&award=S
  8. ↑ http://www.travelweeklyawards.com/winners/list/?event=6&category=8&award=S
  9. ↑ http://www.wanderlust.co.uk/planatrip/inspire-me/lists/50-best-trips-for-2013?page=all
  10. ↑ http://www.travelweeklyawards.com/winners/list/?event=5&category=8&award=S
  11. ↑ http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/tours/europe-tours-2011/
  12. ↑ http://traveler.nationalgeographic.com/2007/10/tours-of-a-lifetime-text
  13. ↑ http://www.outsideonline.com/adventure-travel/europe/iceland/123404008.html

External links

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