One Ocean Expeditions shuts its doors following string of cancellations

After several months of cancelled cruises, BC-based One Ocean Expeditions has closed its doors, with the company “entering into a formal business administration process.”

The announcement was posted on the website of Swoop Antarctica, a tour operator partner of One Ocean that saw several of its cruises aboard One Ocean ships cancelled in recent months, including a Jan. 17 Antarctica cruise which was only cancelled by One Ocean on Jan. 6.

READ MORE: One Ocean Expeditions passengers stranded in Argentina

On Nov. 1, Swoop Antarctica announced that it would stop selling One Ocean itineraries, following the sudden cancellation of a Nov. 6 Antarctica cruise just days before, which stranded 140 passengers in Argentina.

“This latest news has brought clarity for booked customers in terms of now knowing the options,” the latest Swoop Antarctica statement reads. “Swoop are working with our customers to help find the best outcome for each one.”

One Ocean’s troubles began in August 2018, when the company’s ship Akademik Ioffe was damaged after running aground in the Arctic while this past summer, two more ships were suddenly recalled by their Russian owners.

The RCGS Resolute, the ship on which the Nov. 6 was to take place, was arrested in Nunavut in May for $100,000 owed to a Nova Scotia-based company and was arrested again in Halifax in September, according to a CBC report; the report also detailed multiple instances of employees owed thousands of dollars in wages and passengers who made deposits of between $13,000 and $30,000, who have tried to contact the company regarding their upcoming cruises to no avail.

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