Arctic cruise ship could have been sailing too close to glacier

The trip left 17 British tourists injured.

The probe follows concern that the captain of the boat could have been sailing too close to the edge of glacier when the accident happened on Wednesday. Local officials are trying to establish if the vessel was sailing too close to the ice cliff when part of it broke off and collapsed into the sea.

Local officials said the passengers were hurt - some seriously - after being thrown around on the ship when large chunks of the ice shelf broke off and collapsed into the sea.

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The blocks of ice hit the side of the vessel as it was carrying tourists off the Svalbard Islands, 300 miles north of Norway.

The injured Britons were among 46 who had paid around £2,500 to take part in the "expedition voyage", booked through specialist tour operator Discover The World.

Authorities in Svalbard have launched the investigation.

Stein Tore Pedersen, tourism advisor to the sysselmann (governor), said: "We are trying to interview the passengers and the captain to find out what really happened and then we will decide what to do next."

He added that the injuries sustained by the British tourists included broken arms and legs and fractured ribs.

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Conservative Party leader David Cameron also visited the Svalbard glaciers last April on a two-day trip to see the effects of climate change.

The ages of those on board ranged from around 40 up to the 70s, the operator said.

At around 4.30pm on Wednesday, the vessel - named the Alexey Maryshev and operated by Dutch company Oceanwide Expeditions - was near to an ice shelf when part of the glacier "calved off".

In a statement, Discover the World said: "We understand that some of the smaller pieces of ice and water were washed onto the ship's deck and seven passengers were injured."

The company added: "We have done all possible to contact the next of kin of those passengers who were injured, and we will continue to keep in close contact with them."

The injured were initially sent to a hospital at Longyearbyen on the Svalbard island of Spitsbergen.

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Three Britons and the Russian were later transferred by air to University Hospital, Tromso, on the Norwegian mainland with more serious injuries.

None of those receiving treatment is said to be in a life-threatening condition, although one is believed to have sustained a head injury.

Among those being treated are a British tourist in their late 60s, a hospital spokesman said. The other two at the mainland hospital are believed to be in their late 40s and mid 50s.

Clive Stacey, managing director of Discover The World, said that some passengers suffered internal injuries and confirmed that one had sustained a head wound.

However, he did not rule out the possibility that the boat had been too close to the glacier at the time of the incident.

Mr Stacey said: "We are waiting for the investigation. It seems possible that that was the case. The captain has strict instructions on that sort of thing."

He added: "At the moment we are focusing on the passengers and their welfare. The question of compensation is something we are putting to one side at the moment."

After the incident the ship docked in Longyearbyen, with uninjured passengers remaining on board the vessel.

The Alexey Maryshev was built in Finland in 1990 as a research boat for the Hydrographic Institute of St Petersburg.

It is under long-term contract to Oceanwide Expeditions, and was converted to passenger use in the Netherlands.

Relatives in the UK who would like to speak to a Discover The World company representative can call 01737 214204 or 07793 267510.