Passengers on an Antarctic cruise have staged a hunger strike after the ship’s engine failed, forcing the expedition to be cut short.

SH Diana, operated by cruise company Swan Hellenic, left Cape Town on 13 November for a 21-day voyage to the southern region.

However, one of the ship’s electric motors experienced an “unexpected malfunction”, putting an end to the €10,000 trip.

The vessel is due to arrive at its next departure port in Ushuaia, Argentina, on Saturday to undergo repairs.

Passengers stage hunger strike over insufficient compensation

Around 170 passengers are currently onboard the SH Diana, the company’s largest ice-class expedition liner, which is inching towards Ushuaia at a speed of just six knots or 11km per hour.

The cruise itinerary was scheduled to include stops at iconic Antarctic spots like Elephant Island, Heroina Island, Paulet Island, Brown Bluff, D’Urville Monument, Yankee Harbour and Deception Island.

However, engine failure forced the Antarctica port calls to be cut short and the ship to make its way to its next departure port instead.

Passengers had paid up to €10,000 for the voyage and are angry that Swan Hellenic has not offered to compensate them in full for the cruise.

“They made the right call not to go to Antarctica for safety reasons, but it is being handled very badly by Swan Hellenic,” one passenger told UK newspaper the Times.

“To go to Antarctica is a trip of a lifetime and this specific sailing made it achievable for many on board to do so as it’s a repositioning sailing that had attractive deals.

“Many of the passengers are very angry and it was getting nasty yesterday. The company needs to make a better offer to quell the continuing rising anger.”

A small group of Russian passengers have reportedly staged a hunger strike in protest.

Cruise company has offered refunds ‘significantly higher than the legal requirement’

Swan Hellenic has offered a 50 per cent refund or a 65 per cent future cruise credit to be used within two years.

The company has also promised daily excursions when the ship makes port in Ushuaia, where passengers will be waiting until 3 December for their return flights.

Swan Hellenic’s chief executive Andrea Zito said in a statement that the refund offered is “significantly higher than the legal requirement of approximately 30 per cent”.

He acknowledged, however, that the “3.5 days lost on the Antarctic Peninsula leg of the sailing understandably was considered by most guests to be a highlight of the 21-day cruise”.

“As expected, not all of the guests were immediately satisfied with this compensation and have tried to build up pressure through discussions on board and by making demands on the captain and senior staff in order to obtain an even higher compensation for themselves,” he added.

“A select few chose to stage a hunger strike in their protest which is rather counterproductive. We are working towards a swift end to this action.”

SH Diana has been branded as an eco-friendly ship which claims to be “completely self-sufficient” for up to 40 days.

It uses zero-emission battery technology allowing it to operate silently when docked in ports, marine reserves and other protected natural areas.

The UK’s Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) will soon apply to millions of international visitors.

It requires tourists to gain permission to enter the country as part of plans to fully digitise its borders by 2025.

All eligible non-Europeans can now apply (as of 27 November) for the ETA, which will be required for entry into the UK from 8 January 2025.

This includes six million citizens from the US, Canada and Australia.

The Home Office began rolling out the scheme last November for nationals of Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

It has now been announced when it will apply to Europeans, too.

When will EU travellers need to apply for an ETA to visit the UK?

Visitors from Qatar were the first to be able to apply for the UK’s new ETA scheme, starting on 15 November 2023.

Visitors from the Gulf Cooperation Council states and Jordan were the next group from February 2024.

Previously, nationals of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates could apply for a single-use Electronic Visa Waiver (EVW) instead of a visa to enter the UK. This cost £30 (€34.30) and was valid for up to six months.

The ETA scheme has now entirely replaced the EVW scheme, offering a lower cost option with multi-entry validity, according to the UK government.

The ETA has now opened up to all other nationalities, except Europeans, and is required for entry from 8 January 2025.

Europeans, meanwhile, will be required to have an ETA for travel from 2 April 2025, with applications opening up on 5 March.

How do I apply for an ETA to enter the UK?

Once the scheme applies to your country, you will need to fill in an online application form that will grant you permission to enter the UK. Most visitors will be able to apply using a mobile app with a swift decision on their application, according to the government.

You’ll need a valid biometric passport from an eligible country, travel details, an email address and a credit or debit card. You will also have to answer a set of suitability questions.

Like the Electronic System for Travel Authorisation (ESTA) in the US, a small fee is attached to the application process. This will be set at £10 (€11.66).

Travellers are advised to apply at least a few days before their planned journey and approval should be granted within 72 hours.

Will I need a visa to enter the UK?

The ETA isn’t a visa but it does grant permission to enter the country.

All visitors who currently don’t have to apply for a visa will need to get an ETA before they travel. This includes those who do not currently need to make any form of application to visit the UK – meaning US, Canadian, Australian and European citizens will require an ETA even for short stays.

If you don’t apply before your trip, you could be fined. UK and Irish passport holders won’t need an ETA.

Travellers from countries that don’t have visa-free entry agreements with the UK will still have to apply for the correct visa and an ETA.

Your ETA will be valid for up to six months or two years with a valid UK visa. This means you won’t have to apply for new permission to travel if you visit the UK again within the valid time period.

Why is the UK introducing the ETA scheme?

The ETA is part of the UK’s plan to digitise its borders at UK airports by the end of 2025.

Some passengers may be able to enter the country without using an electronic passport gate or speaking to a Border Force officer. Instead, they will likely have to upload a photo of themselves and submit it to the Home Office before they travel.

The scheme is intended to reduce queues at the border, “helping to speed up legitimate journeys to the UK”.

Facial recognition technology could be used to make these “contactless corridors” possible, British newspaper The Times reports. It would require international travellers to submit biographic and biometric details, like photos of their faces through the new Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) scheme before they fly.

The world’s longest tram has made its debut on a line connecting three cities in the southwest of Germany.

Running along the lines of the Rhine-Neckar Metropolitan Region which includes Manheim, Ludwigshafen and Heidelberg, the giant tram measures exactly 58.61 metres from end to end – a world record.

It carries 368 passengers, has air conditioning and can travel at a speed of 80km/h.

Serving essentially as metropolitan trains, these record breaking trams will travel along both urban and inter-city routes. A modular design means it can be split up into sections for maintenance or the creation of different length trams.

The tram, which was delivered to Mannheim in September, was manufactured by Czechia’s Škoda Group. It is part of a more than €260 million package of trams ordered by the transport operator which is due to be fully delivered by the end of 2026.

The Rhine Necktar Region (RNV) network is no stranger to setting records for the length of its trams. Back in the 1960s, its 38.55-metre vehicle was also the longest tram in the world at the time.

Previously the record was held by a nine section, 55.9 metres long tram in Budapest which has run through the city since 2016.

What is the world’s longest ever passenger train?

These extra long trams are dwarfed by record-length trains.

In 2022, a Swiss railway company set a record for the world’s longest passenger train which was made up of 100 coaches and 25 engines for a length of 1,910 metres. Altogether the train weighed nearly 3,000 tonnes.

As if this was not impressive enough, it navigated up some 789 metres in altitude from Preda via Bergün to Alvaneu. Onboard are 4,550 seats but – unlike the speed trams – it could only travel at around 30 to 35 km/h.

The entire 61-kilometre journey along the UNESCO World Heritage Albula Line took around 46 minutes, travelling along historic viaducts and up spiralling rails. The train was entered into the Guinness Book of World Records for its incredible length.

Rhaetian Railway ran the world record-breaking train in honour of Swiss Railways 175th anniversary in 2022.