Boycotts not the answer says Ambassador after Faroes whale hunt furore
Will PayneAmbassador Cruise Line will continue sailing to the Faroe Islands despite passengers onboard Ambition bearing witness to the aftermath of a pilot whale slaughter when the ship arrived in capital Torshavn at the weekend.
The line has apologised to customers after the ship docked following the so-called "grind" on Sunday (9 July), which it described as an "outdated" practice, but said halting calls to the Faroe Islands would not change attitudes or help solve the problem.
"We are utterly opposed to the commercial hunting of whales and dolphins in the Faroes, or anywhere else come to that," a spokesperson told TTG.
"While traditional hunts of this type have taken place for many years in the Faroe Islands to sustain local communities, we strongly object to this outdated practice, which we believe is now becoming commercial, with meats sold in local supermarkets, for example."
The line said that if it believed boycotting the islands by removing them from its itineraries would make any difference or change the opinion of the Faroese authorities, then it would consider dropping the destination.
"The truth is that it wouldn’t," Ambassador said. "We don’t support the hunt by coming here. We’ll always use it as an opportunity to remind the authorities that tourists want to marvel at the wildlife and not to watch it being killed."
’Extremely disappointed’
The call in Torshavn came during an itinerary attended by Ambassador chief executive Christian Verhounig and chief executive of animal welfare charity Orca, Sally Hamilton, who took part in "in conversation with" and FAQ sessions with guests.
Ambassador added that ahead of the sailing, which called in Torshavn again on Tuesday (11 July), it "spent weeks trying to open constructive dialogue" on the issue with the Faroese government and Visit Faroes, which "ultimately came to nothing".
"It goes without saying we are extremely disappointed not only by the events of Sunday but also the Faroese government’s apparent reluctance to enter into conversations about hunts in general," said the line.
"Visiting gives an opportunity to apply pressure while boycotting is the end of any influence or impact Ambassador can make."
It added: "Some may disagree with the means, but be assured we share the same end goal – an end to whaling and safer oceans for all whales and dolphins."
TTG has approached Visit Faroe Islands for comment.
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