Here you can find answers to common questions about Covid-19 and sailing voyages with Statsraad Lehmkul. For the European voyages in 2023, there is no longer a requirement for full vaccination against C19. For the One Ocean Expedition-voyages in 2022 and 2023, which all depart from ports in other parts of the world, we maintain the the requirement for full vaccination with at least three doses.
Updated 21 November 2022
When Statsraad Lehmkuhl returns to Bergen on 15 April 2023, after nearly two years on a circumnavigation, she will have covered over 50,000 nautical miles and visited 35 ports worldwide. Despite the pandemic, the One Ocean Expedition is a great success. Thanks to strict test and vaccination requirements, and close cooperation with the Norwegian foreign missions, the ship has, with few exceptions, arrived and left the ports according to the set plan.
Q: What vaccination requirements do you have for the voyages that will take place in 2023, after The One Ocean Expedition is completed?
A: In the spring and summer of 2023, the ship will sail in Norway and northern parts of Europe. Here, C19 is fortunately a decreasing problem due to good vaccine coverage. We expect that the challenges related to the pandemic will decrease further before the 2023 season. Our vaccination requirement for the 2023 voyages is therefore different than for the One Ocean Expedition-voyages:
For the 2023-voyages in Norway and Europe, there is no longer a requirement for full vaccination against C19.
We follow the C19 developments closely and will adjust our requirements, if the circumstances require it. Please note that the various countries we will visit can change their requirements for testing and vaccines at short notice. The same applies to requirements for insurance policies to cover C19 cases. We do our best to keep our voyage crews informed of any changes, but ultimately it is the traveler’s personal responsibility to keep up to date with, and comply with, C19 guidelines in the countries we visit.
A: From April 2023, after the circumnavigation of the One Ocean Expedition is completed, we do not require any form of C19 testing before boarding. Note that requirements for testing can be introduced at short notice, if the infection situation and/or requirements from local authorities change.
Q: What are your vaccine requirements for the 2022/2023-voyages, which are part of The One Ocean Expediton circumnavigation?
A: For the One Ocean-voyages in 2022, it is an absolute requirement that everyone on board is fully vaccinated with 3 doses against Covid-19: 2 doses + “booster dose”. A vaccine certificate must be presented documenting full vaccination.
During The One Ocean Expedition, the ship is sailing in many different parts of the world. C19 is a decreasing problem in Northern Europe, but unfortunately, that is not the case in many other far countries. The requirement for full vaccination with 3 doses for everyone on board, including Lehmkuhl’s permanent crew, helps us getting port clearances and is a great help in our cooperation with local authorities in the different countries. The voyages affected by our 3 doses-requirement are Palau – Yokohama, Singapore-Jakarta, Jakarta-Mauritius and Mauritius-Maputo. These voyages all take place during the summer and autumn of 2022. No exceptions will be granted for the requirement of 2 doses + “booster dose” for the 2022-voyages. I On the last legs of the circumnavigation, from January to April 2023, the ship has been leased to our One Ocean Expedition partners. These legs are therefore not open for ordinary ticket sale.
Q: Can I cancel my voyage and get a refund, if I have to quarantine when arriving?
A: No, that is a risk known to you at the time of booking, and it is outside our area of responsibility.
Q: If I am unable to join the voyage due to illness, will you, the Lehmkuhl Foundation, refund my ticket?
If you become sick and cannot join the voyage, you must make a claim for reimbursement to your travel insurance company. Voyage crew members, who can state a valid cause, such as health / illness, experience very few difficulties in terms of refund from their insurance companies. The Lehmkuhl Foundation do not give refunds in these cases.
If the Foundation cancels the voyage due to Covid-19 or any other extraordinary circumstances, the voyage ticket(s) will be refunded by us. Please note that we do not provide refunds for other travel expenses, i.e. airline tickets, hotels, etc.
Please make sure that you have a solid travel insurance that covers the requirements of local authorities, including C19-cases, as well as the costs of any planned activities and trips on land. We recommend that you contact your insurance company to make sure that you are well covered.
Q: What happens if there is a C19 case on board out at sea?
A: In case of a C19-case on board during a voyage, everyone must to stay on board until local authorities have decided on further handling. There will be a medical doctor or a nurse joining every voyage. The ship has a small, but well-equipped, hospital according to international standards. People with C19 symptoms can be isolated here. Beds and bathrooms are available.
Q: How can I stay up to date on any changes and other information?
A: We send all information to the email address you gave when booking. You can also find updated information on our websites: https://oneoceanexpedition.com/ and https://lehmkuhl.no/
Q: I still have questions. How can I contact you?
E-mail: lehmkuhl@lehmkuhl.no
Phone: +47 55 30 17 00
