The current winter season will be Discovery's last season in Antarctica. Discovery is adding new destinations to her calendar. Discovery says that the cruises in Antarctica will not be a reality in the foreseeable future.

Can you link to source please, John

This does not surprise me in the least. Discovery is outclassed by a huge choice of better equipped and younger vessels, so the writing has been on the wall for some time and it was mentioned in the engine trouble thread too.

Discovery is a fair weather/warm sea ship, always has been. VoD will probably keep her in the Med or across in the Amazon area longer in future. It is also easier on the engines too.

I received an email from Voyages of Discovery advertising their final season.

This is the first sentenced of their email

I also received that email, I wonder has it anything to do with SOLAS 2010?

I have a feeling it has more to do with the ship's problems this year. Discovery has been very heavily scrutinized in the last few months and she has had a spate of deficiencies that could potentially have damaged the Antarctic environment if they happened down there.

Each ship that sails down there does so under a special operations licence, I get the feeling Discovery's has been suspended as of the end of the coming season.

VoD are members of this organisation...they have to be...and there are very strict rules and regulations set down, Discovery is old and she hasn't been as well cared for as most might think, the decision to stop Antarctic cruising won't be down to SOLAS but to IAATO telling VoD they will not be welcome...

International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators

The Captain mentioned this at our party and he says it is because they now have Swan Hellenic who also do Antarctica so no point in having two ships on the same route.

He said this would be for the next couple of years at least.

Not to mention they charge ALOT more for Minerva per passenger than Discovery, so its basically all down to money at the end of the day.