Spitsbergen Cruise Photos

From: MS Nordstjernen cruise review

80º North and Moffen

Around 10 p.m., we reached the shallow ring-shaped island of Moffen, which is a bird preserve in the Arctic Ocean north of the 80th Parallel. Ships aren't allowed to come closer than 300 meters, or slightly more than the length of three football fields.

During the summer, male walruses from other areas of Northern Europe come to Moffen to lie around and fish--a bit like male humans who booze and snooze on fishing trips.

Moffen is a navigation hazard to lazy or careless sailors, and that 's probably the reason for the orange marker in the photo above.

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