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International Expeditions (IE) was a travel company specializing in small-group adventure travel. The company was founded in 1980 and located in Helena, Alabama.[1][2] In October 2021, it was rebranded as Exodus Travel, an existing brand owned by parent company Travelopia.[3]

Company overview

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International Expeditions provides small-group adventure experiences in various exotic countries. These include land-based trips to places like Ecuador, Kenya, Tanzania, and Patagonia, as well as cruise excursions in notable wildlife and natural areas[4] such as the Peruvian Amazon and Galapagos Islands.[5] While it focuses primarily on land-based activities, IE charters a variety of riverboats and yachts for cruise programs[6] in Patagonia,[7] India, Cuba,[8] the Amazon, and Galapagos.[9][10][11][12][13]

IE is a subsidiary of Travelopia, a collection of brands formerly part of TUI Group, along with AmeriCan Adventures, Exodus, Grand American Adventures, Headwater, Quark Expeditions, Sawadee, TrekAmerica, World Challenge, and Zegrahm Expeditions.[14][15]

Leadership

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International Expeditions was co-founded by Dr. Richard Ryel[16] and Steve Cox.[17] Ryel also served as the Chairman of the Board of the International Ecotourism Society. Van Perry was appointed the president of International Expeditions in November 2011.[18] He is also the president of Zegrahm Expeditions, an adventure travel company located in Seattle, Washington.[19]

Controversy

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In April 2016, a cabin on International Expeditions' "Estrella Amazonica," now known as "Amazon Star," caught fire, killing two American passengers: Drs. Larry and Christy Hammer.[20] According to investigators, the fire was caused by a power strip that was supplied by the boat and lacked surge protection and safety and flammability ratings.[21] The Hammers' room lacked an in-room fire alarm.[22] Surveillance video footage shows that it took the Estrella Amazonica's crew more than 22 minutes to extract Dr. Larry Hammer from the room after the fire was located; and another six minutes to extract Dr. Christy Hammer.[23]

In the days following the fire, International Expeditions claimed that the Chief of Fire Department–Loreto Region, a Chief of Fire Prevention and Investigation Unit, a Chief of Instruction and Investigation, the commanding Deputy District Attorney, the Tourism Police Force, and Port Authorities cleared the vessel safe to carry guests. These claims have not been verified.[24]

Perry and International Expeditions are criticized for declaring the boat "safe to travel," and for the ship to resume sailing within two days of the tragedy given that Perry and International Expeditions did not know at that time what caused the fire, why no alarm sounded anywhere on the boat, and why the crew failed to respond effectively.[25]

In September 2016, Perry told People that "the boat now has enhanced fire fighting equipment and that the crew has been provided with refresher fire training."[26] No safety officials or third parties have been able to publicly verify the statement.[27]

In April 2017, The Wall Street Journal's Joe Palazzolo shined new light on the Hammer tragedy, citing a newly released Peruvian Navy report on the fire.[28] Palazzolo writes, "The riverboat’s fire alarm 'did not operate at all,' and its crew, lacking training and equipment, took more than 20 minutes to enter the Hammers’ cabin, Peruvian authorities said in an October report on the fire, citing a litany of violations of the nation’s maritime regulations."[28] He also explains the Death on the High Seas Act, which may allow International Expeditions to escape accountability for the Hammers' deaths.[28] Because of the 1920 law, "the cruise industry enjoys broad immunity from damages in wrongful-death cases involving retirees and other passengers who have no financial dependents. International Expeditions, the Alabama-based company that charters the cruise and helped design the riverboat, has told the daughters through its lawyers that it has no financial obligation to the family under the law."[28]

The Omaha World-Herald and Cruise Law News also covered the Peruvian Navy report.[29][30] In the words of Jim Walker, a maritime lawyer and publisher of Cruise Law News, "The point to come away with after reading about this terrible ordeal is that this is the exactly the result that the cruise lines want after cruise passengers have been killed."[30] Walker also calls the Death on the High Seas Act "one of the cruelest and most unfair, if not completely callous, laws imaginable."[30]

In July 2017, Good Morning America covered the Hammers' deaths and their family's ongoing legal efforts.[31]

References

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  1. ^ "Best International Expeditions Cruises 2016: Reviews and Photos". www.cruisecritic.com. Retrieved 2016-10-25.
  2. ^ "International Expeditions » Adventure Travel Tour Operator". Adventure.Travel. Retrieved 2016-10-25.
  3. ^ "Travelopia USA's Exodus Travels Brand Replaces International Expeditions and Zegrahm Expeditions".
  4. ^ "6 of the Best Cruise Lines for Eco Travel". TravelPulse. Retrieved 2017-02-06.
  5. ^ "International Expeditions » Adventure Travel Tour Operator". Adventure.Travel. Retrieved 2016-10-25.
  6. ^ "International Expeditions to launch Amazon river ship: Travel Weekly". www.travelweekly.com. Retrieved 2017-02-06.
  7. ^ Hunt, Carla (2015-12-09). "Cool Patagonia is a Hot Ticket - Recommend". Recommend. Retrieved 2017-02-06.
  8. ^ "Small-Ship Cruise Line to Offer People to People Sailings to Cuba - International Expeditions - Cruise Critic". www.cruisecritic.com. Retrieved 2017-02-06.
  9. ^ "Small Ship Cruises Webinar | International Expeditions". 2015-09-05. Archived from the original on 2015-09-05. Retrieved 2016-10-25.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  10. ^ "Cruising the Amazon River: Hits and Misses | Have Tips, Will Travel". www.independenttraveler.com. Retrieved 2016-10-25.
  11. ^ "La Estrella Amazonica Cruise Ship: Expert Review on Cruise Critic". www.cruisecritic.com. Retrieved 2016-10-25.
  12. ^ "Amazon River Cruise Boat | International Expeditions". 2016-04-21. Archived from the original on 2016-04-21. Retrieved 2016-10-25.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  13. ^ "La Estrella Amazonica - the Amazon Star". International Expeditions. Retrieved 2016-12-09.
  14. ^ "TUI to Sell Adventure-Holidays Arm to Focus on Mass Tourism". Bloomberg.com. 2016-05-11. Retrieved 2016-10-25.
  15. ^ "Home".
  16. ^ "Business Pioneers Forge Green Tourism Models | The International Ecotourism Society". www.ecotourism.org. Archived from the original on 2017-01-31. Retrieved 2017-02-02.
  17. ^ everett. "10 Questions for Steve Cox, International Expeditions". Everett Potter's Travel Report. Retrieved 2017-02-02.
  18. ^ "CRS Board of Directors" (PDF). www.cahabrariversociety.org. Cahaba River Society. 2015. Retrieved 2016-10-25.
  19. ^ "Zegrahm Expeditions Names Van Perry President | Travel Agent Central". www.travelagentcentral.com. 2016-01-29. Retrieved 2016-10-25.
  20. ^ "Family seeking answers about couple's death in Peru". The Big Story. Archived from the original on 2016-10-26. Retrieved 2016-10-25.
  21. ^ writer, Paul Hammel / World-Herald staff. "After parents died on the Amazon, two sisters are frustrated in their search for answers". Omaha.com. Retrieved 2016-10-25.
  22. ^ writer, Paul Hammel / World-Herald staff. "After parents died on the Amazon, two sisters are frustrated in their search for answers". Omaha.com. Retrieved 2016-10-25.
  23. ^ "Menlo Park woman blames company in death of parents aboard Amazon riverboat". 14 October 2016. Retrieved 2016-10-25.
  24. ^ "La Estrella Amazonica to Resume Operations after Fire". 18 April 2016. Retrieved 2016-04-18.
  25. ^ "Menlo Park woman blames company in death of parents aboard Amazon riverboat". 14 October 2016. Retrieved 2016-10-25.
  26. ^ "Nebraska Sisters Seek Answers in Deaths of Parents Aboard Amazon Cruise". PEOPLE.com. 2016-09-12. Retrieved 2017-02-17.
  27. ^ "Nebraska Sisters Seek Answers in Deaths of Parents Aboard Amazon Cruise". PEOPLE.com. 2016-09-12. Retrieved 2017-02-17.
  28. ^ a b c d Palazzolo, Joe (2017-04-05). "When People Die at Sea, Cruise Operators Often Get a Pass". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2017-04-07.
  29. ^ Bureau, Paul Hammel / World-Herald. "Report on Gretna couple's death in cruise ship fire finds fault with ship's safety features, crew's training". Omaha.com. Retrieved 2017-04-07. {{cite news}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  30. ^ a b c "Cruise Operators Continue to Hide Behind the Death on the High Seas Act : Cruise Law News". www.cruiselawnews.com. 5 April 2017. Retrieved 2017-04-07.
  31. ^ "Deaths of couple aboard riverboat put spotlight on decades-old law". ABC News. 2017-07-11. Retrieved 2017-08-14.
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