The majority of our polar Viking Expedition Team has significant years of experience operating in the polar regions. For Antarctica and the Arctic, all Viking Expedition staff have passed a Field Staff Online Assessment ensuring they possess advanced knowledge of the destination and understand all rules and regulations, operational procedures, and destination-specific aspects. The 36-person Viking Expedition Team includes your Expedition Leader, boat drivers, polar bear guards, kayak guides, submarine pilots and more, all with relevant specialist certifications and all meeting the required maritime safety competence for serving at sea. Our Viking Resident Scientists, also on board, are selected by our partners at University of Cambridge\\u0026rsquo;s Scott Polar Research Institute or The Cornell Lab of Ornithology, and have significant academic backgrounds in their lecture fields.