ROCKETING out of an icy ocean, huddling to keep their adorable chicks warm and sliding across the snow on their bellies, these are the iconic views of the much-loved emperor penguins. But for Antarctic adventurers this year may be the last time they can voyage deep into the region to watch the animals in their natural habitats and looking after their young. For several years the Kapitan Khlebnikov ship has been the only tourist-carrying vessel venturing to the penguin's habitat due to its special abilities as an "icebreaker'. Ships in the class have a super-strong hull, high power and a special shape that allows them to plunge through ice-covered waters without sinking.  The "Kapitan Khlebnikov" is a Russian icebreaker leased to the US-owned Quark Expeditions, who use the ultra-hardy boat to transport 100 lucky tourists every year to Snow Hill Island where they can view the new-born chicks being cared for by their attentive parents.  Quark's voyage to see the chicks has annually occurred in October - giving travellers a chance to see them at two-months, with hatching typically taking place between mid-July and August. But now the Russian-US leasing of the boat has ended and after this month's expedition will return to Russian hands to be used as a research vessel. The development will see hundreds of future tourists potentially denied of the amazing sights of the emperor penguins in the wild.  Norwegian photographer Pål Hermansen, 55, from Oslo, who visited Snow Hill Island on board the 'Khlebnikov' two years ago, will now become one of the last tourists to have stepped into the area before a replacement icebreaker is found. At present there looks to be no such ship that will take up the reins of the epic journey.      He said: "The tourism in Antarctica has been increasing during the last few years and several companies are operating ships that visit the open sea areas at the Antarctic peninsula.  "While some ships are capable of penetrating areas with broken up ice covers, there has only been one real icebreaker providing tourist expeditions to the most remote and permanently ice-covered parts of the area. "As the emperors place their colonies on solid sea ice, you need to go into the ice to reach them.  "True icebreakers are very few in the world, and very expensive to build. There simply do not exist suitable ships at the moment at a reasonable price, so Quark has had to stop all their extreme expeditions in the Arctic and the Antarctic after the summer season 2011. It means there won't be another chance in the foreseeable future for non-scientists to see the birthing period and chicks. "The tourist activity is strongly regulated and the guides are very keen that the birds are not disturbed.  There are no reported negative consequences of the tourism. "Another big downside to this is that the life-lasting experience for a tourist and all the images and footage produced from these expeditions have contributed to much interest and respect for these fantastic creatures." The Emperor penguins typically hatch from mid-July to August. With Quark's lease of the 'Khlebnikov' ending earlier next Summer, this month will be the company's last such expedition unless a replacement is found. A spokesman for Exodus travels, the British representatives for Quark Expeditions, said: "The last trip to see the penguins is a 15-day voyage leaving on November 24. "Due to this being the last trip to see the animals before the lease on the Kapitan Khlebnikov ends , it is fully booked."