All Ships

The Island Sky is a small expedition vessel with touches of elegance throughout. An all-suite ship, it carries a maximum of 108 passengers and provides an abundance of public space for wildlife viewing, relaxation and taking in lectures and briefings. Every suite has private bathroom facilities and an exterior view, while some suites include a private balcony. All suites have flat screen televisions and DVD players. Is one a sister vessel to the MS Caledonian Sky and MS Hebridean Sky. All three vessels were built in the same ship yard in Italy at similar times and share the same excellent attributes that make them three of the finest small ships in the world.

She is an all-suite yacht accommodating up to 108 guests. Built in 1992 and refurbished and redecorated in 2005, each suite features:

•  Sea view
•  Queen-sized bed separable into two twin-sized beds
•  Sitting area
•  Telephone
•  Mini-refrigerator
•  Marble-appointed bathroom with fine toiletries
•  225 square feet or more

Le Bellot, with 100% balcony staterooms, will sail to the world’s most inaccessible locations and go further—where others do not go. This yacht measures 430 feet in length, is designed for just 184 guests and 110 crew members. It features innovative equipment, elegantly designed guest accommodations, and welcoming lounge areas that open to the outside. And, in a world exclusive, the PONANT EXPLORER yachts will be the first ships ever to be equipped with an underwater, multi-sensory lounge, called Blue Eye, located within the hull 8 feet beneath the water line. Two large windows provide views of the underwater marine life, and guests can also hear and sense this life through unique wave technology.

Magellan Explorer is the world’s first expedition ship custom designed for Antarctic air-cruise operations. The ship provides a stylish base for our guests’ adventures, combining excellence in expedition and boutique hospitality.

The ship has been built to the latest Polar Code specifications and carries a Polar Class 6 ice-class (Lloyd’s Register PC6). For comfortable navigation, the ship features stabilizers; for maneuverability, she features bow and stern thrusters. For safety in navigation, there is an ice-detecting radar. And to reduce the environmental footprint, the vessel is equipped with an energy-recovery system that recycles the heat produced by the engines to warm up the ship and its water supply.

Highlights

The Ocean Albatros will be deployed to a large selection of expedition cruise destinations, Antarctica, the Arctic, any various exciting new destinations in between.
With a total of 95 comfortable staterooms and suites, all with unobstructed sea view, most with their own balcony, the Ocean Albatros will definitely become one of the most popular expedition cruise vessels in the world. Like it’s sistership the Ocean Victory it offers two restaurants, a wellness area, an Albatros Nordic Bar, an open deck dining facility, a modern lecture lounge, and other state-of-the-art amenities.  The vessel will have more than a 50% lower carbon footprint than traditional expedition vessels and be one of the most environmentally friendly, implementing the Green Initiative Program, ensuring both absolute comfort and sustainability for our guests. Unlike the Ocean Victory, the Ocean Albatros will also offer a unique panorama sauna, and a total of 12 dedicated solo travel cabins without a single-supplement.

Carrying a maximum of 112 passengers, this outstanding vessel combines luxury with expedition cruising. All cabins have facilities en suite, king-size beds and exterior views. She boasts all the amenities of a fine hotel, including an open bar, balconies in the suites and a hot tub on level 5. The Sea Spirit is a luxurious expedition vessel that seamlessly dispatches zodiacs and kayaks for excursions and exploration.

Seaventure features a 1-A Super ice class rating — the highest ice class awarded to passenger vessels. This means that we will be able to explore coves, bays, and channels that would previously have been forbidden to us.

The ship also offers a host of new activities. There’s a sauna, a fitness center, a custom-built citizen science lab, and heated saltwater pool. There is more storage space, which is important because it means we can carry more equipment, so that more of our guests can participate in activities like kayaking, snowshoeing, and camping.

The common areas are larger and beautifully appointed, and the ship has two
kitchens, one on the Lido deck for al fresco dining when weather permits.

Due to sail soon, this new ship honours the highly accomplished marine biologist, oceanographer and explorer,  Dr. Sylvia Earle. As the first female chief scientist of the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and named by Time Magazine as its first Hero for the Planet in 1998 – this vessel pays tribute to Dr. Earle’s long-standing conservation efforts for marine protected areas and ocean wildlife. Dr. Sylvia Earle will be involved in the development of her namesake.

They drew on centuries of collective experience to map out the Sylvia Earle: purpose-built for expeditions to the most remote places on earth. Featuring the revolutionary Ulstein X-BOW®, this allows the ship to cross oceans more comfortably and efficiently, and with expansive observation decks to bring you closer to the environment, inviting communal areas and unsurpassed environmental credentials, the Sylvia Earle offers the perfect base camp for adventures at the outer limits of human exploration.

Accommodating an average of 130-140 expeditioners per voyage, every cabin on the Sylvia Earle has an ocean view and nearly all have balconies. The ship also features a modern lecture lounge, multiple observation areas, Zodiac launching platforms, a restaurant serving excellent meals, a gym and wellness centre, jacuzzis, a mudroom and many other amenities.

The newest ship in our fleet, Ultramarine is designed to go beyond the familiar in polar exploration, to discover new places, and immerse you in the best the region has to offer.

Equipped with two twin-engine helicopters, Ultramarine offers the most robust portfolio of adventure activities in the industry, the most spacious suites in its category, breathtaking public spaces, and more outdoor wildlife viewing spaces than other expedition ships its size. It also features a best-in-class 70-day operational range and an innovative mix of sustainability features that exceed all industry standards.

With all this and more, Ultramarine is set to deliver the ultimate polar expedition experience.

At just 340 feet (104 meters) long, the Greg Mortimer carries a maximum of 120 expeditioners to the polar regions. As one of the smallest ships in the polar expedition cruising fleet, its size and modern ice-strengthened hull (Class 1A, one category below a full ice-breaker) give you the ability to explore those places that larger ships can’t reach.

Exclusively designed for expedition cruising, the Greg Mortimer provides an authentic, small-ship experience. Thanks to its unique, patented X-Bow®, it is capable of fast, comfortable transit speeds with less fuel consumption and reduced emissions.

Designed to the latest Polar Code for non-intrusive, low-impact voyages, the Greg Mortimer features:
• Fuel-efficient Ulstein X-Bow®
• Reduced air emissions and light pollution
• Virtual anchoring for protection of the sea floor
• Reduced onboard plastic use
• Onboard water production
• Strict, onboard waste management

The all-new Hondius, launched in 2019, is designed from the ground up for rapid response to polar weather and wildlife conditions that exist nowhere else in the world. Hondius sets a standard as a structurally and technologically advanced polar cruise ship that not only meets the challenges of the polar regions but optimizes their opportunities for adventure.

As a Hondius passenger, you will enjoy cuisine, surroundings, and service that starkly contrast the rugged world just outside your window. An entire deck is dedicated to (multi-language) lectures and presentations in the presentation theater or the sizable observation lounge, and in combination with a fully provisioned bar and separate library room, provide ample opportunities to socialize and guarantee that what time you spend on board will be spent comfortably entertained. Take your pick of numerous cabins and suites, all custom-designed and impeccably outfitted in stylish mid-century modern décor.

Hondius is one of the first civilian vessels in the world to receive a Polar Class 6 notation, the most advanced category of polar cruise ship to date. When you set foot on Hondius, you are indeed choosing the best of modern marine science. Furthermore, Hondius exceeds the latest green requirements imposed by the International Maritime Organization, using only bio-degradable paints, LED lighting, steam heat, and flexible power management systems to keep fuel consumption and CO2 emission at the absolute minimum.

Highlights:
• Flexible, fast, and fortified. Capable of swift and safe response to fluctuating polar conditions.
• Ideal for land-based excursions. Sheltered Zodiac boarding zone for easier entry into the boats that will shuttle you to shore.
• Elegant, cozy, and surprising. Public areas, passenger lodgings, and cuisine that will fuel your exploration and stimulate your senses.
• Interactive, experiential, and informal. Activities that will engage and entertain you on the ship and off.
• Environmentally friendly technology to help ensure your cruise is higher impact for you, and lower impact for nature

Janssonius is meeting the latest and highest Lloyd’s Register standards for ice-strengthened cruise ships. Surpassing the requirements of the Polar Code adopted by the International Maritime Organization (IMO), Janssonius represents the most flexible, advanced, innovative touring vessel in the polar regions, thoroughly optimized for exploratory voyages that provide you the utmost first-hand contact with the Arctic and Antarctica.

The Kapitan Khlebnikov is a polar-class icebreaker combing power and technology with comfort. No passenger ship has transited the Northwest Passage more often than the renowned Kapitan Khlebnikov. Originally designed to take on the rigors of northern Siberia, the 24,000 horsepower engine and advanced ice-breaking technology take you places no other ship can.

The ship offers 52 outside cabins and suites, all featuring private facilities, large windows, desk, hair dryer, robes, and large closets.

Ocean Atlantic is the perfect vessel for expedition cruising in Antarctic waters! Newly renovated in 2016 and with an international ice class rating of 1B, she is one of the strongest ships operating in Antarctica. Her high maneuverability, shallow draft and strong engines allow for extended voyages
into isolated fjords, creating exciting adventures for any Antarctica traveler. Ocean Atlantic is newly renovated with elegant common areas and accommodation for 198 passengers.

The Ocean Diamond is a modern, stable super-yacht, excellent for experiencing Antarctica. The ship carries a maximum of 189 passengers and features onboard amenities such as a massage and wellness program, a heated swimming pool and a well-stocked polar library. The Ocean Diamond is staffed with outstanding officers, expedition leaders, and guides.

The Ocean Nova is one of the most fuel-efficient vessels operating in the Polar Regions, carrying 67 passengers in 34 cabins, each with a sea view and private facilities. The ship was completely refurbished in 2006, and it is extremely quiet and highly maneuverable. The Ocean Nova has a spectacular observation lounge with full view windows, the latest lecture and presentation equipment, and a complete bar. The aft library/lounge has wrap-around windows, comfortable chairs and a complete Polar library. The Ocean Nova operates Fly-Cruise expeditions along with the BAE-146 Airplane, which carries passengers over the Drake Passage. The BAE 146 was manufactured in the United Kingdom by British Aerospace.  It is a high-wing aircraft with very short runway requirements which makes it particularly suited for these kind of destinations. It is operated by Aerovías DAP, which has more than 20 years of experience of flying in Patagonia and Antarctica.

The ice-strengthened vessel Ortelius is an excellent vessel for Polar expedition cruises in the Arctic and Antarctica, capable of visiting  remote locations such as the Ross Sea and Franz Josef Land in the Arctic. Ortelius was built in Poland in 1989 and worked as a special purpose vessel for the Russian Academy of Science.

The vessel has the highest ice-class notation (UL1 equivalent to 1A) and is therefore very suitable to navigate in solid one-year sea ice and loose multi-year pack ice. Ortelius is a great expedition vessel for 100 passengers with lots of open-deck spaces and a very large bridge which is accessible to the passengers. Ortelius offers a comfortable hotel standard, with two restaurants, a bar, lecture room and a sauna.

Though our voyages are primarily meant to offer our passengers an exploratory wildlife program with as much time ashore as possible, Ortelius offers all the comforts of a standard hotel ― along with a bar and lecture room. Flexibility assures maximum wildlife opportunities. As such, Ortelius carries 10 Zodiacs with 60hp Yamaha engines.

Originally built for the United States agency NOAA (National Oceanographic & Atmospheric Administration), the ice-strengthened vessel Ushuaia is designed for polar travel and Antarctica expeditions. This small cruise ship was refurbished in 2014 to accommodate a maximum of 88 passengers in 44 comfortable cabins and suites. Ushuaia is very well laid out and provides ample deck space and an open bridge policy. The full complement of inflatable landing craft ensures superb landings and wildlife viewing opportunities on the otherwise inaccessible coastline. All cabins include a desk and ample storage space. Public areas feature a large dining room (one sitting), an observation lounge and bar, a conference room with modern multimedia equipment, a well-stocked library, a changing room and a small infirmary.

The ‘Noorderlicht’, a well-balanced two-masted schooner rig is capable of sailing the seven seas, and is therefore well suited for expedition cruising among small islands and offers good open deck viewing areas, also when under sail.

The 2 inflatable rubber crafts (zodiacs) enable landing and wildlife viewing opportunities in otherwise inaccessible areas. The qualified captains have a great experience of the oceans. Together with the rest of the crew, they will do everything possible to ensure that you have a wonderful and unforgettable journey. Willingness to compromise on comfort is a basic requirement on board of a historic traditional sailing vessel.

Ocean Tramp is a 66 feet ketch rigged sailboat, with 5 cabins. She very comfortably can carry 8/10 guest plus two crew members. She is a very fast sailboat thanks to her long length, making for a short passage the sailing across the Drake. She is ideal for photographers, hikers, divers, scientists and all sort of expeditions that need a large capacity vessel with plenty of storage as well as the needed comfort when living on a sailboat for longer periods of time.

We Explore The World’s Southern Ocean And Journey Into Some Of The Last Wild Places In An Intimate. Small Boat Setting Of Maximum 12 Passengers. We Take Keen Travelers, Adventurers, Scientists, And Mountaineers Where They Want To Go!

Tailor-made for exploring the remote southern tip of South America, all aspects of the 210-passenger ship — including size, length, draft and engine power — are designed to give Ventus Australis the extreme maneuverability necessary to navigate narrow fjords and channels where no other cruise ships can venture. Ventus Australis features the latest regulations regarding safety at sea and protecting the marine environment.

**The Ventus Australis will not be operating the 2020-2021 season