Ortelius











- Ship Highlights
- Passengers : 106
The ice-strengthened vessel “Ortelius” is an excellent vessel for Polar expedition cruises in the Arctic and Antarctica, providing us with possibilities to adventure remote locations such as the Ross Sea and Franz Josef Land.
“Ortelius” was built in Gdynia, Poland in 1989, was named “Marina Svetaeva”, and served as a special purpose vessel for the Russian Academy of Science. The vessel is re-flagged and renamed “Ortelius”. As Plancius, Ortelius was a Dutch / Flemish cartographer. Abraham Ortelius (1527 – 1598) published the first modern world atlas, the Theatrum Orbis Terrarum or Theatre of the World in 1570. At that time, the atlas was the most expensive book ever printed.
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. The vessel is manned by 34 highly experienced Russian nautical crew, 15 international catering staff, including stewardesses, 6 expedition staff (1 expedition leader and 5 guides/lecturers) and 1 doctor.
”Ortelius” offers a comfortable hotel standard, with two restaurants, a bar/lecture room and a sauna. Voyages are primarily developed to offer our passengers a quality exploratory wildlife program, trying to spend as much time ashore as possible. As the number of passengers is limited to approximately 100 on the “Ortelius”, flexibility assures maximum wildlife opportunities.
The vessel offers basic but comfortable cabins and public spaces. The cabin lay-out is as follows: 5 quadruple cabins with bunk beds and private facilities (these can also be used as triple or twin cabins); 23 twin cabins with portholes, private toilet and shower and 2 single lower berths; 10 twin cabins with windows, private toilet and shower and 2 single lower berths; 6 superior cabins with double beds, private toilet and shower and a separate day room, and 1 suite with a double bed, private toilet and shower and a separate day room. All cabins are spacious outside cabins with a minimum of two portholes or windows per cabin.
- Length: 91.25 meters
- Breadth: 17.61 meters
- Draft: 5.8 meters
- Ice class: UL1 (equivalent to 1A)
- Displacement: 4575 tons
- Engines: 6 ZL 40/48 SULZER
- Speed: 12 knots (14.3 knots max)
- Passengers: 106 in 45 cabins
Antarctica (cruises)from:$5,250
| Itinerary | Days | Dates | Destinations | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Georgia, South Sandwich Islands & ... | 23 | Novshow dates | Antarctica: Deception Island Antarctica, Drake Passage, Falkland Islands, South Georgia, South Orkney Islands, South Shetland Islands, Weddell Sea | |
| Weddell Sea - Emperor Penguin Voyage | 11 | Nov, Decshow dates | Antarctica: Antarctic Peninsula, Drake Passage, Weddell Sea | |
| Falkland Islands - South Georgia - ... | 20 | Jan, Febshow dates | Antarctica: Antarctic Peninsula, Drake Passage, Falkland Islands, South Georgia, South Orkney Islands, Weddell Sea | |
| Antarctic Peninsula | 11 | Feb, Marshow dates | Antarctica: Antarctic Peninsula, Drake Passage, South Shetland Islands | |
| Antarctic Peninsula - Basecamp Ortelius | 12 | Marshow dates | Antarctica: Antarctic Peninsula, Drake Passage, South Shetland Islands | |
Arctic (cruises)from:$1,900
| Itinerary | Days | Dates | Destinations | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Around Spitsbergen | 10 | Jul, Augshow dates | Arctic: Svalbard | |
| Around Spitsbergen with Kvitøya | 11 | Augshow dates | Arctic: Svalbard | |
| Northeast Greenland | 13 | Augshow dates | Arctic: Svalbard | |
| Whale Safari - Fair Isle - Jan Mayen - ... | 12 | Mayshow dates | Arctic: Jan Mayen, Svalbard | |
| Whale Safari - Fair Isle - Jan Mayen - ... | 10 | Mayshow dates | Arctic: Jan Mayen, Svalbard | |
| North Spitsbergen Polar Bear Special | 8 | Jun, Augshow dates | Arctic: Svalbard | |
| East Greenland, Scoresby Sund & ... | 8 | Sepshow dates | Arctic: Cape Hofmann Halvø, Danmarkso, Denmark Strait, Itoqqortoormitt, Scoresby Land, Sydkap, Volquart Boons Coast | |
| Cabins | |
|---|---|
![]() | Quadruple Porthole 5 quadruple cabins with bunk beds and private facilities (these can also be used as triple or twin cabins). Spacious outside cabins with a minimum of two portholes or windows per cabin |
| Twin Porthole 23 twin cabins with portholes, private toilet and shower and 2 single lower berths. Spacious outside cabins with a minimum of two portholes or windows per cabin. | |
| Twin Window 10 twin cabins with windows, private toilet and shower and 2 single lower berths. Spacious outside cabins with a minimum of two portholes or windows per cabin | |
![]() | Superior 6 superior cabins with double beds, private toilet and shower and a separate day room. Spacious outside cabins with a minimum of two portholes or windows per cabin |
| Suite 1 suite with a double bed, private toilet and shower and a separate day room. Spacious outside cabins with a minimum of two portholes or windows per cabin. | |

















