Expedition The Arctic

When we say "The Arctic", we actually mean the Arctic Ocean. This ocean is six times larger than the Mediterranean and has coastlines on the continents of Europe, Asia and America.

The best travel conditions can be found in the Arctic summer from June to September. This is when the climate is mild and the animal kingdom at its richest. With our expedition fleet and their on-board Zodiacs, your customers get right up close to discover vast landscapes, deep fjords, mighty glaciers and bizarre ice and rock formations.

Probably the most intense form of exploration and one of the greatest adventures of our time is the expedition through the Northwest Passage. Only around 100 ships have sailed it since Roald Amundsen completed the first passage in 1906. The route is the destination on this legendary and challenging route which one or our expedition ships offers nearly every year. 

- Our expedition fleet has the highest ice class for passenger ships (PC6) - the HANSEATIC nature, HANSEATIC inspiration and HANSEATIC spirit can push aside broken pack ice and, if necessary, safely pass through a solid ice cover of around 90 cm. 

- Our expedition fleet is Polar Code certified - only ships with this certification are authorised to sail in polar regions

- The maximum number of guests on board during our Expeditions Circumnavigation Svalbard is  199. Due to international law, no ships with more than 200 guests on board is allowed to sail through the Hinlopen Strait.

- Just 100 guests are allowed ashore at the same time, we can offer up to two Zodiac landings a day. Larger ships stay at one landing site all day to be able to bring all guests ashore and can therefore only make one landing per day. This means that our guests see much more and are out and about much more often.

- We don't just sail to the ice edge, we also sail into the ice and offer what is known as 'ice cruising'.

• Spectacular routes to remote regions where other ships have to turn back
• Cruises with respect to nature and wildlife and with a small group of no more than 230 guests (199 on circumnavigation of Svalbard)
• Closer to nature on board thanks to an exceptional amount of open deck space
• Safety at the end of the world thanks to the highest ice class for passenger ships (PC 6)
• Captains and crews with decades of expertise
• See and understand more thanks to teams of experts who accompany the numerous Zodiac rides and landings
• State-of-the-art navigation, positioning and communications systems
• Long-standing membership of AECO (Association of Arctic Expedition Cruise Operators) providing responsible, sustainable and safe tourism in the Arctic
• Since 2020, we have been using marine gas oil with a maximum sulphur content of only 0.1 %. By entirely foregoing heavy fuel oil, we are reducing sulphur emissions by 80 % and particulate emission by 30 %.