The "m/v Ortelius” was built in Gdynia, Poland in 1989, and Christened “Marina Svetaeva”, serving as a special purpose vessel for the Russian Academy of Science. The vessel has today been re-flagged and renamed “Ortelius” and is based out of the Netherlands, flying the flag of Cyprus.  

The ship is ideally suited to Polar exploration, with an average cruising speed of 10.5 knots, alternating between seasons in the Antarctic and Norwegian High Arctic.  The ship carries 116 passengers in 53 cabins, all with private baths and outside views.  

The vessel is classed by Lloyd's Register in London, with 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 with lots of open-deck spaces and generous indoor viewing areas. The vessel is manned by 22 highly experienced international nautical crew, 19 international hotel crew, 8 expedition staff (1 expedition leader, 1 assistant expedition leader and 6 guides/lecturers), and 1 doctor.

Abraham Ortelius was a Dutch / Flemish cartographer (1527 – 1598) who 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 ship measures 90 meters in length, with a breadth of 17 meters (and draft of 5.4 meters).  Her average cruising speed is 10.5 knots.

The vessel offers simple but comfortable cabins and public spaces

• 4 quadruple cabins with bunk beds (these can also be used as triple or twin cabins)

• 2 triple porthole cabins with bunk beds (these can also be used as quads or twin cabins)

• 27 twin porthole cabin with 2 single lower berths

• 12 twin cabins with windows and 2 single lower berths

• 2 twin deluxe cabins with windows and 2 single lower berths

• 6 superior cabins with double beds.

All cabins are spacious outside cabins with a minimum of two portholes or windows per cabin and all cabins have private shower and toilet.

”Ortelius” offers a comfortable hotel standard, with two dining rooms, plus a bar/observation lounge, and a separate lecture room with multiple monitors so everyone has a great view of presentations. Voyages are primarily developed to offer participants a quality exploratory wildlife program, trying to spend as much time ashore as possible, with the ship your comfortable home base.