Plancius was built in 1976 as an oceanographic research vessel for the Royal Dutch Navy and was named Hr. Ms. Tydeman. The ship sailed for the Dutch Navy until June 2004 when it was purchased by Oceanwide Expeditions.
Plancius is a Dutch flagged completely rebuilt and converted passenger vessel complies with the latest SOLAS- regulations, classed by Lloyd’s Register in London. The name Plancius is a tribute to the predecessor of Oceanwide Expeditions (Plancius Foundation, 1981-1996), the first cruise operator on a yearly base in Spitsbergen, offering voyages with a small cruise vessel named Plancius.
- Comfortable and nicely decorated, but not luxurious. It’s made for explorers
- Spacious yet small ship character, comfort & style and modern technology
- Base camp for active, adventure and wildlife minded modern explorers
- Small ship operation: 108 passengers in 50 passenger cabins with private facilities (toilet, sink shower)
- 4 quadruple porthole cabins, 9 twin porthole cabins, 25 twin cabins with window and 2 twin deluxe cabins, – all (ca. 15 m2), and 10 superior cabins ca. 21 m2)
- All cabins offer lower berths (either two single beds or one queen-size bed), except for the 4 quadruple cabins (2 bunk beds),
- Restaurant/lecture room (deck 3) and a spacious observation lounge (with bar, deck 5) with large windows offer full panorama view
- Large open deck spaces (with full walkaround possibilities on deck 4), giving excellent opportunities to enjoy the scenery and wildlife
- Equipped with 10 Mark V inflatable zodiacs, including 40 HP 4-stroke outboard engines
- 2 gangways on starboard side, that guarantees a swift zodiac operation
- The ship is manned by 20 nautical crew, 20 hotel staff, 8 expedition staff (1 expedition leader and 7 guides/lecturers), and 1 doctor.
Plancius – the ‘basecamp’ for our activity program Oceanwide Expeditions offers an exploratory educational travel program in the polar regions spending as much time ashore as possible. Special interest activities are available on selected voyages: Kayaking, Hiking, Snowshoeing, Mountaineering, Field Camping, Ski Trekking, Polar Diving and Zodiac Cruising. Please check if they are offered on your voyage.
