M/V Ortelius
Destination
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Antarctica
Take a journey of a lifetime on an Antarctic cruise. Incredible landscapes of ice and snow, unique wildlife of Antarctica; penguins, seals, whales, albatrosses and more. Visit working research stations and historical sites.
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The Arctic
Join an expedition cruise to Arctic Spitsbergen, Greenland or Franz Josef for an unforgettable journey. See Polar bears, Walruses, Reindeer, Seals, Seabirds and stunning landscapes in the land of the midnight sun.
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The Atlantic Islands
Cruise from the Scottish Isles to the High Arctic and see enormous colonies of seabirds as well as the antics of whales, dolphins and seals at sea and experience the cultures of the islands..
Activities
Expeditions
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Antarctic Peninsula Cruise - M/V Ortelius 2016/17
An unforgettable voyage from Ushuaia sailing across the Drake Passage to the Antarctic Peninsula. Each day brings new wonders and adventure. You can choose from a variety of activities including sea kayaking, camping and hiking.
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Antarctic Peninsula with South Shetland Islands Cruise - M/V Ortelius 2016/17
An unforgettable voyage from Ushuaia sailing across the Drake Passage to the Antarctic Peninsula. Each day brings new wonders and adventure. Explore Antarctica and top this off with a visit to the South Shetland Islands.
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Weddell Sea - Emperor Penguin Voyage - M/V Ortelius 2016/17
An Emperor Penguin rookery is situated south of Snow Hill Island. The vessel will try to position close enough to Snow Hill Island to enable ship-to-shore helicopter transfers to within 45 minutes walk of the Rookeries, a fascinating experience.
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Falklands - South Georgia - Antarctic Peninsula Cruise - M/V Ortelius 2016/17
Cruise into the Southern Atlantic to the Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas), then onto South Georgia and Antarctica. This itinerary is crammed with opportunities to see amazing wildlife and scenery. Visit historical sites and Research Stations
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Polar Circle & Antarctic Peninsula Cruise - M/V Ortelius 2016/17
This cruise travels further south to cross the Antarctic Circle at latitude 66° 33′ South. Continuing further south of the Polar Circle to Detaille Island in Crystal Sound. This will most likely be the farthest south that will be reached.
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Ross Sea Expedition, Antarctic Peninsula - Peter I Island - Ross Sea - Sub-Antarctic Islands 2016/17
A true Discovery voyage including the southern Antarctic Peninsula, Peter I Island, exploring the outer fringes of the pack-ice in the Amundsen sea, Amundsen’s starting point in 1911. Sail the Ross Sea, visit British explorer huts and Macquarie Island.
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North Spitsbergen - Polar Bear Special - 2016
This cruise adventure begins in Longyearbyen, Spitsbergen sailing to the north. The aim of this expedition is to explore the western coastline of Spitsbergen encountering wildlife. Take hikes on the tundra and visit historical sites.
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North Spitsbergen - Basecamp - 2016
Take a cruise to the Arctic with activities such as kayaking, camping, scuba diving, photo workshop and hiking. Spitsbergen is home to a wide variety of wildlife including seabirds, walruses, whales and Polar Bears as well as beautiful landscapes.
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Around Spitsbergen - 2016
This cruise begins and ends in Longyearbyen, Spitsbergen. The expedition will explore the coastline of Spitsbergen and attempt to circumnavigate the island dependant on local weather and ice conditions.
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Spitsbergen - Northeast Greenland- Scoresby Sund - Aurora Borealis 2016
Cruise to Greenland and Scoresby Sund encountering giant icebergs and wildlife. Start from Spitsbergen and cruise the Denmark Strait to Greenland. Visit villages and experience the Aurora Borealis.
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More expeditions »
"Ortelius" was built in Gdynia, Poland in 1989 and named "Marina Svetaeva". She served as a special purpose vessel for the Russian Academy of Science. The vessel is re-flagged and renamed "Ortelius". 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. The voyages are primarily developed to offer 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. "Ortelius" carries 11 zodiacs of which 9 are in use and 2 on reserve. The zodiac engines are 60hp Yamaha.
Cabins
The cabin lay-out is as follows: 5 quadruple cabins with bunk beds and shared facilities (these can also be used as triple or twin cabins); 14 twin cabins with 2 lower single berths and shared facilities; 9 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.
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Quad Cabin
5 quadruple cabins with bunk beds and shared facilities

Twin Cabins
14 twin cabins with 2 lower single berths and shared facilities; 9 twin cabins with 2 single lower berths, portholes, private toilet and shower and 10 twin cabins with 2 single lower berths, windows, private toilet and shower.
OceanwideExpeditions.jpg)
Superior Cabin
6 superior cabins with double beds, private toilet and shower and a separate day room.
Facilities
"Ortelius" offers a comfortable hotel standard, with two restaurants, a bar/lecture room and a sauna.
The voyages are primarily developed to offer 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.
Deck Plan

Gallery