How do we protect the places we explore and ensure that future generations can experience the wonder of the polar regions? With the launch of our first Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) report, we sat down with our CEO, Rémi Bouysset, to hear more about our progress, the challenges ahead, and our vision for a more responsible future for expedition travel.
Do the right thing. Do things right.
At Oceanwide Expeditions, our guiding principle is simple: “Do the right thing. Do things right.”
These words express both why sustainability matters to us and how we approach it. Our mission is to impact people’s lives. For more than 30 years, we have taken guests to some of the world’s most extraordinary places, creating opportunities to reconnect with nature, broaden perspectives, and experience moments that remain for a lifetime.
But exploring these environments comes with responsibility. We have a duty to consider the impact our operations have on the places and communities we encounter.
That begins with honesty. Our ships consume fuel and produce emissions, and our guests travel considerable distances to join our expeditions. Eliminating plastic straws or reducing single-use materials is worthwhile, but these actions alone cannot address our wider environmental footprint. We must understand where our impact lies, measure it as accurately as we can, and focus our efforts on the changes that make the greatest difference.
“Do things right” means putting that responsibility into practice: reducing avoidable waste, improving fleet efficiency, investing in new technologies, supporting scientific research, and educating our guests. These are core to our approach, and we've made significant progress in recent years. Our first ESG report brings these efforts together, offering a clearer picture of where we stand, where we want to go, and what lies ahead in our exciting next chapter.
Picture by Tim Charody
Investing in our fleet: progress today and tomorrow
Reducing our environmental impact requires us to look at both our existing fleet and the vessels we plan to operate in the future. While our purpose-built eco-sail vessels announced earlier this year represent an important step forward, we cannot wait for them to join our fleet to improve how we operate today.
We continually work to improve our current fleet's efficiency. In our report, you'll find actions such as route planning, engine optimization, hull maintenance, and waste heat recovery. However, maintenance touches on every aspect of our vessels. We own our expedition fleet, and each vessel, with its own character, charm, and quirks, is cared for and improved over time with significant attention. This goes beyond regulatory compliance and maritime law; we take pride in our rugged, industry-unique vessels.
Alongside these technical measures, we pursue everyday operational improvements, including responsible sourcing, waste management, and reducing unnecessary materials. In particular, our hotel team has made significant strides in recent years, eliminating single-use plastics, reducing food and energy waste, switching to eco-friendly products, and introducing more purposeful food choices.
These efforts depend on the commitment of our teams at sea and ashore. They also reflect an important principle: environmental progress and the guest experience should reinforce one another. Well-maintained vessels, reliable operations, and well-thought-out onboard services remain fundamental to the quality of our expeditions. Each ship has its own character and loyal following, and we want to preserve what makes these experiences special while continuing to improve.
In 2026, we signed a Letter of Intent to build two next-generation Eco-Sail expedition vessels, planned to join our fleet from 2029. What excites me most is the opportunity to bring decades of expedition experience to a new generation of ships, considering environmental performance, expedition operations, and the guest experience from the outset.
Planned hybrid technologies and energy storage systems offer opportunities to improve efficiency and reduce carbon intensity. As development progresses, we will share more technical details and provide meaningful evidence of the environmental benefits.
Our ambition is not simply to introduce new vessels, but to evolve our offering while retaining what makes Oceanwide distinctive: small ships, active and engaged experiences, knowledgeable teams and a close connection to nature and education. The Oceanwide we know and love today is going nowhere; we have new and exciting stories to tell.
Protecting nature beyond the polar regions
Our responsibility does not end when we leave the polar regions. In 2023, we acquired more than 1,600 hectares of degraded Amazon rainforest. We began a long-term restoration and stewardship program that supports several United Nations Sustainable Development Goals: Life on Land, Life Below Water, Climate Action, and Decent Work and Economic Growth.
Through reforestation and ongoing stewardship, we aim to restore native ecosystems, support biodiversity, contribute to carbon sequestration, and create opportunities for local communities. This commitment reflects our belief that protecting nature requires a long-term perspective and action across different environments, not just the areas we explore. Our restoration initiatives do not replace our responsibility to reduce emissions from our own operations. Both are important, and both require a clear understanding of their impact and contribution.
Education and science are another important part of our work. We support researchers and involve guests in citizen science, helping to deepen understanding of the environments we visit. We have considerable potential to expand these opportunities, allowing guests to participate more actively in scientific discovery while gaining a greater appreciation of the natural world.
Ultimately, we want our guests to return home with more than extraordinary memories. We want them to understand the places they have visited, feel a stronger connection to nature and become ambassadors for its protection.
Picture by Alexander Romanovskiy
People, partnerships and responsible exploration
Sustainability is also about people. Our expedition teams bring the polar regions to life through their knowledge, enthusiasm and ability to turn unexpected moments into lasting memories. Exceptional expeditions begin with exceptional people, so we invest in their safety, wellbeing, professional development, and opportunities to build rewarding careers.
Responsible exploration also requires us to recognize the limits of the environments we visit. As interest in polar travel grows, demand alone cannot determine how tourism develops in these fragile regions. Wildlife, local communities, the sensitivity of individual sites, and the cumulative impact of visitors must guide our decisions. We believe in keeping things small-scale and closely aligned with the framework IAATO and AECO provide. Through education-first, purposeful travel, we can give guests unforgettable memories while also promoting conservation, providing access, and raising awareness.
To do so means carefully planning where and when we visit, organizing landings responsibly, and managing wildlife encounters. Small ships support our approach, but responsible operations depend on everyone involved, including our guests. Visiting Antarctica and the Arctic is an immense privilege, and both regions must be respected, with their impacts properly understood by anyone who ventures there.
Cooperation across the industry is equally important. Working with authorities, scientists, and organizations such as IAATO and AECO strengthens visitor management, responsible field practices, and shared learning. We must also look beyond per-guest efficiency to understand our overall footprint as expedition travel evolves.
Picture by Koen Jongerling
An important step in a continual journey
As an independent, family-owned company, Oceanwide Expeditions can take a long-term view. We can invest in our fleet, our people and our operations while remaining true to the experiences our guests value.
Our first ESG report is an important milestone in this journey. It brings together concrete initiatives already underway, from fleet efficiency improvements and waste reduction to scientific support, investment in our people and rainforest restoration. Just as importantly, it acknowledges that we still have much to learn and improve.
For me, ESG isn't a separate program running alongside our business. It connects to the decisions we make every day, how we look after our people, the experiences we deliver, and the legacy we want to leave. It requires clear priorities, accountability, and a willingness to be honest about the challenges we face.
This report gives us a strong foundation for greater transparency. By improving how we measure and report our impact, we can better understand our progress, evaluate our decisions, and identify where we need to act.
Exploration has always been driven by curiosity and discovery. We bring that same mindset to sustainability: learning from every season, embracing better solutions and continually asking how we can do things better.
Our guiding principle remains unchanged: do the right thing, and do things right. With our first ESG report, we are taking another step toward putting those words into practice, protecting the places we explore and helping ensure the wonder of the polar world continues to inspire generations to come.
Rémi Bouysset
CEO, Oceanwide Expeditions