Blog

99 blogposts shown

IAATO Votes New Whale Protection Measures Into Effect

On May 3 the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators (IAATO) voted measures into effect that will reduce the incidence of tourist ships striking whales around the Antarctic Peninsula.

Oceanwide Expeditions Donates €620 to Charity Based on Passenger Reviews

Thanks to our passengers, we’re donating €620 to four separate charities: Plastic Oceans International, World Wide Fund for Nature, BirdLife International, and 4Ocean.

Oceanwide Expeditions covers the polar corner at ITB Berlin

Last week Oceanwide staff attended ITB Berlin, the world’s largest travel trade show, meeting old friends and new in a weeklong spree of tour operators, travel agents, and all other manner of professionals in the wide world of commercial travel.

OEX Launches 25th Birthday Free Cruise Contest

On January 16, Oceanwide Expedition kicked off its first quarter century with an exciting new free polar cruise contest.

Experience the Arctic Polar Night

As of late November, the polar night began darkening the skies of Northern Norway. Right now there is no sunrise in Tromsø.

Emperors Everywhere: Letter from Snow Hill Island, Antarctica

Yesterday marks two years in a row that we’ve been able to take our guests to the spectacular but seldom-visited Snow Hill Island emperor penguin colony.

The First Float of m/v Hondius

On the morning of Saturday, June 9, a newly constructed polar expedition cruise vessel slid down the timber-and-steel slipway of a sprawling Croatian shipyard, plunging into the pale blue waters of the rocky Adriatic coast. The launch of this vessel, one of 28 new expedition ships currently on order, might have seemed commonplace, even insignificant, to the world at large.

Bring out the Bowheads: Our Largest Whale Count in Years

Researchers aboard Oceanwide Expeditions vessel m/v Plancius spotted between 104—114 bowhead whales during a June 1st cruise along the east Greenland pack ice. Hailing from Wageningen Marine Research and staffed as Oceanwide expedition guides, the scientists spotted the whales over the course of seven hours while on a voyage organized by Oceanwide, Inezia Tours, and Natuurpunt, Belgium’s largest conservation entity. This number exceeds all previous bowhead whale counts, potentially a good sign given the rarity of the whale as well as its classification as critically endangered by the IUCN.

A New Flag for a Veteran Vessel, Ortelius

Vlissingen, located in the south western part of the Netherlands, has been Oceanwide Expeditions “Homeport” since the company was established more than 20 years ago. When our vessel Plancius was being built, there was no hesitation which name should be mentioned as homeport for the vessel and thus since it’s delivery in 2009 Plancius is flying the Dutch flag and has Vlissingen on its stern as being its homeport.

Oceanwide Finalist in Adventure in Motion Film Contest

The new corporate commercial for Oceanwide Expeditions, “Walk into the Waking Dream,” has just been nominated as a finalist in the Adventure in Motion short film competition.

Oceanwide Expeditions presents new corporate identity

Since 1993, Oceanwide Expeditions has been taking passengers deep into the Arctic and Antarctica on voyages that focus on wildlife, nature and activities.

Oceanwide Expeditions’ 2016 Photo Contest Winners

It’s pretty difficult to take a bad picture when you’re on an Arctic or Antarctic cruise. You’re going to be surrounded by opportunities to shoot staggeringly beautiful landscapes, bird life, animals, the auroras, historic locations, and your friends and family taking it all in.

Oceanwide Supports Antarctic Protected Areas

Oceanwide Expeditions applauds the adoption of the Ross Sea region marine protected area recently adopted by the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) and strongly supports more areas of protection.

Oceanwide on Marine Protected Areas in Antarctica

Oceanwide Expeditions welcomes the adoption of the Ross Sea region marine protected area adopted by the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) in its XXXV meeting in October 2016.

Oceanwide announces new vessel Hondius

Due to an increased demand for polar cruises, Oceanwide Expeditions, the leading exploratory Polar cruise company since 1993, has commissioned the building of an innovative 180-passenger vessel.

Oceanwide discounts voyages to celebrate Ross Sea protection news

Oceanwide Expeditions is celebrating the news that the Ross Sea will become the world’s largest marine protected area by offering discounts on its two upcoming trips to this vast Antarctic wilderness.

The Ross Sea Becomes Earth's Largest Protected Marine Area

The Ross Sea in Antarctica will become the world’s largest protected marine park. This has been signed in Hobart today by 24 countries and the European Union. Fishing (including krill and whales) will be banned in a protected zone of the size of France and Spain combined.

Explore the Ross Sea and Antarctica’s Largest Ice Shelf

Oceanwide Expeditions’ “Spectacular Ross Sea” voyage takes passengers through the Ross Sea, an immense bay south of the Antarctic Circle, one of the planet’s most remote areas and where few expeditions venture. It sails from South America to New Zealand (and in reverse) on the ice-strengthened vessel “Ortelius” – specially equipped with two helicopters to access hard-to-reach sights and afford aerial views of jaw-dropping scenery. The 32-day trip departs on Jan. 13, 2017, from Ushuaia, Argentina; and on Feb. 15, 2017, from Bluff, New Zealand.

Tourists Help Clean Spitsbergen Beaches

Tourists of the “Eco Volunteer, North Spitsbergen” trip organized by Oceanwide Expeditions have been cleaning the beaches of Northwest Spitsbergen. Tourists on this specially-designed cruise spend half of their cruise cleaning beaches of detritus washed up by the tide.

Ortelius under repairs

The vessel Ortelius is currently under repairs in Longyearbyen, Spitsbergen due to a problem with the propulsion system.

Oceanwide completely refurbished deck 4 aboard Ortelius

In 2011, Oceanwide Expeditions acquired the vessel Ortelius. A great expedition ship with the highest ice-class ranking as well as lots of deck space. Ideal to operate in the ice and to offer exclusive wildlife programs, including helicopter flights.

100 bowhead whales near Qeqertarsuaq, West Greenland

Today – May14, 2016 - we were sailing with the Rembrandt van Rijn towards Qeqertarsuaq; certainly in the hope of seeing a couple of whales. We know that these waters are nutrient rich and thus hoped for the possibility of seeing a few Humpback whales or even Greenland whales (Bowhead whales) off the coast of Disko Island.