Polar expedition vessel delivered by Brodosplit

Croatian shipyard, Brodosplit, has handed over the polar expedition cruise ship, Ultramarine, to US cruise line, Quark Expeditions, part of the Travelopia Group.

The 128m-long vessel, with capacity for up to 200 passengers and 140 crew, was delivered early in April. Construction finance for the vessel, which cost more than EUR 100 million, was provided by the Croatian Bank for Reconstruction and Development, with a state guarantee.

Passengers will have a wide range of adventure options. The vessel has two twin-engined helicopters providing access to destinations only accessible by air. It also has 20 quick-launching Zodiacs that can be launched from up to four embarkation points. And other activities will include heli-hiking and alpine kayaking.

Sustainability features include a Micro Auto Gasification System (MAGS), which converts waste into energy. This provides an additional source of shipboard power, while also eliminating the carbon generated by transporting waste long distances from polar regions.

Andrew White, president of Quark Expeditions, commented: “We officially welcomed into our fleet a game-changing vessel that will soon become an unrivalled operational base for polar adventures. Every aspect of Ultramarine has been designed and engineered to enable our teams to get guests off the ship and deep into the polar wilderness better than ever before.”