Due to the success of the new Polar Class 6 expedition vessel MV Hondius, Oceanwide Expeditions ordered a sistership. MV Janssonius is scheduled for delivery in October 2021 and will be built also at Brodosplit Shipyard (Split, Croatia). The newbuild will have the same, 174-guest capacity as MV Hondius, nearly identical design and size, and will be with PC6 ice-strengthened hull (equivalent to 1A-Super ice-class passenger ship).
Like all Oceanwide fleet mates, Janssonius will be equipped with rigid-hulled zodiacs (inflatable motorized high-speed boats) used for landings and tendering (ship-to-shore passenger transportation) in remote coastal areas. The vessel will also feature a top-deck helipad (fore-located helicopter landing area used in cases of emergency).
This expedition ship is specially designed for travel cruising in the Earth's polar regions (Antarctica and Arctic). The vessel will boast fast zodiac boats, sea kayaks and a covered marina platform for water-based outdoor activities. There will be a deck with an observation lounge along with a separate room for readings.
Janssonius will meet the highest requirements for Lloyd's PC6-registered vessels. PC6 is the highest Polar Class notation for ice-strengthened passenger vessels. LR-PC6 is equivalent to the Finnish-Swedish "1A Super" ice-class which requires minimum cruising speed 5 knots (9,3 kph / 5,8 mph) in broken brash ice (with 1-m thickness / 3,3 ft) and in consolidated ice layers (with 0,1-m thickness / 4 inches). Still, even 1A Super/PC6-classed ships are assumed to rely on icebreaking ships for assistance.
The ship will be powered by two ABC marine diesel engines (total power output 4,3 MW) manufactured by Anglo Belgian Corporation NV (Ghent, Belgium). The vessel will fully comply with IMO's Polar Code requirements, in particular concerning SOLAS (safety of life at sea) and prevention of pollution from ships (MARPOL) for passenger ships.
Janssonius will feature LED interior and exterior lighting, biodegradable lubricants and paints, steam heating which uses a minimum of electricity, as well as waste heat that is reused for freshwater production.
Like most of the vessels in Oceanwide Expeditions' fleet, Janssonius is named in honor of a historic Dutch cartographer: Johannes Janssonius (1588-1664), who was a mapmaker and publisher born in Arnhem and worked primarily in Amsterdam.
The vessel is currently under construction at Brodosplit Shipyard (in Split Croatia) with planned delivery in October 2021.