MV Hondius

The 2019-built MV Hondius cruise ship is the first of the newest vessels in the Oceanwide Expeditions fleet, together with Janssonius (2022/sistership), Ortelius (1989), Plancius (1976) and the two polar-class sailing ships Noorderlicht (1991) and Rembrandt van Rijn (1994).

The vessel (IMO number 9818709) is currently Holland-flagged (MMSI 244327000) and registered in Rotterdam.

The newbuild sisterships Hondius and Janssonius are ice-classed LR-PC6 ("Lloyd's Register Polar Class 6") passenger vessels with ice-strengthened hulls.

The fleetmates Plancius and Ortelius are former state-owned research vessels previously operated, respectively, by the Royal Dutch Navy and the Russian Academy of Science.

History - construction and ownership

Specializing in passenger shipping and navigation in icy waters, with the newbuilds Janssonius and Hondius the headquartered in Vlissingen Netherlands cruise company Oceanwide Expeditions grew not only as fleet/capacity but also as brand popularity and trust. The ship name "Hondius" honours one of the famous Dutch-Flemish cartographers Jodocus Hondius (1563-1612) best-known for his maps of Europe and the New World (Americas and Oceania). Joost de Hondt (aka Jodocus Hondius the Elder) was born in Wakken (West Flanders, Belgium) and died in Amsterdam Holland.

The 1993-founded Oceanwide Expeditions (shipowner) is one of the industry's small cruise line companies offering regularly-scheduled and flexible polar cruise tours providing its customers with the opportunity to contact with Arctic-Antarctica's wildlife, unique landscapes, nautically important polar regions and historical sites. Oceanwide Expeditions has year-round planned itineraries - during summer (April through September) in the Arctic, and during winter (October through March) in Antarctica.

Most Oceanwide-organized tours are in sea-only accessible areas, usually without any land/port infrastructure. In most of these locations, the cruise ship anchors near the coast and all passengers are tendered (via Zodiac Milpro boats) to the landing sites. Each boat is crewed and guided by a dedicated expedition team.

The company's Antarctic Ocean destinations include Bouvet Island, Antarctic Peninsula, Ross Sea, Weddell Sea, Ushuaia Argentina (homeport). Atlantic Ocean destinations include Cape Verde Islands, South Orkney Islands, South Shetland Islands, as well as the UK's archipelagos / British Overseas Territories / dependencies SGSSI (South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands), Falkland Islands, Ascension Island, Saint Helena, Tristan da Cunha.

Oceanwide Expeditions supports renown organizations dedicated to wildlife preservation and sustainable environmental development projects in Earth's polar regions. Among these organizations are AECO (Association of Arctic Expedition Cruise Operators - cruise line organization working mainly in Europe's Arctic / Iceland, Greenland, Norway's Spitsbergen-Lofoten Islands-Svalbard Islands), IAATO (International Association of Antarctic Tour Operators, 1991-founded association of 100+ members/companies) and BirdLife International (1922-founded global organizations dedicated to the conservation of birds and their habitats).

Due to the constantly increasing demand for polar cruises, Oceanwide Expeditions ordered the building of two ice-strengthened ships (Janssonius and Hondius), each fitted with two main engines (total power output 4,26 MW) and max passenger capacity 196 (85 staterooms). On polar itineraries, each ship's capacity is limited to 174.

Shipboard facilities

Like all Oceanwide fleet mates, Hondius is 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 also features 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 boasts fast zodiac boats, sea kayaks and an aft-located covered marina platform for water-based outdoor activities. There is a deck with an observation lounge and a separate room for readings.

Decks and Cabins

MS Hondius ship staterooms (82 passenger cabins total) accommodate between 2-4 persons (double-triple-quad occupancy). Cabin options range from 1x Hondius Suite (sized 35 m2 / 375 ft2 - currently not available for booking), 6x Balcony Grand Suites (sized 27 m2 / 290 ft2), 8x French Balcony Junior Suites (sized 19-20 m2 / 205-215 ft2), 19x outsides / oceanview cabins (sized 19-20-21 m2 / 205-215-225 ft2), 14x doubles with panoramic window (12-14 m2 / 130-150 ft2). Sized between 12-18 m2 (130-190 ft2) the boat also has cabins with porthole windows, including 31x doubles, 2x triple-occupancy and 4x quads/quadruple-occupancy.

Standard cabin amenities include windows (some opening), 1 double bed (or 2 single beds / non-convertible to double), under-bed storage, bedside cabinets, wall-mounted reading lamps, LED ceiling lights, lounge/seating area (writing desk with chair, LCDTV, phone, WiFi Internet, refrigerator, tea/coffee maker, binoculars), wardrobe, electronic safe box (in the closet), en-suite bathroom (WC-toilet, single-sink vanity, shower, bath products, bathrobes, towels, hairdryer), individually controlled air-conditioning.

The boat has 7 decks, of which 5 are passenger-accessible and 4 with cabins.