MV Janssonius

Specifications of MV Janssonius

Year of build2022  /  Age: 2
Flag state Bahamas
BuilderBrodosplit Shipyard (Split, Croatia)
Classice-strengthened expedition ship
Building costUSD 85 million
Speed15 kn / 28 km/h / 17 mph
Length (LOA)108 m / 354 ft
Beam (width)18 m / 59 ft
Gross Tonnage6300 gt
Passengers196
Crew72
Decks7
Cabins82
Decks with cabins4
Sister-shipsHondius
Christened bytba
OwnerOceanwide Expeditions
OperatorOceanwide Expeditions

MV Janssonius Review

Review of MV Janssonius

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

The vessel (IMO number 9896191) is currently Bahamas-flagged (MMSI 311875984) and registered in Nassau.

The newbuild sisterships Janssonius and Hondius are ice-classed LR-PC6 ("Lloyd's Register Polar Class 6"/Finnish-Swedish ice class "1A-Super") passenger vessels with ice-strengthened hulls.

MV Janssonius cruise ship

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 "Janssonius" honors the famous Dutch cartographer Johannes Janssonius (1588-1664) who was born (as Jan Janszoon) in Arnhem Holland and lived and worked in Amsterdam.

Founded in 1993, Oceanwide Expeditions (shipowner) is one of the industry's small cruise lines 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.

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, Svalbard Norway), 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).

MV Janssonius cruise ship

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, Janssonius 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 a covered marina platform for water-based outdoor activities. There is a deck with an observation lounge and a separate room for readings.

MV Janssonius cruise ship

Decks and Cabins

MS Janssonius ship staterooms (82 passenger cabins total) accommodate between 2-4 persons (double-triple-quad occupancy). Cabin options range from 1x Janssonius 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.

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Janssonius is a newbuild passenger expedition vessel (Netherlands-flagged) which by ice-class (LR-PC6) meets 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 is powered by two ABC marine diesel engines (total power output 4,3 MW) manufactured by Anglo Belgian Corporation NV (Ghent Belgium). The vessel fully complies with IMO's Polar Code requirements, in particular concerning SOLAS (safety of the life at sea) and prevention of pollution from ships (MARPOL) for passenger ships. The propulsion system (main and auxiliary units) is by SCHOTTEL and ice-classed LR-PC6. SCHOTTEL's propulsion package includes 1x ice-strengthened CPP / Controllable Pitch Propeller (model SCP 109 4-XG, output 4,26 MW, propeller diameter 3,6 m / 12 ft), 1x Transverse Bow Thruster (model STT 1 CP, output 440 kW), 1x Transverse Stern Thruster (model STT 2 CP, output 500 kW), 1x marine gearbox (twin-in single-out). The propulsion power is generated by 2x diesel engines (output 4,26 MW).

Janssonius features 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. Ship's design and technical solutions were developed by Brodosplit company's Design Department which confirms shipyard's positioning as one of Europe's best facilities for constructing modern and complex marine vessels achieving high competitiveness.

The vessel was constructed at Brodosplit Shipyard (in Split Croatia). In May 2019, Oceanwide Expeditions company's owner Wijnand Van Gessel announced ordering the second newbuild (Janssonius) with planned delivery in October 2021. However, due to the Coronavirus crisis, the Janssonius project was delayed and the delivery rescheduled for 2022-Q2.

The vessel's construction (yard/hull number "BRODOSPLIT 485") officially started with the steel-cutting ceremony held on December 18, 2019, at Brodosplit. The keel-laying ceremony was held on June 2, 2020. The special event was attended by Wijnand van Gessel; Mark van der Hulst (company's COO) and the shipbuilder's management team.

 

The Janssonius ship (IMO number 9896191) was launched (floated out from drydock) on March 11, 2021.