Ocean Albatros

The 2022-built/2023-inaugurated MS Ocean Albatros is an ice-strengthened (Polar Class 1A-Super / PC6) expedition vessel formerly owned by the Danish company SunStone Maritime Group (via its USA-based subsidiary SunStone Ships Inc.) and operated under a long-term charter by Albatros Expeditions, a travel brand of the Copenhagen, Denmark-based Albatros Travel Group specializing in Arctic and Antarctic voyages.

The vessel (IMO number 9880661) is currently Portugal/Madeira-flagged (MMSI 255915656) and registered in Funchal. Previously, she sailed under the Bahamas flag (MMSI 311000950) and was registered in Nassau.

Albatros Expeditions’ itineraries include Arctic Europe (Svalbard, Norway, the Faroe Islands, Scotland), Arctic Canada (with Greenland and Iceland), and Antarctica (with Patagonia/Chilean Fjords and SGSSI – South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands).

Ocean Albatros entered service as the replacement for Ocean Atlantic (1986-built, also owned by SunStone Ships).

In April 2025, SunStone Ships sold the vessel to Polar Latitudes. Since October 2025, she has been owned and operated by Polar Latitudes Expeditions, a new travel brand established through the merger of Polar Latitudes and Albatros Travel Group.

Ship technology

Ocean Albatros is the sixth in a planned ten-vessel series built to the “Ulstein CX103” (Infinity-Class) design, with sisterships Greg Mortimer (2019-Aug), Ocean Victory (2021-March), Ocean Explorer (2021-Jan), Sylvia Earle (2022-Oct), Ocean Odyssey (2022-Oct), and Douglas Mawson (2025). Four additional units were planned but later canceled and replaced by the new BOUNDLESS-Class vessels.

The patented ULSTEIN X-BOW is among the vessel’s most distinctive expedition-ship features. Ocean Albatros incorporates the latest technologies in naval engineering. Technical management is provided by Cruise Management International (Miami-based passenger vessel management company), while hotel operations are handled by CMI Leisure Miami.

The interior design for all SunStone-owned Infinity-Class ships was developed by Tomas Tillberg Design (Weston, Florida).

With the highest passenger-ship ice-class rating of 1A (Polar Class 6 / PC6), MS Ocean Albatros has icebreaking capability up to 1 m (3 ft) and complies with the latest Polar Code requirements. She offers enhanced safety and environmental performance.

The ULSTEIN X-BOW design improves stability and minimizes vertical motion in heavy seas, allowing the vessel to maintain smoother, faster transits with reduced fuel consumption and lower emissions.

The ship is equipped with advanced propulsion and return-to-port systems, as well as dynamic positioning technology. These computer-controlled systems automatically maintain the vessel’s position through thrusters and propellers, providing stable floating conditions for Zodiac operations without the need for anchoring.

Shipboard facilities

The newbuild expedition ship features extensive outdoor observation spaces, including a fore-located Observation Deck with two Hydraulic Platforms and two Viewing Platforms; a stern marina (watersports platform supporting sea kayaking, snorkeling and scuba programs); and a fleet of 20 Zodiac boats used for landings and tender operations. The aft Zodiac loading platform is a new design, allowing faster and more efficient boarding. The Sun Deck (top deck forward) is furnished with premium garden furniture (sofas, armchairs, loungers) and used for wildlife viewing and relaxation. At the top-deck bow is the Observation Lounge with its own bar; midship is the funnel with four exhaust stacks.

Additional facilities include a Medical Centre (Infirmary), Change Room (Mudroom), Bar Lounge (lecture theater forward on Deck 5), Dining Room Restaurant, Ship Shop, Lobby (Reception Desk), Library, Art Room, Wellness Centre (Fitness, Spa, Sauna, Massage Treatment Rooms), Lower Sun Deck (Deck 7 aft, with lifeboats and liferafts), and Upper Sun Deck (Deck 8 midship, with sunbathing areas and two whirlpool hot tubs).

Four Zodiac Docks (two per side at sea level) serve as launching areas for small boats.

When operated by Albatros Expeditions, Ocean Albatros offers exclusive amenities through brand partnerships with Gerard Bertrand (organic wines and wine-tasting menus) and Julius Meinl (organic coffees and teas). Albatros also introduced the Polar Spa (specialty treatments and massages) and upgraded Suite-class services, including dedicated butler service, complimentary minibar, free laundry and pressing, in-cabin dining with daily canapés, an Espresso machine (Julius Meinl), and unlimited access to the specialty restaurant.

Decks and Cabins

Ocean Albatros staterooms (95 total) provide accommodation for up to 190 passengers. Cabin categories include 68 Balcony, 9 French Balcony, and 16 Porthole cabins. The vessel is served by 100 crew and staff, housed in 57 crew cabins. Most accommodations (80%, excluding Deck 3 Porthole cabins) feature private step-out balconies with sliding floor-to-ceiling glass doors. Each balcony is furnished with a small table and two deck chairs. Sixty percent of all cabins support triple occupancy with a pull-out sofabed.

• Standard room amenities include hotel beds (King-size or two twins, 200 x 160 cm, with ample under-bed storage), a sofabed, bedside cabinets, a mirrored vanity (writing desk/dressing table) with chair, built-in dressers with drawers, mini-bar/refrigerator, 42-inch smart HDTV (local and satellite channels), phone (onboard communication only), digital clock/alarm, a seating area (small table with one or two armchairs), a spacious wardrobe (closet with hangers, drawers, electronic safe), individual climate control, and a medical emergency button.
• Each stateroom has a private bathroom with shower/WC, hairdryer, and premium bath amenities.
• Suites are offered in three categories—CS (Captain’s Suite), JS (Junior Suite), and BS (Balcony Suite). These are the largest accommodations, featuring double-size balconies and added amenities such as in-room dining (continental breakfast served on the balcony).

The ship has 20 pairs of connecting balcony cabins that may be booked as a single family stateroom accommodating up to six guests. There are no wheelchair-accessible cabins.

Unlike her sisterships, Ocean Albatros features a Double-Bedroom Family Suite (two interconnecting French Balcony Suites on Deck 7) accommodating up to five guests.

The vessel has eight decks, including six passenger-accessible decks and four decks with cabins.

Itineraries

In early December 2021, Albatros Expeditions announced that due to construction delays, Ocean Albatros’ inaugural season would be postponed. The previously released 2022–2023 program was canceled.

The delays resulted from COVID-related disruptions, including global supply chain issues and workforce quarantines at the Chinese shipyard.

The chartered-from-SunStone Ocean Albatros operates expedition voyages in the Arctic (Norway’s Svalbard Archipelago, Iceland, Greenland) and to the Antarctic Peninsula and the South Shetland Islands, as well as expeditions into the Weddell Sea and the Southern Ocean, visiting the British overseas territories South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands and the Falkland Islands.

Ocean Albatros’ 2023 program began with an 8-day Maiden Voyage on June 15, 2023, from Longyearbyen (Spitsbergen Island, Svalbard). The spring–summer Arctic deployment included itineraries in Arctic Europe (Norway’s Svalbard Archipelago and Jan Mayen Island), Greenland and Iceland, as well as Arctic Canada and the USA via the Northwest Passage.

The inaugural Antarctic voyage (roundtrip from Ushuaia, Argentina) was scheduled for October 30, 2023.