Quark Expeditions has taken delivery of its new polar vessel, Ultramarine.
The official handover took place in Split, Croatia, attended by Malcolm Ellis, Senior Vice President of Operations for Quark Expeditions, and members of the Brodosplit shipyard team.
“Today, we took ownership of more than a new ship. We officially welcomed into our fleet a game-changing vessel that will soon become an unrivalled operational base for polar adventures,” said Andrew White, President of Quark Expeditions.
“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. This new vessel–in the hands of the most experienced team in the expedition industry–will allow us to create truly immersive off-ship adventures for our guests while providing them with a superior onboard experience.”
The 128-metre ship was delivered after more than five years of dedicated work.
“This commitment of time and money, especially during an industry-challenging pandemic, reflects our confidence in the future of polar travel and underscores our commitment to delivering life-changing polar experiences no one ever thought possible,” White said.
Ultramarine’s highlights include:
- Accommodates 199 guests
- Two twin-engine helicopters and two heliports onboard
- 20 quick-deploy Zodiacs
- Large selection of adventure options, allowing guests to customize their polar experience with activities like flightseeing, heli-hiking and helicopter-supported alpine kayaking.
- Advanced sustainability features -- The vessel’s sustainability features include the Micro Auto Gasification System (MAGS), which is the industry-leading system that converts waste into energy at the site that it's generated. MAGs eliminates the environmental impact of waste transportation, offering an innovative sustainability feature that exceeds all industry standards.
