m/v Plancius

m/v Plancius

M/v "Plancius" was built in 1976 as an oceanographic research vessel for the Royal Dutch Navy and was named "Hr. Ms. Tydeman". The ship sailed for the Dutch Navy until June 2004 and was eventually purchased by Oceanwide Expeditions.

The vessel was completely rebuilt as a 114-passenger vessel in 2009 and complies with the latest SOLAS-regulations (Safety Of Life At Sea). M/v "Plancius" is classed by Lloyd's Register in London and flies the Dutch flag.

Check here our Plancius flyer with all details. (PDF)

M/v "Plancius" accommodates 114 passengers in 53 passenger cabins with private toilet and shower in 4 quadruple porthole cabins, 2 triple porthole cabins, 9 twin porthole cabins, 26 twin cabins with window and 2 twin deluxe cabins, all (ca. 15 square meters) and 10 twin superior cabins (ca. 21 square meters).

All cabins offer lower berths (one queen-size bed in the superior cabins and two songle beds in the twin cabins), except for the 4 quadruple cabins (for 4 persons in 2x upper and lower beds), and 2 triple cabins (1 bunk bed plus 1 lower bed).

The vessel offers a restaurant/lecture room on deck 3 and a spacious observation lounge (with bar) on deck 5 with large windows, offering full panorama view. M/v "Plancius" has large open deck spaces (with full walk-around possibilities on deck 3), giving excellent opportunities to enjoy the scenery and wildlife. She is furthermore equipped with 10 Mark V zodiacs, including 40 HP 4-stroke outboard engines and 2 gangways on the starboard side, guaranteeing a swift zodiac operation.

M/v "Plancius" is comfortable and nicely decorated, but is not a luxury vessel. Our voyages in the Arctic and Antarctic regions are and will still be primarily defined by an exploratory educational travel programme, spending as much time ashore as possible. This vessel will fully meet our demands to achieve this.

The vessel is equipped with a diesel-electric propulsion system which reduces the noise and vibration of the engines considerably. The 3 diesel engines generate 1.230 horse-power each, giving the vessel a speed of 10 - 12 knots. The vessel is ice-strengthened and was specially built for oceanographic voyages.

M/v "Plancius" is manned by 17 nautical crew, 19 hotel staff (6 chefs, 1 hotel manager, 1 steward-barman and 11 stewards / cabin cleaners), 8 expedition staff (1 expedition leader and 7 guides-lecturers) and 1 doctor.


Ice class: Plancius was built for Ice conditions. To reach these ice-conditions she has a strengthened bow and stern. The hull is thicker and the whole construction on the waterline of the vessel is reinforced by using extra frames. Where the normal frame spacing is 65cm, we have on the bow-line and stern also frames in between so there the frame spacing is approx 30cm. Because Plancius was built to do surveys she has a special six blade bronze propeller, the shape of the propeller makes Plancius a very silent ship. Plancius has a Lloyds class notation 100A1 Passenger ship, Ice Class 1D at a draught of 5 meters (which is our waterline).

Length:
89 meters (293 feet)
Breadth:
14,5 meters (47 feet)
Draft:
5 meters (16 feet)
Ice class:
1D
Displacement:
3175 tonnes
Engines:
3x Diesel-Electric
Speed:
10 - 12 knots
Passengers:
114 in 53 cabins

Cabins:
M/v Plancius accomodates 53 passenger cabins, all with private toilet and shower, as follows:
4x Quadruple cabins with private facilities
2x Triple cabins with private facilities
37x Twin cabins with private facilities, lower berths (two single beds)
10x Superior cabins with private facilities, double beds

Deckplan:
Download here the Deckplan of
m/v Plancius season Antarctic 2011/2012 in JPEG.

Download here the Deckplan of
m/v Plancius season Arctic 2012 in JPEG

Download here the Deckplan of
m/v Plancius season Antarctic
2012/13
in JPEG



Click here for more Plancius images.

The vessel offers a restaurant/lecture room on deck 3 and a spacious observation lounge (with bar) on deck 5 with large windows, offering full panorama view.

M/v “Plancius” has large open deck spaces (with full walk-around possibilities on deck 3), giving excellent opportunities to enjoy the scenery and wildlife.

Check here for more Plancius images.

Age Range & Nationality
Passengers on a typical voyage range from their 30s to their 80s - with a majority usually from 45 - 65. Our expeditions attract independent-minded travellers from around the world. They are characterised by a strong interest in exploring remote regions. The camaraderie and spirit that develops aboard is an important part of the expedition experience. Many departures have several nationalities on board. 

Combating sea sickness
Anticipate some rough water on the voyage. Should you be prone to motion or sea sickness, please consult your physician which medication is appropriate and its side effects.
To avert motion sickness, avoid alcohol, tobacco, excess liquids, and confined spaces. Most people feel better sitting on deck looking at the horizon or prone with eyes shut. Oddly, you will feel better with some food, such as crackers or dry toast in your stomach. Many people eat to avoid feeling sick. Remember, once you start to experience motion sickness, medications are of little help.

Dress code
In keeping with our expeditions atmosphere, dress on board is informal. Bring casual and comfortable clothing for all activities. Keep in mind that much of the spectacular scenery can be appreciated from deck, which can be slippery. Bring sturdy shoes with no-slip soles and make sure the parka is never far away in case of the call "Whales!" comes over the loudspeaker and you have to dash outside. Wear layers since it is comfortably warm aboard the ship - and often cold on deck.

Gratuities
The customary gratuity to the ship's service personnel is made as a blanket contribution at the end of the voyage which is divided among the crew. You will receive detailed guidelines aboard. Tipping is a very personal matter and the amount you wish to give is at your discretion. As a generally accepted guideline, we suggest US$8 to US$10 per person per day. It is better for the crew, if we can give them cash US Dollar.

Non-smoking policy
On board our vessels we have a non-smoking policy. It is prohibited to smoke inside the ship. You can smoke on deck but do not throw your cigarette filter overboard ! Do not smoke on the aft deck in the proximity of zodiacs, engines and fuel. Please respect the wishes of non-smokers.

Your physical condition
You must be in good general health and you should be able to walk several hours per day. The expedition is ship-based and physically not very demanding. Although we spend as much time as possible ashore, you are welcome to remain aboard the ship if you like. To join most excursions, you must be able to get up and down the steep gangway from the ship to the water level to board the Zodiacs. Staff will assist you in and out of the boats. This will become progressively easier with practice. Ashore it can be slippery and rocky. You are travelling in remote areas without access to sophisticated medical facilities, so you must not join this expedition if you have a life-threatening condition, or need daily medical treatment.

Voyages & Rates

If you want to go straight to our dates and rates, please click 'view all' and you will find a total list with all of our voyages.

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Plancius and Ortelius vessel tracking

35 Trips found with this vessel: Please click below on the trip of your choice to see more details (prices, day by day itinerary, etc.)

* = Departure is currently under charter or sold out.

Code Voyage Start
'dd/mm/yyyy'
End
'dd/mm/yyyy'
Duration Vessel
PLA06 PLA06 North Spitsbergen, Basecamp 201225/06/201204/07/201209 nights / 10 daysm/v Plancius
PLA07 PLA07 Around Spitsbergen 201204/07/201213/07/201209 nights / 10 daysm/v Plancius
PLA08 *PLA08 Around Spitsbergen 201213/07/201222/07/201209 nights / 10 daysm/v Plancius
PLA09 PLA09 Around Spitsbergen 201222/07/201231/07/201209 nights / 10 daysm/v Plancius
PLA10 PLA10 Around Spitsbergen 201231/07/201209/08/201209 nights / 10 daysm/v Plancius
PLA11 PLA11 Around Spitsbergen - Kvitoya 201209/08/201219/08/201210 nights / 11 daysm/v Plancius
PLA12 PLA12 North Spitsbergen - Polar Bear Special 201219/08/201226/08/201207 nights / 08 daysm/v Plancius
PLA13 PLA13 Northeast Greenland 201226/08/201207/09/201212 nights / 13 daysm/v Plancius
PLA20 PLA20 South Georgia 2012/201317/10/201203/11/201217 nights / 18 daysm/v Plancius
PLA21 PLA21 Falkland Islands - South Georgia - Antarctic Peninsula 2012/201303/11/201222/11/201219 nights / 20 daysm/v Plancius
PLA22 PLA22 Antarctic Peninsula - Basecamp Plancius 2012/201322/11/201203/12/201211 nights / 12 daysm/v Plancius
PLA23 PLA23 Antarctic Peninsula with South Shetland Islands 2012/201303/12/201213/12/201210 nights / 11 daysm/v Plancius
PLA24 PLA24 Antarctic Peninsula with South Shetland Islands 2012/201313/12/201222/12/201209 nights / 10 daysm/v Plancius
PLA25 PLA25 Antarctic Peninsula with South Shetland Islands 2012/201322/12/201202/01/201311 nights / 12 daysm/v Plancius
PLA26 PLA26 Falkland Islands - South Georgia - Antarctic Peninsula 2012/201302/01/201320/01/201318 nights / 19 daysm/v Plancius
PLA27 PLA27 Falkland Islands - South Georgia - Antarctic Peninsula 2012/201320/01/201307/02/201318 nights / 19 daysm/v Plancius
PLA28 PLA28 Antarctic Peninsula 2012/201307/02/201317/02/201310 nights / 11 daysm/v Plancius
PLA29 PLA29 Antarctic Peninsula 2012/201317/02/201326/02/201309 nights / 10 daysm/v Plancius
PLA30 PLA30 Antarctic Peninsula - Basecamp Plancius 2012/201326/02/201309/03/201311 nights / 12 daysm/v Plancius
PLA31 PLA31 Polar Circle - Antarctic Peninsula 2012/201309/03/201320/03/201311 nights / 12 daysm/v Plancius
PLA32 PLA32 Antarctic Peninsula - Whale watching, wildlife & photography voyage 2012/201320/03/201329/03/201309 nights / 10 daysm/v Plancius
PLA33 PLA33 Atlantic Odyssey, Ushuaia - Ascension 2012/201329/03/201329/04/201331 nights / 32 daysm/v Plancius
PLA34 PLA34 Atlantic Odyssey, Ascension - Cape Verde 2012/201329/04/201305/05/201306 nights / 07 daysm/v Plancius
PLA35 PLA35 Pelagic West Africa 2012-201305/05/201313/05/201308 nights / 09 daysm/v Plancius
PLA04a PLA04a Fair Isle - Jan Mayen - Spitsbergen, Whale Safari 201308/06/201319/06/201311 nights / 12 daysm/v Plancius
PLA04b PLA04b Fair Isle - Jan Mayen - Spitsbergen, Whale Safari 201310/06/201319/06/201309 nights / 10 daysm/v Plancius
PLA05 PLA05 North Spitsbergen 201319/06/201326/06/201307 nights / 08 daysm/v Plancius
PLA06 PLA06 North Spitsbergen 201326/06/201303/07/201307 nights / 08 daysm/v Plancius
PLA07 PLA07 Around Spitsbergen - Basecamp Plancius 201303/07/201312/07/201309 nights / 10 daysm/v Plancius
PLA08 PLA08 Around Spitsbergen 201312/07/201321/07/201309 nights / 10 daysm/v Plancius
PLA09 PLA09 Around Spitsbergen 201321/07/201330/07/201309 nights / 10 daysm/v Plancius
PLA10 PLA10 Around Spitsbergen 201330/07/201308/08/201309 nights / 10 daysm/v Plancius
PLA11 PLA11 Around Spitsbergen - Kvitoya 201308/08/201318/08/201310 nights / 11 daysm/v Plancius
PLA12 PLA12 North Spitsbergen - Kvitoya 201318/08/201325/08/201307 nights / 08 daysm/v Plancius
PLA13 PLA13 Northeast Greenland 201325/08/201306/09/201312 nights / 13 daysm/v Plancius