Dutch-based exploratory Polar cruise operator, Oceanwide Expeditions, has ordered a 180-passenger, ice-strengthened ship at Brodosplit shipyard in Croatia.

The ship, called the m/v Hondius, will be the strongest ice-strengthened vessel in the Polar regions once delivered in the first half of 2019, according to Oceanwide.

Hondius will be the first vessel to be built to class “LR PC6”, meeting the latest and highest demands of Lloyd’s Register for “Polar Class 6” vessels, the highest Polar Class notation for ice-strengthened passenger vessels.

The vessel will also be built according to the latest requirements of the International Maritime Organization, in particular concerning the safety of life at sea (SOLAS) and the prevention of pollution from ships (MARPOL) for passenger vessels.

“We currently sail with our ice-strengthened 116-passenger vessels Plancius and Ortelius, and the Hondius will give us the opportunity to accommodate more travelers, to grow as a company, and to offer new, innovative products in the Polar regions,” said Oceanwide Expeditions’ CEO, Michel van Gessel.

“The name Hondius follows our custom to name our ships for celebrated Dutch-Flemish cartographers who continue to inspire us as we carry on their passion for exploration and discovery.”

Hondius was specially designed to support and serve Oceanwide’s exploratory programs and activity-based shore excursions in the Arctic and Antarctica, Oceanwide said.

The vessel will be 107 meters long, with a breadth of 17.6 meters. It will be equipped with two main engines for a total of 4,200 kW, generating a speed of 15 knots.