Plancius Christened
Saturday 14 November 2009, the Polar Expedition vessel Plancius was christened at the port of Flushing in the Netherlands. 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 finally purchased by Oceanwide Expeditions. She is available for Polar expeditions in January 2010, the vessel shall be completely rebuilt as a 110-passenger vessel and shall comply with the latest SOLAS-regulations. M/v Plancius is classed by Lloyd’s Register in London and will fly the Dutch flag.
M/v Plancius will be comfortable and nicely decorated, but is not a luxurious vessel. Her voyages in the Arctic and Antarctic regions are and will still be primarily defined by an exploratory educational travel programme, spending as much ashore as possible.
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 Hp each, giving the vessel a speed of 10 to 12 knots.
