Brodosplit officially laid the keel for the new Ultramarine for Quark Expeditions on Friday.

The new expedition ship is set to debut at the end of 2020 and is one of over 40 new expedition ships set to enter the market between now and 2023.

Brodosplit, located in Croatia, laid the keel and also held the coin ceremony, welcoming a coin to the keel of the ship for good luck.

The 13,000-ton ship features two twin-engine helicopters and two helidecks.

The Ultramarine will also be the only ship in the polar waters to offer every off-ship adventure in Quark Expeditions’ adventure activity portfolio – including sea kayaking, paddling, hiking, mountaineering, cross-country skiing, stand up paddle boarding and now, for the first time ever, helicopter flight-seeing, heli-hiking and heli-skiing.

In addition, Ultramarine will house 20 Zodiacs, located close to the waterline, which can be quickly deployed from both sides of the vessel at four embarkation points that will be easily accessible from two passenger ready rooms, allowing guests to get off the ship in less than 20 minutes.

Optimized fuel, water, provisioning, and waste-handling systems will enable a best-in-class, 70-day operational range that will allow Ultramarine to offer up a complete new set of polar experiences.