Plantours has announced that it will operate the Hamburg exclusively on marine gas oil starting Jan. 1, 2020, as required by IMO regulations.

The 15,000-ton, 400-passenger Hamburg sails in Antarctica during the winter season, where HFO is banned, and is returning to Europe next spring.

She will then sail on MGO in all her trades, according to Oliver Steuber, managing director.

The company’s summer program includes the Arctic, with destinations such as Iceland, Greenland and Svalbard, as well as the Great Lakes.

The Hamburg is the former Columbus, built in Germany at the former MTW, and entered service for Hapag-Lloyd in 1997. She has been operated by Bremen-based Plantours under a charter agreement since 2012. The company also operates a number of river vessels.