Polar Latitudes has kicked off its Antarctica program with the Seaventure, the ship formerly known as the Bremen, sailing for Hapag-Lloyd Cruises.
The ship departed Ushuaia on Nov. 23 for a 19-night round voyage exploring the Southern Ocean and its wildlife, South Georgia for four nights (which includes the Eclipse Day on Dec. 3) and the bays and channels of the Antarctic Peninsula on Dec. 5-9, before heading back to Ushuaia via the Drake Passage.
According to Polar Latitudes, the Seaventure passengers will be viewing the eclipse from a position on the centerline between South Georgia and the South Orkney Islands with onboard presentations by guest astronomer Alex Filippenko.
The Bremen was bought by the Swiss shipping company Scylla in 2019 and is now being chartered out to Polar Latitudes as the Seaventure during the winter season. Scylla’s in-house brand, VIVA, operates the Seaventure in Northern Europe during the summer season.
Formerly chartering the Hebridean and Island Sky, Polar Latitudes is down to a single ship in 2021, operating the Seaventure for the 2021-2022 season and beyond. The Island Sky is expected to rejoin the Polar Latitudes fleet for the 2022-2023 season.
Scylla inked the deal to acquire the 1990-built Bremen in 2019, with delivery in 2021. In July 2020, Hapag-Lloyd announced that the ship would be retired even earlier than expected.
The ship then sailed to Antwerp for a quick yard stay with small updates and a fresh coat of paint. Apart from the Seaventure, Scylla has a fleet of riverboats.
