The Plancius departed from Scotland on May 28 to kick off Oceanwide Expeditions’ 2024 season in the Arctic.

Sailing from Aberdeen, the 116-guest expedition ship is offering a nine-night itinerary to Longyearbyen, in Norway’s Svalbard Archipelago.

The expedition cruise features visits to destinations in Northern Europe and the Arctic, such as Fair Isle, Jan Mayen, Spitsbergen and East Greenland’s ice edge.

According to Oceanwide, the voyage allows guests to explore remote areas while searching for whales, birds, and other Arctic wildlife.

The cruise marks the beginning of Oceanwide’s three-ship summer program in the region, which will also include expeditions onboard the Ortelius and the Hondius.

Continuing its schedule in the Arctic, the Plancius offers seven- to 14-night expeditions to different parts of Spitsbergen, as well as Greenland and Kvitoya.

On one of the itineraries, the Plancius sails roundtrip from Iceland for an eight-night expedition to East Greenland.

With a route designed to allow guests to see the Aurora Borealis, the voyage explores the Scoresby Sound, sailing to Jameson Land, Milne Land, Romer Fjord, Sydkap and more.

The Hondius will be the second ship to kick off its summer program in the Arctic, embarking on an expedition to North Spitsbergen on June 10, 2024.

After entering service for Oceanwide in 2019, the 174-guest vessel is set to offer a series of seven- to 14-night exploration voyages to Svalbard, Kvitoya and Greenland.

Completing the company’s fleet of expedition ships in the Arctic, the Ortelius launches its 2024 program on June 18, 2024.

The 1989-built vessel is set to offer seven- to 18-night expeditions to Spitsbergen, Bear Island, Greenland, Scoresby Sound and more.

In addition to Svalbard’s Longyearbyen, the ships also depart from the port of Akureyri, in Northern Iceland.

Before kicking off their programs in the Arctic, all Oceanwide ships underwent  planned maintenance in the Netherlands.

After ending their summer seasons in the region in mid-September, the three ships reposition to Antarctica for the winter.