Ocean Explorer Marks Five Years of Polar Expedition Service
Its 2026 program includes Northwest Passage sailings and South Atlantic voyages combining the Falkland Islands, South Georgia and Antarctica.
Ocean Explorer has completed five years of service. The SunStone Ships vessel now operates year-round for Quark Expeditions in the Arctic and Antarctica. China Merchants Heavy Industry delivered the ship in Hainan on July 14, 2021, as the second vessel in SunStone’s Infinity-class series.
Originally chartered to Vantage Deluxe World Travel, Ocean Explorer sailed for that company through 2023. After Vantage ceased operations, Aurora Expeditions took an initial charter, and the ship entered Quark service in October 2024 as the replacement for the 1976-built Ocean Adventurer.
From Hainan to its maiden polar season
Ocean Explorer departed its building yard without passengers and sailed to Manila to embark crew. A technical call in Valletta followed before the vessel continued to Poole, United Kingdom, where it began its maiden season in late August 2021. Vantage deployed the ship on expedition itineraries in the Arctic and Antarctica.
How the ship is built
The 8,228-gross-ton ship is approximately 342 feet long and 60 feet wide. It has 70 cabins, capacity for 138 passengers and about 105 crew and staff. The ship carries 15 Zodiacs.
Ocean Explorer has an Ice Class 1A and PC6 hull, along with an X-bow, dynamic positioning and zero-speed stabilizers. The vessel was also designed to meet Safe Return to Port requirements and has a maximum speed of approximately 16.5 knots.
SunStone’s Infinity class now comprises seven ships. The latest addition, Douglas Mawson, entered service with Aurora Expeditions in late 2025.
Where Ocean Explorer sails in 2026
Ocean Explorer’s 2026 schedule includes Northwest Passage expeditions and voyages in the South Atlantic and Antarctic regions. Other voyages combine the Falkland Islands, South Georgia and Antarctica.
