Poseidon Expeditions is a provider of polar expeditions. The company was started in 1999 as a

tour operator A tour operator is a business that typically combines and organizes accommodations, meals, sightseeing and transportation components, in order to create a package tour. They advertise and produce brochures to promote their products, holidays and ...

specializing in expedition cruises to the

North Pole The North Pole, also known as the Geographic North Pole or Terrestrial North Pole, is the point in the Northern Hemisphere where the Earth's axis of rotation meets its surface. It is called the True North Pole to distinguish from the Mag ...

and the Russian High Arctic aboard

icebreaker An icebreaker is a special-purpose ship or boat designed to move and navigate through ice-covered waters, and provide safe waterways for other boats and ships. Although the term usually refers to ice-breaking ships, it may also refer to smaller ...

s and ice-strengthened ships.

History of Poseidon Expeditions

* Poseidon Expeditions is a United Kingdom company established in 1999. In 2001 it operated the first North Pole cruise aboard the 100 passenger nuclear-powered Yamal icebreaker. * In 2003 it operated two cruises to

Franz Josef Land , native_name = , image_name = Map of Franz Josef Land-en.svg , image_caption = Map of Franz Josef Land , image_size = , map_image = Franz Josef Land location-en.svg , map_caption = Location of Franz Josef ...

and

Svalbard Svalbard ( , ), also known as Spitsbergen, or Spitzbergen, is a Norwegian archipelago in the Arctic Ocean. North of mainland Europe, it is about midway between the northern coast of Norway and the North Pole. The islands of the group range ...

aboard the 100-passenger conventionally propelled icebreaker Kapitan Dranitsyn. * In 2004 it operated the inaugural "Transpolar Bridge" expedition cruise through the

Northeast Passage The Northeast Passage (abbreviated as NEP) is the shipping route between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, along the Arctic coasts of Norway and Russia. The western route through the islands of Canada is accordingly called the Northwest Passage (N ...

, including

, North Pole,

Severnaya Zemlya Severnaya Zemlya (russian: link=no, Сéверная Земля́ (Northern Land), ) is a archipelago in the Russian high Arctic. It lies off Siberia's Taymyr Peninsula, separated from the mainland by the Vilkitsky Strait. This archipelago s ...

Archipelago,

Taymyr Peninsula The Taymyr Peninsula (russian: Таймырский полуостров, Taymyrsky poluostrov) is a peninsula in the Far North of Russia, in the Siberian Federal District, that forms the northernmost part of the mainland of Eurasia. Administrati ...

Lena River The Lena (russian: Ле́на, ; evn, Елюенэ, ''Eljune''; sah, Өлүөнэ, ''Ölüöne''; bua, Зүлхэ, ''Zülkhe''; mn, Зүлгэ, ''Zülge'') is the easternmost of the three great Siberian rivers that flow into the Arctic Ocean ...

Delta,

New Siberian Islands The New Siberian Islands ( rus, Новосиби́рские Oстрова, r=Novosibirskiye Ostrova; sah, Саҥа Сибиир Aрыылара, translit=Saña Sibiir Arıılara) are an archipelago in the Extreme North of Russia, to the north o ...

and

Wrangel Island Wrangel Island ( rus, О́стров Вра́нгеля, r=Ostrov Vrangelya, p=ˈostrəf ˈvrangʲɪlʲə; ckt, Умӄиԓир, translit=Umqiḷir) is an island of the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, Russia. It is the 91st largest island in the w ...

aboard the Yamal. * In 2005 It operated the inaugural "Pearls of the Russian Arctic" expedition cruise including

Novaya Zemlya Novaya Zemlya (, also , ; rus, Но́вая Земля́, p=ˈnovəjə zʲɪmˈlʲa, ) is an archipelago in northern Russia. It is situated in the Arctic Ocean, in the extreme northeast of Europe, with Cape Flissingsky, on the northern island, ...

, Oranskie Islands, Vise Island, Severnaya Zemlya and the ruins of Khabarovo Gulag aboard the Kapitan Dranitsyn. * in 2007 it Introduced a new destination to the travel market: the

Russian Far East The Russian Far East (russian: Дальний Восток России, r=Dal'niy Vostok Rossii, p=ˈdalʲnʲɪj vɐˈstok rɐˈsʲiɪ) is a region in Northeast Asia. It is the easternmost part of Russia and the Asian continent; and is admini ...

(

Kamchatka The Kamchatka Peninsula (russian: полуостров Камчатка, Poluostrov Kamchatka, ) is a peninsula in the Russian Far East, with an area of about . The Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Okhotsk make up the peninsula's eastern and wes ...

Kuril Islands The Kuril Islands or Kurile Islands (; rus, Кури́льские острова́, r=Kuril'skiye ostrova, p=kʊˈrʲilʲskʲɪjə ɐstrɐˈva; Japanese: or ) are a volcanic archipelago currently administered as part of Sakhalin Oblast in the ...

). aboard 115-passenger conventionally propelled Marina Tsvetaeva (now MV Ortelius). * In 2008 it chartered the 128 passenger nuclear-powered icebreaker '' 50 Years of Victory'' during its first season in tourism service. It's one of the world’s largest, most-powerful nuclear icebreaker, capable of breaking through ice up to 2.5 meters (9.2 feet) thick! * On July 30, 2013, for the 100th time, the North Pole was reached via icebreaker navigation. * In 2014 it began operating

Antarctic The Antarctic ( or , American English also or ; commonly ) is a polar region around Earth's South Pole, opposite the Arctic region around the North Pole. The Antarctic comprises the continent of Antarctica, the Kerguelen Plateau and other ...

expedition cruises aboard a small conventionally powered ship ''

Sea Explorer This is a list of maritime explorers. The list includes explorers which had contributed, and continue to contribute to human knowledge of the planet's geography, weather, biodiversity, human cultures, the expansion of trade, or established communic ...

'' with one voyage including the

Falkland Islands The Falkland Islands (; es, Islas Malvinas, link=no ) is an archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean on the Patagonian Shelf. The principal islands are about east of South America's southern Patagonian coast and about from Cape Dubouzet ...

South Georgia South Georgia ( es, Isla San Pedro) is an island in the South Atlantic Ocean that is part of the British Overseas Territory of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands. It lies around east of the Falkland Islands. Stretching in the east� ...

. * In 2015 ot began operating polar cruises to the Arctic and Antarctic aboard all-suite expedition ship, MV ''Sea Spirit''. and introduced a new destination to the travel market: cruises to the British Isles. * In 2016 it marketed its first West Greenland cruises. * In 2021 it was named the world’s best operator of expedition cruises to the polar regions at the 28th annual World Travel Awards. * In 2022 it won an International Travel Award as the best polar expedition cruise operator in 2022.

Poseidon Expeditions' fleet

For 23 years of polar cruising Poseidon Expeditions has charted a number of vessels such as the Yamal icebreaker, the icebreaker Kapitan Dranitsyn, passenger ships Marina Tsvetaeva and the

. Nowadays Poseidon Expeditions operates its Arctic and Antarctic cruises aboard a small expeditions ship Sea Spirit. She can navigate into protected channels and bays that are out of bounds to larger cruise vessels. Providing spacious suites for accommodation of 114 passengers, m/v Sea Spirit at the same time features maneuverability and friendly atmosphere of small ships. The vessel has an ice-strengthened hull, a fleet of

Zodiac Nautic Zodiac Nautic is a French company best known for their widely used inflatable boats. Zodiac Nautic finds its origins in the “Zodiac airships and aviation French company”, specialized in the production of airships. In the 1930s Pierre Debroutel ...

, and a set of retractable fin stabilizers for smoother sailing. Since 2008, Poseidon Expeditions has operated

cruises aboard the 124-passenger nuclear-powered Russian icebreaker 50 Years of Victory. 50 Years of Victory, the most modern nuclear-powered icebreaker in the world, is equipped with helicopters and rubber inflatable boats, enabling travelers to explore wild Arctic areas. However, as a result of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Poseidon Expeditions has put on hold its cruises that travel in Russian territory.

Company highlights

Poseidon Expeditions offers expedition cruises to Antarctica, the North Pole and the Arctic destinations of

, Greenland,

and Iceland. It is the only operator in the industry offering direct sailing from

Longyearbyen Longyearbyen (, locally �lɔ̀ŋjɑrˌbyːən "The Longyear Town") is the world's northernmost settlement with a population greater than 1,000 and the largest inhabited area of Svalbard, Norway. It stretches along the foot of the left bank ...

to Franz Josef Land within 1.5 days. Poseidon Expeditions is a member in good standing of IAATO and AECO. The company is an advocate of the small ship concept which allows cruise passengers to have maximum time ashore and enjoy the greatest variety and selection of landing sites. Helicopter tours, photography workshops, camping, kayaking, educational lectures and briefings are offered by an expert polar team.

References

{{reflist, 2 1999 establishments in Cyprus Transport companies established in 1999 Expedition cruising Cruise lines