The Ortelius
General Information
Named for a famous 16th century Dutch/Flemish cartographer, Ortelius was built in 1989 in Poland's famous Gdynia shipyards. Originally an ice strengthened passenger vessel, she spent many years plying the frozen waters of the Arctic and northern Pacific Oceans on behalf of her Russian owners. She was refurbished in early 2005 to provide comfortable accommodation for 100 passengers and 41 Russian crew. She was originally known as Marina Svetaeva.
Impressively stable at sea, the vessel is robust yet still small enough to explore places beyond the reach of bigger ships. The vessel has the highest ice-class notation (UL1 equivalent to 1A) and is therefore very suitable to navigate in solid one-year sea ice and loose multi-year pack ice.
The ship has spacious cabins and large public spaces, including the bridge and outer decks, library and bar. A large lecture room provides the perfect space for passengers and crew to wind down and socialise following dinner in the well appointed dining rooms.
The spacious bridge is always open to passengers and the decks are ideal for photography from the ship, as well as excellent places to watch for wildlife. In the bar/lounge area, you can relax and also find a good collection of polar books. Enjoy entertaining lectures on the flora, fauna, history and glaciology as well as photographic techniques. Meals prepared by an excellent European chef are served in two comfortable dining halls, keeping us warm and full of energy for the next wildlife encounter. Landings are made possible by a small fleet of Zodiacs with outboard motors.
Ship specifications
| Registry | Kholmsk, Russia |
| IMO Number | 8509181 |
| Call sign | UFKU |
| Year built | 1989 / Poland |
| Rebuilt and Refurbished | December 2004 and June 2005 |
| Ice Class, Lloyds Equivalent | 100 1A Super |
| Length overall | 91.25m |
| Length pp | 78.45m |
| Breadth | 17.61m |
| Draft max | 5.8 |
| Passenger capacity | 133 (182 number of persons) |
| Crew capacity | 49 |
| Gross tonnage | 4575 |
| Net tonnage | 1417 |
| Deadweight, Normal operation | 804 m. ton |
| Speed max | 14.3 knots |
| Speed normal cruising | 12 knots |
| Life Boats / Rescue Boats | Two / Two |
| Life Rafts | Four |
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Accommodations
| Triple with shared bath | Located on deck 3, these cabins have two lower and two upper berths (four total), washbasin, desk, wardrobe and two non-opening 35cm portholes. Facilities are shared. |
| Double with shared bath | Located on decks 3 and 4, these cabins have two lower and two upper berths (four total), washbasin, desk, wardrobe and two non-opening 35cm portholes. Facilities are shared. |
| Double with private bath | Located on deck 4, these cabins have two lower and two upper berths (four total), washbasin, desk, wardrobe and two non-opening 35cm portholes. Facilities are private. |
| Superior with private bath | Located on deck 5, these cabins have two lower berths, desk, wardrobe and two 40 x 60cm windows, one of which opens. Facilities are private. |
| Mini-suite with private bath | Located on deck 5, these larger cabins have two lower berths, desk, wardrobe and two 40 x 60cm windows, one of which opens. Facilities are private. |
| Suite with private bath | Located on decks 4 and 5, these cabins have two rooms, one double and one twin bed in the sleeping quarters, and a desk, sofa, and fridge in the sitting room. Facilities are private. |
| Large suite with private bath | Located on deck 5, this cabin has two rooms, one double and one twin bed in the sleeping quarters, and a desk, sofa, and fridge in the sitting room. Facilities are private. |
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Deck Plan
Ortelius Deck Plan (Note: cabin sizes in diagram are not representative of exact cabin size)
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