Ocean Explorer

Quark Expeditions · Infinity class · 2021

Ocean Explorer measures 8,228 gross tons, with room for 138 guests. Ocean Explorer sails 10-night cruises from Ushuaia and moves to Helsinki in Apr 2027.

See cruise scheduleShip specifications
Ocean Explorer
Built
2021
Tonnage
8,228
Decks
10
Cabins
80
Guests
138
162 at full occupancy
Crew
99

Ocean Explorer cruise schedule

26 cruises in the next 12 months · open a cruise to see its itinerary · all times local

    1. Ushuaia
      ParkingHotels
      Sun 25 Oct 11:59 pm
    2. Ushuaia
      Mon 26 Oct11:59 pm11:59 pm
    3. Ushuaia
      Mon 26 Oct11:59 pm11:59 pm
    4. At sea
      Tue 27 Oct
    5. Falkland Islands
      Wed 28 Oct 11:59 pmThu 29 Oct 11:59 pm
    6. At sea
      Fri 30 Oct
    7. At sea
      Sat 31 Oct
    8. South Georgia Island
      Sun 1 Nov 11:59 pmWed 4 Nov 11:59 pm
      Port crowd
    9. At sea
      Thu 5 Nov
    10. At sea
      Fri 6 Nov
    11. Antarctica Peninsula
      Sat 7 Nov 11:59 pmTue 10 Nov 11:59 pm
    12. Drake Passage
      Wed 11 Nov 11:59 pmThu 12 Nov 11:59 pm
    13. Ushuaia
      ParkingHotels
      Fri 13 Nov 11:59 pm
      Port crowd

Showing 6 of 26 cruises

Where Ocean Explorer sails

Homeport and departures by month · Nov 2026 – Oct 2027

Most of its sailings are in the Arctic , Antarctica, with more in the Baltic, Norwegian Fjords, Russia. Ocean Explorer sails from Ushuaia (Nov 2026 – Oct 2027), Punta Arenas (Jan 2027 – Feb 2027) and Helsinki (Apr 2027 – Jul 2027).

UshuaiaPunta ArenasHelsinkiReykjavíkNumber = cruises starting that month

Ports Ocean Explorer visits

19 ports of call in the next 12 months · homeports not counted

HomeportPort of callSize = ship calls

How Ocean Explorer sails

Sailings starting in the next 12 months · Nov 2026 – Oct 2027 · from published itineraries

Sailing mix

Upcoming sailings by length

25sailings

  • Up to 5 nights0–
  • 7 nights0–
  • 6, 8 or 9 nights28%
  • 10–14 nights2288%
  • 15+ nights14%

Turnaround ports

Port intensity

Port days and sea days per cruise, between embarkation and return

Time in port
60 h
median · 24 – 168 h
Port days
92%
of days between embarkation and return
Overnight calls
44
staying past midnight
Late departures
132
after 8:00 pm · latest 11:59 pm

Cruise patterns

  • 5 ports · 0 sea days10 nights18 cruises
  • 5 ports · 2 sea days9 nights1 cruise
  • 4 ports · 0 sea days8 nights1 cruise
  • 5 ports · 0 sea days11 nights1 cruise
  • 9 ports · 2 sea days10 nights1 cruise

Port daySea dayEmbarkation and return days not shown

Sea days are the days between embarkation and return with no port call. Hours in port run from arrival to departure; calls with unpublished times are left out. Late departure = leaving a port of call after 8:00 pm, local time.

Ocean Explorer specifications

From the cruise line and ship registries · metric units

Ship

Cruise line
Quark Expeditions
Class
Infinity class
Year built
2021
Status
In service
IMO
9883194
MMSI
255806393

Size

Gross tonnage
8,228 GT
Length
104.4 m
Beam
18.4 m
Decks
10
Cruising speed
16 knots

Capacity

Guests, double occupancy
138
Guests, full occupancy
162
Cabins
80
Crew
99
Guests per crew member
1.4
Space per guest
59.6 GT

How it compares

332nd largest of 350 ships in service, shared with Ocean Odyssey

Gross tonnage

  • Ocean Explorer8,228
  • Quark Expeditions average9,985
  • All ships in service91,156

Guests, double occupancy

  • Ocean Explorer138
  • Quark Expeditions average182
  • All ships in service2,189

Infinity class sister ships

Same design and size as Ocean Explorer

See the Quark Expeditions fleet

Also from Quark Expeditions: Ultramarine

About Ocean Explorer

Ocean Explorer is an Infinity-class polar expedition ship, delivered in July 2021 by China Merchants Heavy Industry at Haimen, China, to owner SunStone on long-term charter to Vantage. In September 2023 she ran aground in Alpefjord, Northeast Greenland, and was pulled free three days later with no injuries. She joined Quark Expeditions for the 2024-25 Antarctic season and carries 138 guests.