Oceanwide Expeditions has moved the first of its three Antarctic vessels south, repositioning the 116-passenger Plancius from its home port of Vlissingen in the Netherlands in late September after the ship completed its Arctic summer program.

The repositioning marks the operational start of Oceanwide's 2026-27 Antarctic season, which the company will run with three ships: the Plancius, the Hondius and the Ortelius. All three will operate from Ushuaia, Argentina, through early April before returning to the Northern Hemisphere for Arctic expeditions.

The Plancius is en route to Puerto Madryn, Argentina, with arrival scheduled for October 24, 2026. There the 1979-built vessel will embark guests for a 20-night expedition covering the Falkland Islands, South Georgia and the Antarctic Peninsula, ending in Ushuaia.

"After a short resupply and maintenance period, we waved her off from her home port of Vlissingen, restocked and raring to go," Oceanwide said in a statement. The company marked the departure with a social media post wishing the vessel "bon voyage."

Oceanwide is positioning the voyage for a specific buyer segment: photographers. The company describes the cruise, staffed with a special expedition team, as an opportunity for professional photographers and enthusiasts. That framing gives agents a clear angle for selling a long, higher-commitment sailing on a 46-year-old converted vessel in a market where expedition capacity is increasingly concentrated in newbuild tonnage.

The itinerary is condition-dependent — Oceanwide notes the final route hinges on ice and weather — but planned calls include Half Moon Island, Deception Island, Salisbury Plain and Fortuna Bay. The wildlife proposition is the core of the pitch: the operator says guests can expect six penguin species plus birds, whales and dolphins.

Beyond the flagship 20-night sailing, the Hondius and Ortelius will run a series of exploration cruises from Ushuaia across the Antarctic Peninsula, the South Shetland Islands, the Weddell Sea, South Georgia and the Falkland Islands for the duration of the season.

For sellers of travel, the schedule confirms Oceanwide's continued dual-hemisphere deployment model: Arctic summers, Antarctic summers from October to early April, with repositioning legs bridging the two. The long South Atlantic positioning voyage also creates a rare inventory window — a 20-night product with a photography focus that competitors do not typically replicate.

Oceanwide has not disclosed pricing or booking figures for the season. The company's full Antarctic program runs until the vessels turn north again in early April 2026-27, when the fleet resumes Arctic operations.