ALBATROS Expeditions has been acquired by Nordic Expedition Cruise & Travel (NCET), which will see it join forces with new sister brand Polar Latitudes.
Under the deal, the two will coordinate and combine their Arctic and Antarctica expedition cruises, initially operating under their existing brands, before combining over time.
They will also draw on the Latin America land product of Australian-founded, fellow NCET brand, Chimu Adventures (CW 27 Sep) to create a full South America/Antarctica package.
Polar Latitudes already partners with Chimu on its Latin America product (CW 23 Oct).
It is not yet known what the name or leadership structure of the new Albatros/Polar Latitudes brand will look like.
“Our ambition is to create the most trusted and reliable brand for all of our customers and business partners by learning from, and building on, each other’s strengths,” Albatros’ incoming Chief Executive Officer Patrick Shaw said.
The combined fleet for the 25/26 season will consist of Ocean Victory, Seaventure, Ocean Nova, and Ocean Albatros, with Albatros recently becoming the sole owner of the latter flagship newbuild vessel.
“We are excited to combine our two companies’ deep expedition knowledge and long experience,” Albatros founder Soren Rasmussen said.
“It will strengthen us both and make us ready for future challenges,” he added.
“We look forward to seeing how the company will grow in this new constellation.”
Polar Latitudes Chief Executive Officer John McKeon said the move is a great step forward for both companies.
“Our combined resources and shared values will make us stronger as Polar tour operators and will lead to expanded offerings for our adventurous travellers,” he said. MS
