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There are roughly 30 yachts above 50m LOA on the open 2026 charter market that meet a working definition of expedition: ice-class hull or reinforced hull, long-range fuel capacity (4,000 nautical miles or more at displacement speed), helideck or certified helipad, and a tender programme designed for landings rather than tropical day cruising. We rank 12. LOAs run 50m to 116m, weekly rates €350K to $2.5M plus APA at 30 to 40 percent. The expedition segment moves slower than the Mediterranean motor pool, books further out (Norwegian summer 2026 was effectively closed by November 2025 at the upper end), and runs a much higher all-in than the brochure rate suggests because helicopter operations, fuel burn at 12 to 14 knots over 2,000-mile passages, and expedition-leader fees push APA into the high thirties.
Two cautions before the ranking. First, "expedition" on a charter brochure is not always an expedition platform. Several yachts marketed as explorer in 2026 are styled-explorer motor yachts with tender garages full of jet skis, no ice-class certification, and 1,800-mile range. They are excellent Caribbean charter yachts. They are not expedition yachts. Second, a high-latitude charter (Svalbard, Greenland, Antarctic peninsula) requires a captain and expedition leader with prior season-on-station experience, not a captain rotated in for the booking. Verify both.
How we ranked
Six weights. First, captain and expedition-leader tenure on this hull (24+ months captain, prior high-latitude seasons documented). Second, hull and ice-class certification (Lloyd's 1A, DNV Polar Class, or equivalent verified to current survey). Third, range at displacement speed (4,500 nautical miles minimum at 12 knots). Fourth, tender and landing programme: Zodiac fleet, certified ice pilot if relevant, ATV or snow-vehicle inventory if Arctic. Fifth, helicopter capability: certified helideck rather than touch-and-go, hangar if year-round programme. Sixth, charter-rate positioning versus the comparable explorer pool. Editor's Pick, runners-up, and 9 alternates below. Then passed-on. Then budget. Then FAQ.
No. I — Editor's Pick: Octopus (Lürssen, 126m, 2003, 2024 refit)
LOA 126m. Beam 21m. Draft 5.7m. GT [VERIFY: 9,932]. Built 2003. Builder Lürssen. Refit 2024. Guests 12 in 6 suites. Crew 56 to 63. Two helipads, two helicopters, certified hangar. ROV and submarine garage. Long-range tenders. Charter rate [VERIFY: $2.2M to $2.5M] peak weekly. APA 35 percent.
Octopus is the strongest single Editor's Pick in the expedition-charter pool because she is the only yacht in the segment that combines the science-vessel platform (ROV bay, dedicated lab, full helicopter operations) with a proven 20-year working expedition programme. She has carried out documented Arctic, Antarctic, and Pacific deep-water operations under prior ownership and continues a working high-latitude calendar. The 2024 refit refreshed interior and bridge electronics without altering the working-platform layout. She suits clients who want the science-vessel capability rather than the explorer-aesthetic motor yacht. Charter rate runs [VERIFY: $1.9M to $2.2M] low season, [VERIFY: $2.2M to $2.5M] peak, plus APA at 35 percent. APA can run higher on a Polar booking with helicopter operations.
Inquire via Imperial Yachts | Inquire via Burgess
No. II — Runner-up: Andromeda (Astilleros Gondán, 107m, 2015, ex-Asteria, 2022 refit)
LOA 107m. Beam 16m. Draft [VERIFY: 5.2m]. GT [VERIFY: 4,500]. Built 2015. Builder Astilleros Gondán. Refit 2022 (full conversion to charter platform). Guests 12 in 6 cabins. Crew 30. Ice-class hull. Certified helipad with hangar. Range [VERIFY: 6,000 nautical miles]. Charter rate [VERIFY: €750K to €1.0M] peak. APA 35 percent.
Andromeda is the strongest pure-expedition charter yacht on the open market. She was built as a working offshore-support vessel and converted to a charter explorer in 2022, which means the hull, machinery, and range are commercial-grade rather than yacht-grade. The certified helipad and hangar (not touch-and-go) is the differentiator: she can run a continuous helicopter programme through a charter rather than a ferry-and-return. Charter calendar typically runs Norway and Arctic in summer, Antarctica in southern summer. Charter rate runs [VERIFY: €650K to €850K] regular, [VERIFY: €850K to €1.0M] Norwegian or Antarctic peak, plus APA at 35 percent.
Inquire via Y.CO | Inquire via EYOS Expeditions
No. III — The Polar pick: Legend (IHC Verschure, 77m, 1974, 2018 refit, ex-Giant)
LOA 77m. Beam 11.6m. Draft [VERIFY: 5.5m]. Built 1974. Builder IHC Verschure. Refit 2018 (full conversion). Guests 26 in 13 cabins. Crew 18. Ice-class 1A hull. Certified helipad. Submarine and dive chamber. Charter rate [VERIFY: €490K to €625K] peak. APA 35 to 40 percent.
Legend is the cleanest single high-latitude charter pick because the hull is Lloyd's 1A ice class and the conversion was done with a working expedition programme in mind, not a charter-aesthetic refit. She carries 26 guests, which is unusual at the size and works because the Polar booking is often a multi-family or scientific-foundation charter rather than a six-cabin family week. The Polar diving programme, the U-Boat Worx C-Explorer 3 submarine, and the dedicated dive chamber are working equipment. Charter rate runs [VERIFY: €390K to €500K] regular, [VERIFY: €500K to €625K] peak Arctic or Antarctic, plus APA at 35 to 40 percent.
Inquire via EYOS Expeditions | Inquire via Cookson Adventures
No. IV — The 75 to 90m custom-explorer pick: [VERIFY: 75 to 90m custom explorer, Damen SeaXplorer or Lürssen, 2018 to 2023 build, 12 guests, ice-class hull, weekly rate €600K to €1.2M peak]
The Damen SeaXplorer 77 to 90m hulls are the cleanest single new-build expedition platform on the market. Ice-class hull, Lloyd's notation, certified helipad, range above 5,500 nautical miles. Three to four hulls were on the open charter market in 2025 and the same number expected for the 2026 high-latitude season. Charter rate runs [VERIFY: €550K to €800K] regular, [VERIFY: €800K to €1.2M] Norwegian or Antarctic peak, plus APA at 35 percent.
Inquire via Burgess | Inquire via Y.CO
No. V — The Latitude pick: Latitude (Damen SeaXplorer 77, 77m, 2024)
LOA 77m. Beam 14m. Draft 5.0m. GT [VERIFY: 2,499]. Built 2024. Builder Damen Yachting. Guests 12 in 7 cabins. Crew 22. Ice-class 1A hull. Certified helipad. Range [VERIFY: 5,500 nautical miles at 12 knots]. Charter rate [VERIFY: €700K to €900K] peak. APA 35 percent.
Latitude is the most current SeaXplorer on the charter market and a clean booking for the 2026 Norwegian summer or Greenland calendar. The 77m hull is the working size for the platform: large enough for 12 guests and a real expedition programme, small enough to enter most fjords and to manage a Polar tender programme. The 2024 build means the bridge electronics, ice navigation suite, and dynamic positioning are current. Charter rate runs [VERIFY: €600K to €750K] regular, [VERIFY: €750K to €900K] peak, plus APA at 35 percent.
Inquire via Damen Charter Brokerage | Inquire via Y.CO
No. VI — The mid-size explorer pick: La Datcha (Damen SeaXplorer 77, 77m, 2020)
LOA 77m. Beam 14m. Draft 5.0m. GT [VERIFY: 2,499]. Built 2020. Builder Damen Yachting. Guests 12 in 6 cabins. Crew 20. Ice-class hull. Certified helipad with hangar. Two-person submarine. Charter rate [VERIFY: €640K to €840K] peak. APA 35 percent.
La Datcha was the first SeaXplorer 77 delivered and remains the best-known of the Damen explorers on the open charter market. She has a documented operational record across the Russian Arctic, Antarctic peninsula, and Pacific. The two-person U-Boat Worx submarine and the helicopter hangar are working equipment, not show pieces. Charter calendar typically opens for the Norwegian summer or the Antarctic southern summer. Charter rate runs [VERIFY: €550K to €700K] regular, [VERIFY: €700K to €840K] peak, plus APA at 35 percent.
Inquire via Y.CO | Inquire via Burgess
No. VII — The Pangaea pick: [VERIFY: Pangaea, 73m Beilun 2008 with 2017 refit, 14 guests, certified helipad, weekly rate €420K to €560K]
Pangaea is one of the longest-running pure-expedition charter yachts on the market and remains an unusual booking: 73m LOA, certified helipad, snowmobile and tender inventory designed for landings. She has a documented Antarctic charter calendar going back over a decade. Charter rate runs [VERIFY: €380K to €460K] regular, [VERIFY: €460K to €560K] peak Antarctic, plus APA at 35 to 40 percent.
Inquire via EYOS Expeditions | Inquire via Cookson Adventures
No. VIII — The Arctic P pick: Arctic P (Schichau Unterweser, 88m, 1969, multiple refits)
LOA 88m. Beam 13.4m. Draft [VERIFY: 5.5m]. Built 1969 as ocean-going salvage tug. Multiple refits, most recent [VERIFY]. Guests 12 in 6 cabins. Crew 25. Long-range hull. Certified helipad. Charter rate [VERIFY: €350K to €490K] peak. APA 35 percent.
Arctic P is the original yacht-converted ocean-going tug and remains an unusual booking for clients who want a working-vessel platform rather than a shipyard-built explorer. The hull is genuinely commercial. The interior dates from prior refits and reads as 1990s rather than 2024, which the right client likes. Charter availability is intermittent. Charter rate runs [VERIFY: €290K to €390K] regular, [VERIFY: €390K to €490K] peak, plus APA at 35 percent.
Inquire via Burgess | Inquire via Y.CO
No. IX — The 60 to 70m converted-trawler pick: [VERIFY: 60 to 70m converted ocean-trawler explorer, 1990 to 2010 build with refit, 10 to 12 guests, weekly rate €280K to €420K]
A converted commercial trawler in the 60 to 70m bracket runs a clean expedition programme at a meaningful discount to the new-build SeaXplorer pool. The trade is interior age and a less ambitious helicopter programme. For clients who want the working-platform aesthetic and the long-range capability, it is the cleanest single sub-€500K expedition booking. Charter rate runs [VERIFY: €240K to €340K] regular, [VERIFY: €340K to €420K] peak, plus APA at 35 percent.
Inquire via Camper & Nicholsons | Inquire via Y.CO
No. X — The Bold pick: Bold (Freire Shipyard, 85m, 2019)
LOA 85.3m. Beam 14m. Draft [VERIFY: 4.4m]. Built 2019. Builder Freire Shipyard. Guests 16 in 8 cabins. Crew 23. Helideck. Range [VERIFY: 7,200 nautical miles]. Charter rate [VERIFY: €595K to €770K] peak. APA 30 percent.
Bold is one of the more spacious explorer-aesthetic charter yachts at 85m and 16 guests, which is unusual at the size. She is not an ice-class hull and we would not place her on a Polar booking, but for warm-water expedition (Galapagos, Indonesian archipelago, Seychelles outer islands) she is a clean platform. Charter rate runs [VERIFY: €495K to €640K] regular, [VERIFY: €640K to €770K] peak, plus APA at 30 percent.
Inquire via Burgess | Inquire via Y.CO
No. XI — The mid-Pacific pick: [VERIFY: 65 to 75m explorer with French Polynesia or Galapagos winter calendar, 2015 to 2022 build, 12 guests, weekly rate €380K to €560K]
An explorer-aesthetic motor yacht with a French Polynesia or Galapagos winter base is the cleanest single warm-water expedition booking. Not ice class. Range and tender programme designed for atoll work and dive operations rather than ice landings. Charter rate runs [VERIFY: €340K to €440K] regular, [VERIFY: €440K to €560K] peak, plus APA at 30 percent.
Inquire via Y.CO | Inquire via Northrop & Johnson
No. XII — The Hanse Explorer pick: Hanse Explorer (Fassmer, 48m, 2006, 2017 refit)
LOA 48m. Beam 10.8m. Draft 4.2m. Built 2006. Builder Fassmer Werft. Refit 2017. Guests 12 in 6 cabins. Crew 12. Ice-class 1A hull. Range [VERIFY: 8,000 nautical miles]. Charter rate [VERIFY: €175K to €245K] peak. APA 30 to 35 percent.
Hanse Explorer is the cleanest single sub-50m expedition booking and the most accessible price point in the segment. The hull is genuinely ice class. The platform is small but the range and the working tender programme are commercial. She suits a single-family or small-group Polar charter where the upper-end SeaXplorers are oversized. Charter rate runs [VERIFY: €145K to €195K] regular, [VERIFY: €195K to €245K] peak, plus APA at 30 to 35 percent.
Inquire via EYOS Expeditions | Inquire via Y.CO
What we passed on
Five explorer-marketed yachts on the 2026 charter market that we did not rank.
[VERIFY: 65m motor yacht marketed as explorer with no ice-class certification and 1,800 nautical mile range]. Marketed as explorer because the exterior styling reads industrial. Not an expedition platform. We would book her happily for a Mediterranean charter and never for a Norwegian fjord.
[VERIFY: 80m new-build explorer with first delivery in 2026 and no captain assigned by the start of the charter season]. A new-build hull on a Polar booking with a freshly assigned captain is a meaningful operational risk. The clean fix is to wait for a 2027 season clean record or to book La Datcha or Latitude instead.
[VERIFY: 90m converted research vessel with helicopter operations suspended pending hangar recertification]. A helicopter-capable hull without an operational helicopter programme is a partial expedition platform, not a complete one. The clean fix is to wait for the 2026 recertification or to book Andromeda or Octopus instead.
[VERIFY: 70m explorer with last full survey in 2020 and no documented hull inspection since]. Hull condition is the carrier signal on a high-latitude booking. We would not place a Polar charter on this hull without a 2025 or 2026 survey on file.
[VERIFY: 60m explorer with three Antarctic season cancellations in the last four years for weather, mechanical, or paperwork reasons]. A multi-season cancellation pattern signals operational fragility. The clean fix is to book a hull with a continuous Antarctic record (Andromeda, La Datcha, Pangaea, Legend).
How to think about budget for an expedition charter
The expedition charter all-in runs higher than the comparable Mediterranean motor charter at the same headline rate because APA, helicopter, and expedition-leader costs stack. Plan on the brochure week plus 35 to 45 percent APA, plus a 5 to 10 percent helicopter and ground-handling line item, plus a 10 to 15 percent crew gratuity, plus expedition-leader fees if applicable (typically $25K to $75K for a senior leader on a two-week Antarctic charter).
For Andromeda at €850K peak weekly: €850K plus 22 percent VAT (€187K, where applicable to the leg) plus 35 percent APA (€297K) plus 8 percent helicopter and ground (€68K) plus 12 percent gratuity (€102K) plus expedition leader at €50K equals roughly €1.55M all-in for a Norwegian peak week. A two-week Antarctic charter on Octopus runs $5.5M to $6.5M all-in.
The variable APA on a high-latitude charter matters more than on a Mediterranean charter. Helicopter operations alone can move APA by 8 to 15 percent of the weekly rate.
FAQ
Is "explorer" the same as "expedition"? No. Explorer is an aesthetic and a marketing term. Expedition is an operational specification: ice-class hull, long-range fuel capacity, certified helipad or helideck, and a tender programme designed for landings rather than tropical day cruising. Many yachts marketed as explorer are not expedition platforms. We rank only the latter.
Can any explorer yacht charter in Antarctica? No. Antarctic charters require an IAATO-member operator, a specific permit process, an experienced captain and ice pilot, and a hull rated for the conditions. The pool of charter yachts that meet the requirements is small (perhaps 10 to 12 hulls). Outside of that pool, an "Antarctic" charter is either inadmissible or a meaningful operational risk.
How far ahead do I need to book a Norwegian summer charter? For July to August on the upper-end expedition pool, book by October of the prior year. The 60 to 90m ice-class fleet effectively closes 8 to 10 months in advance for the Norwegian peak. Shoulder weeks (late May, late August, September) book later and at a 25 to 35 percent discount.
What is APA on an expedition charter and why does it run higher? APA (Advance Provisioning Allowance) is the upfront fund the charter party deposits to cover fuel, food, dock fees, and consumables during the charter. On an expedition charter, fuel burn at sustained 12 to 14 knots over long passages, plus helicopter operations, plus ground handling at remote locations, push APA into the 35 to 40 percent range versus 30 to 35 percent on a Mediterranean motor charter.
Do I need an expedition leader and what does it cost? For a high-latitude charter (Svalbard, Greenland, Antarctica) we recommend a named expedition leader rather than relying on the captain to lead landings. A senior leader runs $25K to $75K plus expenses for a one to two week charter. EYOS Expeditions and Cookson Adventures are the two consistently strong leader sources.
Can I bring my own helicopter onto an expedition yacht? Yes, on a certified helideck (not a touch-and-go). Confirm the deck rating against your helicopter type ahead of booking. Andromeda, Octopus, La Datcha, and Latitude all run certified helideck operations.