Hanse Explorer: 48 m Fassmer expedition yacht, ice class E3 (Finnish-Swedish IA), 5,000 nm at 12 kn

In short

Hanse Explorer is a small steel ship rather than a converted yacht: Fassmer built her in 2006 as a training vessel under Germanischer Lloyd ice class E3, which the class rules equate with the Finnish-Swedish class IA (Fassmer, GL rules). Her hull was left unfaired so she can push into Antarctic ice without damaging it, and her charter operator says she can spend full days in dense ice floes (Boat International). The shipyard gives a range of 5,000 nm at 12 knots from 150 m³ of fuel, while broker listings give 8,000 nm (Fassmer, Burgess). Captain Jens Köthen, on board since 2009, lists the Northwest Passage, South Georgia and the Crozet Islands among her voyages and recalls a Zodiac landing on Bouvet Island (EYOS).

Videos

Two tours from YouTube.

**HANSE EXPLORER | arrival of the world's tiniest cruise ship in Bremerhaven | 4K-Video**UnimedienWatch on YouTube

**HANSE EXPLORER**Shipspotting GermanyWatch on YouTube

Photos

In tropical waters

Close view of Hanse Explorer's bow against sea ice, with a seal lying on the ice beside the ship — The bow against sea ice

Guests in red jackets on Hanse Explorer's foredeck looking at an iceberg with an arch carved through it — From the foredeck: an arched iceberg

Teak aft deck with a wooden dining table and chairs and a ladder to the deck above, before the 2021 refit — Aft deck dining, before the 2021 refit

Main saloon with beige sofas, wood panelling and a row of square windows, as fitted before the 2021 refit — Main saloon, before the 2021 refit

Dining room with a long wooden table laid for ten and dark wood sideboards, before the 2021 refit — Dining room, before the 2021 refit

Hanse Explorer stopped at the edge of sea ice with icebergs on the horizon and three seals resting on the ice in the foreground — At the ice edge, with seals on the floe

Wooden bar with four stools and a ship's door with a porthole window, before the 2021 refit — The bar, before the 2021 refit

Small lounge with leather armchairs, a cream sofa and a bookcase, before the 2021 refit — A lounge, before the 2021 refit

Twin guest cabin with two single beds under three windows, before the 2021 refit — Twin guest cabin, before the 2021 refit

Specifications

Length overall: 47.76 m 48.00 m in the shipyard data sheet
Beam: 10.4 m
Draught: 3.52 m 4.3 m in charter and sale listings
Gross tonnage: 885
Displacement: 850 t
Builder: Fr. Fassmer GmbH & Co. KG, Berne, Germany; hull no. 2020. Keel laid 20 October 2005; classed 22 September 2006
Design: Exterior by Fassmer, original interior by Miescke Design; 2020–21 redesign by Partner Ship Design and AROS Marine Northrop & Johnson names Joachim Kinder as exterior designer
Build history: Built for the German shipowner Reederei Harren & Partner as customer and operator and classed by Germanischer Lloyd as a training vessel, with training facilities for 12 trainees in addition to 12 passengers. The shipyard calls her a 48 m explorer yacht for worldwide operation
Hull and superstructure: Steel hull and superstructure, aluminium wheelhouse. The hull is deliberately left unfaired so she can go deeper into ice without damaging it
Ice class: Germanischer Lloyd E3, now carried by DNV as E3(H) for the hull and E3(M) for the machinery. Full class: +100 A5 Motor yacht E3(H), +MC AUT E3(M). As built: GL +100 A5 E3 Training Vessel, +MC AUT E3
What E3 means: The GL rules equate E3 with the Finnish-Swedish class IA, written for ice conditions as in the Northern Baltic: a hull designed for level ice up to 0.8 m thick, in difficult ice with icebreaker assistance when necessary. The Finnish transport agency's equivalence list still puts DNV E3 level with IA
In practice: Brokers and EYOS call it the highest commercial ice class; within the same Baltic scale IA Super (GL E4) sits above it. In Antarctica her operator reports that she spends full days navigating dense ice floes. She holds a Polar Ship Certificate issued in April 2026 and valid to 2031; the register does not show its category
Classification and flag: DNV, in class; Antigua and Barbuda flag, home port St. John's
Propulsion: A single MaK 8 M 20 diesel of 1,630 kW at 1,000 rpm driving a controllable-pitch propeller; a 400 kW shaft generator that doubles as a power-take-home drive; a 300 kW bow thruster; three Caterpillar generators
Speed: 13.2 kn maximum according to the shipyard; brokers give 10 kn cruising and 12 kn maximum
Range: 5,000 nm at 12 kn according to the shipyard. Burgess, Fraser and Boat International give 8,000 nm without a speed; Boat International's Superyacht Directory gives 9,000 nm at cruising speed
Endurance: Six weeks, according to Boat International. A watermaker produces up to 20 tonnes of fresh water a day; fuel consumption is about 200 litres an hour at 10 knots
Fuel and water: 150 m³ of fuel; 34 m³ of fresh water
Helicopter: No helideck or hangar appears in the shipyard data or the charter listings. For Antarctic charters guests often fly by chartered aircraft to King George Island to join her, and Boat International credits her with the first fly-in, fly-out Antarctic yacht charter, in 2008
Tenders: Two Zodiac Mk IV landing craft with Yamaha outboards, a 25 ft C-Series RIB used as a dive tender and a towed tender; kayaks, stand-up paddleboards and three underwater scooters. The Zodiacs land guests at a mud room stocked with cold-weather gear for landings. There are no jet skis on board
Diving: Dive centre upgraded in 2022, with equipment for 14 divers (12 guests and two divemasters) and a BAUER Nitrox membrane compressor
Submersible: None reported
Support vessel: None reported
2020–21 refit: Begun in late 2020 for the Lindblads: light woods replaced the dark panelling, glass sliding doors opened the saloon and master cabin to the decks, the radar mast was raised by 3 m to free the top deck for a hot tub, bar and Bali beds, and retractable SKF zero-speed fin stabilisers were fitted that still let her work in ice
Guests and crew: 12 guests in seven cabins: a master suite with a private lounge and deck on the upper deck and six double or twin cabins on the main deck. Crew of 15, including expedition staff 14 crew in the Fraser and Northrop & Johnson listings, 18 in Boat International (2025)
On board: Finnish sauna and gym; hot tub, cocktail bar and Bali beds on the top deck; an open-bridge policy, with the bridge used as an observation lounge
Where she has been: Her captains list Norway, Svalbard, East and West Greenland, Arctic Canada and the Northwest Passage, Newfoundland, the Antarctic Peninsula, South Georgia, the Falklands, the Crozet Islands, Marion Island, South Africa, French Polynesia and the Line Islands. One voyage from Ushuaia went via Cape Horn, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands to a Zodiac landing on Bouvet Island. Burgess says she has sailed south of the Antarctic Circle and into the High Arctic
Recent seasons: EYOS scheduled her in Antarctica until February 2022, in French Polynesia and the Line, Phoenix and Cook Islands from April to October 2022, in the Arctic, including Svalbard, in summer 2023 and in Melanesia from May to September 2024. Class surveys were held in Bremerhaven in 2021 and 2023 and in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria in April 2026; a safety audit was held in Tromsø in August 2023
Charter: Chartered with expedition management by EYOS Expeditions, with an EYOS expedition guide on every charter; Burgess lists summer cruising in Greenland, Iceland, Norway and Svalbard and winter cruising in South America and Antarctica
Owner: Reported to be owned since 2019 by Sven and Kristin Lindblad; Sven Lindblad founded Lindblad Expeditions, was its chief executive until the end of 2024 and is now co-chair of its board (Boat International, November 2021; Lindblad Expeditions, December 2024). Registered owner: SOL Exploration Limited; manager HG Dry GmbH & Co. KG (DNV, October 2026)
For sale: Not on the market; an earlier Northrop & Johnson sale listing is archived as no longer available

Where is she now

Live AIS position on:

MarineTraffic VesselFinder

IMO 9346110 · MMSI 304977000

Questions

What makes Hanse Explorer an expedition yacht?

She is a steel ship built by Fassmer in 2006 with Germanischer Lloyd ice class E3, a range of 5,000 nm at 12 knots and 150 m³ of fuel (Fassmer). She carries Zodiacs, a mud room for landings and a dive centre, and EYOS runs her charters with expedition guides on board (Boat International).

What ice class does Hanse Explorer have, and how thick ice can she handle?

E3, assigned by Germanischer Lloyd and now carried by DNV (DNV). The GL rules equate E3 with Finnish-Swedish class IA (GL rules), designed for level ice up to 0.8 m thick, with icebreaker help when necessary (Traficom).

How far can Hanse Explorer go without refuelling?

The shipyard gives 5,000 nm at 12 knots (Fassmer). Charter brokers quote 8,000 nm without stating a speed (Burgess), and Boat International credits her with about six weeks of autonomy (Boat International).

Does Hanse Explorer have a helipad?

No helideck appears in the shipyard data or the charter listings (Fassmer, Burgess). Antarctic guests often fly by chartered plane to King George Island and join her there (Boat International).

Who owns Hanse Explorer?

Boat International reported in 2021 that Sven and Kristin Lindblad bought her in 2019 (Boat International). The DNV register lists SOL Exploration Limited as the registered owner (DNV).

Can you charter Hanse Explorer?

Yes. She is chartered with EYOS Expeditions, mainly in Antarctica in the southern summer and in the Arctic or the South Pacific the rest of the year (Burgess, EYOS).

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Hanse Explorer

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Where is she now

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