With only 12 guests on board, Polarfront offers a rare polar experience: comfortable, personal and close to the elements.
Polarfront is no ordinary cruise ship. She offers a more intimate approach to the Arctic, in a friendly atmosphere deeply focused on observation.
Her cabins, her living spaces, her unique history and her recent re-engining make her a rare ship: comfortable without losing her expedition soul, able to reach unspoiled areas and to bring you truly close to the landscapes, the wildlife and the ice.
A deliberate choice since our first voyages in 2018: traveling with only twelve guests means exploring differently, up close to the ice and the wildlife.
Since 2025, ships with more than 200 passengers can no longer enter Svalbard’s protected areas. Polarfront sails there, and lands with its guides at the designated sites.
A crew of ten, including a chef, and two naturalist guides: as many people on board looking after you as there are guests.
With twelve guests, the route adapts easily: following wildlife, skirting the ice, making the most of a clear spell. The program is decided each day with the captain.
Electric propulsion, 35% less fuel since 2024 and a five-blade propeller that is especially quiet for marine mammals.
Find Polarfront’s latest AIS position, heading and navigation data on the official MarineTraffic map. Tracking opens in a new tab.
Follow the ship live External MarineTraffic service — ship ID 182324Discover her cabins, her living spaces, her history and the choices that let us sail the polar regions differently.
Eight suitesThe cabinsEach suite has a character of its own, between maritime heritage and modern comfort.
Lounge, dining, saunaLife on boardThe Coriolis lounge, our chefs’ table, the polar library, the panoramic sauna and the Nordic hot tub.
Since 1976Her storyA former Norwegian weather ship, she became a polar expedition ship in 2017.
Tailor-madePrivate charterPolarfront, all to yourselves: up to twelve guests and an itinerary designed with you.Everything we are asked about the ship. Have another question? Let’s talk.
A question about Polarfront?Write to usPolarfront was built in Norway to hold Station M, off the Norwegian coast, in the roughest seas of the North Atlantic: it spent 34 years there. Its sturdy hull is complemented by an anti-roll stabilization system. Most of the time, our voyages take place in the fjords and along the coasts; if you are prone to seasickness, bring a remedy all the same.
Yes, along the edge of the sea ice: its steel hull is ice-strengthened. It is not an icebreaker: it sails safely along the pack ice and through ice-strewn waters, without trying to cross the ice, and the captain adapts the route to ice conditions. See also our guide can you go to the North Pole by ship?
Eight suites, for a maximum of twelve guests: Mike Suites, Loomis Suites and the Owner’s Suite. Each has its own bathroom and its own character, between maritime heritage and contemporary comfort. Discover them on our cabins page.
A crew of ten, from the captain to the chef, and two naturalist guides, on every voyage. The guides give lectures on board and lead the landings and Zodiac outings. You can also visit the bridge to watch the captain and officers at work.
The Coriolis lounge, where lectures are held, the dining room, the polar library and its shop, the large outer decks for watching wildlife, and a wellness area with a panoramic sauna and a Nordic bath. Everything is presented on our life on board page.
Yes: Polarfront has a Starlink antenna, which gives you internet access on your devices throughout the voyage. Cell phones lose signal a few hours after departure, but you stay reachable. We still encourage you to enjoy being disconnected.
Outlets are the European standard (220 volts, 50 Hz): bring an adapter for other plugs. The euro is the currency on board: you pay for drinks and extras by credit card or in cash.
During its re-engining, completed in 2024 at the Piriou shipyard in Concarneau, Polarfront received electric propulsion, a quieter five-blade propeller and generators that remove nitrogen oxides. The result: 35% less fuel and 436 tonnes of CO2 avoided every year, without building a new ship. The full story is on our history page.
Built in Norway and delivered in 1976, Polarfront spent 34 years as a weather ship, stationed at Station M off the coast of Norway. When it ended its service on January 1, 2010, it was the last weather ship still operating in the world. Latitude Blanche acquired it in 2017 and welcomed its first guests in April 2018.
Yes: Polarfront can be booked just for you, for up to twelve guests, with an itinerary built with you. All the details are on our private charter page.
Ship’s biscuits
At sea, cookies are called ship’s biscuits, and our polar bear loves them. A few are essential to sail this website; the others, such as YouTube’s for our films, only come on board with your consent.
Ship’s biscuits · Ship’s manifest
Every biscuit is listed on the manifest, and the bear on watch awaits your orders: you decide which ones embark. Your choice is kept for six months and can be changed at any time.
Without them the ship would not float: the website language, form security and remembering your choices. They do nothing else and never follow you around.
| Name | Set by | Purpose | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
lb_cookies | Latitude Blanche | Remembers your cookie choices | 6 months |
wp-wpml_current_language | Latitude Blanche | Remembers the website language | 1 day |
Our films are hosted by YouTube (Google). Letting them on board means accepting that YouTube sets its cookies when a video is shown. Otherwise they wait on the quay and open on YouTube.
| Name | Set by | Purpose | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
YSC, VISITOR_INFO1_LIVE… | YouTube (Google) | Plays videos, measures their audience | Up to 6 months |
— | 360player | 360° tours of the ship | Session |
