Polar Latitudes (PL) has announced a partnership with Latin America and polar travel expert Chimu Adventures, and Nordic Hamburg, a shipping firm which also has investments in cruise vessels.
The new partnership enables PL to expand its Antarctic offerings, adding pre-and-post-cruise Latin America itineraries and enhancing its fleet.
A key highlight is the addition of the expedition ship Ocean Nova, which caters to adventure seekers with PL’s expertise.
With this collaboration, PL aims to strengthen its position in the Australian market and continue leading in Antarctic travel.
The company’s leadership team remains unchanged, with Chimu Adventures Managing Director Chad Carey joining the board.
PL’s operations for the 2024-2026 Antarctic seasons aboard the MV Seaventure will continue as planned, unaffected by the new partnership.
“We’ve been searching for the ideal partners to help us expand for more than three years, and now we’ve found them,” Polar Latitudes CEO John McKeon said.
“On so many levels this new team is going to ensure that Polar Latitudes stays at the forefront of this increasingly competitive marketplace.”
Chimu Adventures MD Chad Carey echoed this excitement, saying the tie-up was a no-brainer.
“Directly joining forces with Polar Latitudes and tapping into Nordic Hamburg’s shipping prowess to operate, innovate and sell our combined tour offerings globally simply made sense,” he stated.
“We’re all on the same page in terms of creating value-lead experiences to our customers both now and in the future.”
The news comes shortly after Chimu Adventures announced it had secured an investment from Nordic Hamburg, which it says will allow it to expand its operations in the polar expedition market and focus on low emissions cruising.
At the same time, Chimu revealed that Intrepid Travel would divest its stake in the company but remain a distribution partner.
Marking the final season of their three-year charter agreement, Chimu will operate the Ocean Endeavour for the 2024/25 Antarctic season one last time under the Intrepid brand.
Meanwhile, the Aussie company has inked a deal to take a new vessel, the Ocean Nova, starting in March 2026. This ship is known for its lower emissions and more intimate experience for guests.
“We’re thrilled to join forces with Nordic, leveraging their shipping expertise to expand our polar offerings and advance low emission technology in this industry for the future,” Carey said when announcing the tie-up.
“Our continued partnership with Intrepid will allow us to maintain our commitment to delivering purpose-driven, experiential polar adventures.
“As we look ahead, we’re also excited to extend the Chimu brand and business model into the North American and European markets.”
Chimu Adventures marked 20 years of operating expeditions to Antarctica in July. And Carey said the pioneering company is now seeing travellers steer back to Antarctica as the destination instead of the journey with a focus on immersive and sustainable onshore experiences.
