Expedition cruise start-up Terra Nova Expeditions has abandoned plans to deploy the historic former Royal Mail Ship St Helena for its inaugural Antarctic season, citing disruption caused by the continuing conflict in the Middle East.
According to The Maritime Executive, the company said St Helena could not be repositioned safely from the Persian Gulf in time for the 2026–27 season. AIS data reportedly showed the Djibouti-registered vessel near Port Rashid in Dubai.
Terra Nova had planned to begin Antarctic voyages aboard the 6,800-gross-ton ship in December 2026. Built in Britain in 1990, St Helena maintained the remote South Atlantic island’s principal connection with the outside world until regular air services led to her retirement in 2018. She was subsequently used as a floating armoury and later as a transport vessel by electric motorsport series Extreme E.
After searching for an alternative vessel for several months, Terra Nova has secured a three-year seasonal charter for the former G Expedition, which will be renamed Terra Nova Adventurer.
The 6,333-gross-ton vessel began operating as a Baltic passenger-and-car ferry in 1972 before being rebuilt for expedition cruising in 2008. It subsequently sailed extensively in Antarctica, the Arctic and other remote regions for Canadian operator G Adventures. The ship is currently registered in Liberia as Vestland Adventurer.
Terra Nova plans to refurbish the vessel before its first season, installing new furnishings and décor, remodelling its bar and lounge areas, and adding a Jacuzzi and sauna on Deck 5.
The replacement gives Terra Nova a ship with established polar credentials, although it removes the distinctive maritime heritage that St Helena would have brought to the new venture.
Source: The Maritime Executive.
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