Pat Shaw of Polar Latitudes passes away suddenly

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Pat Shaw (source: LinkedIn)

While details are sketchy right now, ExpeditionCruising.com can confirm that high-profile executive, Patrick (Pat) Shaw, has passed away suddenly while in the Antarctic.

In April 2025, Pat was appointed CEO of Albatros Expeditions and formed a new entity with the merger of Polar Latitudes and Albatros Expeditions.

Prior to that, Pat led Quark Expeditions as President and CEO from 2001 to 2010.

A true leader and visionary in our industry, Pat will be sorely missed.

Everyone here at ExpeditionCruising.com extend our condolences to his family and many friends in the industry.

Read Polar Latitudes Official Statement

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Polar Latitudes Expeditions and Albatros Expeditions to merge

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Polar Latitudes Expeditions and Albatros Expeditions are merging to form a new brand in the polar travel sector, set to debut in mid-October. The combined fleet will feature four ships: Ocean Albatros, Ocean Victory, MS Seaventure, and Ocean Nova. This strategic partnership aims to provide travellers with a broader range of itineraries, ship experiences, cabin options, amenities, and adventure programs.

Ocean Victory Arrested - Sailings Cancelled [Updated]

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As of May 20, 2024, the polar expedition ship Ocean Victory (IMO 9868869) had been seized at the port of Malaga, Spain.

[UPDATE 7 July 2025: SunStone Ships’ Ocean Victory will enter an extended layup at the port of Funchal, in Portugal’s Madeira Island. According to local sources, the 8,000-ton ship is set to spend several weeks at the port while waiting for its next deployment. MORE]

According to a report in Seatrade Cruise News, the Infinity-class Ocean Victory, on charter to start-up Alma Cruceros, has been detained at the Port of Málaga following arrest by Spanish authorities, apparently at the request of the ship's agent, Lantimar Group.

Apparently, SunStone, also known as SunStone Maritime Group, is a Danish company specialising in designing, building, and operating expedition cruise ships. However, it now has only a non-controlling, minority interest in the vessel and no longer manages it. According to SunStone, Nordic Marine Partner, Denmark is currently the commercial manager, and Anglo-Eastern continues to be the technical manager.

According to media reports, Alma Cruceros has ceased operations, citing the "unilateral and unjustified termination of the charter contract by the ship's owner, which has made it impossible to continue with the solutions being explored to keep the project operational."

Denmark's Albatros Expeditions operates Ocean Victory in Antarctica during the Antarctic summer, and Alma Cruceros used the vessel for Mediterranean cruises from April to October. At this point, it is not clear how the Antarctic season will be affected. 

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Expedition ship damaged in South Georgia [updated]

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Albatros Expeditions Ocean Victory (file image)

Information is slowly coming in and it seems Albatros Expeditions' vessel, Ocean Victory, sustained some damage while in South Georgia, possibly to a stabiliser. Previously reported as Antarctica.

As can be seen on Cruise Mapper, the ship is heading to Ushuaia under its own power and at a respectable 12-13kts. It should arrive on the morning of November 14th to carry out inspections and possible repairs. There are no reported injuries to passengers or crew.

The ship was about halfway through a 19-day Antarctica, South Georgia and Falklands Islands itinerary and was due to head to the Antarctic Peninsula.

A statement from Albatros Expeditions CEO Jakob Lunøe has been received"

During the early hours of November 9th, 2024, MV Ocean Victory sustained damage from an unknown source, affecting the stabilizer system of the vessel and causing slight water ingress into void spaces on the vessel. This damage was sustained off the coast of the island of South Georgia in the South Atlantic Ocean.

Thankfully, nobody onboard has sustained any injuries from this incident, nor is there any immediate risk to the vessel or those onboard after our crew worked hard to minimize the impact of the damage. However, after a thorough initial assessment of the damage, the Captain and owners of MV Ocean Victory have taken the difficult decision to return immediately to port to make necessary repairs to the vessel. The safety of our guests, crew and vessels is our utmost priority. We are grateful to the guests onboard MV Ocean Victory for their understanding and patience during this difficult period and thank them for their continued support as we worked to return them and the vessel safely to South America.

How this will affect the remainder of the ship's season is unclear. 

We will continue to update this report as new details come to hand.

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Albatros Expeditions to christen Ocean Albatros

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Albatros Expeditions, a leading name in polar exploration and adventure travel, proudly announced the christening ceremony of their latest state-of-the-art vessel, the Ocean Albatros. The event is taking place on 7 May 2024 at Nordre Tolbod, in the heart of Copenhagen, Denmark.

Albatros Expeditions' Ocean Victory and the Ocean Albatros Unite in Antarctica

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Copenhagen, Denmark – Albatros Expeditions, a pioneer in polar exploration, has achieved a  historic milestone with both of its cutting-edge vessels, the Ocean Victory and the Ocean  Albatros, meeting for the first time at 65.067°S 64.027°W in the iconic Lemaire Channel in  Antarctica on the morning of 11 December. 

Albatros Expeditions launches Ocean Albatros

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The family-owned Scandinavian expeditions cruise operator, Albatros Expeditions is truly excited to introduce its newest next-generation vessel, the Ocean Albatros, to its fleet set to kick off its inaugural expedition cruise adventure into the Arctic this June.