NEW YORK -- Aqua Expeditions will sail the Arctic for the first time next summer with its new superyacht, Aqua Lares.
After winter and spring itineraries on the East African coast, the vessel will sail five- to 14-night journeys through the Arctic from June to September, CEO Francesco Galli Zugaro announced in New York at The Explorers Club on Monday, donning a parka indoors for the occasion.
Homeports will include Longyearbyen and Tromso, Norway; and Glasgow, Scotland.
The shortest itineraries will sail five nights and visit Bear Island, the Svalbard archipelago's southernmost island.
The Aqua Lares is capable of breaking non-compact ice.
He said the small capacity of the 30-passenger Aqua Lares will allow naturalists to quickly get guests into tender boats when they spot wildlife like polar bears.
"Appealing to that sense of adventure and getting our guests to go beyond that comfort zone is when you create these wow moments," Galli Zugaro said.
At The Explorers Club, a model of Le Commandant Charcot, Ponant's icebreaker ship. Photo Credit: Teri West
Bookings for 2026 Arctic voyages will go live Oct. 15, Galli Zugaro said.
"We've always been known as the polar experts, and Aqua is known for small-ship luxury boutique expeditions," said Ponant Explorations Group CEO of the Americas Samuel Chamberlain. He called Arctic cruises a "natural fit" for Aqua. Ponant acquired Aqua Expeditions earlier this year.
Widening the Explorers Club relationship
Ponant also announced an expansion of its partnership with The Explorers Club to include Aqua Expeditions and Paul Gauguin Cruises sailings.
The Paul Gauguin ship, a mainstay in French Polynesia, will host two Explorers Club voyages in the winter 2026-27 season while Aqua Expeditions will host four. On the sailings, members of The Explorers Club will engage with guests and give lectures.
"This is a great example of a private entity, Ponant, partnering with a public entity, The Explorers Club, to accelerate good, accelerate awareness, accelerate citizen science," Chamberlain said.