Expedition Cruise Ship
E4. Cruise, offshore energy and auxiliary/specialised fleetsDefinition
Small cruise ship designed for remote destinations.
A small cruise vessel, typically 100 to 250 passengers, built for remote and polar itineraries with an ice-strengthened or ice-class hull, zodiac launch capacity, and shallow draft for landings. Operating in polar waters triggers the IMO Polar Code (in force 1 January 2017 under SOLAS and MARPOL), which requires a Polar Ship Certificate, a Polar Water Operational Manual, and an IACS Polar Class notation (PC1 to PC7) or Finnish-Swedish ice class. Many carry hybrid or battery propulsion to cut emissions in protected waters.
Source: IMO International Code for Ships Operating in Polar Waters (Polar Code), in force 1 January 2017