Under a 10-year charter agreement, Travelmarvel will deploy the vessel in the Mediterranean, while Quark Expeditions will operate the ship during the 2029/30 Antarctic season.

Currently under development and not yet named, the vessel will feature 99 suites. Its PC6 ice-class hull will enable Antarctic operations, while features designed for expedition travel, including mudrooms and embarkation and disembarkation areas, will help guests move quickly and comfortably between the ship and the destination.

APT has "extensive experience" in ocean cruising, including previous full-ship charters with Seabourn and Ponant, operating two yachts in Croatia, and last year it operated Caledonian Sky in the Mediterranean, which it sold this year. 

APT Travel Group, which operates the premium Travelmarvel brand, said: "The agreement brings together Travelmarvel’s expertise in premium cruising and Quark Expeditions’ more than three decades of specialisation in polar exploration."

It added: "Quark Expeditions will work closely with Travelmarvel throughout the ship’s development, contributing its operational and polar expertise to help prepare the vessel for Antarctic expedition travel.

"The premium small ship represents one of the most significant investments in the company’s history and its first ocean vessel designed and built specifically for the brand."

Paul Melinis, Managing Director UK and Europe, APT Travel Group, said: “This is an important step in Travelmarvel’s UK & Ireland growth and reflects our ambition to offer our guests premium small-ship experiences in some of the Mediterranean’s most compelling destinations.

"With just 99 suites, the new ship will combine a more intimate and relaxed style of cruising with access to ports that larger vessels cannot reach. It will also give our travel agent partners an exciting and genuinely distinctive new product to offer their customers."

“This partnership brings together complementary expertise and a shared commitment to thoughtful small-ship exploration,” said Sam Seward, President of Quark Expeditions. “By collaborating with APT Travel Group during the development process, we have an opportunity to help prepare a ship that is truly built for exploration, with the capabilities and operational features needed to help guests get off the ship efficiently and experience more of Antarctica.”

Further details about the vessel, including its name, complete specifications and inaugural Mediterranean and Antarctic itineraries, will be announced closer to launch.