French expedition company, Exploris Expeditions & Cruises, has been placed in receivership by the Nantes Commercial Court, it has been revealed.
Launched in 2021 and operating the former Silversea Cruises’ luxury expedition ship, Silver Explorer, as the refurbished Exploris One (since 2023), the owners of Exploris are already discussing opportunities with new investors.
Headquartered in Nantes, Exploris was launched by Philippe Videau, a Co-Founder of Ponant. Expeditions are 100% French-speaking, while some cruises are specifically dedicated to English-speaking clientele, the Exploris.co website indicates.
Exploris operates Arctic and Antarctic voyages with its sole ship, Exploris One, and employs 130 people. The business filed for protection from the Nantes Commercial Court late last month, Ouest France reported. The move enables Exploris to continue operating for a period of time, during which the company continues ‘business as usual’ under the safety net of an administrator and judicial representative.
The observation period is set to run until 24 March 2026, and follows the cessation of payments on 20 June this year. The travel and holiday operator has a financial guarantee from Groupama Assurance-Crédit & Caution, Tourmag.com reports.
Exploris appears confident in its future, participating at last week’s IFTM Top Resa trade show in Paris, and recruiting on social media late last month for “various key positions” aboard its ship.
It is however understood that a major North American company has since cancelled a charter of the ship. In February, Adventure Canada announced it had added Exploris One to its 2026 charter line-up; however the vessel is not featured on the Canadian tour operator’s website.
Meanwhile, Exploris’ website flags fleet growth with “two future projects” that, like Exploris One, are “designed for exploration”.
In addition to polar expeditions, Exploris promotes sailings in Patagonia and the Chilean Fjords, the British Isles, the Atlantic’s European Coast, Iceland, the Norwegian Fjords, Spitsbergen, Greenland, the St. Lawrence River, the Caribbean and more.
