In the iconic setting of Sydney Harbour, Aurora Expeditions christened what it expects will be an iconic ship, officially naming its new X-BOW ship the Douglas Mawson.
Appropriately, for a polar expedition vessel, Aurora christened the ship by breaking a block of ice on its bow, dispensing with the usual smash of a champagne bottle.
“Replacing champagne with ice was a deliberate and powerful choice,” Aurora Expeditions Founder Greg Mortimer said.
“It reflects who we are – explorers of the polar regions, advocates for our planet and proud custodians of Australia’s legacy of adventure.
“The Douglas Mawson embodies everything Aurora stands for – pioneering spirit, respect for the natural world and a drive to explore responsibly.”
Even more memorably, the ice was launched by the great-granddaughter of the ship’s legendary namesake, Emma McEwin, who also highlighted how Aurora Expeditions itself was named after the Antarctic-bound vessel of Sir Douglas Mawson, Aurora.
“To christen this remarkable ship in my great-grandfather’s name is an immense honour,” Ms McEwin remarked.
“The Douglas Mawson carries forward his legacy of courage, science and wonder, exploring the world with the same respect for nature and curiosity that defined his life.”
Homecoming
As milestones go, they don’t come much bigger than this. Not only was an Aurora vessel christened for the first time in Sydney, but the Douglas Mawson’s presence in the NSW capital marked the first time the expedition company had ever brought one of its X-BOW ships to the beautiful Harbour City.
According to Mortimer, with the arrival of Douglas Mawson in Sydney, the expedition company had “finally come home”.
“This morning… we brought Aurora Expeditions home after 35 years,” he said, explaining that Aurora’s first office was just “200 metres away” on George Street.
“Today we transform [the Douglas Mawson] and start to nurture its soul. The fantastic technology that it is… today gets housed by people, and it starts its story.”
Green machine
A major part of that story will be centred on sustainability. The Douglas Mawson is “right at the peak” of green-concious design, not just in cruising, but in expedition cruising, says David, a Hobart-based geologist who has worked on a number of expedition vessels, including this one.
Specifically, he points to a laundry system that filters out all the microplastics that would otherwise be released into the ocean.
Then there’s the AI-driven CounterCurrent technology, which measures the most fuel-efficient routing at sea.
Mawson’s X-BOW hull also delivers smoother and more efficient sailing, supported by fuel-saving diesel-electric power and waste-heat recovery.
In addition, the ship will carry its fair share of researchers. Because it would be wasteful for polar-bound ships to be travelling without scientists, David tells Karryon on board the Mawson in Sydney.
Speaking to guests at an event marking the ship’s arrival, Aurora’s Sustainability Manager Sasha Buch said it is an “honour and a privilege” to go to “some of the most wild and remote places on the planet”.
“But it also comes with a lot of responsibility and it’s something we don’t take lightly,” she added.
What to expect
On board the ship, guest can expect to travel in comfort, with spacious and stylish cabins, panoramic lounges, open decks, a two-level atrium and a Citizen Science Centre for real-time research.
Douglas Mawson is now on a shake-down voyage to Hobart from where she will begin her maiden voyage: a 10-night Tasmanian circumnavigation led by environmental scientist and adventurer Tim Jarvis AM.
From there, she heads south to Antarctica and the Sub-Antarctic Islands before charting a course north toward Europe and the Arctic.
For more information, visit www.aurora-expeditions.com
