Jewels of the Arctic

Aurora Expeditions is a small Australian cruise line which specialises in off-the-beaten-track voyages led by remote area experts. The company’s adventurous co-founders, Greg and Margaret Mortimer, established Aurora Expeditions in 1991 and had by the following year, already begun running voyages to Antarctica. The cruise line pioneered these ship-based polar expeditions using a fleet of purpose-built ice class ships. Today, Aurora Expeditions is the proud owner of two small ship expeditions vessels, the Greg Mortimer and the Sylvia Earle. Both feature a revolutionary Ulstein X-Bow which ensures stability as the ships sail rougher waters and also enhances the vessels’ speed while reducing fuel emissions. Virtual anchoring technology also means that physical anchors, which destroy the seabed, are no longer dropped to the ocean floor. The Sylvia Earle is named after the United States’ first female chief scientist of the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and an esteemed academic in the world of marine biology and exploration. The ship is still in development but is expected to embark on its maiden voyage from the port of Ushuaia in autumn 2021. Aurora Expeditions accommodates up to 132 passengers per cruise, maintaining an intimate atmosphere on board its ships and allowing for more shore landings.