Last Infinity-class vessel delivered to Aurora Expeditions

It is the third vessel from SunStone Ships to be delivered to the cruise operator, joining Greg Mortimer and Sylvia Earle.

A linkedIn post from Aurora expains, "For over 34 years, Sir Douglas Mawson has quietly shaped our story. His legacy of bold exploration and deep curiosity inspired our founder Greg Mortimer so profoundly, that he named our company after Mawson’s ship, Aurora. Now, as we prepare to launch our newest ship, Douglas Mawson, it feels like the closing of a circle and the opening of a new chapter."

To celebrate this history, both Greg Mortimer and Emma McEwin (Mr Mawson’s great-granddaughter) will be on the ship’s inaugural journeys to East Antarctica later this December.

With a Polar-class ship rating, Douglas Mawson features a fuel-efficient diesel-electric propulsion system, waste-heat recovery, and Ulstein’s X-Bow design – proven to reduce fuel consumption, noise and motion in rough seas. 

For solo travellers, Douglas Mawson also introduces more single cabins than before.

Aurora Expeditions said, “Its arrival marks an exciting new chapter in our journey as we continue to expand our industry-leading fleet and offer travellers deeper connections to remarkable environments and cultures across all seven continents.”

The delivery of Douglas Mawson marks the end of the current Infinity class. But SunStone Maritime Group is planning to add new vessels to this line of ships in the future.

In a previous interview with PST, SunStone chief executive Carsten Lund explained how there were some changes on Douglas Mawson compared with the previous two Aurora cruise vessels. It has a square pool, which has changed the design of the pool deck and there are more seating areas on the outside decks.