Aurora Expeditions Explained

Aurora Expeditions PTY LTD
Trading Name:Aurora Expeditions
Industry:Cruise Line, Travel, Expeditions
Founded:1991
Founder:Greg Mortimer and Margaret Mortimer
Hq Location:Surry Hills
Hq Location City:Sydney, New South Wales
Hq Location Country:Australia

Aurora Expeditions is an Australian company that runs cruises, expeditions and tours.

History

The company was founded in 1991 by the Australian climber Greg Mortimer and Margaret Mortimer.[1] It focuses on small groups of travelers. The company's main focus is cruises around Antarctica and the sub-Antarctic Islands. As well as cruising, the company also does Alpine Trekking and climbing,[2] Ski and Snowboard tours, Snorkelling and Scuba Diving.

In 1992 the company performed its first expedition to Antarctica.

In 1997 the company performed its first expedition to the Arctic.

In 2019 took delivery of its first ship, the Greg Mortimer. It was christened at a ceremony in Ushuaia, Argentina.[3]

In 2022 the company's second ship, the Sylvia Earle, departed on its inaugural cruise from Ushuaia, Argentina.[4]

Coronavirus Pandemic

In April 2020, the Greg Mortimer had an outbreak of COVID-19 on board, leading to it to be denied permission to dock in many South American ports.[5] 128 passengers and crew on board eventually tested positive. The ship was eventually given permission to dock in Uruguay, from where passengers were evacuated or admitted to hospital.[6] Many crew-members ended up being evacuated too, with more than half testing positive for the virus.[7]

Fleet

As of January 2020, Aurora Expeditions had two vessels in its fleet:

!Ship Name!Delivered!Builder!Length!Passenger Capacity!IMO Number!Notes
Greg Mortimer2019China Merchants Heavy Industry (CMHI), Jiangsu, China104 M132 in 79 cabins[8] 9834648[9] Named after the founder of Aurora Expeditions. Registered in Madeira, Portugal
Sylvia Earle2022China Merchants Heavy Industry (CMHI),[10] Jiangsu, China104 M132 in 71 cabins[11] 9872327[12] Named in honor of Marine Biologist Sylvia Earle

References

  1. Web site: About Us - Our Story . 2023-01-11 . Aurora Expeditions™ . en-AU.
  2. Web site: Alpine Trekking & Climbing . 2023-01-11 . Aurora Expeditions™ . en-AU.
  3. Web site: Aurora Expeditions Christens Greg Mortimer - Cruise Industry News Cruise News . 2023-01-11 . cruiseindustrynews.com/ . en-US.
  4. Web site: Aurora Expeditions' Sylvia Earle departs for Antarctica . 2023-01-11 . Travel Weekly . en-AU.
  5. Web site: Greg Mortimer: 81 people test positive for COVID-19 on Australian cruise ship off Uruguay . 2023-01-11 . SBS News . en.
  6. Web site: Castillo . James Griffiths,Jackie . 2020-04-08 . Passengers to be evacuated from Antarctic cruise ship after almost 60% test positive for coronavirus . 2023-01-11 . CNN . en.
  7. Web site: Chivukula . Kavya . 2020-05-13 . Covid-19: Crew on Greg Mortimer ship disembark in Uruguay . 2023-01-11 . Ship Technology . en-US.
  8. Web site: Greg Mortimer Expedition Ship Features . 2023-01-11 . Aurora Expeditions™ . en-AU.
  9. Web site: Ship GREG MORTIMER (Passenger Ship) Registered in Portugal - Vessel details, Current position and Voyage information - IMO 9834648, MMSI 255806396, Call Sign CQEI9 . 2023-01-11 . MarineTraffic.com . en.
  10. Web site: Sylvia Earle Expedition Ship, Australia . 2023-01-11 . Ship Technology . en-US.
  11. Web site: Sylvia Earle . 2023-01-11 . Aurora Expeditions™ . en-AU.
  12. Web site: Ship SYLVIA EARLE (Passenger Ship) Registered in Bahamas - Vessel details, Current position and Voyage information - IMO 9872327, MMSI 311000867, Call Sign C6ED8 . 2023-01-11 . MarineTraffic.com . en.