Next generation expedition ship for Aurora Expeditions

One will be operated by Australia’s Aurora Expeditions. SunStone Ships has agreed cooperation with
Aurora Expeditions to create a design for the cruise ship. The yet-to-be-named ship will be delivered in time for Aurora Expeditions’ 2019 to 2020 Antarctic cruising season between November to March. China Merchants has entered into an agreement with Norwegian group Ulstein Design & Solutions, which will supply the vessel’s design and equipment package and supervise the vessels’ construction. Aurora Expeditions 104m ice class 1A vessel will be built to the latest polar code specifications and will make pioneering use of the X-Bow design from Norwegian shipyard Ulstein. The X-Bow will give the vessels ability to pierce waves with much greater stability, making open sea journeys like Antarctica’s Drake Passage more pleasant for passengers than is currently available from other small ships on the market today, Aurora Expeditions chief executive Mr Robert Halfpenny said. The X-Bow ship shape results in a wave-piercing effect in all wave heights, reducing pitching and bow impact loads in big seas compared to conventional bulbous bow shapes.