Douglas Mawson

Douglas Mawson is an expedition ship built in 2025 and operated by Aurora Expeditions Australia. She's an ice-strengthened vessel built to Polar Class 6 specifications, making her well equipped for remote polar waters, and accommodates up to 154 passengers, with a working capacity of 130 on polar expeditions, across 86 staterooms.

She takes her name from Sir Douglas Mawson, a British-born Australian geologist and Antarctic explorer who stood among the prominent figures of the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration, a naming that carries real meaning for the ship's purpose. Many of her itineraries retrace Mawson's historic Australasian Antarctic Expedition voyage of 1911 to 1914, letting passengers follow the routes of one of history's great polar explorers.

She features the Ulstein X-bow hull design, reducing vertical movement and wave resistance for smoother navigation while cutting fuel use and emissions, translating into a genuinely more comfortable ride through rough southern seas, something that matters greatly on an expedition ship.

Onboard, the atmosphere is built for serious exploration. Two restaurants and bars, an outdoor heated pool with jacuzzis, a wellness area, and communal spaces including a lecture theatre and a Citizen Science Centre round out the ship's offering. Dedicated zones for Zodiac embarkation support shore landings and wildlife viewing, central to how expedition cruising works. She also offers a significant number of single occupancy cabins, still uncommon in cruise shipping, with many cabins featuring balconies or French balconies, and suites offering thoughtful extra touches. Experts and guides travel aboard throughout to lead enrichment programmes.

During her first Antarctic season, Douglas Mawson reached a latitude of 78 degrees 44 minutes south, setting a new record for the southernmost position attained by a passenger vessel, a genuine testament to what she can achieve in extreme conditions.

Douglas Mawson suits adventurous travellers, solo cruisers, and those after remote polar regions and subantarctic islands explored with a small, purposeful group rather than aboard a larger floating resort.

Cruised aboard this record-breaking expedition ship? Log your Douglas Mawson voyage on The Cruise Globe to trace the precise route that your specific cruise took!