The line has partnered with CounterCurrent to install dual rooftop sensors that deliver real-time weather and ocean-current data. Powered by artificial intelligence, the system recommends more efficient routing.
During the Douglas Mawson shakedown voyage last week, the bridge team adopted its first optimised path from Sydney to Hobart, using favourable currents to cut fuel consumption.
“For us as a business, most of our emissions come from fuel consumption, so if we can reduce fuel, that has an impact,” said Sasha Buch, Aurora Expeditions Sustainability Manager.
The cruise line has also collaborated with Cleaner Seas on microplastic-filtration technology. New filters fitted to onboard laundry machines capture microscopic fibres, preventing them from entering sensitive polar waters.
Fleetwide deployment for both initiatives are planned pending results from the upcoming 2025/26 Antarctic season.
MEANWHILE, Aurora Expeditions has shared further insights into its successful biofuel trial aboard the Sylvia Earle earlier this year.
Speaking during the Douglas Mawson shakedown, Sustainability Manager Sasha Buch revealed that Aurora was able to operate the vessel on a new renewable fuel – hydrotreated vegetable oil.
She explained, “It’s essentially a waste product converted into marine fuel”.
The trial, conducted along the Spanish coastline over a few days “achieved approximately 90% reduction in fuel-related emissions”, according to Buch.
While the results were highly encouraging, she noted that challenges remain before broader adoption is feasible.
“It’s expensive, and even though it’s made from waste, it’s still a finite resource and not yet available at the scale the industry needs,” she said.
Aurora plans to conduct additional trials when Sylvia Earle returns to Europe next year.
Pictured: Shane Keating, CounterCurrent founder and CEO, and Buch.
