Aurora Expeditions

Aurora Expeditions is an Australian-owned, private adventure travel company that specialises in taking small group expeditions on voyages of discovery to remote and unique destinations.

As with other voyage operators in the region, Aurora Expeditions was forced to suspend operations early last year, and they have since been working hard to ensure that they are able to safely return to operating in a COVID world.

Respond Global has direct experience in operational preparedness and response to public health threats involving COVID. We specialise in supporting organisations to safely maintain business continuity, no matter what the COVID risk level may be. We provide interpretation of public health guidelines measured against national and international best practice and latest scientific evidence.

We were directly involved in the early COVID-19 outbreaks on cruise ships including developing a quarantine plan for the Grand Princess in San Francisco in March 2020. We were then contracted by the Australian Government to lead an independent review of crew quarantine aboard the Ruby Princess and to design and implement measures to help return her to safe sailing, in coordination with Australian Border Force and NSW Health.

Respond Global also supported the ABF in providing an independent quality assurance review of the MV Artania’s quarantine plans during its stay in Western Australia.

We have subsequently worked with a number of Australian and New Zealand-based luxury cruise companies including Coral Expeditions, Ponant, and Carnival Cruises to assist in the design, development, and implementation of their Sail Safe programs. Respond Global is also currently working closely with Cruise Line Industry Association (CLIA) on their restart strategy, and Managing Director Dr Ian Norton is currently a member of MSC Cruise’s Blue Ribbon COVID-19 expert panel.

OUTCOMES

Aurora Expeditions are currently preparing for their first Australian voyage and will be implementing Respond Global’s recommended health screening procedures for all guests and crew prior to travel – as the health and safety of passengers, staff and crew are Aurora Expeditions number 1 priority.