Aurora Expeditions has officially christened its newest ship, the Sylvia Earle, at Cierva Cove, Antarctica, accompanied by the ship’s namesake and godmother, Dr. Sylvia Earle.
“Thank you, Aurora, for the approach that you use to keep people inspired about the ocean,” said Earle.
“For exploring the ocean and using knowledge to take care of all this on our planet. This is an experience that I am happy to share with everyone here and I’m looking at Aurora as the voice of the ocean.”
Earle is a marine biologist, oceanographer and explorer who was also the first female Chief Scientist of the U.S. National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration and a National Geographic explorer-in-residence since 1998. Time magazine named Earle the ‘Hero of the Planet,’ and she runs a conservation initiative called Mission Blue, focused on creating a global network of marine protected areas known as ‘Hope Spots.’
“We are privileged to have Dr. Earle as the namesake of our stunning second purpose-built expedition ship,” said Aurora Expeditions CEO Michael Heath.
“I thank Sylvia for joining us on board to officially christen the ship and be on board for the inaugural Antarctic Climate Expedition.”
In partnership with Aurora Expeditions and Ocean Geographic, Earle is leading the first ‘Antarctic Climate Expedition’ on the ship to raise awareness of the environmental importance of the Antarctic.
Apart from a deck dedicated to Earle, each of the ship’s decks is named after other female conservationists including Jo Ruxton (MBE), Dr. Carden Wallace (AM), Sharon Kwok, Bernadette Demientieff, Dr. Asha de Vos and Hanli Prinsloo.
