Aurora Expeditions welcomed its third X-BOW cruise vessel, Douglas Mawson, in September 2025. “Many of our guests have travelled on other expedition ships before and immediately notice the difference. Whether it’s sleeping better at night, feeling less vibration during lectures, or spending more time in observation areas, the design truly enhances the experience,” says Katie Malone, Chief Marketing Officer at Aurora Expeditions, when commenting on the X-BOW design feature.

With the delivery of Douglas Mawson on 9 September 2025, the seventh vessel in the Infinity class for SunStone Ships, the proven ULSTEIN CX103 platform continues to demonstrate its strength. Built at the CMHI shipyard and chartered to Aurora Expeditions, the vessel is now ready to explore polar regions, remote coastlines, and global destinations.

The sea trial of the expedition cruise vessel, Douglas Mawson, was successfully completed on 2 July 2025. This significant milestone marks a step closer to the vessel's delivery in autumn 2025. The vessel was contracted by SunStone Ships and will be operated by Aurora Expeditions.

"When a viral Drake Passage video surfaced showing huge swells crashing over the bow of Quark Expeditions' Ocean Explorer, it wasn't just the power of the Southern Ocean that made waves. 
The real star? The ship's cutting-edge X-BOW design." 

This quote comes from Alex Loizou at Mundy Adventure. 
With his permission, the whole story continues below. 

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28 November 2024: The 'Douglas Mawson' expedition cruise vessel, an ULSTEIN CX103 design, has been successfully launched at the CMHI shipyard, China. 

The Douglas Mawson, featuring the ULSTEIN X-BOW, offers high passenger comfort with her immersive bow lounge and panoramic observation areas. She meets Solas 2020 stability requirements and is tailored to client specifications, accommodating up to 300 people.

Aurora Expeditions, the Australian-owned expedition travel company, will soon welcome its third purpose-built small expedition ship, Douglas Mawson, to its family of pioneering vessels. The cruise vessel, based on the ULSTEIN CX103 design, is due to begin sailing in December 2025.

Marking a significant achievement in the world of expedition cruising, SunStone Maritime Group recently celebrated the start of construction for their seventh and final Infinity-class vessel, based on the ULSTEIN CX103 design. 

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The CMHI Haimen yard, China, delivered SunStone's sixth expedition cruise vessel in the Infinity class, the Ocean Albatros, on Thursday, 20 April 2023. The vessel will operate on year-round charter for Albatros Expeditions.

The CX103 designed, polar expedition cruise vessel Ocean Albatros is preparing for her first journey, and these days there is hectic activity to finalise the interior. Work is proceeding on the reception, the carpet is being installed in the lecture area and the mud room is taking shape.

SunStone Ships goes for another cruise vessel in its INFINITY class. All the vessels in this class are designed by Ulstein Design & Solutions AS. These vessels were the first to introduce the patented X-BOW design in the cruise industry, a solution that has been warmly welcomed by cruise passengers and crews alike.

The CX103 designs, Ocean Odyssey and Sylvia Earle, have been delivered from the CMHI shipyard in Haimen, China to SunStone. The final documents were signed on 21 October 2022, completing the delivery. This series of vessels is the first expedition cruise vessels to implement the X-BOW feature for increased comfort.

‘Ocean Albatros’, ship number six in the SunStone Ships’ INFINITY series, had her launching ceremony on 16 September 2022 at the CMHI Haimen yard. Ulstein Design & Solutions is providing the design and equipment package for this project.

Albatros Expeditions recently announced that their brand new expedition cruise vessel, Ocean Albatros, "is almost in the water and will soon be undergoing sea trials." She is scheduled to arrive for their Arctic 2023 season, and the ship operator is more than excited to be receiving her.