HFW advises Aurora Expeditions on the delivery of purpose-built expedition ship Douglas Mawson

Global law firm HFW recently assisted Australian expedition cruise line, Aurora Expeditions, with the successful delivery of the Douglas Mawson, a brand-new purpose-built expedition ship, from China Merchants Heavy Industry. 

Following the Douglas Mawson’s entry into service and departure on its maiden cruise on 1 December 2025, Aurora now have a fleet of three purpose-built ships.  Whilst focused on Antarctic and Arctic expedition cruises, the growth of their fleet has allowed Aurora to also launch small ship cruises to a wider range of destinations, including Europe, and the British Isles.

HFW’s role included advising on the financing arrangements and a range of other operational and structural matters. 

The firm’s multi-disciplinary team, including ship building and ship finance specialists Partner William MacLachlan, Legal Director Katherine Noble, Senior Associates Peter Emery and Zoe Triantafyllou, Associate Anna Agapitou, as well as Partner Stephen Thompson in the firm’s Sydney office and worked closely with colleagues in Shanghai and Hong Kong to coordinate the delivery of this key milestone in the growth and development of Aurora Expeditions. 

William MacLachlan, Partner, HFW:

“We’re proud to have supported Aurora Expeditions on the successful delivery of the Douglas Mawson, and we’re delighted HFW could bring together specialist expertise across multiple jurisdictions to make it happen.

This project showcases the strength of our global team and our ability to navigate complex, cross-border challenges for clients in the cruise and leisure sector.”

HFW’s international Travel, Cruise & Leisure team advises a broad spectrum of industry stakeholders including cruise-liners, ship managers and shipyards, airlines and hotel operators, lenders, insurers and a range of suppliers. The team supports clients in the sector on a wide range of matters including corporate and transactional, regulatory, litigation, as well as personal injury, admiralty and crisis response.