''Greg Mortimer'' is a

cruise ship Cruise ships are large passenger ships used mainly for vacationing. Unlike ocean liners, which are used for transport, cruise ships typically embark on round-trip voyages to various ports of call, where passengers may go on Tourism, tours k ...

operated by

Aurora Expeditions Aurora Expeditions is an Australian company that runs cruises, expeditions and tours. History The company was founded in 1991 by the Australian climber Greg Mortimer and Margaret Mortimer. It focuses on small groups of travelers. The company's ...

. The ship was named in honour of the company's founder

Greg Mortimer Greg Mortimer (born 10 December 1952) is an Australian climber. Mortimer is notable as one of the first two Australians (with Tim Macartney-Snape) to successfully climb Mount Everest, on 3 October 1984. Their ascent, without supplemental oxy ...

, in a combined naming and delivery ceremony at CMHI's Haimen base on 6 September 2019.

Design and description

The ship one of seven ''Infinity''-class vessels built by SunStone Ships. It is a expedition ship with a state of the art x-bow design which has a piercing effect on smaller waves, making for a smoother ride. It has 80 cabins.

Construction and career

The ship was named after the Australian mountaineer, polar explorer and founder of Aurora Expeditions,

. Mortimer arguably became best known as one of the first two Australians (with

Tim Macartney-Snape Tim Macartney-Snape (born 5 January 1956) is an Australian mountaineer and author. On 3 October 1984 Macartney-Snape and Greg Mortimer were the first Australians to reach the summit of Mount Everest. They reached the summit, climbing without ...

) to successfully climb

Mount Everest Mount Everest (), known locally as Sagarmatha in Nepal and Qomolangma in Tibet, is Earth's highest mountain above sea level. It lies in the Mahalangur Himal sub-range of the Himalayas and marks part of the China–Nepal border at it ...

, on 3 October 1984.

COVID-19 pandemic

On 7 April 2020, the cruise ship, which holds up to 216 passengers, became stranded in South American waters, asking for help after people exhibited symptoms such as fever, which prompted authorities to ban them from disembarking. Uruguay was the only country which allowed the cruise ship to dock, after Uruguayan medical teams boarded the cruise ship to test passengers on 1 April, 81 people tested positive for

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

. Six people found seriously ill with

coronavirus Coronaviruses are a group of related RNA viruses that cause diseases in mammals and birds. In humans and birds, they cause respiratory tract infections that can range from mild to lethal. Mild illnesses in humans include some cases of the comm ...

were evacuated and transferred to a hospital in

Montevideo Montevideo (, ; ) is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Uruguay, largest city of Uruguay. According to the 2023 census, the city proper has a population of 1,302,954 (about 37.2% of the country's total population) in an area of . M ...

. The ship received permission to dock and Uruguayan authorities arranged an evacuation flight to Australia and New Zealand. By that time 128 persons on the vessel had tested positive for COVID-19. Six had transferred to a hospital in Montevideo. Passengers from Europe and America who had positive tests would not be allowed to travel to their home countries until their subsequent tests indicated negative results. On the night of 10 April some passengers were evacuated in order to fly to Australia. On 18 April, a 52-year-old Filipino crewman died of the coronavirus.

Repairs and substitution

In July 2023 the ''Greg Mortimer'' suffered propeller damage, and was placed in dry dock for repairs. While under repair, Aurora substituted a similar ''Infinity''-class ship, the ''Ocean Explorer''.

References

External links

''Greg Mortimer'' at Faergelejet.dk
{{DEFAULTSORT:Greg Mortimer Cruise ships involved in the COVID-19 pandemic Cruise ships Cruise ships of Australia Ships built in China 2019 ships 2020 in Uruguay