Aurora Expeditions (Australia) has completed its first trials of biofuel on board the expedition cruise ship ‘Sylvia Earle’.
Conducted in May, 2025 at Valencia, Spain, the tests involved running the ship entirely on hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO), a fuel derived from used cooking oil.
Early results indicated that emissions related to fuel use were reduced by as much as 90%, compared with conventional marine fuels.
Biofuel use required a comprehensive cleaning of the fuel tanks before the changeover, after which the ship operated for several days along the Spanish coast without any disruptions.
The transition confirmed the technical viability of HVO for expedition conditions, paving the way for future adoption across Aurora’s fleet. Aurora said that this development reinforced its commitment to reducing its voyages’ environmental impact.
‘Sylvia Earle’, an ‘Infinity’ class expedition cruise ship, became the first of its type to complete trials in Spain.
Aurora Expeditions is planning further tests when its fleet returns to Europe next year.
Future plans include combining fuel innovation with broader emissions reduction programmes to ensure that exploration of remote coastal and Polar regions remains compatible with global carbon limits.
