What we love most about our route, is its pristine nature. What we love most about being a cruise company, is that we allow people from all over the world to travel through it in complete style and comfort, without causing any impact on its landscapes.
Since we started operating in the area, in 1990, we are happy to say our route remains practically the same. As a small size cruise, we conduct non-invasive tourism to show to the world one of the last places on earth without human intervention through an operation that helps to keep it that way.
One of our main priorities is not to interfere with nature, yet allow our guests to get in contact with it. To achieve this goal, we´ve taken several measures.
We are working hard to leave only this trace behind
On our excursions
We’ve installed wooden paths and other infrastructure that aim to protect the ecosystems we visit.
Zodiac landings are accessed by gangways avoiding shore erosion.
Each guest has to clean their shoes in a special footbath before and after we disembark, to prevent taking foreign bacteria or seeds into the ecosystems where we land.
Guests are divided into small groups avoiding overuse.
During the excursions, to smoke is forbidden, as well as taking food or any element that might generate any garbage in the places we visit.
All our guides pick up and identify the waste they sometimes find during our excursions, which is mainly dragged by the sea currents, and we invite all our guests to do the same in case they see or find something, aiming to leave each place we visit even better than how we found it.
Before and during excursions, our expedition team educates our guests about: nature, keeping an appropriate distance from local fauna in order not to disturb them, using only well marked paths, always walking in small groups with our guides and leaving no trash behind.
We recycle all the waste produced in the kitchen, and treat all organic waste in order to comply with all MARPOL (Marine Pollution) standards stablished in the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships, one of the most important international marine environmental conventions.
On board
Batteries are collected and delivered to land for proper treatment and solid waste is separated, compacted, and unloaded on land.
Each ship has a Vacuum System which provides low-water use in toilets, similar to the one used in airplanes.
We always recommend our guests to be aware of the use of water, including the reuse of towels that do not need washing.
Our ships have a Sewage System water treatment, which includes discharging water from toilets and organic waste, which complies with MARPOL standards.
We have implemented the latest technology to reduce nitrous oxides from propeller engines and generators according to IMO (International Maritime Organization) requirements.
In 2014, we replaced plastic water bottles in the cabins with water dispensers and reusable souvenir canteens which eliminated the use of over 75,000 plastic bottles per season.
We´ve implemented an intranet system on board to use technology to provide daily and general data in order to reduce the use of paper to deliver the activity program or any information to our passengers.
And finally: We are linking science and business in a unique way by working in conjunction with scientific organizations via a local program to analyze nature’s changing behavior due to climate change. Given we are the only ones that frequent such remote places, our guides have been trained to continuously collect biological data under strict guidelines to monitor the sea’s chemistry, the flowering and development of native plants, the coastal benthic biodiversity, the population of various bird species and to record the amount of garbage in the area. They then deliver frequent reports of their findings for use in government environmental protection initiatives.
This program allows our guests to become active participants and observers, helping to raise awareness about the importance of taking care of our environment. Recently, a sensor has been installed in our vessels’ engine rooms to collect sea-water samples and generate a large amount of information, making Australis the first Expedition Cruise Company to record oceanographic data in the southern hemisphere.
As a small size cruise, we can develop tourism n one of the most unspoiled region of the Earth without interfering in its pristine landscapes. We operate with the highest standards and technology to minimize the impact and to preserve the ecosystems in the places we visit using demarked paths, footbaths, garbage collection and also educating our guests. We also help in the scientific research, taking samples in places that scientific and academic organizations can´t afford to reach due to their remoteness. Our guides have permanent contact with scientists to learn more about the areas we visit. We are always open to collaborate with the scientific an academic community.