The "Polar Queen" is a Norwegian owned ice strengthened vessel built in 1995 for Rieber Shipping of Bergen. The vessel has been chartered several times for Australian Antarctic Base re-supply voyages.

In early 1999 with the unavailability of the "Aurora Australis" due to breakdown, the "Polar Queen" was again chartered to carry out urgent Base re-supply. The following season the vessel was renamed "Ernest Shackleton" and bareboat chartered to the British Antarctic Survey for a 10 year period.