Hurtigruten First To Use Hybrid-Fueled Expedition Vessels

MS Roald Amundsen and MS Fridtjof Nansen will be the world’s first hybrid-fueled expedition cruise ships when they start sailing along the Norwegian coast in the summer of 2019.

- I find it fantastic that we can now present the world’s finest coastline using the world’s finest ships, CEO of Hurtigruten, Daniel Skjeldam, says in a press statement.

This news is presented only days after Hurtigruten’s announcing that they will place a bid for all 11 ships in the new competition for the coastal route between Bergen and Kirkenes.

The expedition voyages will come in addition to the 11 ships that sail the regular route between Bergen and Kirkenes on a daily basis, which means that the brand new hybrid vessels will visit smaller and larger towns and communities along the entire Norwegian coast.

Ground-breaking technology

- We have been the nerve of life along the Norwegian coast for 125 years, and we have transported local travelers, goods and tourists alike. This is a part of the DNA of Hurtigruten. No one knows the Norwegian coast better than we do. We can hardly wait for the competition and we’re in it to win it, Skjeldam says.

In addition to having ground-breaking technology and green solutions, the new vessels will offer up to 530 guests everything from corner suites with private jacuzzis to restaurants inspired by Norwegian polar history.

The heart of the ships will be the Amundsen and the Nansen Science Center, respectively, according to Hurtigruten. The edutainment areas will be filled with technology that, together with the company’s hand-picked expedition team, will provide the guests with a deeper understanding of the areas that the ships explore.

The two new Hurtigruten ships will also have a broad selection of tailor-made expedition gear, such as kayaks, SUPs, Blueye underwater drones and Explorer boats that can take the guests on shore almost anywhere.

- They will be truly unique ships, Skjeldam comments.

Provides on-shore ripple effects

Hurtigruten accounts for 14 percent of all foreign guest nights in Norway.

A report from Menon Economics demonstrates that Hurtigurten’s activities creates thousands of jobs and local values for billions of Norwegian kroner along the coast.

With the two hybrid vessels sailing expedition voyages along the coast, Hurtigruten will operate a total of 13 ships along the Norwegian coast through the whole summer of 2019. Out of the 11 ships currently covering the daily Hurtigruten route, nine were built after 1993.

Among the owners of Hurtigruten we find Norwegian business men Petter Stordalen and Trygve Hegnar. Hurtigruten was sold to the British investment company TDR Capital (81 percent) in October 2014. The company also operates explorer cruises on Greenland, in Svalbard and in Antarctica.