Page 39: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (January 2019)

Growth in the global cruise sector continues, as

Hurtigruten, the world’s largest expedition cruise operator, signed an MOU with shipbuilder Kleven

Verft AS for the construction of a third hybrid-pow- ered expedition cruise ship. Tom Mulligan, Mari- time Reporter’s Science & Technology writer, re- ports from Norway.

“We are thrilled to introduce yet an- Hurtigruten is experiencing substantial other revolutionary hybrid-powered ex- global growth. The expansion we have pedition ship,” enthused Hurtigruten’s seen so far is just the beginning,” said

CEO, Daniel Skjeldam. “This ground- Skjeldam.

breaking vessel will take our guests to some of the most spectacular areas of Fish power our planet, in a more sustainable and As well as introducing its three new environmentally-friendly way than ever hybrid battery-powered cruise vessels, seen before,” he stated. Hurtigruten is re? tting its current ? eet

The new ship’s design, construction, of ships to make them less polluting and engineering and advanced technology is planning to use a by-product of rot- will be based on Hurtigruten’s two next- ten ? sh to help power their new, leaner generation ships, MS Roald Amundsen engines. In a $826 million, three-year and MS Fridtjof Nansen, currently un- investment, der construction at the Kleven Verft the whole of the company’s ? eet will yard in Ulsteinvik, Norway. be adapted for greener operations, with

The new expedition ship, accommo- six of its older vessels being retro? tted dating 530 guests, will be custom-built to run on a combination of lique? ed nat- for some of the most extreme conditions ural gas (LNG), batteries and lique? ed to be encountered, having a specially- biogas (LBG).

designed, ice-strengthened hull and ex- “We are talking about an energy pected to be delivered source from organic waste, which in Q2 2021. Hurtigruten would otherwise have gone up in the air.

Hurtigruten has plans for is introducing the MS This is waste material from dead ? sh, cruises to a wide range of new

Roald Amundsen and from agriculture and from forestry. Our destinations, including the Nor- the MS Fridtjof Nan- main aim is to reduce and cut out emis- way Fjords, Svalbard, Russia, sen, the world’s ? rst sions,” said Skjeldam.

South America and Antarctica.

Photo: Hurtigruten hybrid battery-powered The shipping sector is facing tougher cruise ships, in Q1 and international regulations, including cuts

Q3 2019, respectively, in carbon dioxide emissions by at least with the new third hybrid powered ex- 50 percent by 2050 compared with 2008 pedition vessel expected to be added to levels, and a ban on fuels with sulfur the company’s ? eet in 2021. content above 0.5 percent from 2020 “These are greener, more advanced against the current limit of 3.5 percent. cruise ships than the world has ever seen Hurtigruten has said that it wants to be – and ships that will raise standards for carbon-neutral by 2050: “We de? nitely the whole industry to follow as we enter have to be there in 2050 as a company a new era of expedition cruising driv- and the cruise industry must de? nitely en by sustainability,” said Skjeldam. have to come a long way as well,” said

Among the innovative green features Skjeldam, adding that Hurtigruten’s on the new ship are substantially larger three new hybrid-powered ships, which battery packs to make expedition voy- will run on batteries with a diesel engine ages even more sustainable. for back-up only, will help the company

Having celebrated its 125th anniver- market itself as a green cruise company, sary last year (2018), Hurtigruten cur- and that this will be especially useful rently has a ? eet of 17 custom-built given that its ships sail through vulner- expedition ships exploring a wide range able eco-systems.

of destinations that includes Antarc- “The changes in the Arctic over the tica, South America, Norway, Svalbard, past 20-30 years are not caused by car-

Greenland, the North-West Passage and bon dioxide emissions in the Arctic, other Arctic destinations. but you can see the effects of the emis- “We strongly believe that Hurtigruten, sions elsewhere in the world ? rst in the and our responsible and innovative ap- Arctic,” he said. “Our crews have seen proach to sustainable solutions, is the glaciers retreat and plastic waste on perfect ? t for the modern-day explorer. beaches where they land.” www.marinelink.com 39

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