History was made on the weekend with the world’s first hybrid powered cruise ship, Hurtigruten’s MS Roald Amundsen, completing her first sea trials in the fjords along the western coast of Norway.
The green powered ship is nearing completion at Kleven Yard and the ship yard’s CEO Olav Nakken said he was “very pleased with the results of the sea trial”.
“The Kleven employees, along with our sub-contractors, has done a great job leading up to the successful sea trial,after MS Roald Amundsen’s return to the yard Monday morning,” he said.
Custom built for some of the most extreme waters on the planet, MS Roald Amundsen is currently undergoing final outfitting alongside her sister ship MS Fridtjof Nansen at Kleven Yard in Ulsteinvik, Norway.
The advanced hybrid powered expedition cruise ships cater to 530 passengers and feature groundbreaking green technology such as battery packs and a specially designed ice-strengthened hull.
Both ships are designed and constructed with sustainability at core of every detail.
Project director at Kleven Asbjørn Vattøy said “with several sustainable innovations and this being a highly technical complicated ship, it is important for us to verify that all systems work as planned”.
He said the yard is currently in a “hectic period” as the on board interior is about to be completed.
After delivery this spring, MS Roald Amundsen’s maiden season includes expedition cruises along the Norwegian coast, to Svalbard and Greenland, before traversing the legendary Northwest Passage and heading south to Antarctica.
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