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BAPTISM BY ICE: Hurtigruten's New Ship Will Be The First To Be Named In Antarctica

Hurtigruten has revealed the very COOL details of an Antarctic naming ceremony for their new hybrid-powered cruise ship MS Roald Amundsen. The naming of the world’s first hybrid-powered cruise ship […]

Hurtigruten has revealed the very COOL details of an Antarctic naming ceremony for their new hybrid-powered cruise ship MS Roald Amundsen.

The naming of the world’s first hybrid-powered cruise ship will take place on 8 November, during MS Roald Amundsen’s maiden voyage to the white continent, making her the first ship in history to be named in Antarctica.

Meanwhile, polar pioneer Karin Strand has been named as godmother of the ship.

Hurtigruten CEO Daniel Skjeldam said they chose Karin Strand as godmother because she is “a true polar pioneer”.

Karin Strand

Karin Strand

At the age of 48, she has completed more than 140 expeditions to Antarctica, making her one of the most experienced explorers in adventure travel.

“As the polar hero Roald Amundsen, our MS Roald Amundsen is out of the ordinary. And so should our godmother be.”

According to Hurtigruten CEO Daniel Skjeldam

“Her passion for exploration, the oceans and the communities we visit, combined with her never-ending will to innovate, makes her a true role model.”

Strand describes herself as “suffering from permanent polar fever” and currently serves as VP Expeditions – overseeing Hurtigruten’s expedition teams.

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Karin Strand

“I am honored to be named godmother to the most innovative ship to hit the waters in decades. The green technology and innovative solutions serve as an inspiration for exploring our oceans in a more sustainable way,” she says.

There is more than the location that sets the MS Roald Amundsen naming ceremony aside from the ordinary.

The traditional breaking of a champagne bottle will be replaced by a chunk of ice, to honour the legacy of polar hero Roald Amundsen.

MS Roald Amundsen

MS Roald Amundsen

Amundsen himself invented the ritual when christening his famed expedition ship “Maud” in 1917, by crushing a chunk of ice against her bow.

This month, MS Roald Amundsen became the first hybrid powered ship to complete the famed Northwest Passage – following in the wake of Roald Amundsen’s 1903-1906 expedition from Greenland to Alaska.