Hurtigruten Norway has introduced its first environmentally upgraded, battery-hybrid powered ship, MS Richard With, the first of the Coastal Express fleet to be updated with state-of-the-art technology to reduce carbon and nitrogen oxide emissions.
Hurtigruten Norway CEO Hedda Felin said guests can sail the Norwegian coast on a quieter, state-of-the-art and environmentally friendly ship while enjoying a traditional cruising experience.
“With MS Richard With back in operation as a fully upgraded ship, over the next year all seven Coastal Express ships will be upgraded to be more sustainable,” Ms Felin said.
As part of a major effort to make Hurtigruten Norway’s fleet more sustainable, the company has invested almost €100 million towards green upgrades that will be implemented before the end of summer 2023.
“Becoming a green company means investing in efforts with documented effects. By next summer, we will have three upgraded hybrid ships sailing the coast, and our entire fleet will be more energy efficient, cutting CO2 emissions by 25 per cent and NOx by 80 per cent.”
“Our plan is to have the first emission-free ship in our fleet by 2030, and we’re working hard on achieving that,” she said.
This move follows sister company Hurtigruten Expeditions, which introduced the world’s first battery-hybrid powered expedition ship, MS Roald Amundsen, in 2019. The expedition cruise brand now has three battery-hybrid powered ships in its fleet.
Hurtigruten Expeditions has also just announced the expansion of its 2023 Arctic summer season with seven brand-new adventures on four ships to provide the world’s largest offering of Arctic cruises.
The new 11- to 19-day itineraries on MS Maud will depart from either Dover, UK or Reykjavik, Iceland to take guests to Greenland, Svalbard, the British Isles, the Faroe Islands and Iceland.
For more info, head to hurtigruten.com.au
