HURTIGRUTEN Cruises will deploy one of its expedition vessels year-round in the Pacific in 2025, with the operation including the Norwegian line’s first-ever Kimberley season. Tudor Morgan, Hurtigruten Expeditions VP of Sustainability and Industry Relations, didn’t specify which of the Hurtigruten ships would be operating locally, but told Cruise Weekly...
HURTIGRUTEN Cruises will deploy one of its expedition vessels year-round in the Pacific in 2025, with the operation including the Norwegian line’s first-ever Kimberley season.
Tudor Morgan, Hurtigruten Expeditions VP of Sustainability and Industry Relations, didn’t specify which of the Hurtigruten ships would be operating locally, but told Cruise Weekly it would have capacity for around 180 passengers, which based on the current fleet makes it likely to be the MS Spitsbergen.
He said the Pacific deployment would see Hurtigruten operate voyages in Australia and New Zealand, while part of the year would also be spent undertaking expeditions in French Polynesia.
Morgan is currently in Australia with Hurtigruten Chief Scientist, Verena Meraldi, and the pair have been updating the local Hurtigruten team on some of the company’s latest developments including the release of its 2022 Environmental Social & Governance report (CW 03 May).
The report is part of Hurtigruten’s strong commitment to transparency on achieving emissions targets and progress towards decarbonisation.
Hurtigruten’s Australian and NZ guest base are “very aware of sustainability, and our science and education program,” Morgan said, with the University of Tasmania among seven global institutions working closely with the cruise line.
The company dedicates a cabin on every expedition sailing to science, hosting researchers who interact with guests while undertaking their own projects, often collecting data in partnership with passengers.
Such was the interest in the program from research organisations this year that Hurtigruten doubled its commitment to two cabins on each Antarctica sailing, which saw a total of 1,018 cruise nights dedicated to science in 2022/23.
Morgan is also chair of the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators (IAATO), and believes there’s an opportunity to apply a similar model of industry self-regulation to the Kimberley which is increasingly attracting more and more ships each year.
Hurtigruten’s new Kimberley sailings are expected to go on sale early in 2024.
