Third expedition vessel to carry 530 guests.
Hurtigruten has just announced an order for a third hybrid-powered expedition cruise ship, with the vessel to be based on the Norwegian line’s two “next-generation” newbuilds, MS Roald Amundsen and MS Fridtjof Nansen which are currently under construction at the Kleven Verft AS shipyard.
The 530-passenger vessel will be custom built for the most extreme conditions on the planet, with a specially designed ice-strengthened hull.
Hurtigruten CEO Daniel Skjeldam said “these are greener, more advanced cruise ships than the world has ever seen, and ships that will raise standards for the whole industry to follow as we enter a new era of expedition cruising driven by sustainability”.
The third vessel is expected to be delivered in the second quarter of 2021, with special innovations including substantially larger battery packs to make expedition voyages even more sustainable.
Hurtigruten Managing Director, Asia-Pacific, Damian Perry, said the expansion would help further deliver great growth in the Australian market through the cruise company’s select GSA and PSA partners Bentours, 50 Degrees North and Chimu Adventures.
More details in Travel Daily tomorrow and Cruise Weekly next week.