Hurtigruten Norway launches its first battery-hybrid powered cruise ship, MS Richard With

   September 23, 2022 ,   Cruise Industry

Hurtigruten Norway launched its first environmentally-upgraded battery-hybrid powered cruise ship, MS Richard With.

MS Richard With is the first of 7 in the Coastal Express fleet to be upgraded, and features state-of-the-art technology that will reduce both CO2/NOx (Nitrogen oxides) emissions.

Hedda Felin, CEO of Hurtigruten Norway said that with MS Richard With back in operations as a fully-upgraded ship, guests could sail the Norwegian coast on a "quieter, state-of-the-art, and environmentally-friendly ship, while enjoying a traditional experience unlike anything in the world."

Felin added that over the next year, all their 7 Coastal Express ships would be upgraded to be more sustainable.

As part of an effort to make Hurtigruten’s fleet more sustainable, the company invested ~EUR100 million towards green upgrades that are due to be implemented by early 2024. The move follows sister company, Hurtigruten Expeditions, introducing the first battery-hybrid powered expedition ship in the world, MS Roald Amundsen, in 2019. The brand now has 3 battery-hybrid-powered ships.

“Becoming a green company means investing in efforts with documented effects, such as the ones we are doing now. As a result, 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% and NOx by 80%.” 

MS Richard With cruise ship

MS Richard With went through extensive upgrades and has been retrofitted with battery packages, new engines, and brand new propulsion systems at Myklebust Yard, northwestern Norway. All Hurtigruten Norway’s 7 ships will be fitted with SCR systems that cut NOx emissions by 80% by early 2024.