MS Roald Amundsen

The 2019-built MS Roald Amundsen cruise ship is the first of the two new hybrid-powered expedition vessels in Hurtigruten's fleet. The newbuilds (Fridtjof Nansen and Roald Amundsen) were both named after the most influential Norwegian polar explorers from the era when Hurtigruten started to operate expedition cruise itineraries.

The vessel (IMO number 9813072) is currently Norway-flagged (MMSI 257425000) and registered in Tromso.

In 2021, Hurtigruten added 4 old ships to its expedition fleet - Spitsbergen (2009), Midnatsol (2003), Trollfjord (2002) and Finnmarken (2002).

MS Roald Amundsen is now part of the Hurtigruten Expeditions/HX fleet.

History - construction and ownership

The shipowner Hurtigruten is a Norwegian passenger shipping company specializing in cruise and ferry services. The "Norwegian Coastal Express Route" (Bergen-Kirkenes) is a cargo-passenger ferry service along Norway's western and northern coast. Hurtigruten's cruise ferries sail nearly the entire length of Norway and complete this roundtrip itinerary in 11 days. The route also includes Lofoten Islands and Vesteralen Islands.

This cruise vessel class was purposefully designed for Norwegian coastal and Polar expedition cruises (Arctic and Antarctica itineraries). The Rolls-Royce company's Marine division received a GBP 25 million (USD 33 million) from the shipyard to provide the vessel's design and equipment.

The new series of Hurtigruten expedition vessels feature the latest environmentally friendly marine technologies. The new hybrid technology allows cruising with fully electric propulsion for up to 30 min. The main gain is the total reduction in fuel consumption and CO2-emissions. The technology, along with the effective use of electricity onboard and the optimized hull design, reduces bad emissions by nearly 20%.

Building materials used during construction were predominantly Norwegian, with extensive use of granite, oak and wool, among others.

Roald Amundsen is Hurtigruten's first liner featuring the largest LED screen at sea. The 7-deck high screen (with sound) has height 17,5 m (57,5 ft) and is vertically-positioned midship (in the Atrium) facing the glass-walled elevators. The huge LED screen displays live footage (of the surrounding scenery and wildlife) and can also be used for live-streaming lectures and media presentations, or just to create different moods with HD images and videos.

The ship has 4 Lifts (passenger elevators) of which 2 (midship) connect all decks while the other 2 (forward) interconnects only the cabin decks.

Roald Amundsen cruise itinerary program offers expedition voyages to Antarctica and Chilean Fjords (during 2018-2019 inaugural season), as well as Norwegian Coastal, Svalbard (Norway) and Alaska (through the Canadian Arctic / Northwest Passage route).

Decks and Cabins

Hurtigruten Roald Amundsen ship has a total of 265 passenger cabins (all outside, 50% balconied) in 13 categories and 3 main types - EXPEDITION SUITES, ARCTIC SUPERIOR (balcony cabin) and POLAR OUTSIDE (oceanview cabin). The ship has 5 wheelchair-accessible handicap cabins (adapted for passengers with disabilities), but they are also available for general booking.

The boat has 11 decks, of which 9 are passenger-accessible and 5 with cabins.

All staterooms (regardless cabin category) offer as standard (complimentary) amenities Queen-size double bed (under-bed storage for suitcases), bedside cabinets, wall-mounted reading lamps, double sofabed, floor lamps, recessed ceiling lights, mirrored vanity table (writing desk) with chair and magnifying mirror, low table with 2 lounge chairs (with footstools), mirrored wardrobe, electronic safe box (in the closet), coffee/tea making facility (kettle, tray with packed coffee and teas), phone (intercom), smart HDTV (satellite reception, infotainment system, wall-mounted), mini-bar (refrigerator), carpet flooring, individually controlled air-conditioning, en-suite bathroom (WC / wall-mounted toilet, glass shower, single-sink vanity, bathrobes, hairdryer), 220V power outlets, USB ports.

EXPEDITION SUITES are with floor-ceiling windows (some slanted), private step-out balconies, 4-seat dining table, espresso coffee maker (in addition to the kettle with packed teas-coffee). Top-tier suites are with larger bathrooms with double-sink vanities. Aft corner suites have outdoor Jacuzzis (on their balconies).

Categories MA-MB (XL Suite), MD (Large) and MC (Aft) are all corner suites with balconies. Category MC has hot tub in the bathroom. ME-Suites are with balconies, while MF-Suites are with large windows (no balcony). EXPEDITION SUITES (by category) are sized as follows - MA (46-48 m2 / 495-515 ft2), MB (44 m2 / 470 ft2), MC (20-30 m2 / 215-320 ft2), MD (35 m2 / 375 ft2), ME (20-28 m2 / 215-300 ft2), MF (22 m2 / 235 ft2).

ARCTIC SUPERIOR staterooms are balcony cabins (with step-out private verandas) and (by category) are sized as follows - XT and XTD (15-19 m2 / 160-205 ft2), XY (19 m2 / 205 ft2). POLAR OUTSIDE are oceanview cabins without balconies and (by category) are sized as follows - TT (27 m2 / 290 ft2), TY (24-26 m2 / 260-280 ft2), RR (19-23 m2 / 205-250 ft2), RS (17 m2 / 180 ft2).

Shipboard dining options - Food and Drinks

Breakfast and lunch on the Roald Amundsen ship are buffet-style and open-seating. The serving area is situated in the center of the ship's restaurant in a square formation. Meals are spread out over a couple of hours, so the dining room is seldom crowded. Some dinners are open-seating and self-service buffets, while others are plated meals served in one or two seatings, depending on how full the cruise ship is.

The Roald Amundsen ship has 3 restaurants.

• The Restaurant / Aune Main Dining (named after the Norwegian polar expedition supplier Tinus Aune) is the ship's dining room (capacity 234 seats) with large floor-ceiling windows, buffet station in the middle, outdoor seating area (alfresco terrace).
• The Bistro / Fredheim (capacity 71 seats) is a casual dining lounge named after Villa Fredheim (early-20th-century hunting station on Spits­ber­gen Island). Fredheim Restaurant offers light snacks and beverages (in lounge seating) and has a separate buffet dining area.
• Lindstrom Specialty Restaurant (capacity 62 seats) is named after Adolf Henrik Lindstrom (1866-1939) - a Norwegian chef who took part in four polar expeditions (1898-1902, 1903-06, 1910-12, 1914-16). All Suite-category passengers dine complimentary at Lindstrom daily (all-inclusive breakfast and dinner). Other cabin grade passengers can also dine at Lindstrom (breakfast and/or dinner) but at extra charge (a la carte priced menu, premium wine list).

Shipboard entertainment options - Fun and Sport

MV Roald Amundsen features innovative Scandinavian design, large observation platforms (on several decks), pool deck with infinity pools, Jacuzzis and bars.

From the moment passengers step onboard the compact Roald Amundsen ship, they feel as though they’ve arrived in the polar region. The artwork reflects both the Antarctic and the Arctic with photos of the early expeditions, snow-capped peaks paintings and pictures of penguins. MS Roald Amundsen brings her guests close to nature and unforgettable experiences. She offers numerous lounges to relax, as well as a well-equipped gym for the more active passengers.

The vessel has a variety of custom-built expedition equipment, such as a fleet of Blueye underwater drones, large inflatable Explorer Boats (zodiacs) and kayaks. Follows the complete list of Roald Amundsen ship lounges, clubs and other entertainment venues for kids, teens and adults.

• Wardroom (ship officers’ dining room and relaxation lounge)
• Embarkation/disembarkation area/lobby for easy loading/unloading of passengers going on land expeditions; ship-to-shore tendering is serviced by inflatable boats, used mostly for wildlife watching)
• Lecture halls (offer expert lectures and multimedia presentations)
• The Lobby (with floor-ceiling windows, reception, expeditions booking and information), 7-deck high Atrium (with glass-wall elevators)
• Internet corner (Internet Cafe with 4 Internet computers, combined with a library)
• Shop (selling hand-made souvenirs, special occasion gifs, Hurtigruten logo merchandise); Video Games Arcade.
• The ship features a 2-level Observation Deck (indoor viewing area with large windows) located forward (at the ship's bow) on decks 6 and 7.
• Explorer Lounge (forward on deck 10 / pool deck) is an indoor Observation Lounge (bow-located) with a full-service Bar, slanted floor-ceiling windows (270-degree views), comfortable seating, an outdoor terrace (named Passenger Bridge).
• Fitness Centre is a large Gym Room equipped with treadmills, exercise bikes, rowing machine, ping-pong table, free weights, yoga mats).
• On Sun Deck are located two outdoor gym areas, walking/running track and aft Observation Deck (viewing area). Sundeck is also where Hurtigruten holds the special ceremony “Arctic Circle baptism” that includes a Neptune-costumed crew, icy seawater, and a vodka shot for warming up.

Aft on Pool Deck are the ship's outdoor infinity pool (rectangular swimming pool with heated water) flanked by two outdoor Jacuzzis (whirlpools), pool showers, Pool Bar. Two separate Sauna Rooms (unisex) are located midship-starboard.

Amundsen Science Centre (deck 6 forward, on the below photo) is a large "scientific lounge" (research lab) packed with high-tech gadgets (including microscopes and touch screens) and latest digital technology equipment. The venue consists of Library, Lecture Halls, Photo Center (photo- and video-processing studio), Conference Room, Expedition Team Room, dedicated areas for themed educational activities (workshops in biology, marine life, geography, photography, etc). Hurtigruten's Expedition Team provides here passengers with scientific information and technology assistance.

The Norway-flagged MS Roald Amundsen is the first of Hurtigruten's new series of expedition cruise ships built in Poland (Montex Shipyard in Gdansk / hull and superstructure) and Norway (Kleven Shipyard in Ulsteinvik / marine interior and outfitting). The company signed a letter of intent with the shipbuilder Kleven Verft In April 2016 for 2 vessels, with an included option for 2 more ships of the same class/design. The contract was signed in July 2016. The second same-class ship (MS Fridtjof Nansen) was scheduled for delivery in July 2019.

Vessel's construction officially started on February 24, 2017, with Daniel Skjeldam (Hurtigruten's CEO) attending the first steel cut at Kleven Shipyard. The ship was launched (floated-out from drydock) on February 17, 2018, and scheduled for delivery in July 2018. The float-out ceremony was attended by Hurtigruten fleet's oldest ship - MS Lofoten (launched in 1964 / 54-years-old as of 2018).

However, "due to the complexity of the construction", the shipyard delayed the project and re-scheduled the delivery for May 3, 2019 (inaugural cruise from Lisbon Portugal). In mid-2019, liner's maiden voyage was again re-scheduled - from June 27 (departure from Hamburg Germany) to July 2 (leaving from Tromso Norway).

The ship's Masters (Captains) are Kai Albrigtsen (first) and Torry Sakkariassen. Albrigtsen started his maritime career at 17 (as galley / kitchen assistant) and has served in various positions on 10 Hurtigruten liners. He became Captain in 2006, and before Roald Amundsen was the commander of MS Midnatsol.

The boat's godmother is Karin Strand - 1970-born Swedish polar pioneer (Doctor of Philosophy in literature) and since 2014 - deputy head of Svenskt Visarkiv (Swedish Vision Archive - 1951-founded archive of Swedish music and dances). As of 2019, Karin Strand has completed 140+ Antarctic expeditions. Ship's christening ceremony was scheduled for November 8, 2019, and held in Antarctica (Chiriguano Bay, Brabant Island), making the event world's and industry's first.

Pole-to-Pole Expedition Cruises 2022

In early-June 2021 Hurtigruten Expeditions announced two (company's first) "pole to pole cruises" scheduled to combine into a single itinerary the regions Alaska (Aleutian Islands, St Matthew Island), Northwest Passage (Arctic Canada's Atlantic-Pacific sea route, Baffin Island), Greenland, Caribbean (Belize, Nicaragua), Panama Canal (full transit), South America (also Chilean Fjords), Antarctica.

• The 93-day itinerary (Vancouver BC Canada to Buenos Aires Argentina) was planned for MS Roald Amundsen, departing on August 8, 2022, and visiting 11 countries. Prices started from USD 64580 (EUR 53045) per person with double occupancy.
• The 66-day itinerary (Edmonton, Alberta Canada, to Valparaiso-Santiago Chile) was planned for MS Fram, departing on September 22, 2022, and visiting 7 countries. Prices started from USD 50140 (EUR 41175) per person with double occupancy.

Hurtigruten's 93-day "Arctic to Antarctica" cruise itinerary schedule included the following segments:

• DAYS 2-17 (Vancouver to Nome AK) - Misty Fjords, Wrangell AK, Sitka AK, Icy Bay (glaciers Guyot, Yahtse, Tyndall, Guyot), Kodiak AK, Katmai National Park, Chignik AK, Unga Village, Dutch Harbor, St Paul and St. Matthew Islands, Nome AK
• DAYS 18-21 (at sea) Bering Strait, Chukchi Sea, Beaufort Sea
• DAYS 22-32 (Canada and Greenland) Amundsen Gulf, Cape Bathurst, Ulukhaktok, Cambridge Bay (Victoria Island), Gjoa Haven, Somerset Island (Fort Ross on Hudson's Bay), Beechey Island, Devon Island, Baffin Island (Mittimatalik)
• DAYS 33-40 (Greenland and Atlantic Canada) Baffin Bay, Davis Strait, Ilulissat, Sisimiut, Red Bay (Belle Isle Strait), Corner Brook
• DAYS 41-48 (Halifax NS to Boston MA) Halifax, Sable Island, Lunenburg NS, Eastport ME, Bar Harbor ME, Provincetown MA, Boston
• DAYS 49-52 (at sea)
• DAYS 53-62 (Miami FL to Colon Panama) Miami, Belize City, Lighthouse Reef Belize, Isla de Providencia Colombia, Corn Islands Nicaragua, Bocas del Toro Panama, Colon
• DAYS 63-76 (Panama Canal to Valparaiso-Santiago Chile) Manta Ecuador, Machala-Puerto Bolivar Ecuador, Salaverry Peru, Lima Peru, Paracas Peru, Arica Chile, Iquique Chile, La Serena Chile, Valparaiso
• DAYS 77-86 (Chilean Patagonia) Castro, Puerto Eden, Puerto Natales, Chilean fjords, Magellan Strait, Cape Horn, Drake Passage
• DAYS 87-90 (Antarctica) Antarctic Peninsula (~20 landing sites), South Shetland Islands
• DAYS 91-93 (Ushuaia/debarkation) flight to Buenos Aires

Roald Amundsen ship technology

The onboard art collection was personally selected by Norway's Queen Sonja and her art foundation "Queen Sonja Print Award". The ship has around 600 artworks by a total of 20 Norwegian artists but also features pieces by the Queen herself. Art sale auctions are hosted onboard in addition to permanent exhibitions and professional lectures.

Ship's design features an ice-strengthened hull, wave-piercing bulbous bow, Rolls-Royce Unified Bridge (navigation consoles, software interfaces, etc) for safe and efficient performances. The vessel integrates a DP0 (Bridge Mate dynamic positioning system), Aquarius 100 stabilizers, ACON (integrated automation and control) system. Vessel's max draught/draft is 5,3 m (17 ft).

The hybrid powerplant combines electric power systems, which efficiency allows fuel reduction by approx 20% and approx 20% lower CO2 emissions (an equivalent of over 3000 tons3 CO2 per year). The ship is powered by all four "Bergen B33:45L" diesel engines (by Rolls-Royce) plus batteries. The engines are equipped with an SCR (Selective Catalytic Reduction) system to meet IMO Tier III NOx emissions limit.

Scanship is the supplier of the ship's cleaning systems - food waste processing, garbage handling, wastewater treatment plants. The ship has "Jets Vacuum" systems (for toilets and wastewater collecting). Scanship's blackwater purification system is IMO Marpol certified.

Hurtigruten newbuilds also feature underwater drones (ROV / remotely operated underwater vehicle) developed by Blueye Robotics (Norway). Each drone weights 7 kg and has 4 thrusters for propulsion. The ROV also features a wide-angle video camera (Blueye Pioneer) designed to work in limited-light conditions. It streams true-color live images to the ship's TV screens, to all cabin TVs and also to the digital diving masks of the passengers cruising on the ship's Zodiac boats. The ship's fully electric propulsion includes two Azipull thrusters (powered by a permanent magnet motor) plus two tunnel thrusters. The permanent magnet motor delivers high efficiency at various speeds.

In November 2018, Hurtigruten announced its fleet will be powered with LBG (liquified biogas) produced mainly from dead fish using organic-waste recycling methods. LBG will be sourced from Norway and other Northern European countries with large fisheries and forestry industries producing large volumes of organic waste. By 2021, the company plans to have six ships powered by a combination of LBG, LNG and batteries. The project (budgeted USD 850 million) will result in creating the world's greenest cruise brand.

In 2019, Roald Amundsen became Hurtigruten's first vessel to complete a Northwest Passage Cruise (August 20 through September 10) from Kangerlussuaq (Greenland) to Nome (Alaska). The 21-day voyage included 7645 km of sea navigation.

For 2023 (departing August 18) Hurtigruten planned for MS Roald Amundsen the company's first Northwest Passage cruise. The 26-day itinerary (themed "The Northwest Passage - In the Wake of the Great Explorers") starts from Alaska, passes through Bering Strait, Chukchi Sea, Beaufort Sea, Amundsen Gulf (NWT Canada) and ends in Halifax NS. Ports of call include Vancouver BC, Nome AK, Ilulissat Greenland, Sisimiut Greenland, Red Bay NL, Corner Brook NL, Halifax.