Hurtigruten to build zero-emissions ship 

A new kind of cruise vessel

Photo: Rune Stoltz Bertinussen / NTB
Hurtigruten’s MS Roald Amundsen comes into port in Tromsø in northern Norway.

Hurtigruten Norway will collaborate with SINTEF, an independent research organization in Trondheim, to find out how they can make emission-free coastal ships. According to the plan, the first ship will be launched by 2030.

“We have followed developments in technology and have seen that the infrastructure has come so far that now it was right to give full throttle,” said Hurtigruten’s CEO Daniel Skjeldam to E24.

“The ship will be built in 2026–2027 for it to be ready by 2030,” he said.

Skjeldam did not say what the financial framework for the project is, but it is known that it will cost more than building a conventional ship, and the project cost will be higher than a normal construction project. Hurtigruten, however, expects more people to share the bill for the new ship’s development.

Hurtigruten said that they will develop the technology needed. Hydrogen or ammonia may be the solution, but other solutions may also be relevant.

SINTEF will now carry out a feasibility study and find out which technology is available today, which technology must be developed, and who can contribute to building the ship.

The study will probably be completed by the summer, but it may take two to three years before a finished design is completely ready, according to SINTEF.

“Achieving this in practice is a very big challenge, so we think it is very exciting,” said SINTEF’s CEO, Alexandra Bech Gjørv.

This article originally appeared in the April 15, 2022, issue of The Norwegian American. To subscribe, visit SUBSCRIBE or call us at (206) 784-4617.