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Hurtigruten's New Ship to be Named in Antarctica

Credit: Espen Mills
Credit: Espen Mills

Published Aug 1, 2019 9:23 PM by The Maritime Executive

Hurtigruten's new hybrid powered expedition cruise ship Roald Amundsen will be the first ship in history to be named in Antarctica. 

The vessel is named after polar explorer Roald Amundsen who led the first expedition to traverse the Northwest Passage, the first expedition to the south pole and the first expedition proven to have reached the North Pole. The naming ceremony is set to honor his legacy with a ritual invented by Amundsen himself. Instead of the traditional bottle of champagne, Roald Amundsen will be named with a chunk of ice. 

When christening his famed expedition ship Maud in 1917, Amundsen switched the traditional bottle of champagne for a chunk of ice. Before crushing the ice against her bow, he stated: “It is not my intention to dishonor the glorious grape, but already now you shall get the taste of your real environment. For the ice you have been built, and in the ice, you shall stay most of your life, and in the ice, you shall solve your tasks.”

Hurtigruten – and the yet to be disclosed godmother – will use the same ritual when naming Roald Amundsen on her maiden voyage to Antarctica.

Roald Amundsen made maritime history by being first cruise ship in the world to sail purely on battery power as she left Kleven yard for her maiden voyage off the coast of Norway in late June. The ship is using battery packs to support her low-emission engines and will reduce CO2 emissions with more than 20 percent compared to other cruise ships of the same size.

Her maiden season includes expedition cruises along the Norwegian coast, to Svalbard and Greenland, before becoming the first hybrid powered ship to attempt a traverse of the legendary Northwest Passage – following in the wake of Amundsen’s famed expedition. 

Roald Amundsen

Built: 2019 Kleven Yards, Norway
Gross tonnage: 20.889
Length: 140m
Width: 23.6m
Draft: 5.3m
Guests: 530
Staterooms & suits: 265
Crew: 151
Cruising speed: 15 knots
Ice class: PC-6

On board facilities include a fully equipped Science Center, observation decks, infinity pool, panoramic sauna, wellness center, three restaurants, bars, Explorer Lounge, more than 50 percent of cabins with private balconies.