Hurtigruten is unveiling silent, electric-powered and emission-free catamarans.
The company is collaborating with the Norwegian startup Brim Explorer to launch battery-powered catamarans custom-built for polar waters.
Launching in spring 2020, the over 70-foot vessel will sail daily silent and sustainable ocean excursions from its homeport Longyearbyen on the Arctic island of Svalbard - operating under the Hurtigruten Svalbard brand.
Featuring large battery packs, Hurtigruten says the hybrid catamaran will be one of the world’s most flexible electric ships. It can be charged at nearly every port and operate on batteries for 10 hours with a cruising speed of 10 knots.
Brim Explorer’s first vessel, which is similar to its sibling vessel, will operate exclusively under the Hurtigruten Svalbard brand. It is currently under construction in Norway. Debuting in August 2019, it will offer Hurtigruten guests travelling along the Norwegian coast several excursions:
- The Lofoten Islands (spring and summer), based out of Svolvær.
- Northern light voyages (winter) based out of the Arctic capital of Tromsø.
The explorer catamarans will also have hydrophones and underwater drones from another Norwegian startup that is collaborating with Hurtigruten, Blueye Robotics. Their drones will be introduced to several of Hurtigruten’s expedition cruise ships, along with all Brim Explorer experiences.
Launching battery powered excursion catamarans is one of several of Hurtigruten's green initiatives. Hurtigruten celebrated its 125th anniversary by banning all single-use-plastics. In 2019, Hurtigruten will introduce the MS Roald Amundsen, the world’s first hybrid powered cruise ship.
Hurtigruten is also completely rebuilding existing ships to run on a combination of large battery packs, liquefied natural gas (LNG) and biogas (LBG) – produced from organic waste such as dead fish.
For more information, visit https://www.hurtigruten.com/
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