Cruise ship MS Roald Amundsen became the very first vessel to do a key activity this week, in the latest cruise news. The ship is the world’s first hybrid-powered ship and is owned by Hurtigruten. The cruise line focuses on expeditions – and on Thursday it made history.
The advanced hybrid powered expedition cruise ship accommodates 530 guests.
It features groundbreaking green technology such as battery packs and a specially designed ice-strengthened hull.
The MS Roald Amundsen is designed and constructed with sustainability at the core of every detail.
Instead of carrying out the traditional ceremony which uses a bottle of champagne, godmother and polar pioneer Karin Strand used a chunk of ice to christen the cruise ship.
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The ritual was invented by polar hero Roald Amundsen himself.
As Strand crushed the ice against the hybrid powered ship’s raked bow, she chose Amundsen’s own words, first used when he christened the polar ship Maud in 1917.
She repeated: “It is not my intention to dishonour the glorious grape, but already now you shall get the taste of your real environment.
“For the ice you have been built, in the ice you shall stay most of your life, and in the ice, you shall solve your tasks”.
Polar hero Amundsen led the first expedition to traverse the Northwest Passage, the first expedition to the south pole, the first expedition proven to have reached the North Pole and created a legacy as one of the greatest explorers of all times.
The ship’s captain Kai Albrigtsen said: “For all of us on board MS Roald Amundsen this is a very special day for a very special ship. She is the most innovative vessel to hit the waters in decades and we hope she will serve as an inspiration for others to follow”
Last year, Hurtigruten announced they planned to replace fuel with a rather disgusting product.
The cruise line will use dead fish to power their ships – a much greener method.
Known as liquefied biogas, it is made from dead fish and decomposed organic waste and will cost $826 million over three years to implement.
The alternative fuel will be used alongside battery packs and natural gas to run the ships and reduce their emissions.
It is hoped to be introduced to six of the 17 ships by 2021.
Three of Hurtigruten’s ships, the current MS Trollfjord, MS Finnmarken and MS Midnatsol, will be renamed MS Maud, MS Otto Sverdrup and MS Eirik Raude as they transform into their new, eco-friendly roles alongside MS Roald Amundsen.