MS ''Fridtjof Nansen'' is a

Norwegian Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to: *Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe * Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway * Demographics of Norway *The Norwegian language, including ...

cruise ship (though marketed as an "expedition ship"). Named after polar explorer and scientist

Fridtjof Nansen Fridtjof Wedel-Jarlsberg Nansen (; 10 October 186113 May 1930) was a Norwegian polymath and Nobel Peace Prize laureate. He gained prominence at various points in his life as an explorer, scientist, diplomat, and humanitarian. He led the team t ...

, it is a near identical twin to . It is a hybrid powered Polar Class 6 ship built by Kleven Yards Ulsteinvik for

Hurtigruten ''Hurtigruten'' (), formally Kystruten Bergen-Kirkenes ("coastal route Bergen-Kirkenes"), is a Norwegian public coastal route transporting passengers that travel locally, regionally and between the ports of call, and also cargo between ports no ...

History

Hurtigruten AS tentatively ordered in April 2016 two newbuildings at Kleven Verft, which should be delivered in July 2018 and 2019. ''Fridtjof Nansen'' was officially ordered on 30. June 2016, together with her sister ship ''Roald Amundsen'', at Kleven Verft. ''Fridtjof Nansen'' should originally be delivered in summer 2019. Kleven yard ran into financial difficulties and ended up being bought outright by Hurtigruten. The ship was launched on 9. December 2018. The first cruises should have started in April 2020 from

Hamburg Hamburg (, ; nds, label=Hamburg German, Low Saxon, Hamborg ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg (german: Freie und Hansestadt Hamburg; nds, label=Low Saxon, Friee un Hansestadt Hamborg),. is the List of cities in Germany by popul ...

. Due to

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quickl ...

the planned cruises had to be cancelled. On 11 January 2022, the ship ran aground while on a voyage from

Lofoten Lofoten () is an archipelago and a traditional district in the county of Nordland, Norway. Lofoten has distinctive scenery with dramatic mountains and peaks, open sea and sheltered bays, beaches and untouched lands. There are two towns, Svolv� ...

Flåm Flåm is a village in the Flåmsdalen valley which is located at the inner end of the Aurlandsfjorden, a branch of Sognefjorden. The village is located in Aurland Municipality in Vestland county, Norway. In 2014 its inhabitants numbered 350. ...

. None of her two-hundred-thirty-three passengers and one-hundred-sixty-five crew were injured. The passengers were taken off the ship and transported to

Ålesund Ålesund () sometimes spelled Aalesund in English, is a municipality in Møre og Romsdal County, Norway. It is part of the traditional district of Sunnmøre and the centre of the Ålesund Region. The town of Ålesund is the administrative ...

. After repairs the ship resumed cruising with passengers on the 1st of June, departing from Reykjavik. Fridtjof Nansen_IMO 9813084_P_Hamburg_16-12-2021

Fridtjof Nansen_IMO 9813084_P_Hamburg_16-12-2021

Technology

''Fridtjof Nansen'' is the second expedition ship of its class with

hybrid power Hybrid power are combinations between different technologies to produce power. In power engineering, the term 'hybrid' describes a combined power and energy storage system. Examples of power producers used in hybrid power are photovoltaics, ...

, a combination of diesel-electrical power and pure electrical power, fed from accumulators. The hull is particularly suited for

polar region The polar regions, also called the frigid zones or polar zones, of Earth are the regions of the planet that surround its geographical poles (the North and South Poles), lying within the polar circles. These high latitudes are dominated by flo ...

s ( Polar class 6) and has a bow like an axe. The propulsion occurs via two

Azimuth_thruster An azimuth thruster is a configuration of marine propellers placed in pods that can be rotated to any horizontal angle (azimuth), making a rudder unnecessary. These give ships better maneuverability than a fixed propeller and rudder system. Ty ...

Sister ships

The development and construction of ''Fridtjof Nansen'' is part of a 850 million dollar investment of Hurtigruten AS with the objective to have the most environment-friendly expedition fleet of the world. The first vessel ''Roald Amundsen'' is in operation since July 2019. A third ship was ordered in October 2018 and should be delivered in the 2nd quarter of 2021.This order was later cancelled.

References

Weblinks

- Info about the Vessel

- MS Fridtjof Nansen Overview

News

Hurtigruten ASA Official homepage - MS ''Fridtjof Nansen''
Passenger ships of Norway Hurtigruten 2018 ships Ships built in Ulstein Maritime incidents in 2022 {{cruise-ship-stub