Hurtigruten Norway launched its first environmentally-upgraded battery-hybrid powered cruise ship, MS Richard With.
MS Richard With is the first of 7 in the Coastal Express fleet to be upgraded, and features state-of-the-art technology that will reduce both CO2/NOx (Nitrogen oxides) emissions.
Hedda Felin, CEO of Hurtigruten Norway said that with MS Richard With back in operations as a fully-upgraded ship, guests could sail the Norwegian coast on a "quieter, state-of-the-art, and environmentally-friendly ship, while enjoying a traditional experience unlike anything in the world."
Felin added that over the next year, all their 7 Coastal Express ships would be upgraded to be more sustainable.
As part of an effort to make Hurtigruten’s fleet more sustainable, the company invested ~EUR100 million towards green upgrades that are due to be implemented by early 2024. The move follows sister company, Hurtigruten Expeditions, introducing the first battery-hybrid powered expedition ship in the world, MS Roald Amundsen, in 2019. The brand now has 3 battery-hybrid-powered ships.
“Becoming a green company means investing in efforts with documented effects, such as the ones we are doing now. As a result, by next summer, we will have three upgraded hybrid ships sailing the coast, and our entire fleet will be more energy efficient, cutting CO2-emissions by 25% and NOx by 80%.”
MS Richard With went through extensive upgrades and has been retrofitted with battery packages, new engines, and brand new propulsion systems at Myklebust Yard, northwestern Norway. All Hurtigruten Norway’s 7 ships will be fitted with SCR systems that cut NOx emissions by 80% by early 2024.