Hurtigruten’s new hybrid-powered cruise ship has completed its first set of sea trials.

MS Roald Amundsen was put to the test in the fjords along the western coast of Norway. 

The 530-guest ship, which features battery technology to reduce emissions, sails it maiden voyage on 17 May 2019, from Lisbon to Hamburg. Its sister ships ­­– MS Fridtjof Nansen and the unnamed third – arrive in 2020 and 2021, respectively.

MS Roald Amundsen’s maiden season also includes expedition cruises along the Norwegian coast, to Svalbard and Greenland, before traversing the legendary Northwest Passage and heading south to Antarctica. 

MS Roald Amundsen and MS Fridtjof Nansen are currently being built at Kleven Yard in Ulsteinvik, Norway.

“I am very pleased with the results of the sea trial,” said Kleven Yard CEO Olav Nakken. “The Kleven employees, along with our sub-contractors, have done a great job leading up to the successful sea trial.”

Speaking to Cruise Trade News last year, Hurtigruten CEO Daniel Skjeldam said: “When we designed the new ships, we looked at how technology would develop and the supply chain alongside it, and we decided on hybrid technology as it is by far the most environmentally friendly solution for the areas we sail in.

“It’s a stepping stone for the future. We don’t think hybrid is the end game for the cruise industry, but it is an important step.

“It’s cutting emissions by 20 per cent, so that’s a significant reduction. In addition, we are sailing on marine gas oil on all of our operations – we never use heavy fuel oil.”