Hurtigruten Norway has commenced its environmental ship upgrade project when the ‘Richard With’s arrived at the Myklebust shipyard for a rebuild.
When the whle project is completed in 2023, the rebuilt ships will cut CO2 emissions by 25% and NOx emissions by up to 80%.
“This is the largest environmental upgrade in Hurtigruten’s history, and one of the largest of its kind in Europe. This will make a real impact in reducing emissions in Norwegian waters. The fact that such an investment also leads to ripple effects in the local communities along the coast, is something we are very proud of,” said Hedda Felin (pictured), Hurtigruten Norway CEO (pictured).
Three of the seven coastal express vessels will be converted to hybrid ships. The first one, ‘Richard With’, is currently at Myklebust Yard in northwestern Norway, where the ship will be fitted with new main engines and battery packs. She will be followed by the ‘Kong Harald’ and ‘Nordlys’.
Three other ships – ‘Nordnorge’, ‘Nordkapp’ and ‘Polarlys’ – will also be upgraded and have SCR systems installed on board, which will reduce NOx emissions by 80%. The last ship in the fleet, ‘Vesterålen’, was upgraded with new engines and SCR systems in 2019.
“Our goal is zero emissions! But the technology is not mature enough yet and we must do what we can to cut emissions with the best technology available today and extend the service life of the iconic ships we have in our fleet,” Felin added.
Hurtigruten has entered into an agreement with Kongsberg Maritime to convert the hybrid ships.
“This is one of the largest environmental vessel upgrades to be undertaken in Europe,” said Egil Haugsdal, President, Kongsberg Maritime.
“Hurtigruten Norway makes sustainable choices for its existing fleet. It’s rewarding to work with a company that shares our forward-looking approach to technology and the environment, and not least to work on ships that so many people have a close relationship with,“ Haugsdal added.
‘Richard With’ is due to be redelivered on 9th August. ‘Kong Harald’ will arrive at the shipyard for a similar conversion project, while ‘Nordlys’ will follow. By the summer of 2023, all of the ships operating in the Coastal Express service will have been fully upgraded.
Project details:
- Kongsberg Maritime will be responsible for design work and upgrades on the ‘Richard With’, ‘Nordlys’ and ‘Kong Harald’, which will undergo the largest amount of work. The ships will be hybrid fitted with large battery packs and new Norwegian-manufactured engines
- Myklebust Yard has been commissioned to undertake the upgrades of the first two ships
- All of Hurtigruten Norway’s seven ships will also be fitted with SCR systems that cut NOx emissions by 80%
- All of the ships also have shore power convertibility systems fitted, eliminating emissions in ports, which have shore power available
- The upgrades include both small and large changes, such as new propeller blades, hull optimisation, new bulbous bows, new gears, generators and new control systems
- This upgrade will mean that all of Hurtigruten Norway’s seven Coastal Express ships will have emissions equivalent to Tier III, the strictest international standard for NOx emissions
- The project also includes the installation of new wastewater treatment plants to minimise pollution
- Hurtigruten Norway will also use certified biofuels on a large scale to cut CO2 emissions
- ‘Vesterålen’ was upgraded with new engines and SCR facilities in 2019.
