First hybrid-powered ship completes Northwest Passage crossing

Hurtigruten’s expedition cruise ship MS Roald Amundsen has written a new chapter in exploration history – being the first battery-hybrid powered ship to ever traverse the legendary Northwest Passage.

As the MS Roald Amundsen arrived Nome, Alaska, in the evening of 10 September, captain Kai Albrigtsen made a monumental entry in the ship’s logbook: the first complete passage of the more than 3,000 nautical miles passage from the Atlantic to the Pacific, by hybrid propulsion.

“A genuinely inspirational voyage”

“We have experienced gale winds, snow and ice. We have also witnessed spectacular sunsets, and striking scenery and wildlife. However, what has had the biggest impact on us, is how warmly we’ve been welcomed by the local communities along the route, just as Roald Amundsen himself was. Their unparalleled hospitality is what has made this a genuinely inspirational voyage,” said captain Albrigtsen.

Equipped with large battery packs, the MS Roald Amundsen uses batteries to support her engines, reducing emissions by more than 20%. Having traversed the Northwest Passage, the expedition ship will sail further along the coast of North- and South America, before spending the winter offering intrepid travellers expedition cruises in Antarctica.

MS Roald Amundsen will then return to North America, for a series of expedition cruises in Alaska in the summer of 2020.