Wikipedia

Hurtigruten

This article is about the route along the coast of Norway. For the shipping company named after this route, seeHurtigruten AS.

Hurtigruten(lit. 'Express Route'), formallyKystruten Bergen-Kirkenes( "coastal routeBergen-Kirkenes"),[1]is aNorwegianpublic coastal route transporting passengers that travel locally, regionally and between the ports of call, and also cargo between ports north ofTromsø.[2]

Hurtigruten provides daily, year-round and consistent traffic betweenBergenandKirkeneswith 34 ports of call on northbound and 33 ports of call on southbound sailings. The Ministry of Transport and Communications in Norway has set minimum capacity requirements of 320 passengers, 120 berths and cargo for 150 Euro-pallets. The current agreement with the privately held companyHurtigruten ASentered into force on 1 January 2012 and expired on 31 December 2019, with an optional 1-year extension. From 2021 the two companies Hurtigruten AS andHavila KystrutenAS will operate the route.[3]

As of April 2022, one of the ships of Havila Kystruten, MS Havila Capella, was taken out of service; because of sanctions as a result of the 2022 Invasion of Ukraine, the ship no longer had insurance; "the 4 ships of" the company were at that time financed by a Russian company.[4]

As of March 2023, Havila Kystruten has 2 out of 4 ships in operation, Havila Capella and Havila Castor. Havila Polaris and Havila Pollux is expected to be delivered before summer 2023.

History

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VesteraalennearBodøon her first round-trip in 1893.

Hurtigruten was established in 1893 by government contract to improve communications along Norway's long, jagged coastline.Vesteraalenbegan the first round-trip journey from Trondheim on 2 July 1893 bound forHammerfest,with calls atRørvik,Brønnøy,Sandnessjøen,Bodø,Svolvær,Lødingen,Harstad,Tromsø,andSkjervøy.The ship arrived at Svolvær on Monday 3 July at 8pm after 35½ hours and at Hammerfest on Wednesday 5 July after 67 hours. She was commanded by founder of the routeRichard With.At that time this was the fastest route between northern and southern Norway, and this resulted in the route being named Hurtigruten (express route).[5]As of 2008, the Trondheim–Svolvær trip took 33 hours and the Trondheim–Hammerfest trip took 41 hours 15 min.[citation needed]

Before Hurtigruten opened, onlyVesteraalens Dampskibsselskabwas willing to make the trip through the then poorly-charted waters; the voyage was especially difficult during the long, dark winters. The company had for itself made detailed sailing instructions. Hurtigruten was a substantial breakthrough for communities along its path. Mail from central Norway to Hammerfest, which used to take three weeks in summer and five months in winter, could now be delivered in seven days.[5]

The 1982-builtNarvikinSvolvær.The ship was sold in 2007.

Encouraged by Vesteraalens' early success, several other shipping companies obtained a concession to operate the route, extended to run between Bergen in the southwest and Kirkenes in the far northeast. A fleet of 11 ships visits each of the 34 ports daily, both northbound and southbound.[citation needed]

Until the 1940s most ports north of Trondheim could not be reached by road from Oslo, so the sea was the only means of access. Beginning in the 1960s, the role of Hurtigruten changed, in part because of the construction of a local airport network and road improvements. Operating subsidies were gradually phased out, and the operators put more emphasis on tourism. New, bigger and more luxurious ships were introduced in the 1980s, with attention given to hot tubs, bars, restaurants and other comforts. However, Hurtigruten still serves important passenger and cargo needs, and operates 365 days a year. The last two independent shipping companies,Ofotens og Vesteraalens Dampskibsselskab(OVDS) andTroms Fylkes Dampskibsselskap(TFDS), merged on 1 March 2006 as theHurtigruten Group,a year later becoming Hurtigruten ASA. In 2015 Hurtigruten was delisted from the Oslo stock exchange after the company was acquired by the private equity groupTDR Capital.[6][7]In addition to the voyages in Norway, the company operates expedition cruises to Greenland, Canada, South America, Iceland, Svalbard and Antarctica.

Havila Capella and Havila Castor meets for the first time along the coastal express route.

New contracts

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The Ministry of Transport and Communications in Norway announced in 2017 that the Hurtigruten contract was split into three contracts. The contracts were put up for bid and in the end, two were granted to Hurtigruten AS and one to Havila Kystruten AS, with each operating seven and four ships respectively. The two companies will alternate departure days for the entire route from Bergen to Kirkenes.[8]

Havila Kystruten AS is building four new vessels to serve the route, while Hurtigruten AS will be refitting seven of its vessels to meet the stricter emissions requirements.[8]

The four new vessels from Havila will run on LNG and battery power. LNG will cut CO₂ emissions by 25 per cent, and the battery power will yield additional savings.[9]The vessels will be named Havila Capella, Havila Castor, Havila Polaris and Havila Pollux. All four vessels were built at Tersan shipyard in Turkey.[10]

Existing vessels from Hurtigruten will be modernized and renovated in order to meet the new requirements.[8]MS Eirik Raude,MS TrollfjordandMS Otto Sverdrupare all getting modernized and renovated with a scandinavian interior style similar to the expedition vesselsMS Roald AmundsenandMS Fridtjof Nansen.[citation needed]

The ships will be fitted with filters and LNG compatible engines in order to reduce emissions by 25%. The ships will also get hybrid motors, and battery packs.[citation needed]

Current fleet

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As of 2020, this is a list of ships sailing on the Hurtigruten.[11]

Name Built Gross tonnage Notes Image Ref
MS Vesterålen 1983 6,261 [12]
MS Kong Harald 1993 11,204 [13]
MS Richard With 1993 11,205 [14]
MS Nordlys 1994 11,204 [15]
MS Polarlys 1996 11,341 [16]
MS Nordkapp 1996 11,386 [17]
MS Nordnorge 1997 11,384 [18]
MS Havila Capella 2021 15,519
MS Havila Castor 2022 15,519
MS Havila Polaris 2023 15,519
MS Havila Pollux 2023 15,519
MSNordstjernenin Bergen

Places visited on coastal route

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In order, northbound:

Live television broadcast

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See also:Slow television § 2011: Hurtigruten – minutt for minutt

As part of itsslow televisionseries, theNorwegian Broadcasting Corporationtransmitted non-stop the Hurtigruten shipMSNordnorge's 134-hour voyage fromBergentoKirkenes,which started on June 16, 2011.[19]

Post-World War II accidents and incidents

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Memorial inBodøcommemorating the incident on boardErling Jarlin 1958. Total height: 2,3 meters. Sculptor:Istvan Lisztes.

Before World War II, a number of ships perished, usually because they ran aground in bad visibility.

Most of the Hurtigruten fleet was sunk during World War II.

In September 1954SSNordstjernenran aground inRaftsundetat night. The ship started taking on water and eventually sank. Of the 157 passengers and 46 crew members on board, five died.[20][21]

On January 8, 1958, a fire broke out on board MSErling Jarlwhile the vessel was docked atBodø.Fourteen people died of smoke inhalation. Today a memorial to the incident stands at Bodø.[22][23]

On October 21, 1962 MSSanct Svithunran onto a reef in the maritime areaFoldainNord-Trøndelagbecause of a major navigational error after leavingTrondheim.Of 89 persons on board (passengers, crew and two postal officers) 41 died.[24]

In 2011MSNordlyssuffered an engine room fire, leading to two deaths among the crew.[25]

References

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Notes

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  1. ^https://www.vg.no/nyheter/meninger/i/dlOA6J/kystens-tapte-stolthetI dag heter det formelt Kystruten Bergen-Kirkenes.
  2. ^Communications, Ministry of Transport and (2016-12-16)."The coastal route Bergen-Kirkenes".Government.no.Retrieved2019-10-14.
  3. ^Samferdselsdepartementet (2016-12-15)."Kystruten Bergen-Kirkenes".Regjeringen.no(in Norwegian Bokmål).Retrieved2019-10-14.
  4. ^https://www.nrk.no/vestland/_havila-capella_-ligger-fremdeles-i-bergen-1.15932809.NRK.Retrieved 14 April 2022
  5. ^ab"Skipene som bandt kysten sammen".Nasjonalbiblioteket(in Norwegian Bokmål).Retrieved2020-04-13.
  6. ^"tdrcapital.com".tdrcapital.com.RetrievedFebruary 14,2018.
  7. ^Syed, Sara; Porter, Kiel (26 August 2016)."Cruise Operator Hurtigruten Said to Attract Private Equity Firms".Bloomberg.Retrieved28 March2017.
  8. ^abc"Hurtigruten gets new coastal rival".www.newsinenglish.no.23 March 2018.Retrieved2019-10-17.
  9. ^"Hybrid cruiseliners cut coastal emissions".www.theexplorer.no.Retrieved2019-10-17.
  10. ^"Tersan Shipyard to build two ships for Havila Kystruten".CruiseandFerry.net.Retrieved2020-04-13.
  11. ^"Current Route Plan".www.hurtigruten.no(in Norwegian).Retrieved2020-04-13.
  12. ^"MS Vesterålen".www.hurtigruten.no(in Norwegian).Retrieved2020-04-13.
  13. ^"MS Kong Harald".www.hurtigruten.com.Retrieved2020-04-13.
  14. ^"MS Richard With".www.hurtigruten.no(in Norwegian).Retrieved2020-04-13.
  15. ^"MS Nordlys".www.hurtigruten.com.Retrieved2020-04-13.
  16. ^"MS Polarlys".www.hurtigruten.com.Retrieved2020-04-13.
  17. ^"MS Nordkapp".www.hurtigruten.com.Retrieved2020-04-13.
  18. ^"MS Nordnorge".www.hurtigruten.com.Retrieved2020-04-13.
  19. ^Hofseth, Anders (16 June 2011)."Hurtigruten: 5 day TV marathon in the midnight sun".NRK.
  20. ^Rydheim, Per (28 November 2010)."D/S Nordstjernen".Vol.no.Retrieved28 November2012.
  21. ^"Ulykker og forlis"[Accidents and shipwrecks].Hurtigrutemuseet(in Norwegian Bokmål). Archived fromthe originalon 22 February 2013.Retrieved28 November2012.
  22. ^"History Erling Jarl (1949)".The Virtual Museum of Hurtigruten.Retrieved9 October2016.[permanent dead link]
  23. ^Elling Finnanger Snøfugl (25 March 2009)."Klart for minnesmerke".Avisa nordland(in Norwegian Bokmål).Retrieved9 October2016.
  24. ^"Historien Sanct Svithun"[History of Sanct Svithun].Hurtigrutemuseet(in Norwegian Bokmål). Archived fromthe originalon 7 January 2014.Retrieved28 November2012.
  25. ^Torgeir P. Krokfjord; Barstein, Geir; Walderhaug, Fridgeir (15 September 2011)."To bekreftet omkommet etter brann på hurtigruta"[Two confirmed dead after fire on Hurtigruten].Dagbladet(in Norwegian Bokmål).

Bibliography

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  • Bakka, Dag (1980).Skipene som bandt kysten sammen: Hurtigruten, 1893 - 1980[The Ships Travelling Along the Coast: Hurtigruten 1893-1980]. Bergen: gens Tidende og Eides Boktrykkeri.OCLC834930062.
  • Bakka, Dag; Kolltveit, Bård; Mo, Sverre (2003).Hurtigruten: sjøveien mot nord[Hurtigruten: by sea to the north] (in Norwegian) (rev. ed.). Bergen: Seagull.ISBN8291258171.
  • Bakka, Dag (2011).Livslinje og eventyrreise: historien om Hurtigruten[Lifeline and Adventure Travel: A History of Hurtigruten] (in Norwegian). Bergen: Bodoni.ISBN9788271286255.
  • Beer, Gerhard (2012).The World's Greatest Cruises: explore, dream, discover.München: Monaco Books.ISBN9783899448856.
  • Bent, Mike (1987).Coastal Express: the ferry to the top of the world.London: Conway Maritime Press.ISBN0851774466.
  • Bryant, John (2012).Hurtigruten 120: The Complete Story.Ramsey, Isle of Man: Ferry Publications.ISBN9781906608682.
  • Bryant, John (2013).Hurtigruten 120.Ramsey, Isle of Man: Ferry Publications.ISBN9781906608637.
  • Eliassen, Per; Rasch-Tellefsen, Bjørn (2000).Hurtigruten: Velkommen om bord / Welcome on board / Willkommen an Bord(in Norwegian, English, and German). Harstad, Norway: To-Foto.ISBN8299550106.
  • Küchler, Kai-Uwe (2009).Faszinierende Hurtigruten[Fascinating Hurtigruten] (in German). Würzburg: Verlagshaus Würzburg - Flechsig.ISBN9783803520043.
  • Küchler, Kai-Uwe; Küchler, Manfred (2011).Abenteuer Hurtigruten: Mit dem Postschiff ins Reich der Mitternachtssonne[Hurtigruten Adventure: by mail ship to the realm of the midnight sun] (in German). Würzburg, Germany: Verlag-Haus Würzburg.ISBN9783800346011.
  • Küchler, Kai-Uwe; Küchler, Manfred (2015).Hurtigruten: Mit dem Postschiff ins Licht der Mitternachtssonne[Hurtigruten: by mail ship into the light of the midnight sun] (in German). Würzburg, Germany: Stürtz.ISBN9783800346196.
  • Möbius, Michael; Ster, Annette (2016).Hurtigruten: die schönste Seereise der Welt[Hurtigruten: the most beautiful sea voyage in the world] (in German) (5th ed.). Ostfildern, Germany: DuMont Reiseverlag.ISBN9783770173990.
  • Mosler, Axel M.; Schröder, Ralf (2013).Traumreise Hurtigruten[Dream Trip Hurtigruten] (in German). München: Bruckmann.ISBN9783765458798.
  • Pollmann, Bernhard (2014).Hurtigruten: die schönste Seereise der Welt[Hurtigruten: the most beautiful sea voyage in the world] (in German). München: Kunth Verlag.ISBN9783955040819.
  • Römmelt, Bernd (2008).Bildschöne Hurtigruten[Beautiful Hurtigruten] (in German). München: Bruckmann.ISBN9783765447839.
  • Spitzenberger, Hans-Joachim; Mosler, Axel M. (2016).Hurtigruten - Zeit für das Beste Highlights - Geheimtipps - Wohlfühladressen[Hurtigruten - Time for the Best Highlights - Insider Tips - Wellbeing Addresses] (in German) (4th revised ed.). München: Bruckmann.ISBN9783734308369.
  • Schröder, Ralf (2011).Die Schiffe der Hurtigruten vom Postdampfer zum Erlebnisliner[The Ships of Hurtigruten from the mail steamers to the adventure liners] (in German). Bielefeld: Delius Klasing.ISBN9783768833233.
  • Schröder, Ralf (2016).Hurtigruten(in German) (2nd ed.). Bielefeld, Germany: Delius Klasing.ISBN9783667105561.
  • Stavseth, Redar (1963).Nordover med Hurtigruten: Historie og hverdagsbilder gjennom sytti år[Northward with Hurtigruten: History and everyday images through seventy years] (in Norwegian). Oslo: Grundt Tanum.OCLC504478333.
  • Stickeln, Lutz; Babovic, Toma (2009).Hurtigruten(in German). Hamburg: Ellert & Richter.ISBN9783831903535.
  • Storrusten, Erling (1994).Hurtigruten: the world's most beautiful sea voyage.Narvik:Ofotens og Vesteraalens Dampskibsselskab.ISBN8299315409.
  • Weyer, Helfried (2002).Hurtigruten: mit dem Postschiff durch Norwegen[Hurtigruten: by mail ship through Norway] (in German) (4th ed.). Steinfurt: Tecklenborg-Verlag.ISBN3924044473.
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