Hurtigruten or
Hurtigruta (literally "Express Route") is a
NorwegianNorway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
passengerA passenger is a term broadly used to describe any person who travels in a vehicle, but bears little or no responsibility for the tasks required for that vehicle to arrive at its destination....
and freight line with daily sailings along Norway's western and northern coast. Sometimes referred to in English as
Norwegian Coastal Express, Hurtigruten ships sail almost the entire length of the country, completing the roundtrip journey in 11 days. The trip has been described as the "World's Most Beautiful Sea Voyage." Highlights include the
Hanseatic LeagueThe Hanseatic League was an economic alliance of trading cities and their merchant guilds that dominated trade along the coast of Northern Europe...
city of Bergen, the
GeirangerGeiranger is a small tourist village in Sunnmøre in the municipality of Stranda in Møre og Romsdal county, in the western part of Norway. It lies at the head of the Geirangerfjord, which is a branch of the Storfjord. The nearest city is Ålesund...
fjord (summer only), and the Lofoten Islands, a niche that has earned the company a nearly 2% share of the worldwide cruise market.
Company history
Hurtigruten traces its origins more than one hundred years back; it was established in 1893 by government contract to improve communications along Norway's long, jagged coastline. commenced on the first round-trip journey from Trondheim on 2 July 1893 bound for Hammerfest, with calls at Rørvik, Brønnøy, Sandnessjøen, Bodø, Svolvær, Lødingen, Harstad, Tromsø and Skjervøy. The ship arrived Svolvær on Monday 3 July at 8pm (after 35½ hours) and reached its northbound destination of Hammerfest on Wednesday 5 July, completing the northbound leg between Trondheim and Hammerfest in a total of 67 hours. She was captained by
Richard WithRichard Bernhard With was a Norwegian ship captain, businessman and politician for the Liberal Left Party. He is known as the founder of Vesteraalens Dampskibsselskab and Hurtigruten.-Background:...
, considered the founder of Hurtigruten. At present, the distance between Trondheim and Svolvær is covered in 33 hours and Trondheim - Hammerfest in 41 hours and 15 min.
Originally only one shipping company,
Vesteraalens DampskibsselskabVesteraalens Dampskibsselskab was a Norwegian shipping company that operated ferries in Northern Norway. It was founded by Richard With on 10 November 1881 at Stokmarknes. That same year, the shipping company's first ship - SS Vesteraalen "from 1865 was purchased from Arendals Dampskibsselskab...
, was willing to take on the job of sailing the then poorly charted waters; the voyage was especially difficult during the long, dark winters. Hurtigruten was a substantial breakthrough for communities along its path. Mail from central Norway to
Hammerfestis a city and municipality in Finnmark county, Norway. The municipality encompasses parts of three islands: Kvaløya, Sørøya, and Seiland. Hammerfest was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838...
which had taken three weeks in the summer and up to five months in winter could now be delivered in a mere seven days.
Encouraged by
Vesteraalens early success, several other shipping companies obtained the concession to operate on the route and the Hurtigruten service expanded to the current round trip between Bergen in the southwest, and
Kirkenesis a town in the municipality of Sør-Varanger in the county of Finnmark in the far northeast of Norway...
in the far northeast. A fleet of 11 ships ensures that each of the 34 ports is visited twice daily; once by northbound and once by southbound ships.
Beginning in the 1980s, the role of Hurtigruten changed; operating subsidies were gradually phased out and the operators put more emphasis on tourism. New, bigger and more luxurious ships were introduced, 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 DampskibsselskabOfotens og Vesteraalens Dampskibsselskab or OVDS was a Norwegian shipping company that operated ferries in Northern Norway, including the Coastal Express, car ferries and passenger ferries. The company merged with Troms Fylkes Dampskibsselskap in 2006 to form Hurtigruten Group.OVDS's main office...
(OVDS) and
Troms Fylkes DampskibsselskapTroms Fylkes Dampskibsselskap or TFDS is a defunct Norwegian shipping company that also has activities in public transport and tourism. Based in Tromsø the company was one of the two operators of the Coastal Express and also operated a number of car ferries and passenger ferries, primarily in...
(TFDS), merged on 1 March 2006 as the
Hurtigruten GroupHurtigruten Group is a Norwegian transport corporation with headquarters in Narvik, Norway. The group provides services within bus transport, car ferry transport, tourism in addition to operating the Coastal Express along the Norwegian Coast...
, a year later becoming Hurtigruten ASA. In addition to the coastal route, ferries, and high-speed regional express ships in Norway, the company operates cruises around
GreenlandGreenland is an autonomous country within the Kingdom of Denmark, located between the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Though physiographically a part of the continent of North America, Greenland has been politically and culturally associated with Europe for...
,
South AmericaSouth America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
and
Antarctica.
After Norwegian, the greatest number of passengers come from Germany, Britain and other parts of Scandinavia.
Current fleet
Hurtigrute vessels
- MS Midnatsol
MS Midnatsol is a Hurtigruten vessel built by Fosen mekaniske verksted in Rissa, Norway in 2003. It is the fourth ship to sail for Hurtigruten to bear this name...
- MS Trollfjord
MS Trollfjord is a Hurtigruten vessel built by Fosen mekaniske verksted in Rissa, Norway in 2002. It is named after the Norwegian Trollfjord. She has a sister ship, which also sails for Hurtigruten.- External links :***...
- MS Finnmarken
- MS Nordnorge
The MS Nordnorge is a Hurtigruten ship. It was built in 1997 by Kværner Kleven in Ulsteinvik, Norway, as a sister ship to MS Polarlys and MS Nordkapp...
- MS Polarlys
MS Polarlys is a Hurtigruten vessel built by Ulstein Verft in Ulstein, Norway in 1996. It is named after the Aurora polaris and is the third Hurtigruten vessel to bear the name after this phenomenon.- External links :**...
- MS Nordkapp
The MS Nordkapp is a Hurtigruten ship built in 1996 by Kleven Verft AS, Norway, for Ofotens og Vesteraalens Dampskibsselskab for use in Hurtigruten ferry service along the coast of Norway. She is a sister ship of MS Polarlys and MS Nordnorge...
- MS Nordlys
MS Nordlys is a Norwegian-registered cruise ship operated by Hurtigruten. She was built by Volkswerft GmbH in Stralsund, Germany in 1994. She has two sister ships, and which also sail for Hurtigruten. The ship caught fire in September 2011 while sailing off Ålesund, Norway.-Description:The...
- MS Richard With
- MS Kong Harald
- MS Vesterålen
MS Vesterålen is a passenger vessel operated by the Norwegian-based Hurtigruten. The vessel was constructed in Harstad, Norway in 1983. She was refitted in Bremen, Germany in 1989 to increase passenger capacity, and then later in 1995. As of 2010, the ship operates cruises primarily along the coast...
- MS Lofoten
MS Lofoten is a passenger vessel built in 1964, currently operated by Hurtigruten in Norway. The ship is currently the second oldest vessel operated by the company, after MS Nordstjernen, and operates cruises around the coast of Norway and sometimes in the Svalbard archipelago...
- MS Nordstjernen
MS Nordstjernen is a Hurtigruten vessel constructed in Hamburg, Germany in 1956, and is currently the oldest operational ship in the Hurtigruten fleet. She was extensively refitted in 1980 and continues to sail on cruises to the Svalbard archipelago. In 2010 she operated continuously on the...
Cruise ships
- MS Fram
MS Fram is a passenger vessel operated by the Norway-based Hurtigruten Group. The ship is named after the original Fram, the ship used by explorers Fridtjof Nansen and Roald Amundsen. The ship operates in the Arctic Ocean and around Greenland in the summer, and cruises around Antarctica at other...
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The classic coastal steamer
Finnmarken built in 1956 and the
superstructureA superstructure is an upward extension of an existing structure above a baseline. This term is applied to various kinds of physical structures such as buildings, bridges, or ships...
of the first Finnmarken are now on dry land at
Stokmarknesis a small town on the island of Hadsel in Nordland, Norway. It is the municipality centre of the Hadsel municipality. Township was declared in 2000. It is home to Hurtigruten. The local hospital for the Vesterålen region is situated in Stokmarknes....
as a museum for tourists, used to show Hurtigruten over the years. A new
Finnmarken has since been added to the fleet. Two vessels of the oldest generation are still in daily line use,
MS NordstjernenMS Nordstjernen is a Hurtigruten vessel constructed in Hamburg, Germany in 1956, and is currently the oldest operational ship in the Hurtigruten fleet. She was extensively refitted in 1980 and continues to sail on cruises to the Svalbard archipelago. In 2010 she operated continuously on the...
(built in 1956) and
MS LofotenMS Lofoten is a passenger vessel built in 1964, currently operated by Hurtigruten in Norway. The ship is currently the second oldest vessel operated by the company, after MS Nordstjernen, and operates cruises around the coast of Norway and sometimes in the Svalbard archipelago...
(1964), although only in winter as replacements for vessels used for Antarctic cruises then. The other vessels currently in use were all built between 1982 and 2003, most of them in the late 1990s or early 2000s. An additional new ship,
MS FramMS Fram is a passenger vessel operated by the Norway-based Hurtigruten Group. The ship is named after the original Fram, the ship used by explorers Fridtjof Nansen and Roald Amundsen. The ship operates in the Arctic Ocean and around Greenland in the summer, and cruises around Antarctica at other...
, named after
Fridtjof NansenFridtjof Wedel-Jarlsberg Nansen was a Norwegian explorer, scientist, diplomat, humanitarian and Nobel Peace Prize laureate. In his youth a champion skier and ice skater, he led the team that made the first crossing of the Greenland interior in 1888, and won international fame after reaching a...
's famous expedition ship
FramFram is a ship that was used in expeditions of the Arctic and Antarctic regions by the Norwegian explorers Fridtjof Nansen, Otto Sverdrup, Oscar Wisting, and Roald Amundsen between 1893 and 1912...
, was delivered in 2007. She is used exclusively for cruises, around
GreenlandGreenland is an autonomous country within the Kingdom of Denmark, located between the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Though physiographically a part of the continent of North America, Greenland has been politically and culturally associated with Europe for...
during the
northern hemisphereThe Northern Hemisphere is the half of a planet that is north of its equator—the word hemisphere literally means “half sphere”. It is also that half of the celestial sphere north of the celestial equator...
summer season, and around
Antarctica during the northern hemisphere winter season.
Sailing list
In the sequence of the northerly passage.
- Bergen
- Florø
is a town and the administrative centre of Flora municipality in the county of Sogn og Fjordane, Norway. It is also a former municipality that existed for just over 100 years. The town was founded on the Florelandet island between the Botnafjorden and Solheimsfjorden by royal decree in 1860. In...
- Måløy
is a town and the administrative centre of the municipality of Vågsøy in Sogn og Fjordane county, Norway. Måløy is located on the southeastern side of the island of Vågsøy, about northeast of the village of Holvik and about south of Raudeberg. The Måløybrua connects the town to the village of...
- Torvik
Herøy is a municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is part of the Sunnmøre region. The administrative centre is the town of Fosnavåg on the island of Bergsøya. The industrial area of Eggesbønes is located south of Fosnavåg on the same island...
- Ålesund
is a town and municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is part of the traditional district of Sunnmøre, and the center of the Ålesund Region. It is a sea port, and is noted for its unique concentration of Art Nouveau architecture....
- (Geiranger
Geiranger is a small tourist village in Sunnmøre in the municipality of Stranda in Møre og Romsdal county, in the western part of Norway. It lies at the head of the Geirangerfjord, which is a branch of the Storfjord. The nearest city is Ålesund...
)- (only summer)
- Molde
is a city and municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is part of the Romsdal region. The municipality is located on the Romsdal Peninsula, surrounding the Fannefjord and Moldefjord...
- Kristiansund
Kristiansund is a city and municipality on the western coast of Norway, in the Nordmøre district of Møre og Romsdal county. It was officially awarded township status in 1742, and it is still the major town for the region. The administrative center of the municipality is the city of Kristiansund...
- Trondheim
Trondheim , historically, Nidaros and Trondhjem, is a city and municipality in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway. With a population of 173,486, it is the third most populous municipality and city in the country, although the fourth largest metropolitan area. It is the administrative centre of...
- Rørvik
Rørvik is a port village in the municipality of Vikna in Nord-Trøndelag county, Norway. The village also serves as the administrative centre of the municipality. It is on the eastern side of the Vikna archipelago on the island of Inner-Vikna. The village has a population of 2,721. The...
- Brønnøysund
is a town and the administrative centre of the municipality of Brønnøy, Norway. It is also a former municipality in Nordland county. The village of Brønnøysund received town status in 2000. The city lies along the coast and is often called "the coastal town in the middle of Norway." Brønnøysund...
- Sandnessjøen
Sandnessjøen is the centre of the municipality of Alstahaug in the county of Nordland, Norway, with a population of over 9,000. It was made a township in 1788....
- Nesna
Nesna is a municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is part of the Helgeland traditional region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Nesna....
- Ørnes
Ørnes is a small village in the municipality of Meløy, Norway. Its population is 1,538. It is a station on Hurtigruten between Nesna and Bodø.The place can be traced back hundreds of years, but the year 1794 is recognized as the beginning of Ørnes as we know it, when Elling Pedersen was allowed to...
- Bodø
is a city and a municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is part of the Salten region.The city of Bodø was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 . Bodin was merged with Bodø on 1 January 1968. Skjerstad was merged with Bodø on 1 January 2005...
- Stamsund
Stamsund is a small village in Vestvågøy municipality in Lofoten in Nordland county. It has approximately 1400 inhabitants, and is an important fishing area with Aker Seafoods and J.M.Johansen with Lofoten trawl fishing the most important companies. Lofoten trawl fishing is the largest trawling...
- Svolvær
-Communications:Parts of the town is built on small islands connected by bridges. There is a regional airport near the town, Svolvær Airport, Helle, and Svolvær is a port of call for Hurtigruten. There is a ferry connection Svolvær to Skutvik in Hamarøy, and express boat connections to Bodø...
- Stokmarknes
is a small town on the island of Hadsel in Nordland, Norway. It is the municipality centre of the Hadsel municipality. Township was declared in 2000. It is home to Hurtigruten. The local hospital for the Vesterålen region is situated in Stokmarknes....
- Sortland
is a town and municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is part of the Vesterålen traditional region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Sortland. In 1997, the municipality decided to declare township for Sortland...
- Risøyhamn
Risøyhamn is a village on the island of Andøya in the municipality of Andøy, Norway.Shipping company Hurtigruten has a service from and to Risøyhamn twice a day.The island of Andøya is connected to the island of Hinnøya by bridge in Risøyhamn....
- Harstad
is the second largest city and municipality by population, in Troms county, Norway – the city is also the third largest in North Norway. Thus Harstad is the natural centre for its district. Situated approximately north of the Arctic Circle, the city celebrated its 100th anniversary in...
- Finnsnes
is a small town located in the municipality of Lenvik on the mainland near the island of Senja, in Troms county, Norway. The population is 4,185. The municipality is well provided with kindergartens and a decentralized school system on both primary and secondary level...
- Tromsø
Tromsø is a city and municipality in Troms county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the city of Tromsø.Tromsø city is the ninth largest urban area in Norway by population, and the seventh largest city in Norway by population...
- Skjervøy
Skjervøy is a municipality in Troms county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Skjervøy on the island of Skjervøya, where most of the inhabitants live. The main industries are fishing and ship building....
- Øksfjord
Øksfjord is the administrative centre of Loppa municipality, Norway. Its population is 510. Visited by Hurtigruten daily, it is located between Skjervøy and Hammerfest...
- Hammerfest
is a city and municipality in Finnmark county, Norway. The municipality encompasses parts of three islands: Kvaløya, Sørøya, and Seiland. Hammerfest was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838...
- Havøysund
Havøysund is the administrative centre of the Måsøy municipality, Norway. Its population in 2006 was 1,125. Located on Havøya, but is connected to the mainland through the Havøysund Bridge....
- Honningsvåg
at 70° 58' N, in Nordkapp municipality, claims to be the northernmost city in Norway and even in the world, although the title is disputed by Hammerfest, Norway; Barrow, Alaska; and Longyearbyen, Svalbard...
- Kjøllefjord
Kjøllefjord is the largest village in the northwestern part of Nordkinn Peninsula in the municipality of Lebesby, Norway, located on the shore of a small fjord of the same name, which empties into Laksefjord....
- Mehamn
Mehamn is a village in the Gamvik municipality in the county of Finnmark in northern Norway. The village abuts the base of a small Vedvik peninsula, itself part of the greater Nordkinn Peninsula, at the southern end of Mehamn Fjord, a bay in the Barents Sea...
- Berlevåg
is a municipality in Finnmark county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Berlevåg. Berlevåg was separated from the municipality of Tana to form a municipality of its own on 1 July 1913....
- Båtsfjord
Båtsfjord is a municipality in Finnmark county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Båtsfjord.Vardø herred was separated from the town of Vardø in 1868 to be a municipality of its own. In 1957, the municipality was renamed Båtsfjord...
- Vardø
is a town and a municipality in Finnmark county in the extreme northeast part of Norway.Vardø was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 . The law required that all cities should be separated from their rural districts, but because of a low population and very few voters, this was...
- Vadsø
is a city and municipality in Finnmark county, Norway. The city is the administrative centre of the municipality and the county of Finnmark....
- Kirkenes
is a town in the municipality of Sør-Varanger in the county of Finnmark in the far northeast of Norway...
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Live television broadcast
A 134-hour broadcast of a voyage, started on June 16, 2011. Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation transmitted non-stop from
BergenBergen is the second largest city in Norway with a population of as of , . Bergen is the administrative centre of Hordaland county. Greater Bergen or Bergen Metropolitan Area as defined by Statistics Norway, has a population of as of , ....
to
Kirkenesis a town in the municipality of Sør-Varanger in the county of Finnmark in the far northeast of Norway...
.
Fire safety record
In 2011 there were 2 deaths resulting from fire (in the
engine roomOn a ship, the engine room, or ER, commonly refers to the machinery spaces of a vessel. To increase the safety and damage survivability of a vessel, the machinery necessary for operations may be segregated into various spaces, the engine room is one of these spaces, and is generally the largest...
) of
MS NordlysMS Nordlys is a Norwegian-registered cruise ship operated by Hurtigruten. She was built by Volkswerft GmbH in Stralsund, Germany in 1994. She has two sister ships, and which also sail for Hurtigruten. The ship caught fire in September 2011 while sailing off Ålesund, Norway.-Description:The...
.
External links
The source of this article is
wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the
GFDL.
