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Norwegian Fjords News

08 Sep 2022

World’s First Zero-emission Cruise Ship Ordered

Design rendering of Northern Xplorer’s zero-emission cruise ship (Image: Multi Maritime)

Northern Xplorer has signed a letter of intent (LoI) with Portuguese shipbuilder West Sea for the construction its maiden vessel, said to be the world’s first zero-emission cruise ship.West Sea intends to build the 250-passenger vessel at its facility in Viana do Costello north of Porto for expected delivery at the start of the 2025/2026 cruise season.“As a shipbuilder focused on advanced vessels and high quality, we very much look forward to working together with Northern Xplorer.

29 Jul 2022

Norwegian's First Prima Class Cruise Ship Delivered

Norwegian Prima (Photo: Fincantieri)

Norwegian Prima, the first of six vessels from Norwegian Cruise Line’s (NCL) new Prima Class of ships was delivered at Fincantieri's shipyard in Marghera on Friday.Along with her sister-ships, Norwegian Prima will form the backbone of the future NCL fleet, at more than 142,500-tons, almost 300 meters long, and accommodating 3,215 guests. Deliveries are scheduled through 2027.Starting in the summer of 2022, Norwegian Prima will offer itineraries in Northern Europe with voyages from Amsterdam…

03 Jun 2022

Refurbished Ferry Delivered to CalMac

Loch Frisa passing Isle of Mull on her way to berth (Photo: CalMac Ferries)

A newly refurbished ferry has been delivered to provide additional capacity for operator CalMac Ferries on the west coast of Scotland.Purchased out of Norway in 2021 and renamed Loch Frisa, the vessel departed Dales Marine Services in Leith on May 29 for repositioning to Oban where it is undertaking familiarization and entry-in-to service activities.Starting in mid-June, the double-ended RoPax ferry will be phased into the Oban-Craignure timetable, in tandem with Coruisk. Once Loch Frisa takes over the full Coruisk timetable…

13 Aug 2021

VIDEO: Norwegian Cruise Line's New Ship Floated Out in Italy

Credit: Fincantieri

Norwegian Cruise Line’s new cruise ship Norwegian Prima was floated out at the Fincantieri shipyard in Marghera (Venice) this week.The Norwegian Prima is the first of six vessels of the Norwegian Cruise Line’s (NCL) new Prima Class of ships. NCL is part of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd.Along with her sister-ships, “Norwegian Prima” will form the backbone of the future NCL fleet, being more than 142,500-tons, almost 300 meters long, and accommodating 3,215 guests, Fincantieri said Friday.

25 Sep 2020

Partners Set Out to Develop Hydrogen-powered Tugs

© balipadma / Adobe Stock

Norwegian engineering and equipment company TECO 2030 ASA said it has signed a letter of intent with Austrian-based powertrain deveolper AVL List GmbH and Dutch shipping company Chemgas Shipping B.V. for the use of fuel cell technology as the main energy source for tugboats in the Blue Danube hydrogen project and similar projects.The Blue Danube project is among Europe’s most ambitious hydrogen projects. It involves production of 80,000 tons of green annually based on wind power in Romania…

10 Jul 2020

Electric Ferry Legacy of The Fjords Delivered in Norway

Legacy of the Fjords (Photo: The Fjords)

Norwegian tourist vessel operator The Fjords has taken delivery of a new all-electric catamaran, Legacy of The Fjords, expected to enter service on July 17, ferrying passengers between Flåm and Nærøyfjorden.Like her sister ship Future of The Fjords, the 42-meter Legacy of The Fjords was designed and constructed by Norwegian shipyard Brødrene Aa, with a hull that echoes zigzagging mountain paths that can be seen from her spacious decks. Both vessels are all-electric, carbon fiber…

24 Jun 2020

Cox Powertrain Leverages the Power of Digitalization

(Photo: Cox Powertrain)

It is not something that pops to mind often: the massive, market-changing advantages of a high-powered, fuel-efficient, cleaner V8 diesel outboard engine. Then, you aren’t a salmon farmer with aquaculture farms in the Norwegian fjords or an islander in the Maldives who drives a Zodiac to work. But, if you are Joel Reid, these are just some of the many things on your mind.Joel Reid is the Global Sales Director of Cox Powertrain a British start-up based in Shoreham-by-Sea, close to Brighton, UK.

24 Feb 2020

Hybrid drives: Siemens sends in the machines

A robot’s battle against emissions: Siemens articulated robots of different sizes assemble battery stacks at Trondheim, Norway. 
Credit: William Stoichevski

Encouraged by the success of a hybrid drives program, Siemens is going all out in Norway to automate production of that core marine energy storage enabler, the lithium battery. Offshore service vessel charterers, rig owners, ferry operators and ship owners are the target market. Trondheim’s technical university and a recent history of hosting battery makers and system integrators has made it launchpad for new applications involving the new BlueDrive Plus C drives and batteries.Siemens’ Norwegian head of strategy and business development…

20 Oct 2019

Neptun Werft Lays Keel for AIDAcosma

The first building-block for AIDA Cruises’ second LNG-fueled cruise ship was put in place at the Neptun Werft shipyard in Rostock, Germany.The two trainees, Charleen Hoffmann (AIDA Cruises) and Kenny Schaft (Meyer Werft shipyard) placed the traditional lucky coin beneath the first of a total of 90 blocks.On the occasion of the keel-laying, the name of the new ship and its first routing were announced: the ship will be named AIDAcosma, and will be cruising from Kiel to the Norwegian fjords and the Baltic Sea from summer 2021.Together with the Managing Director of the Meyer Werft shipyard Tim Meyer and the head of the Neptun Werft shipyard in Rostock Manfred Ossevorth…

16 Jul 2019

IMO2020: The Rise of Bulk Liquid Hydrogen in Norway

Imagine a power distribution network where excess renewable energy from hydropower, wind, solar, and nuclear energy is converted to hydrogen and used as transportation fuel in the maritime industry. With the allure of a zero emissions fuel, a number of ship owners are starting to seriously consider hydrogen for newly built vessels. As a bold first step, the country of Norway has provided a number of grants to leading maritime companies to conduct feasibility studies into various aspects of this emerging technology sector. Central to this discussion is “how” hydrogen will be transported from its source to end-users.Norwegian based companies…

23 May 2019

Catching Cruise Off-Guard: Norway’s zero-emissions fjord cruises

Sail, solar … and battery power: a frontrunning design for n fjord-going, zero-emissions cruise ship. CREDIT: NCE Maritime CleanTech

Norway on Jan. 1, 2026, will begin a ban on cruise ships powering through the Unesco-listed heritage fjords on anything but zero-emissions propulsion. For now, that means battery power, but few of the 190 cruise ship calls to these fjords are made with that kind of electro-chemical fuel on board. From now until 2026, you can still cruise the fjords on a closed-loop, or in-line, scrubber system, but few cruise ships have these installed. The new rules mean cruising elsewhere, finding…

10 May 2019

Nieuw Statendam's Maiden Call in Amsterdam

The newest cruise ship in the Holland America Line fleet, the Nieuw Statendam, made its maiden call to the port of Amsterdam on Sunday, 5 May 2019.The second Pinnacle Class ship moored at the Passenger Terminal Amsterdam (PTA) and was welcomed with a water salute by Port of Amsterdam. Amsterdam will be the ship’s home port during the upcoming summer season.This was the maiden call for the ship that was christened by Oprah Winfrey in Ft. Lauderdale last February. A cruise ship’s maiden call to a port is traditionally accompanied by a plaque & key ceremony.Alma Prins-Droog, Commercial Manager Cruise at Port of Amsterdam, presented Captain Sybe de Boer with the port of Amsterdam coat of arms.

10 May 2019

Norway Builds Drone Fleet for coastal “Sulfur Patrols”

 Image: Norwegian Maritime Authority/Nordic Unmanned (drone)

Norway is growing its arsenal of military grade drones for missions that’ll take them into the exhaust streams of ship’s funnels. With the IMO now supporting the 0.1 percent sulfur cap on marine fuel from Jan. 2020, and with southern Norway below the 62nd parallel officially a European Emissions Control Area, or ECA, the Norwegian Maritime Authority, the NMA, is cracking down on illegal sulfur emissions.Oslo’s NMA and its domestic enforcement allies — the Norwegian Coast Guard (Kystvakten)…

28 Mar 2019

Steel Cut for Saga's Spirit of Adventure

Saga Cruises has held the steel cutting ceremony for its second new-build cruise ship at a ceremony at the Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg, Germany.Spirit of Adventure, which launches in 2020, is the sister ship to Spirit of Discovery, which sets sail in July this year."The event took place yesterday (March 27) at the Meyer Werft shipyard, to mark the start of construction of the 999-guest vessel," said a press release from the British based cruise line, a division of the Saga Group. Spirit of Adventure is due to start sailing from Dover in August 2020Chief Operating Officer for Saga Cruises, Nigel Blanks said: “Today marks a special moment in Saga Cruises’ history – the first steel cutting of Saga’s second purpose built cruise ship…

19 Mar 2019

Havyard Delivers Another Battery-Run Ferry

Photo: Stig Breidvik

Havyard delivered the third battery-run ferry for the Hareid–Sulesund route to Fjord1.To ensure that the ferries run as energy efficient as possible, Havyard developed digital ferry models and incorporated them into a ‘digital Sulafjord’ made with unique weather data from the area.The Norwegian Public Roads Administration has invested more than $11.4m in measurement masts and buoys in the Sulafjord. These provide data about wind, current, temperature, wave height and wave length that Norwegian researchers have not previously had…

07 Mar 2019

Port of Kiel: More than 2.2 mln Passengers This Year

Photo: Port of Kiel

The economic importance of nautical tourism for Schleswig-Holstein is continuing to increase. More than 2.2 million passengers are expected in the port of Kiel alone this year, forecasting record numbers like 600,000 cruise passengers and 1.6 million ferry travelers.Last year, passengers generated a turnover of about 68 million Euros in Kiel. The consumer spending of the port’s ferry passengers amounts to more than 53 million Euros. These are complemented by another 15 million Euros spent by cruise passengers and the crews.

01 Mar 2019

Spanish Port Hosts First LNG Operations

The port of Ferrol hosted its first liquefied natural gas (LNG) bunkering operation recently which saw two ferries filled with LNG by Repsol in the port’s Mugardos terminal.Recently built by Turkish shipyard Tersan, the Samnøy and Huftarøy ferries received 178 cubic metres of fuel from five tanks in total. The Samnøy received about 110 cubic metres of fuel, whereas the Huftarøy was supplied with 68 cubic metres.The two operations were carried out on the outer jetty, which is the dock of the inner dock where small and medium-sized cruise ships usually dock when they visit the city.They were on their way to the Norwegian fjords, where they will be exploited in passenger services by the Torghatten Nord shipping company.

25 Feb 2019

World First: Hybrid Cruise Ship Completes Sea Trial

MS Roald Amundsen undergoing sea trials in the waters off Kleven Yard in Norway. Photo: UAVPIC.COM/Tor Erik Kvalsvik/Kleven/Hurtigruten

Hurtigruten’s MS Roald Amundsen is nearing completion at Kleven Yard. This weekend the world’s first hybrid powered cruise ship completed her first sea trials in the fjords along the western coast of Norway.With Norwegian fjords as testing ground – and the famous Sunnmøre alps as a spectacular backdrop – MS Roald Amundsen’s advanced, green technology was put to a test in the waters off Kleven Yard in Ulsteinvik, Norway, over the weekend.Custom built for some of the most extreme waters on the planet…

19 Dec 2018

Great Ships of 2018: #3 Future of the Fjords

Image Courtesy of Brødrene Aa

As the marine industry ponders decarbonization, the world’s first all-electric and completely emissions-free ship, Future of the Fjords delivers. Future of the Fjords was commissioned as part of the shipowner’s program of fleet renewal with  the backing of Fjord1, the largest ferry operator in Norway, and of Flåm AS, the company that  promotes tourism in the Flåm area, to provide vessels that deliver optimal passenger experiences with minimal environmental impact.Constructed by specialist shipbuilder Brødrene Aa…

19 Dec 2018

Damen Signs with Gerd Stensen for Stan Tug 1606

Photo courtesy of Damen

Damen Shipyards Group signed a contract with Gerd Stensen AS from Norway for the delivery of a Damen Stan Tug 1606. The client will apply the new vessel to their dredging operations.Gerd Stensen, like Damen, is a family company. Their dredging work includes but is not limited to the extraction of coral sand for the French agricultural industry. They have previously operated a Damen Stan Tug 1, still going strong after 36 years and recently sold to a vessel operator in the Baltics.The…

26 Jun 2018

Maritime Decarbonization: The Path Starts in Norway

Images Courtesy: Brødrene Aa

Breaking new ground: the all-electric, zero-emissions Future of The FjordsNorwegian cruise vessel offers amazing tourist experience while protecting fragile UNESCO World Heritage environmentFuture of the Fjords, the world’s first all-electric and completely emissions-free ship, launched in April this year by Norwegian tours operator The Fjords, is now operating as a cruise vessel on the spectacular Gudvangen to Flåm route along the Nærøyfjord, Sognefjord and Aurlandsfjord of western Norway.

31 May 2018

d’Amico Group to Open Fleet Operations Center in Rome

(Photo: d’Amico Group)

d’Amico Group will build a new fleet digital operating center in Rome, Italy that will help the dry cargo and tanker shipping company to boost efficiency and safety across its fleet through increased collection of performance details and data from its ships.The new center, which is being created through a partnership with RINA and Telemar, is part of the trend toward increasing digitalization within the maritime industry. In addition to providing d’Amico Group with intelligence about operations on which to base strategic business decisions and operational improvements…

28 May 2018

Amsterdam Becomes Destination for Superyachts

HISWA Holland Yachting Group and Port of Amsterdam are making real their ambition to establish Amsterdam more firmly as a major destination for superyachts. The diversity in berths located in the heart of the city centre, combined with excellent re-fit and maintenance facilities in the port area make Amsterdam a unique destination for superyachts. A quiet transformation has been underway in the superyacht world for some years now. Where the Mediterranean and the Caribbean used to reign supreme in terms of both facilities and interest, a new generation of yacht owners are increasingly looking for something more original. High latitudes are becoming ever more fashionable and northern Europe, with its superb nature, convivial culture and avant-garde art & design has been reaping the rewards.