By
Rebecca Gibson |
Hurtigruten has chartered MS Nordstjernen to offer a series of short, expedition-style voyages in Svalbard in 2015.
Already the principal tourism operator on Svalbard, Hurtigruten has leased MS Nordstjernen through its wholly owned subsidiary Spitsbergen Travel during the months of June, July and August. While MS Fram already sails a series of longer voyages around the islands, adding MS Nordstjernen to the fleet will enable Hurtigruten to boost its capacity in Svalbard.
“This is a strategic investment for the future and MS Nordstjernen completes the range of services we offer in Svalbard,” said Hurtigruten Group CEO Daniel Skjeldam. “Over a long weekend you can experience the spectacular Longyearbyen and sailing along the north-western coast with a product that only we offer.”
Departing the Norwegian city of Bergen on 1 June, MS Nordstjernen will sail to various fjords in Western Norway, visit several UNESCO-listed World Heritage sites and call at Alesund Town, Lofoten, Tromsø and Honningsvåg/North Cape before heading to the Svalbard archipelago. The voyage will conclude in Longyearbyen after the ship has visited the Moffen nature reserve.
Once she has relocated to Svalbard, the ship will then offer three- or four-day voyages from Longyearbyen every Monday and Thursday until 28 August.
Guests will be able to explore the fjords of Longyearbyen, Barentsburg, Ny-Ålesund and the north-western coast of Spitsbergen to see a range of Arctic wildlife including walruses, polar bears, different species of birds, whales, foxes, reindeer and grouse.
“There’s scarcely a ship that can say it has served the Norwegian coast and Svalbard better than the legendary MS Nordstjernen and we know the ship will be welcomed with open arms in both the Norwegian and international market,” says Hilde Fålun Strøm, Spitsbergen Travel’s project manager.
MS Nordstjernen, which began summer voyages to Svalbard in 1994, previously called at the archipelago on the Coastal Express route. The ship has undergone an extensive upgrade in accordance with the Conservation Ruling issued by the Directorate for Cultural Heritage.