Hurtigruten

MS Trollfjord, the second newest ship in Hurtigruten's coastal service as of 2010, in Molde.

Hurtigruten or Hurtigruta (literally "Express Route") is a Norwegian passenger 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 League city of Bergen, the Geiranger fjord (summer only), and the Lofoten Islands, a niche that has earned the company a nearly 2% share of the worldwide cruise market^[1].

Company history

SS Vesteraalen near Bodø on its first round-trip in 1893.

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. Richard With, considered the founder of Hurtigruten. At present, 21 November 2011 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 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 Hammerfest which had taken three weeks in the summer and up to five months in winter could now be delivered in a mere seven days.

The 1982-built Svolvær. The ship was sold in 2007.

Encouraged by Vesteraalen's 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 Kirkenes 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 Dampskibsselskab (OVDS) and Troms Fylkes Dampskibsselskap (TFDS), merged on 1 March 2006 as the Hurtigruten Group, 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 Greenland, South America and Antarctica.

After Norwegian, the greatest number of passengers come from Germany, Britain and other parts of Scandinavia.

Current fleet

MS Nordlys at Hammerfest in June 2005, displaying the TFDS funnel colours.

Hurtigrute vessels MS Midnatsol MS Trollfjord edit] Cruise ships MS Fram The classic coastal steamer superstructure of the first Finnmarken are now on dry land at 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 Nordstjernen (built in 1956) and MS Lofoten (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 Fram, named after Fridtjof Nansen's famous expedition ship Fram, was delivered in 2007. She is used exclusively for cruises, around Greenland during the northern hemisphere summer season, and around Antarctica during the northern hemisphere winter season.[2] Sailing list In the sequence of the northerly passage. Bergen Florø Måløy Torvik Ålesund (Geiranger)- (only summer) Molde Kristiansund Trondheim Rørvik Brønnøysund Sandnessjøen Nesna Ørnes Bodø Stamsund Svolvær Stokmarknes Sortland Risøyhamn Harstad Finnsnes Tromsø Skjervøy Øksfjord Hammerfest Havøysund Honningsvåg Kjøllefjord Mehamn Berlevåg Båtsfjord Vardø Vadsø Kirkenes Live television broadcast A 134-hour broadcast of a voyage, started on June 16, 2011.[3] Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation transmitted non-stop from Bergen to Kirkenes.[4] Fire safety record In 2011 there were 2 deaths resulting from fire (in the engine room) of MS Nordlys.[5] References ^ "2012 World Wide Market Share". Cruise Market Watch. 2011-11-20. http://www.cruisemarketwatch.com/blog1/market-share/.  ^ Micke Asklander. "MS Fram (2007)" (in Swedish). Fakta om Fartyg. http://www.faktaomfartyg.nu/fram_2007.htm. Retrieved 2008-02-07.  ^ NRK Beta ^ NRK Beta ^ http://www.dagbladet.no/2011/09/15/nyheter/hurtigruten/innenriks/brann/18144200/ External links Hurtigruten Hurtigruten Norway's main site Hurtigruten UK site Hurtigruten US site yr.no: Weather forecast for Hurtigruten MV Fram official Polar Expedition blog Hurtigruten-Web.com Hurtigruten Info Website Detailed history of Hurtigruten and other associated coastal services in English. 7 travelogues and photo galleries in Norway (5), Greenland (1) and Patagonia/Antarctica (1) in french short video clips on Hurtigruten (MS Richard With) Site with many recent photos from Norwegian Coastal Voyage, and many of the ports enroute. Wikimedia Foundation. 2010. Игры ⚽ Поможем решить контрольную работу Charterhouse Longspur Look at other dictionaries: Hurtigruten — MS Midnatsol Situation Norvège Type Express côtier Entrée en service 1893 …   Wikipédia en Français Hurtigruten — Logo der Hurtigruten Hurtigruten [hʉrtirʉtən] (norwegisch für „Die schnelle Linie“) ist die Bezeichnung für die traditionelle norwegische Postschifflinie, die seit 1893 die Orte der über 2.700 Kilometer langen norwegischen Westküste verbindet.… …   Deutsch Wikipedia Hurtigruten — El MS Polarlys, uno de los barcos Hurtigruten de nueva generación , con los colores actuales. Hurtigruten [hʉrtirʉtən] (noruego para Línea rápida ) es la designación de la línea de barcos de correos tradicional de Noruega, que une lugares de la… …   Wikipedia Español Hurtigruten ASA — Hurtigruten Hurtigruten Situation Norvège Type Express côtier Entrée en service 1893 Longueur du réseau 2700 …   Wikipédia en Français Hurtigruten ASA — Rechtsform ASA (Aktiengesellschaft) Gründung 1866 als Troms Fylkes Dampskibss …   Deutsch Wikipedia Hurtigruten Group — Infobox Company company name = Hurtigruten Group ASA company company type = Public foundation = 1866 as Troms Fylkes Dampskibsselskap. location = Narvik, Norway key people = Olav Fjell (CEO) area served = Norway Arctic Antarctica industry =… …   Wikipedia Express côtier (Hurtigruten) — Hurtigruten Hurtigruten Situation Norvège Type Express côtier Entrée en service 1893 Longueur du réseau 2700 …   Wikipédia en Français Express côtier — Hurtigruten Hurtigruten Situation Norvège Type Express côtier Entrée en service 1893 Longueur du réseau 2700 …   Wikipédia en Français Hurtigroute — Logo der Hurtigruten Hurtigruten [hʉrtirʉtən] (norwegisch für Die schnelle Linie) ist die Bezeichnung für die norwegische Postschiffslinie, die seit 1893 die Orte der über 2700 Kilometer langen norwegischen Westküste verbindet. Heute fahren die… …   Deutsch Wikipedia Hurtigruta — Logo der Hurtigruten Hurtigruten [hʉrtirʉtən] (norwegisch für Die schnelle Linie) ist die Bezeichnung für die norwegische Postschiffslinie, die seit 1893 die Orte der über 2700 Kilometer langen norwegischen Westküste verbindet. Heute fahren die… …   Deutsch Wikipedia 18+ © Academic, 2000-2024 Contact us: Technical Support, Advertising Dictionaries export, created on PHP, Joomla, Drupal, WordPress, MODx. Mark and share Search through all dictionaries Translate… Search Internet Share the article and excerpts Direct link … Do a right-click on the link above and select “Copy Link”