Her Royal Highness Crown princess Mette-Marit will be the godmother of Hurtigrutens new explorer ship, MS Fram.
(Trieste 18.11.06) The pride of the Hurtigruten Group, MS Fram, was launched today in Trieste, Italy. Specially built for cruising in the Arctic and Antarctic by Fincantieri, the world’s largest supplier of cruise ships, MS Fram marks an important new path for the Hurtigruten Group.
Hurtigruten are proud and feel honoured that Her Royal Highness Crown Princess Mette Marit, has agreed to be the godmother of our new explorer ship, MS Fram. We look forward to the naming ceremony, which will take place in Oslo, 19 May 2007, says President and CEO, Henrik Andenaes.
In the summer of 2007 the Group will welcome aboard its first passengers on an explorer cruise to experience close up the wonders of Greenland. In due course this will be followed by Antartica.
MS Fram is named after Fridtjof Nansen’s polar ship, Fram, which can still claim to be the only ship that has sailed to the world’s northern-most and southern-most points. The choice of name highlights and strengthens the Hurtigruten Group’s position as one of the world’s leading providers of explorer cruises in Polar waters.
“Norway has a unique history of Polar exploration and the Hurtigruten itself, Norway’s coastal express, has a unique position as a tourist product both nationally and internationally. MS Fram follows in the wake of the great heroes of Polar exploration and enables us to offer a totally new experience to the expanding cruise market. The launch is an important milestone marking the way to MS Fram’s maiden explorer cruise in the summer of 2007,” says Henrik Andenæs, President and CEO of the Hurtigruten Group ASA. “We have already had a big rush of passengers who wish to sail with MS Fram on the first Greenland cruise leaving Reykjavik in Iceland on 27 May, 2007.”
114 metres long and 20 metres wide, MS Fram will have eight decks. There are 136 cabins furnished to a high standard, providing 318 beds. The ship also has good conference and meeting facilities. A specially equipped tender lobby makes expeditions to shore in Polar Circle boats both safe and comfortable. MS Fram also has a restaurant, bar, sauna, gym, Jacuzzi, passenger bridge and viewing lounge.
“We see strong growth in the explorer tourism market. Customers are often older, frequent travellers, financially secure and looking for genuine, back-to-nature experiences but without sacrificing comfort. So we are confident that many people will want to experience Greenland and the Antarctic on MS Fram,” maintains Andenæs proudly.
The Hurtigruten, Norway’s coastal express, has sailed the coast of Norway 365 days a year for the last 113 years carrying post, freight and passengers. It is this experience that makes the Hurtigruten Group an attractive provider of explorer cruises. The Group also offers cruises to Svalbard, the Antarctic and from Spring 2007, also to Greenland. It is just 1,362 kilometres from Siorapaluk in Greenland to the North Pole.
“It is difficult to get any closer to the North Pole, so we hope that this will be alluring for those looking for a somewhat different experience when they travel,” adds Andenæs.
Photo and article from launch will be available at
www.hurtigruten.com - Monday 08:00am.