Wikipedia

Hurtigruten AS

This article is about the shipping company. For the route along the coast of Norway that the company is also named after, see Hurtigruten.

Hurtigruten AS is a Norwegian coastal ferry service and cruise line headquartered in Oslo, Norway.[1] It is the larger of two companies currently operating Hurtigruten, the coastal ferry service along the Norwegian coast from which it takes its name.[2]

Hurtigruten AS
Company typeLimited
IndustryTransport
Founded1866 as Troms Fylkes Dampskibsselskap.
FounderRichard With
HeadquartersOslo, Norway
Area served
Norway
Svalbard
Key people
Hedda Felin (CEO)
ProductsFerry transport
Freight shipping
Cruise line
SubsidiariesHurtigruten Svalbard
WebsiteHurtigruten AS (in English)
MS Kong Harald (coastal express) in Geirangerfjord.

The CEO is Hedda Felin.[3]

History

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Hurtigruten AS is the result of a merger between the two previous operators of the Hurtigruten service, Troms Fylkes Dampskibsselskap (TFDS) and Ofotens og Vesteraalens Dampskibsselskab (OVDS). TFDS was founded in 1866, and OVDS was established in 1868. The two companies merged in March 2006 to form Hurtigruten Group ASA, and twelve months later the merged entity assumed the name Hurtigruten ASA.[citation needed]

In 2012, the company headquarters was moved from Narvik to Tromsø.[1] In October 2014, TDR Capital purchased a majority ownership of Hurtigruten.[4] In 2015, the legal form of Hurtigruten was changed from ASA to AS.[5]

Operations

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The Coastal Express

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Sailing the original and iconic route of the Hurtigruten (literally "The Fast Route"), Hurtigruten AS stops at 34 ports from the southern city of Bergen and the northeastern city of Kirkenes. A daily passenger ferry, cruise, and shipping line along the western and northern Norwegian coast.[2] A total of 8 ships operate the route.

Tourism

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The company owns a number of travel related companies, including the tour operator Spitsbergen Travel and a number of travel agencies in Norway and abroad.

The Hurtigruten Museum is a maritime museum about the 'Hurtigruten' that is located in the port city of Stokmarknes, Norway. The MS Finnmarken, retired from the coastal express and a museum ship now, is located on shore beside the Hurtigruten Museum.

Current fleet

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As of 2024, Hurtigruten AS operates 10 ships in its fleet:[6]

Ship Built Last refit Dimensions Capacity Notes Ship image Ref
Length (m) Beam (m) Gross tonnage Beds Passengers Cars
MS Vesterålen 1983 2022 108.55 16.5 6,261 301 490 24   [7]
MS Kong Harald 1993 2016 121.8 19.2 11,204 498 590 -   [8]
MS Richard With 1993 2018 121.8 19.2 11,205 458 590 12   [9]
MS Nordlys 1994 2019 121.8 19.2 11,204 471 590 24   [10]
MS Polarlys 1996 2016 123 19.5 11,341 503 619 26   [11]
MS Nordkapp 1996 2016 123.3 19.5 11,386 480 590 24   [12]
MS Nordnorge 1997 2016 123.3 19.5 11,384 476 590 32   [13]
MS Otto Sverdrup 2002 2020 138.5 21.5 15,690 554 - - Formerly MS Finnmarken until 2020 refit   [14]
MS Trollfjord 2002 2023 135.75 21.5 16,140 576 822 35   [15]
MS Midnatsol 2003 - 135.75 21.5 16,151 632 970 32 Formerly MS Maud between 2021 and 2024[16]   [17]

Former assets

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Buses

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Hurtigruten ASA owned 71.3% of the transportation company TIRB. The shares were sold to Boreal Transport Nord AS in July 2014 for 95.9 million NOK.[18]

Car ferries

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Hurtigruten AS operated a number of roll-on/roll-off car ferries in Nordland, Troms, Finnmark and Møre og Romsdal.

Hotels

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Hurtigruten AS owned two hotels in Bergen; Neptun Hotel and Strand Hotel. The hotels were sold to Bergen Hotel in 2008.[19]

References

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  1. ^ a b Lysvold, Susanne (6 December 2012). "Hurtigruten legger ned i Narvik og flytter til Tromsø". NRK (in Norwegian). Retrieved 12 April 2015.
  2. ^ a b "'Hurtigruten' (Norwegian Coastal Express) ferry, and coastal cruises". Archived from the original on 19 September 2013. Retrieved 26 August 2013.
  3. ^ "Meet Hedda Felin | Hurtigruten CEO". www.hurtigruten.com. Retrieved 2024-07-22.
  4. ^ Eilertsen, Hege (28 November 2017). "Hurtigruten First To Use Hybrid-Fueled Expedition Vessels". High North News. Translated by Bergquist, Elisabeth. Retrieved 13 September 2020.
  5. ^ Vaeng Sæbbe, Linda (3 February 2015). "Slik blir hovedkontoret, form og styret i nye Hurtigruten AS". Vest 24 (in Norwegian). Retrieved 12 April 2015.
  6. ^ "Our ships". global.hurtigruten.com. Retrieved 13 September 2020.
  7. ^ "MS Vesterålen: Explore Norway's Coastal Heritage | Hurtigruten". www.hurtigruten.com. Retrieved 2024-07-24.
  8. ^ "MS Kong Harald: Explore Norway's Coast | Hurtigruten". www.hurtigruten.com. Retrieved 2024-07-24.
  9. ^ "MS Richard With". global.hurtigruten.com. Retrieved 13 September 2020.
  10. ^ "MS Nordlys: Experience Norway's Northern Lights | Hurtigruten". www.hurtigruten.com. Retrieved 2024-07-24.
  11. ^ "MS Polarlys: Uncover Norway's Northern Wonders | Hurtigruten". www.hurtigruten.com. Retrieved 2024-07-24.
  12. ^ "MS Nordkapp: Explore Norway's Northern Cape | Hurtigruten". www.hurtigruten.com. Retrieved 2024-07-24.
  13. ^ "MS Nordnorge: Voyage to Norway's Northern Regions | Hurtigruten". www.hurtigruten.com. Retrieved 2024-07-24.
  14. ^ "MS Otto Sverdrup: Discover Coastal Explorations | Hurtigruten". www.hurtigruten.com. Retrieved 2024-07-24.
  15. ^ "MS Trollfjord: Discover Norway's Coastal Majesty | Hurtigruten". www.hurtigruten.com. Retrieved 2024-07-24.
  16. ^ "MS Maud". global.hurtigruten.com. Retrieved 13 September 2020.
  17. ^ "MS Midnatsol | Hurtigruten". www.hurtigruten.com. Retrieved 2024-07-24.
  18. ^ Bjørklund, Marco (9 July 2014). "TIRB er solgt". Troms Folkeblad. Archived from the original on 11 August 2014.
  19. ^ "Bergen Hotel overtar Hurtigruten Hotels". Horecanytt. 19 June 2008. Archived from the original on 8 August 2014.
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