Hurtigruten trims Antarctica capacity this winter

Hurtigruten Expeditions is returning to Antarctica with two ships instead of three as previously planned.

The battery-hybrid powered MS Roald Amundsen and MS Fram will sail in the region in November and December, with departures from Punta Arenas in Chile.

But a third ship planned for Antarctica, the newly named battery-hybrid powered MS Fridtjof Nansen, will instead run cruises to the coast of Norway from Hamburg, due to the “travel restrictions situation”.

The vessel will complement the refurbished battery-hybrid powered MS Otto Sverdrup, as most of its sailings are sold out for the first quarter of 2022 due to strong demand.

Affected passengers have been contacted with rebooking options, according to Hurtigruten.

MS Roald Amundsen’s first departure will be a Solar Eclipse sailing on November 25, followed by MS Fram on December 14. MS Fridtjof Nansen will sail from Hamburg in January 2022.

Group chief executive Daniel Skjeldam said: “Preparing for a two-ship Antarctica season this fall marks a remarkable turning point for us.

“With MS Roald Amundsen and MS Fram sailing out of Punta Arenas, and MS Fridtjof Nansen offering in-demand expedition cruises in Europe, we are back with all our planned expedition fleet activities at the start of the new year.

“Knowing that also all Hurtigruten Norwegian Coastal Express ships are back in schedule, and that all hotels and on-land offers will be open to guests again, we look optimistically and enthusiastically at the adventure travel year of 2022.”

All passengers and crew on Antarctica expedition cruises will be jabbed with a vaccine approved by the European Medicines Agency.

Hurtigruten Expeditions will fly passengers arriving to Santiago de Chile to Punta Arenas by domestic charter flights.

Hurtigruten Expeditions chief executive Asta Lassesen added: “Twenty years of experience operating under the umbrella of Chilean authorities and with highly professional local partners gives us the confidence to lock in on a combination of Santiago de Chile and Punta Arenas as our gateway for Antarctica for the upcoming season.

“Already strong and solid infrastructures have been further improved – and the service level is upped to an impressive standard. This goes to prove our Chilean counterparts share our absolute commitment to safety and the safeguarding of the health of our guests, crew and partners.

“Watching a solar eclipse from the deck of an expedition ship sailing between icebergs off the coast of the South Pole continent, may very well be the closest you get to the feeling of being on another planet.”