MS Nordnorge (1996)

For other ships with the same name, see MS Nordnorge.

MS Nordnorge at Brønnøysund, Norway
History
Name	Nordnorge
Owner	1997–2006: Ofotens og Vesteraalens Dampskibsselskab 2006—present: Hurtigruten AS[1]
Operator	Hurtigruten
Builder	Kværner Kleven, Ulsteinvik, Norway[1]
Yard number	266[1]
Launched	6 July 1996[2]
Christened	20 March 1997 by Sissel Rønbeck[1]
In service	19 March 1997[1]
Homeport	Narvik,  Norway[1]
Identification	IMO number: 9107784[1] Call sign LCJI
Status	In service
General characteristics [1]
Class and type	Polarlys class cruiseferry
Tonnage	11,286 GT
Length	123.30 m (404.53 ft)
Beam	19.50 m (63.98 ft)
Height	29.87 m (97 ft 11 in)
Draught	4.90 m (16.08 ft)
Installed power	2 × MAK 6M552C diesel engines combined 9000 kW
Speed	18 kn (33.34 km/h)
Capacity	691 passengers (in coastal service) 464 passengers (in cruise service) 464 passenger beds

The MS Nordnorge (literally: Northern Norway) is a Hurtigruten (Norwegian Coastal Express) ship. It was completed in 1997 by Kværner Kleven in Ulsteinvik, Norway, as a sister ship to MS Polarlys and MS Nordkapp. The Nordnorge has a gross tonnage of 11,386, a crew of 57 and can carry up to 691 passengers.

Since 2002 the Nordnorge has been employed in Antarctic cruise service during the northern hemisphere winter.[1]

There have been four Hurtigruten ships with the name of Nordnorge, which is Norwegian for "Northern Norway"; the common name of the three northern Norwegian counties.

During 2009 Nordnorge did not operate on the coast of Norway. The ship was hired out at the end of 2008 as a hotel ship in the Mediterranean, possibly in Venice.[3]

Rescues

On 30 January 2007 the Nordnorge came to the aid of the MS Nordkapp after the Nordkapp ran aground in the Antarctic. All 294 passengers were safely evacuated from the Nordkapp and were taken to Ushuaia, Argentina.[4]

On 23 November 2007 the Nordnorge was involved in the rescue of all passengers and crew[5] from the MS Explorer after the Explorer struck an iceberg in the Antarctic. All 100 passengers and 54 crew on the Explorer were safely rescued; the Explorer later sank.[6]

Live television broadcast

On 16 June 2011, the Norwegian Public Service broadcaster NRK2 started transmitting live and non-stop footage of MS Nordnorge during its 134-hour voyage from Bergen to Kirkenes.[7] During the voyage the stream was mostly live except for brief moments when the ship was out of satellite coverage. During such occasions, a pre-recorded backup from an earlier journey at the same location was shown until live coverage was restored.[8]

References

1. Micke Asklander. "MS Nordnorge (1997)". Fakta om Fartyg (in Swedish). Retrieved 2008-02-07.
2. "Nordnorge (9107784)". Miramar Ship Index. Retrieved 5 January 2014.
3. "Nordlys newspaper, Tromsø". Archived from the original on 2010-05-03. Retrieved 2010-02-24.
4. The Age
5. Dagbladet
6. Eye witness account of the rescue
7. NRK Beta 1
8. NRK Beta 2

External links

• Web site of Hurtigruten ASA.
• Hurtigruten ASA information about MS Nordnorge: Hurtigruten.com (en); hurtigruten.us
• Hurtigruten-Web.com
• vesseltrack.com position of MS Nordnorge