05JUL2019 - NEWS - World's first hybrid cruise ship cuts emissions by 20% - and can sail in total silence

The world’s first hybrid-powered cruise ship has finally set sail, one year later than originally scheduled.

Hurtigruten’s expedition ship Roald Amundsen left the Norwegian city of Tromso on July 2 for its maiden voyage – a cruise to Hamburg via the North Cape, Kirkenes and the Lofoten Islands.

The inaugural voyage was supposed to start in Hamburg but was delayed by almost as week as workers at the Kleven Shipyard in Norway, where it was built, put the finishing touches to the ship’s interior. 

The vessel operates mostly on liquefied natural gas but, for up to 60 minutes at a time, she can switch to battery power, allowing passengers to sail in silence and, Hurtigruten says, cutting CO2 emissions by more than 20 per cent compared to ships of a similar size.