Kleven shipyard secures four explorer ships contract from Hurtigruten

Norwegian explorer cruise line Hurtigruten and Kleven shipyard on April 25 signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) for the construction of up to four new explorer ships. The first vessel completion is scheduled for the summer of 2018, the shipbuilding group said Monday in a press release.

"This is the largest investment in Hurtigruten's in more than 120-year history. It is a milestone for us, the Norwegian travel industry and the Norwegian shipyard industry. We are to build the most formidable expedition ships in the world. We are very glad to note that we have both the skills and the facilities to do so here on the Norwegian coast right next to the waters our ships sail every day of the year," says Hurtigruten CEO Daniel Skjeldam.

The agreement visualises Norway's strong international position as a shipbuilding nation. It will also ensure Hurtigruten's position as world leading within adventure tourism in the Arctic and in Antarctica.

Skjeldam and the CEO of Kleven, Ståle Rasmussen, are both very pleased with todays announcement, which took place on board MS Polarlys in Bergen. The letter of intent includes the construction of two new Hurtigruten vessels designed for exploring polar waters. The agreement includes the option for the construction further two explorer ships.

"This is one of the largest orders in the history of Kleven. The fact that it is Hurtigruten placing the order, makes the project particularly exciting, says Rasmussen.

It has been more than ten years since Hurtigruten last placed an order for the construction of a new ship, the expedition ship MS Fram. Hurtigruten has evaluated 12 shipyards on a global basis. Previously, three of the ships in the Hurtigruten fleet have been built by Kleven. The last ship built by this shipyard was MS Finnmarken in 2002.

The ships are customised for adventure-rich expedition voyages and can also operate on the Norwegian cost. A separate project will examine how to ensure that the ships are in the very forefront when it comes to utilizing new environmental technology, on board and for the propulsion systems.

The ships are designed by Rolls-Royce Marine in collaboration with the Norwegian yacht designer, Espen Øino.

Ulsteinvik, Norway headquartered Kleven is a family-owned group of companies specialising in the construction, repair and conversion of different vessels. Kleven Group is the parent company for Kleven Verft AS, Myklebust Verft AS, Kleven Maritime Technology and Kleven ORN. Kleven Group employs about 450 people (2011).