Tag Archives: Roald Amundsen

After restarting in June, some Hurtigruten crew test positive for Covid-19

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T1007ROALD1_HR
The Roald Amundsen, the Hurtigruten ship launched last year. The crew on the ship have tested positive for Covid-19.

Hurtigruten, one of the first cruise lines to resume service this summer, has reported a Covid-19 outbreak on one of the cruise ships that has been operating coastal Norway itineraries since June.

The line said that 36 of the 158 crew members on the ship, the Roald Amundsen, have tested positive for Covid-19 and that 120 are confirmed as negative. The ship is currently docked in Tromso, Norway, with no passengers on board.

Hurtigruten said it is in contact with all passengers that were on board the Roald Amundsen’s July 17 and 24 departures and that 209 passengers from the first sailing and 178 from the second will self-quarantine in line with Norwegian health authority regulations.

The Roald Amundsen cancelled its scheduled cruise to Svalbard that was to leave on July 31. The next cruise with the ship is not planned until September.

Of the 36 confirmed cases, 32 are from the Philippines. The rest are Norwegian, French and German nationals.

The line said that four crewmembers were isolated last week because of illness symptoms that were thought to not be related to Covid-19. They were then routinely tested before being admitted to hospital in Tromso on Friday.

Hurtigruten claimed to be the first line to resume sailings this summer when the Norway-based line launched domestic Norwegian coastal itineraries in mid-June and then added one sailing from Hamburg, Germany, all with limited capacity and enhanced hygiene protocols in place. It said it would ramp up operations from four to 16 ships by the end of September because demand has been so strong.

Hurtigruten said that all crewmembers are closely monitored and screened daily and that non-Norwegian crew are quarantined before boarding the ship and non-European crew need to undergo two negative Covid-19 tests before leaving their home country.

Hurtigruten ‘in talks with government’ over UK cruise plans

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News and press releases: New hybrid explorer ships | Hurtigruten UK

Hurtigruten has confirmed it is in discussions with the UK government over plans to operate a series of short-break itineraries around the British Isles following the FCO’s updated advice against all cruise travel.

The line also said its plans to run the series of cruises in September were “underpinned by a flexible booking policy to reassure guests”, including a refund if sailings are cancelled.

Anthony Daniels, UK & EMEA general manager, said: “Health and safety of guests and crew is Hurtigruten’s number one priority, and we comply with all Covid-19 regulations and policies in the waters, coasts and ports we visit.

“We currently operate five ships on both domestic and international cruises, with two more re-entering services next week. By the time of our first UK departure, Hurtigruten will operate more than 10 ships across the Arctic, Norway, Germany and UK waters.”

He added: “Hurtigruten’s announcement to bring Short Break expedition cruises to UK waters has been underpinned by a flexible booking policy to reassure guests, offering a refund if sailings are cancelled; reduced capacity to 350 guests (or c65%); professional operational protocols, robustly tested and in practice now.

“In the planning of this short break series, comprehensive Outbreak Prevention Plans and Covid Response Plans were voluntarily submitted to port authorities and local destinations stakeholders for scrutiny and acceptance before launch.

“We are in discussion with the government over the return to operation of expedition cruising for UK guests.”

Hurtigruten Extends Temporary Suspension of Operations

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Richard With

Hurtigruten will extend the temporary suspension of operations from pole to pole through May 12, according to a press release.

“The situation is affecting virtually everyone in one way or another. Hurtigruten is no exception. This is a setback for us, for the local communities we work with and for our guests. But the setback is only temporarily,” said Hurtigruten CEO Daniel Skjeldam.

Hurtigruten has not had any confirmed or suspected cases on any ships, the company said.

All Hurtigruten expedition cruises will be suspended until May 12. In addition to already cancelled cruises, this includes the Fridtjof Nansen’s departure from Hamburg, Germany on April 29 as well as the Spitsbergen’s departure from Longyearbyen on May 6.

In addition, Hurtigruten’s Alaska expedition cruise season will be postponed to July due to new travel restrictions from Canadian authorities.

This means that the May 17, May 31, Jun 12, Jun 24 and July 1 Roald Amundsen Alaska departures will be cancelled.

Operations on the Norwegian coast will be suspended through May 20. As of now, the first scheduled round trip departure from Bergen will be on May 21.

In agreement with the Norwegian Ministry of Transport, Hurtigruten has deployed two ships in an amended domestic schedule. The newly upgraded Richard With and  Vesterålen are bringing critical supplies and goods to local Norwegian communities hit hard by travel restrictions.

“Seeing our ships lying idle for a prolonged period of time instead of exploring is difficult. These are extraordinary and emotional times for the entire Hurtigruten team. But I firmly believe it is the only responsible decision in the extraordinary crisis the world is currently facing,” added Skjeldam.