The hybrid-power cruise ship Roald Amundsen, seen here on its maiden voyage in 2019 from the Norwegian port of Tromsø to Hamburg, Germany, will visit Wrangell seven times this summer.
The Roald Amundsen, a first-of-its-kind hybrid cruise ship powered by battery energy and fossil fuel, is scheduled for its first Wrangell stop on May 23 - on its first voyage to Southeast.
Norwegian cruise line Hurtigruten had the 528-passenger ship - named for the first man to cross the Antarctic - specially constructed for voyages in polar waters. The 460-foot-long ship was built in Norway and started service in 2019.
A spokesperson said Hurtigruten chose Wrangell as a port of call "because it offers our guests a great taste of Southeast Alaska."
They are still planning the details of their program for this summer, but spokesperson Anders Lindström said some of the attractions in Wrangell that caught their attention are Petroglyph Beach, the museum, Mt. Dewey trail, Chief Shakes tribal house, the Anan Wildlife Observatory and the Stikine River.
"We can't wait for our guests to experience all that Wrangell has to offer," Lindström said last Thursday.
The ship is due to arrive at 10 a.m. May 23, preceded by two other ships stopping in Wrangell that same day in the first month of the cruise season: At 7 a.m., the 312-passenger Star Breeze will dock in town, and at 8 a.m., the 200-passenger Ocean Victory.
If every berth is filled on all three ships, that would be just over 1,000 people - almost half the population of Wrangell - in one day.
The "polar class" Roald Amundsen has "significant hull and propeller strengthening," the company's website said, with azimuth propellers - located in pods that can be rotated in any direction and act like a rudder - and "tunnel thrusters" on either side to improve docking, slow-speed maneuvering and emergency steering.
The ship is powered by four Rolls Royce-built engines that burn low-sulfur diesel. The Amundsen also runs with two large battery units that can charge off the engines and provide additional power as needed. The company says the hybrid design cuts the ship's fuel consumption and emissions by approximately 20%.
In another bid to save energy, the water used to cool the engines delivers heat back to the ship through an exchange, supplying the galley, showers, ventilation systems and pool. Additional heat is supplied from the hot water boilers' exhaust gas.
The ship has an indoor and outdoor gym, sauna, outdoor hot tubs on the pool deck, a wellness center where guests can get massages, and face, hand and foot treatments; three restaurants and complimentary room service. There is also a running track on the top deck to burn off all that room service and champagne.
For the academically minded, the Roald Amundsen contains a lecture hall and library. A "citizen science" program aboard allows guests to participate in research projects for third-party organizations, and the ship carries scientific equipment to collect samples on behalf of research institutes. Scientific personnel are on board to study seabird distribution, cloud formation, whale behavior, leopard seal populations and phytoplankton.
Its Alaska cruises this summer will range from 14 to 18 days, starting at about $6,000 per person. The ship will operate out of Vancouver, British Columbia, and is scheduled to call on Wrangell seven times this summer.
The company now has three battery-assisted hybrid ships in its fleet, Lindström said, including the Amundsen's sister ship Fridtjof Nansen, constructed in 2020.
The Nansen already has scheduled a stop in 2023 in Wrangell, part of a 93-day pole-to-pole sojourn at the cost of about $69,000 per person. That's an early bird special of $12,000 off the original ticket price of about $81,000 per person.
The sailing begins in Reykjavik, Iceland's capital, navigates the Northwest Passage to the Canadian Arctic and Alaska, then hugs the Pacific coast - San Diego to San Juan - past Ecuador, Peru, Chile and all the way down to Patagonia.
Then everyone flies to their respective homes from Buenos Aires.
The Fridtjof Nansen is listed on Cruise Line Agencies of Alaska's 2023 calendar to arrive in Wrangell on Sept. 20.
Reader Comments(0)