There’ll be a warm welcome in the Norwegian fjords next February, when Finnmarken, one of Hurtigruten’s newest and largest vessels, returns after an absence of almost two years.
The ship, built in 2002, has been serving as a floating accommodation unit for workers developing the Gorgon natural gas field at Barrow Island, in a remote corner of Western Australia.
But it will be back on duty plying the picturesque route from Bergen to Kirkenes from February 16, standing in for Hurtigruten’s Nordlys – which is still undergoing repairs after being damaged by fire in September.
Nordlys is expected to return to service on March 22, when Finnmarken will replace Hurtigruten’s oldest working vessel, the veteran 1956-built Nordstjernen, which transfers to the Svalbard archipelago next summer.
Finnmarken is popular among passengers travelling the Norwegian coastline in search of the Northern Lights in winter and the midnight sun in summer, because it is the only vessel in the Hurtigruten fleet with a swimming pool and balcony cabins.
It will have a brief spell in dock at Singapore on the way back to Europe to undo modifications made by the company which chartered it for use in Australia. The all-white livery will be returned to Hurtigruten’s familiar black, red and white colours, and out will go the laundries and changing rooms which were fitted on its car deck.
About the Author: John Honeywell
John Honeywell is a travel writer specialising in cruise ships and cruise travel. Winner of CLIA UK's Contribution to Cruise award 2017.
Too bad that MS Finnmarken will replace the veteran ship MS Nordstjernen!