OREANDA-NEWS. Rolls-Royce has signed a contract worth about ?25 million with the ship building company Kleven in Norway for design and ship equipment to two new polar cruise vessels, with an option for two additional vessels. The contract between Kleven and Rolls-Royce follows the conversion of a letter of intent into a firm contract signed between Kleven and Hurtigruten.

Daniel Skjeldam, CEO of Hurtigruten, said: “The ships soon about to take shape in the docks of Kleven will be striking. They will attract interest to both the Norwegian ship building industry and to Hurtigruten as a leading player within the field of explorer tourism. To me, this contract is proof of the combined innovation powers of Norway’s maritime industry and the country’s growing tourism industry. Together we are providing growth along the long and beautiful Norwegian coastline.”

Helge Gjerde, Director of Offshore and Merchant Solutions, Rolls-Royce, said: “Hurtigruten and Kleven have agreed to build state-of the art passenger vessels, and Rolls-Royce will provide some of the most innovate ship technology on the market today. I’m confident that these new polar cruise vessels will bring the proud heritage of the Hurtigruten into a similarly proud future.”

In addition to the innovative ship design with a wave piercing bow, Rolls-Royce will supply an integrated package of technology and equipment.  Among the deliveries will be the innovative Rolls-Royce Unified Bridge, which represents a complete redesign of the ship bridge environment. Consoles, levers and software interfaces will have a common look and feel, resulting in a more comfortable, clutter-free and ultimately more safe and efficient working environment for the captain and his team on the bridge.

Hurtigruten is the original Norwegian coastal route transporting goods, local passengers and tourists along the Norwegian coast since 1893, with 34 port calls between the cities of Bergen and Kirkenes every day, all year around. Hurtigruten’s explorer vessel MS Fram operates in the Antarctic, by the Spitsbergen islands and by Greenland. From the fall of 2016 the vessel MS Midnatsol will also operate in the Antarctic. Recently MS Spitsbergen joined the fleet along the Norwegian coast, and will operate in the Antarctic in the summer of 2017.