Hurtigruten AS

Hurtigruten AS is a Norwegian coastal ferry service and cruise line headquartered in Oslo, Norway.^[1] It is one of two companies currently operating Hurtigruten, the coastal ferry service along the Norwegian coast from which it takes its name.^[2]

In 2020, 81% of the company was owned by TDR Capital.^[3] The CEO is Hedda Felin.^[4]

Hurtigruten AS is the result of a merger between the two previous operators of the Hurtigruten service, Troms Fylkes Dampskibsselskap (TFDS) and Ofotens og Vesteraalens Dampskibsselskab (OVDS). TFDS was founded in 1866, and OVDS was established in 1868. The two companies merged in March 2006 to form Hurtigruten Group ASA, and twelve months later the merged entity assumed the name Hurtigruten ASA.^{[citation needed]}

In 2012, the company headquarters was moved from Narvik to Tromsø.^[1] In October 2014, TDR Capital purchased a majority ownership of Hurtigruten.^[5] In 2015, the legal form of Hurtigruten was changed from ASA to AS.^[6]

In 2024, Hurtigruten formed a separate business for its expedition business HX (HX Hurtigruten Expeditions).

Hurtigruten AS is one of two operators of the Hurtigruten (literally "The Fast Route"), a daily passenger ferry, cruise, and shipping line along the western and northern Norwegian coast.^[2] It operates between the southern city of Bergen and the northeastern city of Kirkenes. A total of 7 ships operate the route.^[7]

Several former Hurtigruten ships now operate as cruise ships to Antarctica, departing from Ushuaia on the Argentine Tierra del Fuego. The route can include the Falkland Islands and South Georgia Islands.^[8] Hurtigruten Group acquired the MS Fram for their tour cruises in Greenland.^[9]

Other cruises include touring: Iceland,^[10] the Mediterranean Region coasts and ports,^[11] and the 'Trans-Atlantic Voyage' from Las Palmas in the Canary Islands to Buenos Aires, Argentina.^[12]

The company owns a number of travel related companies, including the tour operator Spitsbergen Travel and a number of travel agencies in Norway and abroad.

The Hurtigruten Museum is a maritime museum about the 'Hurtigruten' that is located in the port city of Stokmarknes, Norway. The MS Finnmarken, retired from the coastal express and a museum ship now, is located on shore beside the Hurtigruten Museum.

Hurtigruten ASA owned 71.3% of the transportation company TIRB. The shares were sold to Boreal Transport Nord AS in July 2014 for 95.9 million NOK.^[13]

Hurtigruten AS operated a number of roll-on/roll-off car ferries in Nordland, Troms, Finnmark and Møre og Romsdal.

Hurtigruten AS owned two hotels in Bergen; Neptun Hotel and Strand Hotel. The hotels were sold to Bergen Hotel in 2008.^[14]

As of 2020, Hurtigruten AS operates 16 ships in its fleet:^[15]

Ship	Built	Last refit	Dimensions			Capacity			Notes	Ship image	Ref
			Length (m)	Beam (m)	Gross tonnage	Beds	Passengers	Cars
MS Nordstjernen	1956	2000	80.77	12.6	2,191	150	149	0			[16]
MS Vesterålen	1983	2022	108.55	16.5	6,261	301	490	24			[17]
MS Kong Harald	1993	2016	121.8	19.2	11,204	498	590	-			[18]
MS Richard With	1993	2018	121.8	19.2	11,205	458	590	12			[19]
MS Nordlys	1994	2019	121.8	19.2	11,204	471	590	24			[20]
MS Polarlys	1996	2016	123	19.5	11,341	503	619	26			[21]
MS Nordkapp	1996	2016	123.3	19.5	11,386	480	590	24			[22]
MS Nordnorge	1997	2016	123.3	19.5	11,384	476	590	32			[23]
MS Otto Sverdrup	2002	2020	138.5	21.5	15,690	554	-	-	Formerly MS Finnmarken until 2020 refit		[24]
MS Trollfjord	2002	2023	135.75	21.5	16,140	576	822	35			[25]
MS Midnatsol	2003	-	135.75	21.5	16,151	632	970	32	Formerly MS Maud between 2021 and 2024[26]		[27]
MS Fram	2007	2020	114	20.2	11,647	276	318	0			[28]
MS Spitsbergen	2009	2016	100.54	18	7,344	243	335	0			[29]
MS Roald Amundsen	2019	-	140	23.6	20,889	-	530	-			[30]
MS Fridtjof Nansen	2020	-	140	23.6	20,889	-	530	-			[31]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Hurtigruten AS.

• official 'Hurtigruten website — in English.
• official 'Hurtigruten website — in Norwegian.