VESSEL REPORT Passenger Vessels
Cold Front By Jeremiah Karpowicz, Editorial Director
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f a boat makes a sound in the Arctic, will wildlife flee? That’s not a rhetorical question but one that Arctic tourism operator Hurtigruten Svalbard has to deal with on multiple levels. As the eldest tour operator on the cluster of islands that reside about halfway between the northwest coast of Norway and the North Pole, the Norway-based company understands the impact their boat tours have on the landscape, which see wildlife ranging from walruses to seals to numerous types of whales flee when hearing the roar of their engines from hundreds of feet away. That scattering of wildlife runs counter to the audience experience the organization seeks to provide, as well as to their commitment to sustainable tourism. A desire to change how visitors can experience these natural wonders while also transforming values that are the foundation of their business led to the creation of the Kvitbjørn, a new closed hybrid boat. Designed for exploration in the heart of the Arctic, the 48'×13.8', 12-passenger Kvitbjørn (Polar Bear) is powered by a complete helm-to-propeller Volvo Penta twin D4-320 DPI Aquamatic hybrid-electric solution. Integrated 22
The Kvitbjørn sits in Longyearbyen Harbor, awaiting the special launch ceremony.
into a Marell Boats M15, the Marell and Volvo Penta teams worked together to create a solution that would provide the ultimate sightseeing experience while also advancing sustainable solutions at sea. The team at Volvo Penta invited members of the media out to Svalbard for the formal unveiling and first official voyage of the Kvitbjørn to determine whether or not they had succeeded with both.
WORLD’S NORTHERNMOST TOWN To say that Svalbard is like another world doesn’t convey the sense that the uninitiated get when flying over and then landing in a place that doesn’t just look cold but is literally frozen in the warmest of times. This Norwegian archipelago is only about 800 miles from the North Pole. The average summer water temperature is around 0°C. The largest settlement is Longyearbyen which has a population of just over 2,000 people, enabling it to become known as the world’s northernmost town. www.workboat.com • AUGUST 2022 • WorkBoat
Jeremiah Karpowicz photos
Advanced hybrid technology near the top of the world.
