Hurtigruten Temporarily Suspends All Expedition Cruises

Hurtigruten has temporarily suspended all expedition sailings aboard MS Roald Amundsen, MS Fridtjof Nansen and MS Spitsbergen until further notice after 36 crew members and guests tested positive for COVID-19 onboard the MS Roald Amundsen.

The company only recently resumed operations in Europe with limited capacity and strict hygiene measures.

“The safety and well-being of our guests and crew is Hurtigruten’s number one priority. We are now focusing all available efforts in taking care of our guests and colleagues. We are working closely with the Norwegian National and Local Health Authorities for follow-up, information, further testing and infection tracking,” Hurtigruten CEO Daniel Skjeldam said in a statement.

“In light of the recent increase in new cases of COVID-19 globally, the only responsible choice is to suspend all expedition sailings until we are absolutely confident, we can carry out our operations in line with all requirements from the authorities and with the even stricter requirements we have set for ourselves,” Skjeldam added.

The MS Roald Amundsen sailed from Tromso, Norway with 177 passengers and 160 crew onboard on July 24. All of the passengers have since been contacted and instructed to self-isolate.

The ship had been scheduled to sail to Svalbard on Friday. The next cruise aboard the MS Roald Amundsen is scheduled for September.