MS Nordkapp

MS ''Nordkapp'' is a Hurtigruten (Norwegian Coastal Express) ship built in 1996 by Kleven Verft AS, Norway, for Ofotens og Vesteraalens Dampskibsselskab for use in Hurtigruten ferry service along the coast of Norway. She is a sister ship of MS ''Polarlys'' and . ''Nordkapp'' is one of 11 ships that travel the Norwegian coast from Bergen to Kirkenes.

MS ''Nordkapp'' (North Cape) is named after the North Cape on the island of Magerøya in Northern Norway.

Characteristics

The ship has a speed of 15 knots, is 123.3 meters (404.5 feet), and weights about 11,386 gross tons.

The ship has seven decks:
*Decks 2–3, 5–6 are passenger cabins.
*Deck 4 contains the restaurant, a lounge, a small library, two conference rooms, and a café open 24-hours.
*Deck 7 features a bar/lounge and a panorama lounge.
*Deck 1 is crew quarters and is off limits to passenger guests.

Passengers can access outside decks for lounging or viewing the scenery. These can be found on:
*all sides of deck 5,
*the stern of deck 6, and
*from the sundeck and panorama lounge in the bow and stern of deck 7.

In addition to standard amenities on the ship, there an exercise room, a sauna and a children's play room/ball room.

There are 481 beds and has a passenger capacity of 691 persons. There are a combination of interior and exterior cabins of varying sizes and passenger capacities. There are also a small selection of suites available. Each standard cabin (non-suite) is equipped with either two or three single beds (not movable) and a private washroom with shower, sink, and toilet. Suite cabins have a small lounge area with a table, sofa, and chair. They also feature a double or queen-sized bed, a TV, a desk, and a minibar.

The boat can also take 45 cars on its car deck.

History of MS ''Nordkapp''

The Ofotens and Vesteraalens steamship company commissioned a new ship which was to be built at the Kværner Kleven shipyard in Ulsteinvik.

It was christened on 23 March 1996 by Queen Sonja of Norway in a double ceremony with , which was built at a neighbouring shipyard.MS Nordkapp Info rl=http://www.skipsmagasinet.no/hurtigruteneinfo/alle-skip/ms-nordkapp-jwpe3-nornis/"MS Nordkapp Ship History", ''Hurtigruten Info'' Retrieved on 9 August 2012.

On February 18, 1997, MS ''Nordkapp'' travelled to Trondheim to work as a hotel ship during the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships 1997

On 29 November 2001 at 7:40pm the ship suffered a total engine failure on both main engines outside Henningsvær in Lofoten. The ship dropped both anchors to avoid running aground while the evacuation was prepared, but after 2 hours the engineers managed to start the engine and the ship returned to Bodø, Norway.

In 2005, MS ''Nordkapp'' was taken out the Norwegian coastal route and put into service in the Baltic Sea before cruising Antarctica to Chile. In 2005 and 2006, ''Nordkapp'' would sail the western coast of Norway during spring, summer, and part of fall before returning to sail the Chile/Antarctica route in the winter (summer in southern hemisphere). In May 2007, MS ''Nordkapp'' returned full-time to Norway's coastal route.

In January 2007, the vessel ran aground off Deception Island, part of the South Shetland Islands, without reported injuries.

References

External links

Hurtigruten official website for MS Nordkapp

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nordkapp
Cruise ships
Maritime incidents in 2007
Passenger ships of Norway
Ships built in Ulstein
1995 ships
Hurtigruten