Kongsberg Maritime has delivered a 23 percent decrease in CO2 emissions on Hurtigruten’s Richard With over a year of operation, according to a press release.

The ship has now completed its first year of service after an extensive refit last year.

Kongsberg Maritime partnered with the Myklebust Verft shipyard to convert three Hurtigruten ships in total to hybrid technology with the goal of reducing emissions and engine noise, the company said.

Apart from the Richard With, this includes the Kong Harald, relaunched in May this year, and the Nordlys, scheduled for relaunch in 2025.

The project is one of the largest of its kind in Europe, with an investment value of approximately €100 million, according to a press release.

“We have built our last fossil fuel ship for the Norwegian Coastal Express. We had the opportunity to upgrade the fleet and give the ships the best of today’s technology. Plus, it’s more environmentally friendly to retrofit a vessel than to scrap and build a new one,” said Hedda Felin, Hurtigruten Coastal Express CEO.

The refit program for the Richard With included installation of two hybrid shaft generators, two SaveEnergy 1,120kWh lithium-ion batteries, and two Bergen B33:45V engines, as well as new tunnel thruster motors, a retractable azimuth thruster, controllable pitch propeller blades, and digital management systems, the company said.

“We can do the full turnover of a vessel in four or five months. An entirely new build takes much longer,” noted Geir Oscar Løseth, Kongsberg Maritime’s vice president of sales aftermarket advanced offerings.

“The vessel is also safer and smoother in the water. It gives the crew several layers of reassurance. They can operate on full battery, zero emission operation; they can run on auxiliary engines and they can run on main engines. So, there’s a high level of safety that meets the new requirements for lower-emission travel along the coast,” he added.