The new name must begin with the letters MS (motor vessel), and it must be a Norwegian word (or word of Norwegian origin) that can be well translated.
Currently all Hurtigruten ships are named after natural phenomena, such as MS Nordlys (Northern Lights), MS Midnatsol (Midnight Sun), MS Polarlys (Aurora); places Hurtigruten sails to or passes, such as MS Finnmarken, MS Vesterålen, MS Nordkapp, MS Trollfjord, MS Lofoten; or important persons such as Norway’s King Harald or Hurtigruten’s founder Richard With.
The proposals for names should work with the current naming structure. Submissions via Hurtigruten's Facebook page are due by Aug. 10.
The winner and a friend get to be guests of the captain on a special sailing aboard the new ship.
The 7,025gt ship is modern and environmentally friendly, with a size and maneuverability that make it possible to get close to nature. In the future, it can also be used beyond Norway’s coast for voyages to Greenland, Spitsbergen, Iceland and Antarctica.
It was built in 2009 by the Portuguese shipyard Estaleiro Navais de Viana do Castelo and can carry 320 passengers.
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