Kong Harald (ship, 1993)

**Kong Harald**
	The Kong Harald on the quay in Trondheim
Ship data
flag	Norway
Ship type	Passenger and Ro-Ro ship
class	De Nye Skipene
Callsign	LGIY
home port	Tromso
Owner	Hurtigruten AS
Shipping company	Hurtigruten AS
Shipyard	Volkswerft Stralsund GmbH ( Stralsund , Germany )
Build number	101
baptism	June 25, 1993
Launch	November 28, 1992
Whereabouts	In motion
Ship dimensions and crew
length	121.80 m ( Lüa )
width	19.20 m
Draft	Max. 4.70 m
measurement	11,204 GT
Machine system
machine	Diesel-mechanical ; 2 × diesel engines ( MaK 6M552C), each 4,500 kW
Machine ; performance	9,000 kW (12,237 hp)
Top ; speed	19 kn (35 km / h)
propeller	2 × controllable pitch propellers
Transport capacities
Permitted number of passengers	622 on 6 passenger decks
Vehicle capacity	12 cars
Others
Classifications	DNV GL
Registration ; numbers	IMO no. 9039119

The Kong Harald is a passenger and ro-ro ship operated by the shipping company Hurtigruten AS and operates regular services on the Hurtigruten on the coast of Norway . It is named after the Norwegian King Harald V.
Before that there was already a ship called Kong Harald . This was built in 1890, but did not start regular service on the Hurtigruten until 1920.

history

The Kong Harald was the first ship of the so-called "new generation" ( De Nye Skipene ) on the Hurtigruten. She was laid down on February 7, 1992 with the construction number 101 at the Volkswerft in Stralsund . The launch took place on November 28, 1992. On June 25, 1993, the ship was delivered to the shipping company Troms Fylkes Damskipsselskap A / S and christened in Stralsund by Hjordis Opseth, the wife of the Norwegian Minister of Economics at the time. The planned operation on the Hurtigruten began on July 6, 1993. In May 2006, the shipping company Hurtigruten ASA took over the ship and initially chartered it briefly to Norsk Hydro as a living and hotel ship before it was used again in Hurtigruten service. As of October 2016, the ship is in regular Hurtigruten service.

Machine system and drive

The drive system of Kong Harald consists of the two main motors of the type MaK 6M552C, which each act on a Kamewa variable pitch propeller via a reduction gear (Lohmann GCK 755). The ship is powered by two wave generators with an electrical output of 2,875 kVA each . The ship also has two generators powered by Bergen Diesel KRG-8 diesel engines. Two cross-thruster systems are installed in the bow to aid maneuvering .

Furnishing

The Kong Harald originally offered space for 691 passengers and had 490 beds. There were parking spaces for 55 cars, which can be reached via a side loading ramp. After renovations, the capacity as of October 2016 is still 622 passengers on six decks (decks 2-7) and there are 12 parking spaces available.

On board there is a restaurant, a bistro, a bar, a souvenir shop, several lounges, the panorama salon on deck 7, as well as a small fitness room and a sauna. At the back of deck 6 there is an “outdoor jacuzzi deck”, although the two whirlpools are often covered. The original interior of the ship had decorative details such as crowns and lilies; the colors were generally muted (mainly royal blue ) - in accordance with the namesake . At the beginning of 2016, the Kong Harald and other ships of the shipping company received a new interior, the design of which Hurtigruten calls "arctic design". On the one hand, the new furnishings drew criticism (among other things, it was criticized that it was too reminiscent of a hotel and that it lacked a maritime character); on the other hand, it was also praised as a necessary renewal.

Incidents

On March 4, 2013 shortly before midnight, the northbound Kong Harald ran aground in front of the Trollfjord with her bow . Due to the onset of the tide , the ship was able to free itself at 2:30 a.m. and returned to Svolvær ( Lofoten ). The journey for the 258 passengers ended here around five in the morning. The ship was brought to the dry dock of Fiskerstrand Verft .

On the evening of February 1, 2015, the ship between Honningsvåg and Kirkenes was hit by a monster wave . One passenger was slightly injured. Windows on the bridge and in a cabin on deck 5 were destroyed. The ship returned to the port of Honningsvåg, where the voyage was broken off. In Harstad the ship was in the shipyard where the damage was being repaired.