Norway's Crown Princess Named Godmother of Norwegian Coastal Voyage's New Expedition Ship, MS Fram

The new year of 2007 promises to be a good one for the cruise industry, with several new ships set to be launched. One of these is the Norwegian Coastal Voyage (NCV) expedition ship the MS Fram. NCV has announced that Her Royal Highness Crown Princess Mette Marit of Norway has agreed to be godmother of the line’s newest ship. The 12,700-ton, 318-berth, eight-deck MS Fram has just finished exterior construction at Italian shipyard Fincantieri and is on schedule for its maiden voyage in April, 2007. The christening ceremony will take place in Oslo on May 19, 2007.

The new ship will sail Greenland and the north Atlantic during the summer of 2007 before departing September 18 for a 66-day Pole-to-Pole adventure, navigating along the western Atlantic seaboard and the eastern Pacific Coast, ending in Antarctica and South America where it will be sailing 13-day Antarctica itineraries through February, 2008.

MS Fram Under Construction Picture Courtesy of NCV

Norway’s Royal Highness Crown Princess Mette Marit Named Godmother of Norwegian Coastal Voyage’s New Expedition Ship, MS Fram

New York, NY, November 2006 -- Norwegian Coastal Voyage is proud and honored that Her Royal Highness Crown Princess Mette Marit of Norway has agreed to be godmother of the line’s newest deluxe expedition ship, MS Fram. The 12,700-ton, 318-berth, eight-deck ship has just finished exterior construction at Italian shipyard Fincantieri and is on schedule for its maiden voyage in April, 2007. The christening ceremony will take place in Oslo on May 19, 2007. Crown Princess Mette-Marit, 33, married Crown Prince Haakon of Norway, the heir apparent to the throne of Norway, in 2001. She is a special representative to the Joint United Nations Program on HIV and AIDS.

The ship is named after the polar ship built and used by Norwegian explorer Fridtjof Nansen on a three-year expedition around Greenland in the late 1800s and reflects Norwegian Coastal Voyage’s position as a leader in exploration cruises in Polar waters.

MS Fram’s 2007 Greenland season begins May 24 with a 15-day expedition sailing from Iceland’s Reykjavik to the east and west coasts of southern Greenland (with a reverse itinerary at the end of the season, September 3). After a series of 12- and 19-day Greenland cruises through September, the ship departs September 18 for a 66-day Pole-to-Pole adventure, navigating along the western Atlantic seaboard and the eastern Pacific Coast, ending in Antarctica and South America where it will be sailing 13-day Antarctica itineraries through February, 2008.

The ship makes significant use of Greenland’s culture as inspiration for design while incorporating a striking Scandinavian feel with the extensive use of wool, leather and oak. Original artwork is a theme on all of NCV’s ships and the MS Fram continues the tradition -- Ane Birthe Hove, from Nuuk in Greenland, chosen as the ship’s main artist, and several other artists from Greenland and Norway have been commissioned. The ship also boasts excellent conference and meeting facilities, a large glass-enclosed observation salon offering panoramic views of the outside scenery, restaurant with ocean views, wellness center with saunas, work-out room and two glass-screened heated outdoor whirlpools, a bistro, a guest bridge for viewing selected data from the ship’s bridge and a ship’s library. It’s specially equipped tender lobby makes expeditions to shore in Polarcirkel boats both safe and comfortable.

Norwegian Coastal Voyage is at (800) 323-7436 or (212) 319-1300; for brochures, (800) 582-0835, 24 hours a day; and www.norwegiancoastalvoyage.us.

Press Release Source: Gillies and Zaiser for Norwegian Coastal Voyage
Dateline: November 2006