Latest news with #Kirkenes
Wall Street Journal
11-07-2025
- Politics
- Wall Street Journal
Hunting Down Russian Spies With Norway's Intelligence Service
KIRKENES, Norway—Paranoia pervades the placid border town of Kirkenes in Norway's far north. Residents are routinely trailed by unknown men. The Wall Street Journal's camera crew was photographed and followed around town by a suspicious vehicle with no license plate. Most locals warn you to keep your wits about you because, as one said in a hushed tone, 'the Russians are watching.' The Journal's video shows us accompanying Norway's domestic intelligence agency, the PST, on patrol for Russian spies. We meet residents convinced they are under Russian surveillance and we find out firsthand what it feels like to be trailed.
Telegraph
15-06-2025
- Telegraph
Following in my grandparents' footsteps on a 130-year-old cruise
'To the people in the north of Norway, Hurtigruten has been everything. Transporting medicine, clothes, fresh fish, local people going to hospital' Gunnar, the captain of the Kong Harald, explained as we pass the Arctic Circle. I was on board the Coastal Express, the historic postal ship that has operated in Norway since 1893 – 132 years ago. Hurtigruten translates as 'fast route' in English, and the ship connects various coastal communities, with the voyage becoming more popular with tourists in recent decades. I asked him if he still considers it a ferry or a cruise, and he replied with a smile. 'Somewhere in-between. Years ago it would have been mainly local people taking short trips as they didn't have any other options, but now with cars and airports we need the tourists to keep the route running.' The ships still deliver cargo, and I was told that the most photographed thing on board was the forklift, which shifted the crates on and off the ship each time we stopped – 34 times, between Bergen to Kirkenes – although given the ethereal landscapes we passed, I took this fact with a pinch of salt. But I was aboard for more than just beautiful views. My grandparents chose to take the same journey in 1968 for their first overseas holiday, so this sailing was, for me, also a voyage into the past. My grandfather, a farmer and captain of the Home Guard, and my grandmother, a racehorse trainer and member of the Constantine shipping family, were both passionate lovers of the outdoors. They honeymooned on the Isle of Skye and took regular trips to Scotland, where my Grandad, a keen falconer, would spot birds of prey. They were drawn, inevitably, to Norway's wildlife and natural beauty – changing from the snowy scenes of the north to the green pastures on the approach to Bergen. I've always felt a sadness that I never had the opportunity to know my grandparents – as they had both passed by the time I turned five – and had clung to titbits of information about their interests and personalities in order to forge a connection with them. Despite having travelled to more than 90 countries, I'd not yet made it to Scandinavia, so discovering that I could take the very journey they once did felt like a way to bridge time, and build a sense of shared experience through our travels. Stops in port varied from 10 minutes to a couple of hours, and at Stokmarknes I disembarked at the Hurtigruten museum to see the fully preserved MS Finnmarken from 1956, very similar to the ship my grandparents would have sailed on. The main difference, I noted, was that the old ships had first- and second- class dining rooms and cabins, as well as a large post office and lounges for games. I saw old menus on display showing salted cod and salmon, and recalled my mother saying that my grandma had talked passionately about 'the fish platters' after their trip. The food on board the Kong Harald was a stand out for me, too, with meals including aqua-vit herring, piles of smoked salmon, and crab topped with trout roe. Head chef Roy has worked with Hurtigruten for 42 years and has seen the change over the decades from silver service to a more relaxed dining experience, without formal dress codes. Long careers with Hurtigruten seem commonplace, and the team are like family to one another, spending Christmases together and decorating cabins for passengers on board, many of whom travel the route regularly. Until the early 2000s, the majority of passengers were still Norwegians, though the 1960s saw an increase in foreign tourists, particularly from the UK and Germany. The uptick must have been sizable, as my grandparents coincidentally saw another couple from the same small village in North Yorkshire on their ship. The husband, presuming he wouldn't see anybody he knew, had chosen the opportunity to debut a new faux hairstyle. So the story goes, he was so embarrassed when he spotted my Grandad, that he threw the toupee overboard. He might have avoided the humiliation had he been on my sailing, as there was none of the enforced socialising you see on most cruises – just announcements as we passed significant places, which drew people away from the lounge and onto the top decks to mingle. The arctic circle crossing was celebrated with shots of cod liver oil and a toast with Havets Bobler – a sparkling wine aged under Norwegian waters – and as we sailed under the bridge over the Risøy channel, Norwegian flags were handed out for us to wave at passing traffic. I spent a lot of my time on the top deck, where passengers sit in a glass-windowed viewing area, where the only important decision to be made is which side to watch from. There's a Norwegian word – kos – which means sharing simple pleasures, and this lounge is the epitome of that. Passengers knitted, read books and simply watched the fjords roll by, their banks dotted with rust-red houses. With the exception of the digital cameras, you could imagine passengers 50 years ago enjoying the same simplicity. Even the excursions I joined – which, as I found out from a historic poster on the ship's bridge, have been running in some form for decades – are focused on timelessly Norwegian elements. A walk around Hammerfest – the self proclaimed 'northernmost city in the world', or a sea eagle-spotting boat trip near picturesque Trollfjord, are both experiences unlikely to have changed much at all in the past decades. As we headed back to the Kong Harald from Trollfjord – the sea eagles swooping down around us – the captain showed me his clicker had hit 75 sightings in just one day. Given my grandparents' interest in wildlife, I could easily picture them, half a century before, as awed by their surroundings as I was. Throughout the week, I'd been questioning Hurtigruten veterans about how the route had evolved since the 1960s, hoping to piece together what my grandparents might have seen and felt. But in doing so, I came to realise that it was the enduring similarities, not the changes, that left the deepest impression. Even in my lifetime, I've revisited places only to be disappointed by how time had reshaped them, but here it felt as though little might have changed at all. I'll be forever grateful to the Norwegian coastline, and to this little voyage, for giving me a moment of connection with the family members I never got to know, decades in the making. Essentials The Coastal Express has multiple sailings throughout the week, with northbound, southbound and return journeys from £1,354 per person. Tickets can be booked together with flights from London or Manchester.
Forbes
09-05-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Can Cruise Ships Ever Be Truly Green? Norway May Hold The Answer
Could cruise ships of the future look like this? Hurtigruten's "Sea Zero" research project will give us some answers. Although they are hugely popular, cruise ships are far from sustainable. Traditional vessels burn heavy fuel oil, emit significant greenhouse gases, and rely on complex global supply chains. But in Norway, where environmental awareness runs deep and maritime innovation has long been a national strength, a pair of cruise companies are showing how a cleaner future may already be within reach. With environmental requirements baked into government contracts, the ships serving Norway's historic Bergen–Kirkenes coastal route are at the forefront of green maritime innovation. The two operating companies—Hurtigruten and Havila Voyages—are taking different but equally ambitious approaches to decarbonizing maritime transport. The wider cruise industry is watching closely, and for good reason. What's happening in Norway could shape the global cruise sector's path forward. Havila Voyages has already made headlines by launching four of the world's most environmentally friendly passenger vessels, now in operation along the coast of Norway. These coastal cruise ferries run on liquefied natural gas (LNG) and battery power, cutting carbon dioxide emissions by up to 40% compared to conventional ships. When powered by liquid biogas, that figure rises to as much as 90%. Now, Havila is going a step further. Through a research initiative called LNGameChanger, the company is working with Norwegian technology partners to develop an onboard carbon capture system. The idea is to use solid oxide fuel cells to generate electricity from LNG while simultaneously capturing the resulting carbon dioxide, liquefying it, and storing it on the ship for later offloading at port. Havila's coastal cruise ships can already sail purely on battery power in scenic locations such as Norway's Trollfjord. LNGameChanger is backed by the Norwegian Research Council and involves maritime technology firm HAV Group, LNG supplier Molgas, and research institute SINTEF. Feasibility studies, voyage simulations, and infrastructure planning are already underway to prepare Havila's LNG-powered fleet as testbeds for the new system. As many of the world's newest megaships now run on LNG, the success of this research project could have wide-reaching implications for the entire cruise industry. While Havila focuses on upgrading today's tech, Hurtigruten is attempting to design the cruise ship of tomorrow from scratch. Its Sea Zero project aims to launch the world's first fully zero-emission cruise vessel by 2030. That's a bold goal given the energy demands of large ships, so, to get there, Hurtigruten is completely rethinking ship design. The eye-catching prototype includes a sleek, energy-efficient hull, retractable sails for wind-assisted propulsion, an air lubrication system that reduces drag, and contra-rotating propellers for optimized thrust. Power will come from large battery packs charged with green electricity at ports along the route. Sea Zero brings together leading Norwegian players including shipbuilder Vard, propulsion specialist Brunvoll, and researchers at SINTEF. Recent testing at SINTEF's labs in Trondheim has shown encouraging results. The innovative design could reduce energy use by as much as 50% compared to current vessels, making full battery operation between charging ports a viable option under normal conditions. According to Hurtigruten CEO Hedda Felin, the project is about future-proofing the company for the next century of sailing along the Norwegian coast. Both companies are targeting 2030 as a milestone for more sustainable cruising. Havila, which has already demonstrated the success of large-scale battery technology, is now exploring onboard carbon capture systems to reduce emissions from its LNG-powered fleet. Hurtigruten is aiming for a zero-emission reinvention of the cruise ship itself. Their approaches differ, but their goals are shared: dramatically reduce emissions, showcase Norwegian maritime innovation, and preserve the pristine coastline they both call home. So, can cruise ships ever be truly sustainable? Norway's answer is a resounding 'yes', but it will only come as a result of bold investment, deep collaboration and a willingness to rethink everything we know about cruise ships.
