Connecting sustainability and innovation
Climbing aboard a ship that is moored next to others that looks as if they’re completely iced over contributes to the otherworldly experience of Svalbard. Mountains that look like they’re made of snow loom on every side, and the slightest breeze is something you end up feeling in your bones. My personal approach to fashion is to be able to wear the same thing inside as I do outside but that does not work on any level in Svalbard. And especially not when you’re out on the Artic Ocean, with nothing but the water and weather.
That sense of calm and cold is the core experience of Svalbard though, which the Hurtigruten Svalbard understands. With a top speed of 30 knots, a cruising speed of 24 knots, the boat effortlessly moved out toward what looked like the endless mountains of the archipelago, all of which our guide was able to name. But the shift to silent cruising when we were able to get out on deck and see everything took it to another level.
Out in the middle of nowhere aboard the Kvitbjørn, you can literally hear the ice bob in the water. A walrus that was taking a break on the ice shore didn’t dive into the water. Birds seeming to skim across the water were on every side. All of which
provided a sense of not just seeing these settings but actually being part of them. That difference is something the Hurtigruten team understood and knew they could further cultivate.
“We almost did a deal with Marell for a regular drive train but then we met with the Volvo team to explore the option to have something more sustainable, but also something that made business sense,” said Tore Hoem, adventures director at Hurtigruten Svalbard. “To us though, it was really about the guest experience. And the key is silence. The silence is the coolest thing about it.”
That focus on audience experience is connected to what Hoem mentioned with the product making business sense. The deeper commitment
90 | The Report • September 2022 • Issue 101
to sustainability that the company prides itself on is evident in Svalbard, where you can see why this ecosystem is one that needs to be respected, cared for and preserved. At the same time, providing a better experience makes business sense because it means customers will keep coming back and recommending said trips to friends and colleagues.
Being able to cultivate these new experiences was a technology question that was addressed in those initial meetings between the Hurtigruten and Volvo Penta teams but the connection between technology and core business values runs deeper for both teams.
“We believe that sustainability and innovation are connected,”
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