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Norwegian Coastal Express

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A Hurtigruten ship sailing into the horizon, with a local fishing boat behind it

Caring for the Coast – Livelihoods

Together with your visits to these communities, our sailings on the coast have helped to support local businesses, create jobs, and sustain livelihoods. When they thrive, we thrive.

True sustainability isn’t just about the relationship between people and the environment. It’s also about maintaining an economy that helps people, while protecting the planet at the same time. We’ve cared for communities on the coast since our first voyage in 1893, carrying the cargo, mail, supplies, and customers that small businesses need to keep ticking.  

Your voyage leaves lasting benefits to the local economy, which in turn ripple out to the wider community. This is small-scale sustainable tourism at its best, ensuring money goes to where it should, and doing good for local entrepreneurs, their staff, and their families. 

A Hurtigruten Chef about to board the ship. He is holding a big tray of local goods. Vegetables and cheese mostly.

Working to sustain life

Our ships transport over 100,000 tons of consumer goods a year to and from the Norwegian coast. We bring everything from food to important medicine. For the small town of Kjøllefjord, we are their most important supplier of fresh fruit. Through our service, local businesses are also able to export their goods to other people and places.

A Hurtigruten Chef about to board the ship. He is holding a big tray of local goods. Vegetables and cheese mostly.

As goods are loaded and off-loaded from our ships at the ports we dock at, you’ll see these important interactions first-hand. It is exactly these exchanges which are helping to support the livelihoods of the millions who live all along on the Norwegian coast. 

Enhanced by excursions 

For some local businesses, we’re more than just The Coastal Express service; we’re also their biggest customer. We cherish the relationships we’ve created with excursion providers, each handpicked based on the same high standards we hold ourselves to. You’ll find that they are as passionate and committed to sustainable practices as we are, employing green tech and renewable resources wherever possible. 

The goodwill we’ve cultivated with our excursion partners over the years means that you’ll receive a warm welcome and greeted with open arms. You can look forward to having these knowledgeable, local experts show you the area, taking you on added adventures that go a long way to supporting their families and community.  

  • Read about the cheesemakers between Lofoten’s peaks
A small fishermans cabin in  Svolvær in Northern Norway. The cabin is surrounded by cod hanging to dry on scaffolding A small fishermans cabin in  Svolvær in Northern Norway. The cabin is surrounded by cod hanging to dry on scaffolding

From sea to chef  

Our Coastal Kitchen concept of using fresh, local produce means most of the food and drink you’ll enjoy on board come from Norwegian suppliers. These are received by our ships at half of the ports we visit – with as few food miles in between as possible. Not only does this provide farming and fishing families with important income, but it also cuts down on the energy needed to transport or refrigerate ingredients.  

As you tuck into succulent scallops that were hand-delivered straight from the local fishermen to our on board chefs, you’ll feel more connected to life here. Savouring each dish, you’ll appreciate that sustainability doesn’t just do good, it tastes good too.  

  • Read about our partners in produce
Lots of spruce trees are loaded on board Ørnes
Photo: Photo Competition

Training tomorrow’s Captains

Our commitment to caring for the coast’s communities has meant we’ve also invested in the individuals within them. We’re proud to be the biggest provider of maritime apprenticeships in the country. Our ships also welcome schools on board and we regularly bring on sea cadets on training schemes.  

  • Read how our Captain Maryann Bendiksen is Sailing through life
Lots of spruce trees are loaded on board Ørnes
Photo: Photo Competition

That some of our Captains and crew began their careers waving at our ships as children shows just how deep a connection The Hurtigruten Coastal Express has with the coast and its communities. Chat to the crew and hear how The Original Coastal Express has shaped their lives, inspiring generation after generation of sailors, chefs, engineers, and Captains. 

Further reading

  • Caring for the Coast – Nature
  • Caring for the Coast – People
  • Sea Zero
  • Green Upgrades

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