March 05, 2024of James Chapple
The Hurtigruten Group’s shipping brand, HX, has put plans to launch sailings to West Africa on hold due to “increasing levels of instability in the region”.
HX had added Cape Verde, Dakar (Senegal), Banjul (Gambia) and the Bissau Islands to its 2023/24 product portfolio, but has now withdrawn from the launch.
“Previously, HX has expanded its product portfolio to include West Africa for the 2023/24 season,” the brand said in a statement.
“However, due to increasing levels of instability in the region, HX has chosen to suspend operations for the upcoming season to ensure the safety of our guests and crew.”
Hurtigruten, meanwhile, will welcome MS Maud back to its fleet later this year on a secondment from HX while it continues with its ongoing program of environmental upgrades to its ships.
Maud, which joined the HX fleet in 2021, will temporarily return to Hurtigruten’s Coast Express voyages under the group’s contract with the Norwegian state from 1 November before rejoining the HX fleet in 2026.
In the interim this year, Maud – starting in mid-April – will make a series of scheduled voyages to the British Isles before redeploying to the Arctic for the summer.
Maud previously sailed the Norwegian coast between 2003 and 2016 as part of the Hurtigruten Coastal Express fleet. It began operating in Antarctica in 2016 before transferring to HX in 2021.
The Hurtigruten Group said the mid-term fleet changes were due to its “massive” fleet environmental upgrade programme, adding that HX would modify fleet deployments following its “most successful Antarctic season ever”.
“Hurtigruten is undertaking the most significant environmental upgrade in the cruise industry,” said Hurtigruten Group CEO Daniel Skjeldam.
“The diverse capabilities of the Hurtigruten Group fleet give us the opportunity to temporarily transfer MS Maud from HX to Hurtigruten, filling the gap left by the upgrade program. MS Maud will return to HX again in 2026.”
The group said any guests booked on affected routes have already been contacted directly or will be contacted by their travel agent. They have the option to accept a 125% future cruise credit, depending on their itinerary, or receive a full refund.
Guests on select Antarctic itineraries on MS Maud are automatically transferred to sailings on MS Fridtjof Nansen, MS Fram or MS Roald Amundsen.