The ships will be designed and developed by Rolls-Royce, and will be customised specifically for expedition voyages in the Arctic and Antarctic regions, as well as the Norwegian coastline.

They will also have experienced expedition teams onboard, who will accompany passengers on educational excursions to isolated places only accessible by ships or zodiac boats, Hurtigruten said.

In line with its sustainable focus, the line said the ships would be equipped with “advanced environmentally-friendly technology to reduce emissions”.

They will also be built in Norway, underpinning its commitment to supporting the countries local communities, Anthony Daniels, head of sales UK and Ireland told TTG.

He added that although the ships would be designed to sail in icy waters, their itineraries had not yet been determined, and they could still be used for warmer water sailings, which the line is set introduce from 2017. This includes destination such as the Amazon Rainforest.

Daniel Skjeldam, Hurtigruten’s chief executive said: “This is a milestone for us and an expression of our confidence in the growth of the global market for adventure tourism. We are to build the most formidable expedition ships the world has seen.
 
“People no longer want to spend their holiday time being passive spectators. Our experience is that explorers travelling with Hurtigruten crave adventurous activities and mindfulness in combination, therefore Hurtigruten offers active voyages. We offer real experiences in local environments, just steps away from the wildlife.”
 
Magnus Zetterberg UK Managing Director of Hurtigruten added: “It has been more than ten years since Hurtigruten last placed an order for the construction of a new ship so the prospect of being able to expand this with the arrival of new vessels is very exciting.”

It comes as the line seeks to push its focus on becoming recognised more as an adventure operator rather than a cruise line.

Earlier this month senior vice president of commercial Arild Kaale revealed at a trade conference that Hurtigruten was looking at expanding its programme to several other parts of the world.

“We’d like to see more ships in Asia. We have a lot of clients in Asia, and I believe it is somewhere we would definitely like to look at. The north-west passage is also somewhere that we feel is in line with our product,” he said.

Bosses were keen however to stress Hurtigruten’s commitment to the Norwegian coast and polar regions.