24 May, 2007

THE BRAND new, purpose built, polar cruise ship Fram paid a visit to Lerwick harbour yesterday (Wednesday) as part of her maiden voyage.

Built in Italy for the Norwegian Hurtigruten shipping group, the 113 metre vessel left the Fincantieri shipyard, in Trieste, on 24 April.

With around 200 passengers and 70 crew on board, she arrived in Lerwick from Bergen at 8am and sailed for Tórshavn at just after 3pm yesterday.

Named after the ship of the Norwegian explorer Fridtjof Nansen, the Fram has been designed for Artic and Antarctic expedition cruises as well as for use on the Hurtigruten's service along Norway's long coast.

A second cruise liner in port yesterday was the Polar Star who sailed again at 8pm.