The vessel is propelled by two fixed-pitch propellers and one bow thruster powered by a diesel-electric system comprising six Alco M251F diesel engines that when driving the shafts create and six GEC generators creating 11.1 megawatts sustained powering two motors that when driving the shafts create . "Amundsen" is also equipped with one Caterpillar 398 emergency generator. This gives the vessel a maximum speed of . The vessel can carry of diesel fuel and has a range of at and can stay at sea for up to 100 days.