Sanctions make ships voyage | Norwegian news in English — www.newsinenglish.no

Norwegian coastal shipping and cruise line Hurtigruten has been plagued by coronavirus-related issues, but its new domestic competitors are involved in issues related to Russia’s Ukrainian war.new Habira Capella He stayed at the dock in Bergen this week and stopped again due to sanctions against Russia.

Habila’s coastal voyage line confirmed that due to insurance-related uncertainties, the cruise had to be canceled to begin on Wednesday (May 4th). “From passenger considerations … we had to make this decision to give passengers time to change their travel plans to Bergen (cancel the ship’s cruise to Kirkenes and return),” Habila said. Said Bent Martini, Chief Executive Officer of. press release.

He said it was unclear when the problem would be resolved. “We are waiting for a response from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the various solutions we are working on, and we look forward to a quick response,” said Martini.

The problem of having to cancel another cruise In April, we partnered with the leasing company of Havila Kystruten, a Norwegian company that ended Hurtigruten’s monopoly on the Norwegian coast. The coastal route has been split to increase competition, and Hurtigruten has gone from 11 previously in service to 7 ships of the line. Hurtigruten has relocated the latest ships to so-called “expedition cruises” at destinations, including Antarctica, Suffering from a corona infection that reduced service, canceled port calls and offended passengers This past winter. The problem of Hurtigruten’s expensive Antarctic cruises continued until spring.

Meanwhile, Habila will operate four vessels along the Norwegian coast. But so far, Habila has only one ship ready to sail. Habira Capella, And its leasing company, which funds all four Havila vessels, is owned by Russian lender GTLK. It is one of the Russian companies that has been affected by EU sanctions on Russia since its invasion of Ukraine and has been adopted by Norway. The situation is complicated, but last week Havila Kystruten received a diploma from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to cruise for six months.

Their ship with the other three scheduled to join However, due to the lack of valid insurance associated with leasing contracts, we will stay in the dock this week. “This obviously affects our bottom line when we can’t sail and there are passengers paying to travel with us,” said Habila spokesman Lasse Wang. Stein told state broadcaster NRK on Monday. The company is also rushing to refinance the ship and its sister ships, which “requires a lot of money and takes time,” Vanstein said.

“Because both the company (Havila Kystruten) and the ship are Norwegian, we comply with Norwegian maritime law,” said Vangstein. “What we need is a license to ensure that insurance companies are also confident that we are in compliance.” He supports Habila’s sanctions on Russia, but considers Russia’s funding. He said he now feels that his unique situation is “challenging.”

The Norwegian Ministry of Transport is also watching the situation carefully Habila is obliged to serve a small port along the Norwegian coast as a source of both cargo delivery and passenger transport. Vangstein argued that Havila was enthusiastic about fulfilling the public obligations paid by the state. That’s another reason to expect a quick response from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Habila’s entry into the coastal trade also faces many other issues, including delayed delivery of new vessels, bankruptcy between suppliers, and other turmoil associated with the corona crisis, and most trips are suspended for long periods of time. Did. Havila, based in Fosnavåg, Sunnmøre, also suffered from delays in the delivery of two vessels from the Tersan Shipyard in Turkey. Managed by Norwegian shipowner Per Sævik and his family, the company is also working on alternative financing for new vessels. Habira caster It is to join the fleet this spring.

The Habira Capella Due to corona-related restrictions, the voyage finally began in December, a year later. Havila vessels are said to be environmentally friendly as they are fueled by both batteries and gas and have an energy efficient hull. Food waste has also been reduced.

newsinenglish.no/Nina Berglund