– It has been absolutely terrible to live here since the ferry arrived in January or February. I dread coming home from work and I can’t sleep at night. That’s what Lutz Wittmann, the closest neighbor to the Stornes ferry site outside Harstad in Sør-Troms, says. Since MF “Lyngen” replaced MF “Lauvstad” on the Stornes-Bjørnerå ferry connection on 1 February this year, several neighbors have reacted to the noise from the “new” ferry. Play sound Hear the sound of the ferry MF “Lyngen” operating on the Stornes-Bjørnerå connection in Harstad. Photo: HENRIK EINANGSHAUG/news Sick report In a complaint to the State Administrator in Troms and Finnmark, which news has seen, several neighbors have signed that the ferry “makes so much noise that it affects both well-being and sleep”. “The sound from some hydraulic motor irritates and goes through the marrow and bones,” says the letter from the neighbors of the ferry berth. Together with several neighbors on Stornes outside Harstad, Lutz Wittmann has sent a complaint to the State Administrator about noise. Photo: HENRIK EINANGSHAUG/news For Wittmann, the noise has been so bad that he does not enjoy living there as it is now. – I was admitted to hospital – was picked up with a blue light – because I collapsed. I was on sick leave for 14 days, he says, and reacts to the fact that no one has been to his home to measure the noise level. news has been in contact with the State Administrator about the matter, who refers to the county council. This as they are the road owner. Read the county council’s response further down in the case. Are you annoyed by ferry noise? To be replaced In February, it was announced that the Stornes-Bjørnerå ferry connection, which has been part of the government’s free scheme since mid-August, will in future run on electricity. A new all-electric ferry is scheduled to be ready in 2025. In the meantime, the shipping company Torghatten Nord, which was awarded the contract to operate the connection from 2025 to 2035, has entered into a short-term contract of two years, with an option to extend the contract for two years (1 +1 year). – It is planned that we will have new electric ferries. Then there will be a completely different noise level than what is experienced today, says head of the transport agency in Troms, Jonny Berg. The government’s free scheme applies to all ferry connections that have less than 100,000 passengers annually. This includes over 70 ferry connections across the country. Photo: HENRIK EINANGSHAUG / news Noise measurement Berg states that they are aware of the noise complaints, and states that they have previously, as a result, requested a noise report. – It (the report, journ.anm.) believes that there are no homes that are exposed to noise values that are above the limit values that the guidelines are set according to. He does not know whether measurements have been taken inside the house of Wittmann and his family, and refers to other agencies about this. As road owner, the county council sets a number of requirements for the ferry equipment when tendering for the various connections. Among other things, these requirements are aimed at size and route offer. – It is clear that it is important to us that the ferry material works in the area, and that it is an offer that people can be satisfied with, says Berg, and explains that used ferries are often put in on short-term contracts, such as at Stornes-Bjørnerå.
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Complaints about ferry noise from MF “Lyngen” in Harstad – news Troms and Finnmark
