For over 20 years, the shipping company Hurtigruten has had a monopoly on operating scheduled traffic on the coast, from Bergen to Kirkenes. In 2018, however, it was decided that the assignment would be shared between two shipping companies. Havila Kystruten won the second tender, and will sail with four ships. But after just over a year in scheduled traffic, the shipping company is now making changes to its shipping practices. Now Havila Kystruten will no longer carry electric cars, hybrid cars or hydrogen cars on board. Havila Kystruten AS Havila Kystruten AS is a Norwegian-owned company based in Fosnavåg outside Ålesund. From January 2021, the company will have 4 ships sailing along the Norwegian coast on the Bergen – Kirkenes route, calling at 34 ports on the northbound route and 33 ports on the southbound route. At the turn of the year 2023, 2 of Havila’s 4 ships that should have been in operation are still missing. The Havila group has long traditions in the maritime industry and is involved in well-known companies such as Havila Shipping ASA, Volstad Maritime AS and Fjord1. In recent years, transport and tourism have become an important part of the company’s interests in companies in addition to Havila Kystruten such as: Fjord1, Widerøe, The Fjords, Fjord Tours and Havila Hotels. Source: Havila Kystruten Fears electric car fire – The decision has been taken after an external risk analysis carried out for us. The conclusion of that analysis means that we have decided not to take this type of car on board due to safety reasons. That’s what Lasse A. Vangstein, who is responsible for communications at Havila Kystruten, says. Lasse A. Vangstein is communications manager at Havila Kystruten. Photo: Oslo Airport The main fear is that a fire in a vehicle that does not run on fossil fuel will pose a safety threat to both passengers, crew and ship. – An electric car fire will be very hot, there may be a risk of explosion and toxic gases will be released. This can mean that you have to evacuate the ship immediately, and in the worst case you can have a total breakdown of the ship, he says further. Vangstein says that although the ships can carry cars, they are mainly designed to carry passengers and goods. This is also the only requirement in the contract the shipping company has with the Ministry of Transport. – So, in your view, the practice you have had until now has been dangerous? – Yes, according to that assessment, there has been a risk when shipping electric cars. Fortunately, things have now gone well, but we are now taking the risk analysis into account. New video clips show the situation, when MS “Nord-Norge” was due to dock in Bodø on Tuesday. VIDEO: Alexander Farstad / Sus Wallis. Burns less often than fossil-fuel cars According to the Norwegian Directorate for Social Security and Emergency Preparedness (DBS), fossil-fuel cars burn 4-5 times as often as electric cars if you take into account the size of the car fleet. This was established by Faktisk.no in 2020. But even though fires in electric cars statistically occur less frequently than in fossil-fuel cars, they can be more difficult to put out. There are fires in electric cars, hybrid cars and hydrogen cars that Havila Kystruten fears will happen on board their ship. Photo: Ringerike fire and rescue service If a fire breaks out in the battery pack of an electric car, large quantities of water are required over time to put out the flames. This is what fire inspector Sigurd Folgerø Dalen of the Oslo Fire and Rescue Service told Faktisk.no. Promised car freight in 2019 Two years before the new ships were due, there was uncertainty about whether the new ships for Havila Kystruten were supposed to transport cars at all. But then managing director Arild Myrvoll dismissed the speculation. – We know how important this is for people along the coast and for travellers. That is why we have included this as part of the offer Havila Kystruten will provide, the Havila manager stated then. At the time, no distinction was made between fossil-powered cars and others. Today, the pipe has a slightly different sound. – A lot has happened in three years, and there have been other assessments regarding the safety of transporting especially electric and hybrid cars, says Vangstein and adds: – We will never compromise with the safety of the passengers and the crew. When we get such a clear conclusion on the risk assessment, the decision is very simple, even if it is difficult for some. Havila Kystruten says that they have not given up on being able to transport electric cars in the future, but that the offer is currently being cut. Hurtigruten will continue The main competitor Hurtigruten writes in an e-mail to news that they will continue shipping all types of cars on board their ships. – We have been transporting cars between all the ports for 40 years, and it is going just fine. We have no plans to stop doing that. That’s what Martin Henriksen, who is public relations at Hurtigruten, says. Martin Henriksen is public relations at Hurtigruten Norway. Photo: Hurtigruten Norway Hurtigruten says it has carried out its own risk assessments when it comes to shipping electric and hybrid cars, and has not come to the same conclusion as its competitor. – We follow the rules from DSB and the Norwegian Maritime Directorate, he adds. The shipping company writes that they have dedicated car tires that are built for vehicles, with extra ventilation, extinguishing systems and fire blankets. – A fire on board a ship will be serious in any case, regardless of whether it is an electric car or a fossil fuel car, writes Henriksen PS: Havila Kystruten also states that there will only be departures and arrivals of cars in Bergen and Kirkenes, and not on the remaining 32 calls along the route. The reason is the tide and the angle of the loading ramp, says the shipping company. Cars are driving on board Hurtigruten’s ship Richard With at Stamsund in 2010. People will be allowed to continue doing so, regardless of the car’s fuel, says the shipping company. Photo: Atle Markeng / news
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Havila Kystruten stops shipping electric cars for fear of fire – news Nordland
