Hotels lost in court – the cruise ships are still allowed to block the view

The case in summary: The owners of the Hotel Waterfront in Ålesund lost a court case against the Ålesund Region’s Port Authority in which they demanded that the cruise ship blocking their view must be moved. The Møre and Romsdal district court found that the mooring practice is in accordance with what has been agreed between the parties, and that it is not in conflict with the neighborhood law. The Port Authority has fully won the case, and the hotel owners must pay NOK 650,000 in legal costs. Several hotel guests have complained that their view is blocked by cruise ships, and are asking for a price reduction. Ålesund is the port in the country that receives the most cruise passengers, with 283 ships arriving in the city last year. There is a four-week appeal deadline. The summary is made by an AI service from OpenAi. The content is quality assured by journalists from news before publication. Hotel Waterfront is located right by the sea in Ålesund, with a fantastic view of the fjord and Sunnmørsfjell. But many hotel guests have looked straight into the bow of a cruise ship in recent years. Recently, the hotel owners went to court and demanded that the ship be moved. But they are not upheld in the Møre og Romsdal District Court: “The court finds that the mooring practice is in accordance with what has been agreed between the parties, and that it is also not in conflict with Section 2 of the Neighborhood Act. Strandgaten Brygge AS is thus not upheld in its principal or subsidiary claim and the Port Authority is therefore acquitted”. In addition, they must pay NOK 650,000 in legal costs. Lawyer Andreas Stang Lund, who represents the hotel owners, does not wish to comment on the case on Monday. This is what the view from the hotel might look like on a summer’s day in Ålesund. Photo: Øyvind Sandnes / news Complaining about the view The employees at the hotel say several guests are dissatisfied with having the view blocked, and are asking for a price reduction. Hotel director Aina Aalen Bjerkvik recently told news that it is not nice to have to inform guests about the tourist ship that is waiting at the pier in front of the hotel. Ålesund is the country’s largest cruise port, and on some days ships are queuing up to drop tourists ashore. Photo: Øyvind Sandnes / news Now the court states that they must endure this: “According to the court’s assessment, Strandgaten Brygge AS has gone with open eyes to the acquisition of a property near an important port of call for ships, including cruise ships, in the center of a port city , and Strandgaten Brygge AS must then itself be the closest to bearing the risk of the consequences that the neighborhood entails.” The hotel director is not happy with the decision in Møre and Romsdal district court. – It is disappointing, of course it is disappointing, she says. Hotel director Aina Aalen Bjerkvik is not particularly happy about the view when large cruise ships dock in Ålesund. Photo: Øyvind Sandnes / news Rejects the problem The Harbor Commissioner in Ålesund, Ole Christian Fiskaa, agrees that there have been more ships, but rejects that they have become larger. He believes the hotel owners must accept that the tourist ships dock nearby when they establish a hotel at the port. Port Manager Ole Christian Fiskaa in the Ålesund Region’s Port Authority. Photo: Øyvind Sandnes / news He is not happy that the case ended up in the judiciary, and says they are basing themselves on an old agreement. They have been fully supported in this, in court. – The Port Authority is very pleased to be supported that this has been correctly assessed and that the public port interests are weighted as they are here, says lawyer Nils Grytten. Lawyer Nils Grytten is very satisfied with the result. Photo: Øyvind Sandnes / news The country’s most visited port No other port in the country receives as many cruise passengers as Ålesund. Last year, 283 ships came to the city. During the summer months, the ship is in a queue beyond the ports. Everything indicates that a new tourist record will be seen this year. Those who live in the hotel by the sea now have to accept that they see more than the fjord and mountains in front of the window. There is a one-month appeal period, and the judgment is not legally binding. 650,000 tourists visited Ålesund last year. Many come to the city in large cruise ships. Photo: Malin Kjellstadli Korsnes / news Published 10.06.2024, at 12.25 Updated 10.06.2024, at 16.57



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