– They say it’s the turn of ordinary people. It must be the bluff of the century. Pensioner Sten Atle Jølle (67) refers to the slogan of the Labor Party. When fuel for the annual boat trip from Bergen to Sørlandet came to 27,000 kroner, he had had enough. The solution was to sell the boat and fly home to Bergen four weeks earlier than planned. Now Jølle and his wife will instead book a trip to Split in Croatia. – It will be easier to escape the country than to spend money on boating in Sørlandet, he says. Runs slower to save money When news is in Arendal guest harbor on Monday, one liter of petrol costs NOK 27.09. Boat owner Erik Ellefsen has ironically called the boat “Miss Moneypenny”. This year she is extra expensive in operation. – We probably spend between 50- and 60,000 kroner on fuel for the boat this summer season. That is twice as much as normal, he says. Like many others, Ellefsen tries to save fuel by driving slower. – I no longer go up to 20 or 25 knots, he says. Boat owner Erik Ellefsen says he is driving slower to save fuel now. Photo: Espen Bierud / news Guest harbors have fewer visits The pump price may also be one of the reasons why guest harbors along the southern coast report a significant decrease in visits this summer. According to Lindesnes newspaper, the Port of Lindesnes had 1065 guest nights from 1 to 15 July last year. This year, the number for the same period is 720. Ove Nodeland in Lindesnes harbor, tells the newspaper that he thinks the reason is fuel prices and that people can travel abroad to a greater extent. Assistant harbor master in Arendal Gordon Fuglestad, tells Fædrelandsvennen that Arendal guest harbor has noticeably less congestion and less occupancy than last year. In Arendal guest harbor, there is noticeably less congestion this year, according to assistant harbor director Gordon Fuglestad. Photo: Espen Bierud / news – Beyond The former boat owner Sten Atle Jølle, who will soon be going to Croatia, is disappointed that Norway is not able to bring down fuel prices. – These prices are beyond, he says. The pensioner says that he has worked for many years in the oil industry. He believes politicians can do something about the taxes, but does not think it will happen in the first place. On Monday this week, one liter of petrol cost 27.09 on the pier in Arendal. Photo: Espen Bierud / news – Would have been very expensive Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre would not be interviewed when he was in Sørlandet on Monday, but wrote the following in a column the same day: For many, everyday life, and perhaps also the holiday plans, are affected by prices are so tall. Prices are high due to scarcity of both oil and gas in the world right now. We can not change that. Some people think we should cut taxes like CO₂ tax and road use tax to make up for the price. It would lower the pump price by a few kroner, but it will be very expensive, up to 20 billion kroner on an annual basis – as much money as, for example, the entire operating budget of the police this year.
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NOK 27,000 in fuel became too expensive – sold the boat and flew home – news Sørlandet – Local news, TV and radio
