In the summer of 2023, the new fishing vessel, MS “Skulebas” came home to Måløy in Nordfjord. A day the school had been waiting a long time for. New “Skulebas”, a large and long-awaited gift from Vestland County Council, which will provide proper training for the fishermen of the future. MS “Skulebas” Photo: Hvide Sande Shipyard / Hvide Sande Shipyard – MS “Skulebas” cost NOK 105 million. – Reier is a Vestland county municipality. – Skulebas is equipped for trawl, seine, net and line. – New Skulebas is 38 meters long and 3.5 meters wide. – The vessel is equipped for 17 students and a crew of three. – Was built at the shipyard Hvide Sande Skipyard in Denmark. Now the subject teacher on the fishing and trapping line at Måløy secondary school believes that it is too dangerous to go net fishing with the new school boat. Vocational teacher Stig Oldeide believes, among other things, that the equipment for net fishing on the boat is dangerous and, in the worst case, harmful. In addition, he points to several details in the boat that are unfinished. – This is madness. It is not safe for the students, and safety is one of the most important things we teach the students who are going into Norway’s most dangerous profession, says Oldeide. Stig Oldeide has taught the young fishermen of the future. In three months he will go ashore in protest. Photo: Fride Audunsdotter Westvik / news The case has previously been reported in Firdaposten and Fjordenes Tidende. Oldeide has over fifty years of experience as a fisherman, skipper and rigger. In protest and hoping to be heard by the boat owner Vestland county council, he has resigned from his position as a teacher at Måløy Vidaregåande skule. Don’t worry about safety Project manager for the construction of MS “Skulebas”, Stig Antonsen, believes the school boat is equipped for all types of fishing. Antonsen is the day-to-day manager of Cestan AS in Ålesund, which manages projects within the construction and operation of offshore and fishing vessels. Photo: Josef Benoni Ness Tveit / news – I consider the security at Skulebas to be very good. It is built according to the requirements and rules that are on such a boat and I see no danger in being on board, says Antonsen. He has no concerns for the safety of the students or the crew on board. – Small adjustments are always needed on newly built fishing boats, a boat is never perfect and this is a vessel that is very complex for its size. There have to be some small compromises on such a vessel, says Antonsen. Norway’s most dangerous profession A new report from SINTEF shows that 156 fishermen have died at work since 2000. Fatal accidents Cause of fatal accidents (2000-2023): Overboard accidents: 32% Shipwreck: 30% Traffic to and from vessels in the port: 17% Impact and pinch hatches: 14% Anna: 7% Source: SINTEF Ocean Photo: Steinar Lote / news Last year the Storting adopted a zero vision that no fishermen should die at sea. The zero vision project The project has three sub-goals: 1. Establish knowledge about direct and indirect causes of acute injuries and stress injuries. 2. Prepare accident scenarios for the five most common incidents that lead to death or serious injury. Visible measures, both physical and technical. 3. Develop targeted measures in collaboration with central actors and governing authorities. The number of fatal accidents is still high in the fishing industry, with an average of over five fatalities per year between 2010 and 2021. So far in 2024, the accident statistics of the Norwegian Maritime Directorate show that a total of 95 people have been injured, two have died and 52 have been reported sick. Fear for the students In February, MS “Skulebas” was scheduled to go on a trip to Lofoten, where the students were supposed to learn to fish with nets. But Oldeide refused to take the students fishing with nets and in the end only traveled with equipment for line fishing on board. – Has it occurred to you that you are exaggerating this? – Yes, I have reflected on that. But what choice do I have? The most important thing is the safety of the pupils, says Oldeide. In three months, the notice period has expired. Then Måløy is left without an experienced teacher. Stig Oldeide resigned his position after 4 years as a contact teacher, so that students like David Hamre Da Silva will receive a safe education. Photo: Fride Audunsdotter Westvik / news Allereie during the construction of the new “Skulebas” the safety of the teaching vessel was questioned. Oldeide says he already raised the issue when MS “Skulebas” was built at the shipyard, Hvide Sande Shipyard in Denmark. The teacher believes that the machine that pulls in the nets is placed incorrectly on the deck of the boat, and something he believes leads to a great danger of crushing. – When we pull in the net, it can get stuck, and then you have to have visibility and space to carry out the work manually in a safe way. Solving the problem, he says, is simple. – Just a couple of weeks at the shipyard to move the equipment would have solved the problem without too much cost, is Oldeide’s proposal. Oldeide believes the dragon goat is standing two meters too far forward on the deck. It is this machinery that pulls up yarn. Photo: Fride Audunsdotter Westvik / news – You can see that this was not built by experienced fishermen. Anyone who has been out at sea sees the problem straight away, says Oldeide. And he is not alone in his reaction. Nils Myklebust, former fisherman and fishing boat owner, immediately understood why Oldeide was concerned. MS “Skulebas” sailed from Denmark to Norway last summer. The new vessel was long awaited by Måløy secondary school. Photo: Hvide Sande Shipyard / Hvide Sande Shipyard – I think what Stig is doing is brave and correct. I have spoken to several fishermen who completely agree, this is a common opinion that something is wrong. We have every respect for what Oldeide does, it requires a lot of courage, says Myklebust. Going beyond the pupils A week ago, the pupils went to Lofoten to fish for cod with a line, and are not allowed to use the floundering new equipment for netting. It was supposed to be net that was hauled on board before departure to Lofoten, but it turned out to be line fishing. Photo: Fride Audunsdotter Westvik / news The students will become apprentices in the autumn. Then several of them will work with both line and net fishing. Now they do not get practical training in using yarn. – It’s boring that we can’t try fishing with nets. We get worse knowledge, I think it’s stupid, says student Tuva Moe Salomonsen. Tuva Moe Salomonsen (17) from Bremanger is the only girl in the class on the popular line. Photo: Fride Audunsdotter Westvik / news – Have you been afraid that something would happen while you were on board? – No, I have not been afraid of myself or the other students. But I was afraid of Stig once he kept clinging on, says Salomonsen. Aware of the problem Tor Åge Gravdal, head of department for maritime education at Måløy secondary school, admits that the problem was already known during the construction of MS “Skulebas”. – There was a bit of disagreement about how various things should be resolved. Several of the processes take time and have meant that it has not been fully achieved, says Gravdal. He supports Oldeide in that the equipment to be used for net fishing is not safe, and says the problem must be solved. Will look for solutions Bjørn Lyngedal, department director training and competence in Vestland county, says they will look at MS “Skulebas” as soon as possible. Bjørn Lyngedal says the county council must solve the problem as quickly as they can. Photo: Valentina Baisotti Among other things, people with professional expertise will be on board the boat to assess whether the keel is positioned incorrectly and could thus lead to a crushing hazard, as Oldeide says. Lyngedal is hoping for a quick solution so that the pupils can try all the trips before they go to school in the autumn. – I don’t know the details, but as I understand it, the project manager has done a good job. Not everyone agrees on everything, but we have confidence in Antonsen, says Lyngedal.
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Teacher quits his job because he thinks the new school ship “Skulebas” is too dangerous to fish with – news Vestland
