There has been chaos with full ferries and long queues this summer after free ferries were introduced, especially in northern Norway. One of the ferry connections that has worked particularly poorly this summer is Levang – Nesna along the popular Kystriksveien in Nordland. Deputy mayor in Nesna municipality, Rebekka Bruin Ødegaard, thinks so. – There have been many settings, and it has been unpredictable for us and the business world. A lot of it is simply due to poor ferry equipment. – Who is to blame? – There are several people who are responsible, but it is probably the county council that is ultimately responsible for the operation itself, says the mayor. Deputy mayor in Nesna municipality, Rebekka Bruin Ødegaard (SP), believes that the ferry service must be improved. Photo: Kasper Holgersen / news Wants to open the wallet But it is not just this relationship that has struggled. All over the country there have been problems with free ferries that have not coped with the increased traffic. This summer there have been many canceled ferries on a number of connections. This is due to crew shortages and poor ferries. However, the problem is not new. Already in 2022, long before the ferries became free, over 700 ferry departures were canceled in Nordland. Manpower shortages were to blame for almost 500 of these. And last year, both the coffin and the priest were six hours late for the funeral as a result of ferry trouble in Rødøy. Chair of the transport committee in the Storting, Sigbjørn Gjelsvik (Sp), says the government should give more money to the county council to clean it up – all over the country. However, it is difficult to get a clear answer on how this money will be given. – It has not worked well enough. Those who are responsible for ferry operations must take this to heart. Then the state must contribute with better funding that rewards those who make a good offer, says Gjelsvik, on board the Levang-Nesna ferry connection. Sigbjørn Gjelsvik says that more money will come to improve the ferry service along the coast. When or in what form the help will come, the Storting politician, on the other hand, could not answer. Photo: Matheo Dolva / news – When and how is this money coming? – Now the previous big promise we made is to make many ferries free, to reduce ferry prices on further connections… – Yes, we have got cheaper ferries, but when will there be enough big and good ferries? – We have also strengthened the funding of the counties, but we must take a further step forward and say that this is such an important offer that we must reward those who provide a really good ferry offer. We have to cover the extra costs that come from having more departures and having a good offer in everyday life, says Gjelsvik. – Unsustainable The Progress Party is not impressed. – It is unsustainable. We got a warning last year. It was chaos then too. The fact that nothing has been done for a year, neither from the county council nor the government, is too bad. That’s what Storting representative Dagfinn Olsen (Frp) says. Storting representative, Dagfinn Olsen (Frp) Photo: Ola Helness / news Olsen believes the promises from the Center Party come far too late. – It is good if money comes. That money should have been on the table when you started with free ferries. It was a goal, for everyone who was in favor of this, that there should be more travelers out to the beautiful islands that we have in Nordland. The Progress Party believes, among other things, that commuter cards should be put in place, so that those who depend on the ferry every day actually take the ferry. Needs time and money The right is not impressed either. – If money doesn’t come when so many people go out and promise it on behalf of the government, it will be the stomach-churning of the ages for this government. They must gain trust, and then we will have to wait and see what they actually come up with. That’s what county councilor for transport Marianne Dobak Kvensjø (H) says. County councilor for transport in Nordland, Marianne Dobak Kvensjø (H) says that the state must pick up the bill for the ferry operation, after they decided that many ferry routes should be free. Photo: Frank Nygård / news It is Nordland County Council, which is responsible for many of the ferry connections in the county. Kvensjø (H) believes the county council has done a lot to prevent the chaos that has occurred in previous years. – We have introduced a lot of measures, both with more ferries, bigger ferries and more departures. Kvensjø believes more money from the state is needed to cover the costs of the ferry operation. – Well, if the government listens to us and gives us more money, it will probably be a little too late for this summer. – We need some time to implement the right measures. I hope we get a final clarification on how much we will get next year so we don’t have summers like this. Kvensjø is optimistic about next year’s ferry summer and believes it will be the last year of ferry chaos. Published 08/08/2024, at 16.09
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The Center Party promises money for ferry operations – The Progress Party calls the situation unsustainable – news Nordland
