Before the weekend, the news came that the shipping company will no longer transport electric cars, hybrid cars and hydrogen cars up and down the coast. The shipping company points to safety when they now only take on board cars that run on fossil fuel. But even shipping such cars will be limited if it is Havila that docks. For now, it will only be possible to drive the car off or on in 2 out of 34 ports of call along the coast: In Bergen and Kirkenes. The reason? The tide. Wrong angle That’s what communications manager at Havila Kystruten, Lasse A. Vangstein, says. – It depends on the angle of the loading ramp. Sometimes we stand higher because of the tide, and other times lower. The shipping company states that problems arise in certain ports where the variation in the tide is large. This can cause damage to both ship and freight. Lasse A. Vangstein is communications manager at the shipping company Havila Kystruten. Photo: Oslo Airport – If the angle on the loading ramp is too large, the car can scrape down. – Shouldn’t this have been taken into account when the ships were made, considering that they were to sail in Norwegian waters? – There is no requirement in our agreement with the Ministry of Transport to transport private cars. The requirement is freight and passenger traffic. That has been the focus of the ship’s design. It was in 2018 that the task of operating the coastal route in Norway was split in two. Hurtigruten was to continue with seven ships, while the new Havila Kystruten ordered four new ships. In 2021, these were supposed to be in operation, but due to delivery problems, only two of Havila’s ships are in operation. 5 a day The competitor Hurtigruten, for its part, says that it will continue to transport cars, regardless of fuel type, in all 34 ports on the coastal route. The shipping company states that in 2019 they transported 22,000 cars on Hurtigruten. This corresponds to approximately five cars every single day on the shipping company’s 11 ships. – Hurtigruten has transported cars between all the ports on the coastal route for 40 years, and it’s going just fine. We have no plans to stop doing that. That’s what Martin Henriksen, public relations officer at Hurtigruten, says. Martin Henriksen is public relations at Hurtigruten. Photo: Hurtigruten Norway – We have taken both tides into account and know how much space we need for goods on board, so there is no problem for us to transport cars because of that. The shipping company now believes that Havila’s decision to cut off the shipping of cars in 32 ports also has a negative impact on Hurtigruten. – It is because the coastal population is less able to know that the coastal route is there for them when they need it. When asked how Havila responds to the criticism from the competitor, Vangstein replies as follows: – Hurtigruten must be allowed to think so, but we have an agreement with the ministry and not Hurtigruten. – The coast will suffer The decision to cut car shipping in most ports is met with little understanding by mayors along the coastal route. – The coast will suffer because the possibility of transporting the car depends on which company is calling at any given time. That’s what mayor Karl-Erling Nordlund (Sp) says in Sortland municipality in Vesterålen. Karl-Erling Nordlund (Sp) is mayor of Sortland municipality in Vesterålen. Photo: Lars-Bjørn Martinsen / news – It will require far more work from those who want to use the offer when the shipping companies do not have the same practice. A little further south, in Vågan municipality in Lofoten, the mayor is also critical. – I think it is a step towards Havila becoming a pure tourist boat. In many cases, local residents could take their car to a destination and drive off there, but that opportunity is lost, says Frank Johnsen (Sp). Frank Johnsen (Sp) is mayor of Vågan municipality in Lofoten. Photo: JOHN INGE JOHANSEN / news – What do you think about the shipping company blaming the tide? – They knew this about the tide before they built the boats. I know there have been problems with the loading ramp, but there are technical challenges that can be solved. Meløy mayor Sigurd Stormo (Ap) reacts to the fact that the shipping company has not taken sufficient account of the tide. – It’s too bad planning. They have just won a tender and built new ships. Promised to transport cars In 2019, two years before the new Havila ships were to be in operation, there was uncertainty about whether the shipping company would transport cars on board. The then managing director, Arild Myrvoll, rejected the speculation and promised that car freight would still be an offer for the travellers. – 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.
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The coastal route cuts car freight in 32 of 34 ports – blame the tide – news Nordland
