Every summer, thousands of tourists travel to Lofoten and Helgeland with the state-of-the-art speedboats “Elsa Laula Renberg” and “Regine Normann”. But since March this year, the boats have only taken on board 150 people, and not 220, for which the boats are approved. The background was that the captains of the speedboats had sounded the alarm about the safety of the evacuation system on board. The fact that the boats do not run at full capacity has created major protests along the coast. Steigen mayor Aase Refsnes (SV) has sounded the alarm about blown capacity even before the summer season has started. Børge Ousland, who runs the tourism company Manshausen Island in Steigen, is also upset, according to Avisa Nordland. Photo: Adrien Giret Nordland County Municipality has the ultimate responsibility for public transport in the county. They are the ones who built and own the speedboats. But the county council has always denied that they have any responsibility for the situation that has arisen. They have believed that the shipping company Boreal, which operates Nordlandsekspressen, is responsible for the situation. Nor has the Norwegian Maritime Directorate, which has the ultimate responsibility for safety on board Norwegian ships, wanted to comment on the matter to news. The Norwegian Maritime Directorate supports the captains Three months later, the Norwegian Maritime Directorate will still be on the field. They have now processed a report from the shipping company Boreal on the challenges. Dag Inge Aarhus is department director for communication and public relations at the Norwegian Maritime Directorate. Photo: Gisle Jørgensen / news – After our case, we support the shipping company’s assessment and have adopted a capacity reduction until a permanent solution has been found, says Dag Inge Aarhus. He is the department director for communication and public relations in the Norwegian Maritime Directorate. Until now, the company has reduced capacity on its own initiative, which is completely in line with the Ship Safety Act. – We will now have a dialogue with the shipping company and the client further, says the department director, who points out that the dialogue with the shipping company has always been constructive. – We feel confident that a permanent solution will be in place, says Aarhus. Would not gamble with safety According to the captains’ warning, the problem is how the life rafts are placed on the boats. The speedboats have two main rafts placed aft on both sides. Each of these has a capacity of 150 people. In addition, the boats have a reserve fleet on the foredeck with a capacity of 100 people. However, there must have been problems in getting the reserve fleet to function properly: “Passengers can end up right in the sea” In an emergency, the reserve fleet on the front deck must be released, and pulled forward with wires and winch, so that the passengers sitting in front of the boats must be able to be evacuated. However, during testing in the harbor basin, there must have been problems with getting the raft in the correct position, so that the slide with which the passengers are to slide down does not hit the opening in the side of the evacuation raft. The challenge will be that you will not be able to get the fleet in place with the equipment you have installed today. And that the evacuation slide tends to disappear under the bow of the boat. The result can then be that the passengers end up right in the sea, according to the crew. These challenges increase in wind and rough seas – such as during a rescue operation in stormy winters. In addition, the boats are built so high that the slide will be very steep, according to the crew. In addition, the two main rafts are mounted directly above the engine room. To be sure of a safe evacuation, the crew and Boreal will not take responsibility for more than about 150 people on board. Boreal: – Moving the life raft is an option According to Boreal, there may be several solutions, one of which may be to move a little on the front life raft. But general manager Steinar Mathisen in Boreal Sjø tells news that he hopes it will not be necessary. – For both Boreal and Nordland county municipalities, the most important thing now is to increase passenger capacity. The two speedboats are built by the county municipality at the shipyard Brødrene Aa in Vestland county. Photo: Private But who will take the bill for such a conversion? Boreal does not want to comment on contractual conditions, but says they are not the ones who designed or built the boats. – How fast it can go depends a bit on whether repairs take place on site or whether the boats have to return to the yard in Western Norway to do the job, says Mathisen. – Can this case end up in court? – There are professional parties who work together to find a solution. I have no comment on that, says Mathisen. Steinar Mathisen in Boreal Sjø does not dare to promise that a solution will be ready before the summer. – But we work as fast as possible. Everyone involved prioritizes this issue. Photo: Boreal When asked why the Norwegian Maritime Directorate has turned the matter around, Mathisen says that the fleet systems are type-approved. Nevertheless, the evacuation system is not necessarily as well adapted to different vessels. – In this case, the first drawing basis was incorrect. This is highlighted in a new thorough report that the Norwegian Maritime Directorate has received. Deploying extra boat While the maritime authorities, Nordland County Municipality and the shipping company Boreal come together to come up with a solution, an extra boat will be deployed in the connection to increase capacity between Helnessund and Bodø on Sundays during the summer season. – The extra boat will run at the same time as the Nordland Express at 14.55 and takes 48 passengers, says county councilor for transport and infrastructure, Monika Sande in a message to news. County councilor for transport and infrastructure, Monika Sande, says the challenge is greatest from Helnessund in Stegen, primarily on Sundays. Photo: Sondre Skjelvik / news – With this extra offer on Sundays, we are largely able to stem the capacity reduction that has now been added to the Nordland Express, says Sande. The summer route in Nordlandsekspressen has already come into operation. Nevertheless, Sande believes that the extra departure in the middle of the day round trip Bodø – Skutvik via Helnessund, Nordskott and Bogøy Monday to Friday, in total an increased capacity in the connection. The extra capacity will be deployed as early as next Sunday.
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The Norwegian Maritime Directorate turns around – agrees with the captains that the evacuation systems are not good enough – news Nordland
