Slowly but surely, the Bergen and surrounding area outdoor council has removed every single sway buoy in the fjords around Bergen. The buoys allow the boats to be moored in natural harbors, without having to drop dredges and anchors to the bottom. Cuts in government support, and price increases for fuel and materials, mean that the Outdoor Council can no longer afford to maintain the buoys. – The last thing we want is for someone to go to sleep, and wake up in a broken boat on the shore, says project manager Gudrun Fatland in Bergen and the surrounding area outdoor council. Fatland says that they leave the lights off as often as they can to save electricity. Photo: Roza Bawan / news – Safety is most important The Outdoor Council, which sets out and maintains the buoys, has this year received a smaller grant in the revised state budget. And like so many others, they are also affected by sharp rises in commodity prices and high electricity prices. They estimate that the costs of electricity, fuel, materials and other equipment will increase by NOK 1.5 million this year. This means that they can no longer prioritize the maintenance of the buoys. – In order to operate properly, we had to cut the sway buoys. Safety is most important, says Fatland. – Often busy Svaibøyene has been a popular initiative along the coast outside Bergen. – On the weekends it is often busy in the buoys, and that is because it is popular, says Bjørn Normann. news meets him in the sailboat he spends much of his free time on. He believes the buoys are the best option for both boat and nature. – If you travel alone, it is much easier to moor in a sway buoy, than to try to anchor by land, says the boat enthusiast. Affects several places in the country The general manager of Friluftsrådenes landsforbund, Morten Dåsnes, says outdoor councils all over the country know about the cuts. According to him, the measures Bergen and the surrounding area outdoor councils have taken are among the most dramatic measures. – When the funds for outdoor purposes are reduced. then it goes beyond the work that can be done, he says. The fact that the cuts have come in combination with the price increases for, for example, fuel means that the archipelago service is particularly hard hit. – We do not know anyone else who takes in the sway buoys. But others may have a little less washing of toilets, or empty the rubbish bins less often, says Dåsnes. The sway buoys are now stored in a bunker. Photo: Roza Bawan / news State Secretary in the Ministry of Climate and Environment, Aleksander Øren Heen, responds in an e-mail the government wants to promote “an active outdoor life that provides good experiences and great health benefits for the population”, but that the increase in spending in 2022 has they have had to cut back on support for key outdoor areas.
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The sway buoys have been removed in Bergen and the surrounding area – news Vestland
