Norway’s Ministry of Transport is conducting a study on the Bergen to Kirkenes coastal route to outline the needs for the next tender and bidding period.
The study will focus on transportation requirements, environmental impacts, and potential for further tightening environmental requirements along the coastal route.
Havila Voyages, the current operator of the route, looks forward to the study and tender announcement, hoping for stringent emissions and environmental requirements.
Minister of Transport Jon-Ivar Nygård said: “we need more knowledge about the basic transportation needs along the coast, and how these can be met in the most environmentally friendly way possible. The goal is to provide the best possible transportation service for people along the coast.”
Havila Voyages CEO Bent Martini said: “on each round trip, we have on average around 500 pallets of goods in circulation, and many passengers traveling shorter distances. Both goods and the number of passengers is increasing. The coastal route is very important for value creation along the Norwegian coast and a strong contributor to local communities. The coastal route creates direct and indirect jobs and contributes to people being able to live where they want along the coast, and to them being able to sell their goods and services. The societal mission we are given is also crucial for our operations, and alone we had almost 500 permanent employees in 2023.”
