Hurtigruten has secured a new agreement with the government that will allow it to increase activity and port calls on its key route along the Norwegian coast.
The deal covers the Norwegian passengership company's domestic operations between Kirkenes in the far north and Bergen in the south.
The preliminary agreement ensures that there will be port calls every other day until the end of June, Hurtigruten’s domestic boss Hedda Felin confirmed.
She stressed the company is still losing considerable amounts of money still due to the extensive restrictions on travel. Its five ships have few guests on board.
At some point last year, almost all Hurtigruten's ships were idled.
The cargo and local traffic are important services to Hurtigruten, but it is leisure travel that is profitable, Felin said.
Hurtigruten chief executive Daniel Skjeldam pointed out that the pandemic is temporary.
“Things will get better later in 2021. Our figures show that after a year of lockdown people are extremely ready for travelling again. We intend to increase out activity as soon as it is possibly and safe,” Skjeldam told Finansavisen, a Norwegian financial newspaper.
Felin was recruited as head of Hurtigruten’s domestic operations in December. She started this month, after previously serving as special advisor to Equinor chief executive Eldar Saetre.
The 42-year-old executive was involved in some of Equinor's shipping activities before joining Hurtigruten, an iconic Norwegian business founded in 1893.
