State boosts support for coastal steamer Hurtigruten

Lengthy negotiations between the Norwegian government and Hurtigruten concluded with the state agreeing to buy transport services from the line for an average of NOK 640 million (app € 81,3 million) per year over the next eight years.

This secures continued calls at all its 34 ports between Bergen and Kirkenes twice a day, seven days a week, Aftenposten reports. A result of the increased financing could be that Hurtigruten will buy new vessels to replace some of the oldest ones.

Tourism industry officials had been anxious for the state and Hurtigruten to come to terms, and advocated the ongoing seven-day-a-week sailings to all of Hurtigruten’s ports between Bergen on the west coast of Norway to Kirkenes in the far north. Hurtigruten’s agreements with land-based tourism operators, like those offering “king crab safaris” and other activities along the coast, generate an estimated 200 jobs and NOK 145 million in local revenues that would have been threatened if service was cut.

This summer Norwegians will get a unique opportunity to cruise along the scenic coast of Norway, without getting up from their couch at home. The Norwegian state broadcaster NRK is mounting cameras on one of Hurtigruten’s vessels and plans to air a five-day long live broadcast of the whole journey.

NRK is already experienced in showing Zen-television. In 2009 the company showed a seven-hour program documenting every minute of the train journey across the mountains from Bergen to Oslo. 1.2 million (of a total of 4.9 million) Norwegians watched all or part of the broadcast.

Watch a ten minute taste of “Bergensbanen” or download the whole program here