Start of new express boat contract

A total of three identical vessels, each with a capacity of 296 passengers, will now serve one of Norway's largest express boat services. MS Fjordprinsen, MS Fjorddronningen and MS Fjordjarl will carry more than 200,000 passengers annually on route 2, between Tromsø, Finnsnes, Brøstadbotn, Engenes and Harstad.

On Thursday, January 2, the brand new express boat MS Fjordprinsen was on its first official mission for the new county administration.

A total of three identical vessels, each with a capacity of 296 passengers, will now serve one of Norway’s largest express boat services. MS Fjordprinsen, MS Fjorddronningen and MS Fjordjarl will carry more than 200,000 passengers annually on route 2, between Tromsø, Finnsnes, Brøstadbotn, Engenes and Harstad.

An easy and good journey
Quality and comfort have been important criteria in the tender competition, and the new boats have very good facilities for travelers.

“A great day for travelers and a great day for the county. This represents a quality improvement of the travel experience along the coast,” says County Mayor Ivar B. Prestbakmo (Sp) in Troms and Finnmark County Council.

Good boats and good crew
The same crew will operate the new boats, they know the route well and will provide extra security during the transition period.

The new boats are a familiar type of boat for us, it’s a very good boat that we have good experience with,” says Norled Regional Manager Bjørn Egil Søndenå.

New operator and new boats
Norled is the new operator for a combined contract for express boat lines 2, 3 and 4 (Line 2: Tromsø-Finnsnes-Brøstadbotn-Engenes-Harstad, Line 3: Tromsø-Skjervøy and Line 4: Tromsø-Lysnes-Tennskjer-Vikran). The contract period is set at 10 years, with an option for the county council to extend the contract by up to 5 years. The total value of the contract is NOK 1.15 billion, including the option.

“With increased capacity and new boats, it’s quite possible that more people will use the service,” says county mayor Ivar B. Prestbakmo (Sp), who also says that the timetable is the same as before.

Contact information:
Ivar B. Prestbakmo (Sp), County Mayor, Troms and Finnmark County Council: 901 02 556

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