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Fjord Line to end Sandefjord-Strömstad ferry route between Norway and Sweden

Fjord Line will stop operating its ferries between Sandefjord in Norway and Strömstad in Sweden, the company announced Wednesday.

Published: 20 September 2023 15:21 CEST

MS Oslofjord

The Sandefjord - Strømstad route has been operational with MS Oslofjord since 2014. Photo by: Jon Inge Nordnes / Allegro

The route, a favoured choice for many on cross-border shopping trips, will end on October 29th. The Sandefjord – Strömstad route has been in operation since 2014.

The decision to terminate it is due to Fjord Line’s new focus on routes between Norway and Denmark, public broadcaster NRK reports.

Brian Thorsted Hansen, the managing director of Fjord Line, said, “It (the route ending) was a profoundly challenging and sombre message to convey today.”

Hansen emphasised the significance of this decision on the employees, as more than 220 employees are expected to be impacted. The company said that some will lose their jobs, while others will be moved.

While Color Line also operates offers ferries between the Sandefjord and Strömstad, the route’s discontinuation by Fjord Line is expected to have ripple effects.

Fjord Lines other routes will be unaffected by the closure and the vessel used for the service, MS Oslofjord, may be sold.

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Potential bankruptcy threatens bus services in Oslo

Unibuss, which is wholly owned by Oslo Municipality, is in danger of going bust due to large losses, unpaid bills, and fines from public transport firm Ruter for issues with its electric bus fleet this winter.

Oslo City Council will hold an emergency meeting headed up by transport councilor Marit Vea on Wednesday, where she will be grilled on how the council will avert a collapse in the city’s public transport network should Unibuss go bankrupt.

Unibuss is comprised of four smaller companies that operate bus routes in Oslo on behalf of Ruter. The company has just over 370 buses in operation and covers around 60 to 70 percent of the routes in Oslo and the neighboring municipality of Bærum.

Oslo’s fleet of electric busses struggled especially with snow and cold temperatures this winter, which caused frequent chaos across the capital’s public transport network.

Snow, ice, range and charging issues for the busses lead to vehicle shortages which caused mass delays and cancellations several times over the winter.

Ruter, which is also part owned by Oslo municipality, believes that the financial problems facing Unibuss mean the company could be forced to file for bankruptcy or undergo a major restructuring, according to a memo obtained by publication Teknisk Ukeblad.

It has previously told public broadcaster that it was working on a plan in case Unibuss goes bankrupt.

“There is no doubt that the first days of such a scenario will be very demanding for the residents of Oslo and parts of Akershus,” Ruter’s communications director Elisabeth Skarsbø Moen told public broadcaster NRK.

“First and foremost, we are working to find a solution together with Unibuss that does not affect Ruter’s customers,” she said.

“But as those responsible for public transport, we have both a plan and an emergency organization ready to also handle a bankruptcy,” Skarsbø Moen added.

Should Unibuss go bankrupt, its buses would become part of the bankruptcy estate and if such an event were to occur while passengers were in transit, all passengers would need to disembark at the next stop so the buses can be transported to the depot.

Ruter said it had an eye on the market to try and see what could be available in terms of extra buses and equipment.

It said that its priority would be to ensure that school transport, and that healthcare workers could get to work, in the event of a sudden lack of buses.

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