Hurtigruten replaces controversial cruiser – E24

This comes after Trade and Industry Minister Iselin Nybø (V) on Monday asked the company to change what she and the police believe is an illegal practice. The ship has been used as a hotel.

– The production company accepted Hurtigruten’s proposal to replace MS Fridtjof Nansen with MS Finnmarken as a chartered ship in connection with filming, says Anne Marit Bjørnflaten, director of government contact at Hurtigruten.

– MS Finnmarken will start the mission early next week, with Norwegian flag and Norwegian crew. Together with MS Vesterålen, which is still part of the agreement, MS Finnmarken will be at the Åndalsnes pier for the remainder of the lease period. Both ships are registered in the Norwegian Ordinary Ship Register (NOR), he tells NTB.

Not affected

Bjørnflaten also notes that the international crew of MS Fridtjof Nansen will not be affected by the change.

– This means that of course we will pay them according to Norwegian terms during the period of the agreement, as has been the plan from the beginning, he says.

MS Fridtjof Nansen has recently been used as a hotel ship for the recording of “Mission: Impossible”, in which Tom Cruise participates, among others.

Both Fellesforbundet and Sjømannsforbundet have reported Hurtigruten for violations in the case.

– it was completely legal

While Nybø and the police have believed that using the ship as a hotel violates the law, Hurtigruten has taken a different version.

– The Norwegian Maritime Directorate has confirmed that the ship is not considered a hotel ship, that the use of the ship is within NIS law and therefore fully legal, says Bjørnflaten.

– However, after Minister Iselin Nybø made it clear that she wanted to make a regulatory change to change the NIS rules, we began the work of looking for alternative solutions, he adds.

NIS is an abbreviation for Norwegian International Ship Register. The purpose of the so-called NIS Law is to provide better conditions of competition for Norwegian vessels in foreign trade.