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INFECTION: Hurtigruten MS Roald Amundsen in Tromsø. Medical personnel will head to the ship on July 31. Photo: Herman Henriksen / Nordlys
An investigative report concludes that Hurtigruten has not properly practiced quarantine rules and that suspected infection was not followed. Among other things, a chef evaluated the quarantine rules.
A Filipino doctor wanted to crown the crew aboard Hurtigruten’s first voyage on July 21, where the virus was detected.
However, after consulting with a Norwegian doctor, it was dropped. It was an error in judgment, says Jan Fougner, who heads the committee that has investigated corona infection on Hurtigruten’s ship MS Roald Amundsen.
– Needless to say, it was an error in judgment. That’s an odd assessment, he says.
He believes the doctor is possibly related to a “pre-covid-19 situation.”
– Our assessment is that it is an experienced adult Norwegian doctor who assesses this perhaps from a pre-crown situation, where one third of the crew on board a ship at all times have mild respiratory symptoms.
Appeared free of infection – was not
On the second voyage, there were two positive results before the MS Roald Amundsen docked in Tromsø on July 31.
FHI is not notified and only discovers it the same day.
– While this is happening, there are four crew members in isolation with fever and cough, says Fougner.
He calls it a “disaster” that Hurtigruten transmitted such a late infection message.
– We can say that the ship enters Tromsø with covid infection, sails, acts as if it is clean, but it is not, says Fougner.
– There are many here who have been wrong.
Is beaten
These are some of the critical criticisms that the law firm Wiersholm and DNV GL have revealed in the investigation of the infection aboard the MS Roald Amundsen. These are the main conclusions of the report:
- Hurtigruten Cruise AS’s risk management process has been insufficient.
- Hurtigruten did not implement enough risk reduction measures to test foreign crews in Norway prior to enlistment. The rules for the quarantine rules were practiced incorrectly.
- Suspicion of infection was not followed up during travel and COVID-19 testing was not done on time.
- When Hurtigruten received positive test results on July 31, it was some time before the crisis management system was implemented.
Another of the investigators’ findings is that the quarantine regulations at Hurtigruten were interpreted and handled by a qualified chef, and not an attorney.
– The EM Roald Amundsen outbreak was not due to a single incident or the actions of an individual. The situation arose as a result of a series of events and actions. The report offers several recommendations to prevent this situation from happening again, says attorney Jan Fougner.
THEY’RE CONFIDENT: CEO Daniel Skjeldam still has the trust of Hurtigruten’s board of directors. Photo: Gabriel Skålevik
Trust Skjeldam
– It is obvious that there has been a failure in the systems. The risk work has been too poor, the standards have not been met. There are many things that have brought us to the point where we have now reached, says board chair Trygve Hegnar.
He calls the situation “boring” and regrets that it has had consequences for passengers and employees. However, she believes that CEO Skjeldam is the right man to run the company.
– He is an excellent man, who has implemented measures and we believe that he can ensure that confidence in the company is restored, says Hegnar.
– We believe that Daniel Skjeldam, with his others in senior management, with the employees and with the union will do a good job in the future.
TAKE RESPONSIBILITY: Hurtigruten CEO Daniel Skjeldam (left), here during the presentation of the investigation report on the infection on board. Photo: Terje Pedersen
Skjeldam himself apologizes on behalf of the company for the handling of the case by the company.
– The outbreak of infection in MS Roald Amundsen was a serious incident. What the report describes is not good enough. This is not how Hurtigruten should be. I want to apologize for failing. We should handle the quarantine for foreign crews differently. We should have followed the suspicion of infection and implemented measures earlier. We should have informed ourselves earlier. As CEO of the group, I take responsibility for what happened, says Hurtigruten CEO Daniel Skjeldam.
71 infected
A total of 71 people in the crew and passengers have been diagnosed with corona infection after two trips with MS “Roald Amundsen”.
Hurtigruten has previously been criticized for failing to notify passengers until two days after they learned of the infection on board.
Hurtigruten’s chief operating officer, Bent Martini, who was aboard the MS ‘Roald Amundsen’, has temporarily left Hurtigruten’s management while the company is investigated.
also read
Doctor in Tromsø emergency room: suspected ship doctor to withhold information
Several are investigating the outbreak
Troms police are investigating Hurtigruten to clarify whether the company or people on board may have violated the infection control provisions of the Penal Code or the Infection Control Act.
The police have conducted interrogations and he is going through electronic communication. The investigation is ongoing.
Plus The Troms and Finnmark County Governor has opened a supervisory case against two of the doctors on the Hurtigruten cruise ship MS “Roald Amundsen” and the Norwegian Maritime Directorate has announced that they are investigating what happened.
