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On Sunday, a dramatic incident occurred at the Sleneset pier on Lurøy in Nordland when strong gusts of wind blew the boat off the pier during embarkation. A person turned in the middle of the catwalk.
The incident was first reported by Rana Blad and NRK.
– I was one of the first to board the ship. I experienced that the gangway was moving and was about to slide down so I had to take over and get on board. In that sense, it was a terrifying experience, passenger Kari Nedgård tells Dagbladet.
– Crying in fear
The Boreal transport group claims in a statement to Dagbladet that the fast boat was securely moored with two rammers. At the same time, they claim that there was high tide and bad weather in the area.
– During boarding there was a strong gust of wind that slightly took the ship off the dock. The crew was in control of the situation and the boarding was stopped until the ship was safely brought to the dock again, communications consultant Jon Kristian Fadnes tells Dagbladet.
Passenger Kari Nedgård says there were storms and high tides, but such weather can occur in Lurøy throughout the year.
– Those who worked on the ship roared to stop those crossing the gangway. At that exact moment, they had no control, but they got it back afterwards, says Nedgård and continues:
– There were some who cried in fear. In particular, there was a grandmother who was very scared after being on the runway with children and grandchildren. There was a real cause for concern.
Controversial cuts
The Nordland County Municipality has cut employees and leased docks to save money. Transport group Boreal says they are in the filming phase with new ports of call and are working to incorporate good routines.
– We are in a break-in phase regarding the new ports of call and are continually working to put our routines into practice. We see that we have to make some adjustments on the catwalk to be able to take care of days with weather conditions like this.
Denies
The Provincial Council of Transport and Infrastructure Bent-Joacim Bentzen (Sp) strongly rejects that the incident is due to the controversial cuts in the transport sector.
– The Sleneset incident appears as a reminder that we must have safety in focus absolutely at all times. We will never operate in such a way that the safety of the crew and passengers is not taken care of, Bentzen tells Dagbladet and continues:
– The Sleneset episode, however, is not about the employee or not, as someone introduces this. No one can stop a fast boat slipping off the dock due to weather and wind, not even freight forwarders.
Passenger Nedgård criticizes the cuts and highlights the importance of the transport offer in Nordland.
– The population must be listened to when it comes to transportation. This applies to the entire district of Norway and is a prerequisite for decentralized living. Ships have to go when you live on islands or on the coast.
Considering security measures
County Councilman Bentzen tells Dagbladet the cuts are due to cuts in government transfers. He asserts that the alternative to cuts in renting docks and clerks is cutting routes.
At the same time, Bentzen says they are in dialogue with the companies that operate the speedboats and that, among other things, they are considering installing guardrails at some docks if deemed necessary. The Nordland County Municipality discussed this with the Boreal transportation group in a meeting on Monday.
Bentzen notes that it is the captain who is responsible for the safety of the boats, and says they have full confidence that the captain and crew make the best decisions in such situations.
– We cannot from the city council make an assessment of how the weather conditions are in Sleneset when the boat is going up, this must be valued by those who are in the situation.
