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RENTED FOR MOVIE RECORDING: MS “Fridtjof Nansen” has been used as accommodation during the filming of the new movie “Mission Impossible” at Hellesylt in Sunnmøre. Photo: Odin Jaeger
Trade and Industry Minister Iselin Nybø (V) asks Hurtigruten for a dishwashing meeting after MS “Fridtjof Nansen” served as a hotel for Tom Cruise and the rest of the film production of the new “Mission: Impossible.”
Hurtigruten has come under fire after a production company used the MS ship “Fridtjof Nansen” as accommodation during the filming of the seventh edition of “Mission: Impossible”.
The ship is moored at Hellesylt and the crew will consist mainly of Filipino workers.
Fellesforbundet and Sjømannsforbundet have joined forces to report Hurtigruten to the police for violating the Immigration Law, as they believe that it is considered a hotel and therefore one must have a work permit in order to work in Norway.
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Several politicians have also criticized Hurtigruten’s use of the ship to house film production and the use of foreign crew members.
The MS “Fridtjof Nansen” is an expedition cruiser that sails under NIS flags and is therefore subject to international rules, unlike ships registered in NOR. Hurtigruten therefore uses Filipino crew, which according to the Norwegian Seamen’s Association earn up to 29 kroner at the current dollar exchange rate.
Regulation change alert
– It is regrettable that Hurtigruten operates as a hotel ship in Norwegian ports and therefore I have announced that there will be a change in regulations and I will take the initiative quickly, writes the Minister of Commerce and Industry, Iselin Nybø, in an email to VG.
I WANT TO MEET HURTIGRUTEN: Trade and Industry Minister Iselin Nybø says she will meet with Hurtigruten and the Norwegian Seafarers Association to find a solution. Photo: Frode Hansen
The Minister for Trade and Industry has previously told VG that she believes current regulations show that NIS ships cannot be used as hotel ships in Norwegian ports:
– But since both Hurtigruten and the Norwegian Maritime Directorate have considered today that a NIS ship can be in port and conduct business without conflicting with the rules, I now see that the regulations are not clear enough. Therefore, I will take a swift initiative for a change in regulations, so that it is even clearer that ships registered in NIS cannot conduct hotel operations in Norwegian ports, Nybø said on Wednesday.
Will invite to meeting
Now he wants Hurtigruten to change practice and says he wants to meet with Hurtigruten and the Norwegian Seamen’s Association to resolve the situation.
– I will encourage Hurtigruten to organize their business according to the announced changes, and I will invite both Hurtigruten and the Norwegian Seamen’s Association to a meeting to discuss how we can resolve the situation that has arisen, Nybø writes.
– The NIS Act will ensure that we can have an internationally competitive ship registry, while also protecting Norwegian domestic shipping from competition. The purpose is not to facilitate hotel operations in Norwegian ports.
Hurtigruten: Within existing regulations
Hurtigruten tells VG that they are happy to meet with Trade and Industry Minister Nybø to find a solution to the situation.
– Of course we will ask at such a meeting with the Minister, writes Hurtigruten communications director Anne Marit Bjørnflaten in an email to VG.
She believes that the premise that Hurtigruten will operate hotel ships in competition with Norwegian hotels is completely incorrect.
– Our boats are built for expedition sailing. You can’t go to the boat and rent a room. The charter of the MS “Fridtjof Nansen” for film production is a completely extraordinary situation, and the Norwegian Maritime Directorate has already declared that we are within the existing regulations of the NIS.
– Positive to a clarification
According to Bjørnflaten, Hurtigruten will pay the crew in accordance with Norwegian conditions.
“MS” Fridtjof Nansen “has not been chosen to save costs, but because this ship meets the requirements that have been set, especially for infection control reasons, he writes.
The Norwegian Maritime Directorate says they are open to a change in regulations.
– We are sure that the regulation just announced by the Minister of Commerce and Industry will be clarified. Regarding the announced regulatory changes / clarifications, NFD (Ministry of Trade and Industry journaln.anm.) Should comment on the further process for these, writes communications director Dag Inge Aarhus at the Norwegian Maritime Directorate in an email to VG.
