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– This is not a pleasant situation to be in.
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THE HUB (Nettavisen): – The committee has conducted this investigation without our influence. Nothing should be hidden or concealed. I think that has happened now too, said Trygve Hegnar, who is chairman of the Hurtigruten Group board.
– We do not have the names of the people who have been interviewed in the report, but when it comes to top management, they will stand out. It’s not a pleasant situation to be in, she continued.
Hegnar reiterated that he still has confidence in CEO Daniel Skjeldam.
– He is the right person to keep looking for improvements. Skjeldam is an excellent man who implements the necessary measures to improve confidence, he said.
Independence requirements
Jan Fougner has led the investigation on behalf of the Wiersholm law firm, of which he is a partner, and DNV GL.
– What is fundamentally important is that you can work professionally independently. It makes no sense if one cannot work professionally independently and independently. The condition for accepting this job was to be able to work without interference, he said.
Fougner toned down the “hunt” for scapegoats, saying the most important thing about the report was to bring out the big picture. He also spoke about the role of the police in recent weeks.
– The police will check if a crime was committed. But the purpose of this contribution is to provide an understanding of what happened and to provide a basis for learning, Fougner said.
The lawyer stated that 16 people had been set aside to work on the investigation report and that they had consulted with experienced outsiders.
– Among other things, we have spoken with Eilif Dahl, a professor at the University of Bergen, who is perhaps Norway’s greatest expert on cruise medicine, Fougner said.
Started in march
The lawyer began by counting the content of the report and began chronologically from March.
– The company fires continuously and includes the “shutdown” on March 12, and then few employees remained. A notice was sent to all ships about 14 days of quarantine ashore for suspected corona infection, he said.
The report indicates that the suspected infection was not followed during the trips and that the covid-19 tests were not carried out on time.
– 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 Fougner.
He spoke about how Hurtigruten interpreted the quarantine rules and that they were misinterpreted.
– The key person in interpreting these rules is an excellent person, but has experience as an expert chef. That is an error. It should have been someone with legal experience who evaluated these regulations, he said.
Review
After the corona outbreak on Hurtigruten Roald Amundsen’s ship, there was criticism from all sides against Hurtigruten’s handling of the case.
A total of 29 passengers and 42 employees tested positive for the coronavirus after trips with the Roald Amundsen ship between July 17 and 31.
The company has received serious criticism from the Norwegian Maritime Directorate after finding various diversions and security flaws in connection with the outbreak.
Comment: a total collapse
Even before the investigation was submitted, the Norwegian Naval Officers Association (NSOF) asked questions about the independence of the investigation.
In a letter to Hurtigruten CEO Daniel Skjeldam, the association writes that they are concerned about the ties between the law firm and Hurtigruten.
According to DN, Wiersholm has had various assignments for Hurtigruten over several years, with the law firm declaring the company a “key client.”
Read more: Hurtigruten replaces controversial cruise ships: embarks ships with Norwegian flags and crew
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