– Serious deviation revealed – E24

Boreal has ferries and speedboats in Nordland, Finnmark, Møre og Romsdal, Rogaland and Vestland.

Dag Inge Aarhus, communications director for the Norwegian Maritime Directorate, tells E24 that “the overall management certificate” has been withdrawn after an additional audit. This affects all vessels.

– We have found a serious discrepancy, Aarhus tells E24.

In a press release, the Norwegian Maritime Authority provides further details. The Directorate writes that the investigations have revealed the following in at least five “serious facts”:

• Boreal had not “requested a damage / accident inspection so that the Norwegian Maritime Directorate can assess whether it is safe to sail.” Thus, the vessels were operated without a valid certificate, according to the management.
• The Norwegian Maritime Directorate also notes a lack of risk assessment after the “damage / incidents”, and that Boreal “has not carried out an internal follow-up or evaluated the technical failures in the equipment that led to the incident.”
• Furthermore, Boreal has not “followed the orders and inquiries of the Norwegian Maritime Directorate”, nor has it “reported further incidents to the Norwegian Maritime Directorate that are necessary for safety reasons”.

Possible to secure a temporary agreement

– A further review has meant that we have withdrawn the “document” from Boreal, as it is called in technical parlance, that is, approval from management, says Aarhus.

– The deviation is based on what is called a security management document. Generally, it’s about how a shipping company handles various incidents, keeps track of accidents, safety culture and the like, he says.

Although it may seem dark to Boreal, Aarhus notes that it is still possible to secure a temporary deal.

– If you come up with a plan, for example tonight, and we approve this plan, you can get a temporary permit for three months, says Aarhus.

– But we have to see that this is taken seriously. We don’t hold ships unless there is a good reason, he says.

NRK reported on the case first.

Revealed a serious discrepancy

“I can confirm that Boreal Sjø has had an audit from the Norwegian Maritime Directorate today,” writes communications consultant Jon Kristian Fadnes at Boreal Norway in a message to E24.

A total of 41 ferries and speedboats have been taken out of service.

“During the audit, a serious discrepancy was revealed. Boreal has submitted an action plan to the Norwegian Maritime Directorate and is awaiting comments on it. Until the action plan is approved, the shipping company’s vessels must be on the dock “.

“We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause to our customers and will provide further information as soon as it becomes available.”

“As for the discrepancy, we cannot comment further at this time.”

Do you have any advice in this case? Contact us in [email protected].

According to its own pages, Boreal has operations on both ships, buses and railways. The group is based in Stavanger.

The group has been owned by the Hong Kong-based Everbright Overseas Infrastructure Investment Fund since 2018.

In the third quarter of the year, Boreal posted a gross operating profit of NOK 119 million from a turnover of NOK 782 million.

In February, the group signed an agreement with Ruter for the operation of boat services in the inner fjord of Oslo, a contract that begins on November 1, 2021.