Fjord Line announces postponement for MS Stavangerfjord service start
The start of regular service by MS Stavangerfjord, the first of Fjord Line’s two new cruise ferries, has been postponed by three more weeks, the Norway shipping company’s press release said.
This is because shipbuilder Bergen Group Fosen needs more time to test engines and other advanced technical equipment. As a result, the first regular departure from Hirtshals is now scheduled for Sunday, 14 July.
MS Stavangerfjord is the first of two large modern cruise ferries being built for Fjord Line by Bergen Group Fosen. The ship was to have entered regular service on Wednesday, 29 May, a date that was postponed last month to Friday, 21 June. However, Fjord Line has now been informed that there will be further delays, forcing postponement of the first regular departure until Sunday, 14 July.
Due to the postponement, Fjord Line will - on Tuesday, 21 May - begin contacting passengers with bookings aboard the new ship to offer each a choice between alternative transport across the Skagerrak strait, or a refund for their trip.
Starting with its first departure from Hirtshals on Sunday, 14 July, MS Stavangerfjord will begin sailing in conjunction with the current MS Bergensfjord on the Bergen-Stavanger-Hirtshals and the Hirtshals-Langesund lines.
Work is also progressing at Bergen Group Fosen on the second of the two new cruise ferries, which is scheduled for delivery this autumn. This ship, to be named MS Bergensfjord, is identical to MS Stavangerfjord and will replace the current MS Bergensfjord.
Western Norway based Fjord Line is a modern shipping company that offers safe and comfortable transport between Norway and the rest of Europe. Fjord Line has 245 employees, of which 85 work on land in Bergen, Stavanger, Egersund, Kristiansand and Hirtshals, and 160 work at sea year-round. The workforce increases between April and September by about 100 employees. The Company's fleet currently consists of the passenger ferry MS Bergensfjord and the high speed catamaran HSC Fjord Cat.
