Norway’s Hurtigruten is facing an extraordinary crisis due to the coronavirus, leading it to take 14 of its 16 ferries and cruiseships out of service.
The shipowner announced the temporary move only a couple of weeks after the coastal service company reported a record result for 2019 and said that the coronavirus did not appear to be affecting its business so far.
Company chief executive Daniel Skjeldam said Hurtigruten now is closing down almost all business and that these are tough times for times for the company.
Initially, 345 employees were temporarily laid off, followed by another 2,600 staffers this week. Regular traffic between Bergen and Kirkenes has been reduced to a minimum.
The ships that are trading on the coast between Bergen and Kirkenes will be taken out of service until 19 April. During this period, Hurtigruten will after concluding an agreement with the government to only operate local service with two ships. They will run a route between Bodo and Kirkenes in northern Norway.
Hurtigruten also states that no passengers have so far tested positive for the virus.
Earlier in March, Hurtigruten announced a record pretax profit of NOK 473m ($40.8m) against a NOK 50m profit in 2018.
British investment fund TDR Capital holds 81.1% of Hurtigruten’s shares. Petter Stordalen, a major hotel owner in Norway, has a 11.6% stake.
