Norwegian police are investigating potential breaches of Covid-19 security rules on a Hurtigruten cruiseship.
Officers have questioned 20 people in a probe arising from an outbreak that saw 29 passengers and 42 crew members test positive for coronavirus on the 21,800-gt expedition vessel Roald Amundsen (built 2019) in July.
"The company still has the status of a suspect, but it is too early to comment on the status of individuals in the case. As it looks now, it will take several weeks before the police can finish their work," police attorney Mari Ellingsen said in a press release.
An investigation by the Norwegian Maritime Directorate revealed seven deviations and failures in safety policy, the E24 website reported.
Company under fire
The directorate said emergency preparedness did not work and that notification routines for infection on board were not followed.
The scandal has already been described as one of the biggest in Norwegian corporate history by a critical domestic media.
As well as the police probe, the case prompted the government to tighten rules for cruise vessels calling in Norway.
The outbreak also put paid to Hurtigruten's plans to restart its cruise operations fully in the summer. It has now said these will be halted until 2021.
An external investigation, contracted by Hurtigruten and carried out by classification society DNV GL and law firm Wiersholm, showed that the shipowner's risk management process had been insufficient, that suspicion of infection during voyages was not followed up, and that tests were too slow in being carried out.
Hurtigruten held a televised press conference two weeks ago to explain its conduct.
'No scapegoats'
The board said it still had confidence in chief executive Daniel Skjeldam, and added both he and the rest of his management needed to learn from the incident.
"The outbreak ... can't be blamed on any single incident or any one person's actions," Wiersholm lawyer Jan Fougner told reporters.
TradeWinds sister newspaper Dagens Naeringsliv reported that many crew members refused to talk to the investigators, fearing they were not sufficiently independent of Hurtigruten and that they could suffer reprisals.
"No one is looking for scapegoats," Skjeldam said at the press conference.
The chief executive did not say whether maritime operations chief Bent Martini, who was suspended after the outbreak, would return to his duties.
The company has been contacted for further comment.
Ferry operations scaled back
Hurtigruten said last week that, due to "current travel restrictions and quarantine requirements for travelling to Norway", international travel is limited to a minimum.
The company has decided, in consultation with the Norwegian ministry of transport and communications, to reduce ferry operations on the Norwegian coast.
By 2 October, Hurtigruten will run two ships between Bergen and Kirkenes, against 11 currently.
"With only two ships in operation ... Hurtigruten's net cash burn rate per month is circa €12m to €15m [$17.5m]," the company said.
Tom Cruise steps in
Earlier this month, it emerged that Hollywood megastar Tom Cruise had chartered two of Hurtigruten's cruise vessels for work on his latest film in Norway.
The 58-year-old Top Gun actor booked the 6,300-gt Vesteralen (built 1983) and 21,800-gt Fridtjof Nansen (built 2019) to help complete Mission Impossible 7.
Norway Today reported that the Fridtjof Nansen is acting as a hotel ship for 400 members of the film's crew off the village of Hellesylt.
The use of the Vesteralen was not made clear. There has been speculation it could feature in the blockbuster itself.
