Per Saevik-controlled Fjord1 has clinched another big ferry contract in Norway.

The company said it had been awarded a NOK 2bn ($235m) deal for four ferry connections in Indre Sunnmore.

It starts on 1 January, 2020, and runs until the end of 2033.

A total of 10 ships will be needed to service the routes.

The owner also announced a signing of contracts worth NOK 2bn for operating four ferry connections in Romsdal, with the same duration and involving five ships.

The group has entered into a new loan agreement with DNB and Nordea for NOK 1.28bn, with a guarantee from GIEK for NOK 900m.

Earlier this year, it arranged a loan worth NOK 4.49bn with the same lenders.

Fjord1 has 19 ferries on order in total.

In February, it signed for two new ships at Turkish shipyard Cemre and in March it added five more at Norway's Havyard, before following this up with two more at Tersan in Turkey.

It needs new ferries to serve government contracts it captured from rival Hurtigruten this year.

Fjord1 logged net earnings of NOK 193.36m in the third quarter, against NOK 169.3m in the same period of 2017.

Revenue grew to NOK 824.45m from NOK 761.67m.