Norwegian cruise and shipping line Hurtigruten has decided against appealing a million-kroner fine from the police. The fine was issued for Hurtigruten’s failure to acknowledge Corona virus outbreaks on board its vessel Roald Amundsen in the summer of 2020.
The fine was announced last week, 18 months after more than 70 passengers and crew members were infected on board the Amundsen when Hurtigruten relaunched cruises to Svalbard just four months after the Corona crisis began.
Hurtigruten CEO Daniel Skjeldam, who so far has survived what some have called “an unforgiveable scandal” at the venerable coastal carrier, claimed in a press release Tuesday that the company “actively contributed” to the lengthy police investigation of the outbreaks. He described the investigation as “long and thorough” and said its result would be accepted.
The vessel’s captain was also fined NOK 30,000 and the ship’s Norwegian doctor was fined NOK 40,000 for failing to alert passengers or authorities of the infection on board. Passengers on board another Hurtigruten cruise also complained that the line had failed to acknowledge infection on board a cruise around the British Isles in March 2020, after which at least one passenger died and others fell seriously ill. Hurtigruten was also recently hit with infection on board one of its recently relaunced cruises to the Antarctic.
newsinenglish.no staff
