Several ferry routes between Norway and Denmark were disrupted on Monday because of strong winds and unusually rough seas. Stormy weather also closed roads and set off landslides in southwestern Norway.
“Because of the powerful winds blowing 30-35 meters per second, and waves as high as 10 meters in Skagerrak (the open sea area between Norway and Denmark), we had to cancel departures in both directions,” the cruise-ferry line DFDS reported on its website Monday morning. There was no arrival in Oslo of the overnight ferry from Copenhagen. Sunday afternoon’s ferry from Oslo to Copenhagen had already been cancelled.
Color Line’s ferry from Oslo to Kiel arrived and departed as usual, as did its ferry between Sandeford and Strömstad, but Color Line also cancelled its high-speed ferries between Norway and Denmark (from Kristiansand and Larvik to Hirtshals). So did Fjordlines, which operates between Kristiansand and Hirtshals. The cancellations disrupted the plans of nearly 3,300 passengers.
Residents around southwestern Norway also experienced stormy weather during the night, leaving some towns along the Hardanger Fjord isolated by road closures. Odda was once again among them, but three of the four roads leading in and out of the mountain town reopened Monday afternoon.
Several roads of the mountains were also closed including state highway 7 over Hardangervidda, and county roads 50 (Hol-Aurland), 51 (Valdresflye) and 53 (Tyin-Årdal). The main highway E134 over Haukelifjell was only open for driving in organized convoys.
NewsinEnglish.no staff
