newcastle to Norway ferry starting in June 2009?
 

Hello,
I don't know if this is a wind up.
But a new guy in our office, is starting beginning of June 2009.
he has just driven from Southern Ireland to Oslo.
His route, ferry from southern Ireland, Rosslare to Fishguard, drive to Harwich,ferry to Esbjerg, drive to Hirtshals, ferry to Kristiansand, then drive to Oslo.
3 ferries !
Hat's off to him.
Any way, he heard while waiting for the DFDS from Hirtshals to Kristiansand, that the DFDS from Newcastle to Stavanger etc, was resatrting.
he was 100% sure of it.

Now I can't say it won't because I don't know.
however, even if it was limited to a once a week trip, therby, ensuring the vessel was always fully 110% full !

I understood the reason for stopping it last september (2008) was that it was not making enough money.

Any one else hear any snippets of info. ?

Our prayers answered, if it's true. :clap:

I have no plans yet for my summer trip other than the IOM so that would be great. Let's hope it's not just hot air.

Hi

I made a phone call to DFDS in Norway to check. They said they had no plans of resurrecting the Newcastle-Stavanger-Bergen route. Perhaps another ferry company? BTW, DFDS does not operate the Hirtshals-Kristiansand - it's a route operated by Color Line.

The people working at the front end of a company are always the last to know! I always hear about my company changes on the 6 O'Clock news. I remain hopeful, especially as the fuel prices are way down. I'm not sure what it takes to reinstate a route but a summer only service must be able to make money. Every boat I've been on was full.

Thanks Indu for phoning on our behalf

I hope this happens. As mentioned in another thread, a colleague's husband works in Norway and he's heard similar stories about it re-starting. He didn't mention which company. I live about 15 mins from the Newcastle ferry terminal and I know of loads of people at this end who did the mini-cruises to Norway so I can't believe it wasn't paying. If they're turning non-freight away from the Immingham crossing due to priority given to cargo, a route out of Newcastle must be able to pay as a cargo route too.

The trip I want to do this summer is Newcastle to Norway, tour as much of Scandinavia and Eastern Europe as time/funds allow and then back home via the Amsterdam-Newcastle ferry (or vice versa), so I'd love to see it happen, even if it's a summer only, once a week trip.

Out of interest, could everyone who would seriously use this route, post a note of support on this thread. Might be worth sending an email to the ferry companies.

Thanks to all who replied.
I for one would be very happy if it re-started.
Me and the other half, with our Land Cruiser, single , 1 way, paid £224 in May 2008.
To be honest, I would £300 for the same trip.
It must make money now, look how much the price of fuel has dropped.
And I am sure the ferry company's will get it substantially cheaper than we could ever hope to get it.

Like I say, even if it was just a 'shared ferry' which had an alternative route for most sailings of the week, and just did a 1 round trip a week.
I can't believe to think it could not make money.


Well, I wait and hope.

Traveling back from Oslo to Manchester could be quite a long drag, or and expensive drag with all the ferry crossings.

'vette

i'd use it, i've been planning my norway trip for ages, i have my route sortedand everything!!!

Southern Ireland to Nordkapp - Svalbard
 

Hi All :clap:

Were 2 bikers on the west coast of Ireland and plan to go to Svalbard and Nordkapp in June. I have been looking at the whole Newcastle ferry thing for the last 12 months amid fleeting rumours of things re-opening but I don't have much confidence that that will happen before June for us and that bad and all as it is for the UK guys to have to do the tunnel/Denmark route or other versions of it, it is even longer for us Irish:(.

Because of the usual time constraints on our trip we decided that we will try to get the bikes to Oslo or Bergin before our trip begins, by air or sea or maybe even ride them to Oslo on the June bank holiday weekend and fly Ryanair round trip Oslo - Dublin and then back to Oslo to begin our trip mid June (Ryanair 60 Euro all in rt)

Anybody know what is the feasability of shipping or air freighting to Norway? It would be expensive but then again it is expensive to pay for ferry crossings and fuel and food and accomodation.

.
.
Hey, thats a good idea.
It's a bus ride from Oslo to Torp airport where the Ryan Air Leaves from.
My work colleauge does it regular.
he does Torp to Stanstead then to Ireland
The bus from oslo to Torp is £18 a single
Takes 1h 40min.
Book in advance, 2 months or so, and get Ryan Air for about £40 to Ireland

Svalbard? Not by bike, I assume?

No, thought about it but it might be a bit wet :oops2: and so have booked a flight from Tromso to Longyearbyen.

A new ferry terminal have been buildt just south of stavanger, currently there is only a route to denmark. But on some the new signs leding to it has both DK and UK on them although the UK is covered with tape. Maybe they have just reused some old signs? I'll keep my eyes open for more info and post it here if I hear something...

This is looking more promising all the time. Who were the ferry company operating out of that terminal? Might be worth contacting them.

.
.
Well spotted Elbert,
We are all ears.

Is this it?

TTS develops new passenger gangway for Port of Risavika - TTS Marine ASA

Risavika goes for growth Port of Risavika,Stavanger, Stavanger Port Authority, Ports and terminals miscellaneous, Helsøy, Bjørn, February 2008


This is the link to the website of the Greater Stavanger Port Authority, who operate that port.

Port of Stavanger

Anyone on the Norwegian side fancy phoning or emailing them to ask what the crack is?

From what I can see this is a port that has been operating for years and years to all places in the UK and elsewhere due to it being the main harbour for freight vessels servicing the oil activities in the Norwegian part of the North Sea. It seems like the new terminal which is supposed to serve also Newcastle is another freight terminal but I have sent an email to them to ask. Maybe I or one of my fellow Norwegians will follow up by a phone call too.

Well done Hans,

My Norge still isn't good enough yet unless there are about 80 % English words thrown in :clap::clap: to help it along.

We all want to go to Norway!
 

The amount of replies this thread has generated indicates the level of demand for a re-instated service. Come on ferry companies! Get a grip!

Since DFDS pulled out, I've spent ages lobbying ferry companies, MP's in the UK, Chambers of Commerce on Tyneside, tourist offices in the UK and Norway. There's definitely a market for a service. The Bergen Tourist office told me that 400,000 tourists used the Newcastle-Bergen service anually. Each way!

Yours in great frustration,

Jojo

Any luck?

Like I've said before, I know loads of people living in Newcastle and surrounding areas who have done the Fjord mini cruises so there is a market at this end. There must be a lot of Norwegians who would like to come here for shopping trips, even if just to take advantage of the weak pound.

Also, I've heard a few rumours that the mayor of Amsterdam want to clean up the place by placing more restrictions and even banning some of the... err... attractions! That alone will cut the number of people travelling on that route and I hope that doesn't go the same way as the Norwegian one.

This is something i put on the back burner recently due to the ferry service being cancelled. I dont fancy the drive around really. If the ferry comes back i will be planning Nordkapp for 2010 :thumbup1: Norway is high on my list.

G

Ferry Newcastle Bergen
 

Sorry to inform you all that the service Newcastle-Bergen is most likely not to return before 2010 summertime. I live in Bergen and took a quick phone call to the tourist office, they were as peeved as the rest of us about the situation,
it seems that every time DFDS take over the route they find an excuse to shut it down. They are Danish and are looking out for their own routes!
Anyway I will post any info aa soon as i get it here for anyone interested in doing the Nord-Kap route from Bergen.http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...ons/icon12.gif

Thanks millemann, we live in hope. :thumbup1:

I also like to thank Millemann for his effort in trying to find a definitive answer to this situation.

Damn Danish !

Hopefully, one of the Norwegian companies will take it on.

I'm going to send an email to the regional tourist office in Newcastle, see if they can dig up anything. Like I've said before, I live in Tyne & Wear and there were loads of mumblings from people who wished they had used the service while it was running. I predict there will be a huge uptake in the first year at this end if it re-started.

Thanks again to Milleman and welcome to the HUBB

Always nice to have someone who speaks the local language! :innocent:

The Stavanger tourist office didn't know of any plans to reopen the route, but they were hoping that it would happen soon.

So if it is happening, it looks unlikely that it will be from Newcastle :(

Shame this couldn't be pulled together this year, I'm looking at heading up to the Nord Kinn this year and it would make a major change to my plans being able to go that way.

Currently I'm looking at heading Harwich/Hook of Holland, then up driving the long way to Tallin and ferry to Helsinki before passing up through Finland and getting there that way - if this was operating I'd do it in reverse - was tempted by the Immingham route since it's so near to me but the sailing days didn't fit with optimising time off work:( for the rest of the trip - plus it sounds like they are turning away non-freight reading other posts!

Immingham would be great for you living so close.

But I was the guy who spent a holiday on Immingham docks. Greatservice if you were guaranteed a place...but you are not.

Steve

That was nice.
 

Did the Southern Ireland,Belfast,Stranraer,Newcastle,Bergen trip in '04.
Newcastle to Bergen was a pleasure.
Shame to see it's not running anymore.
I'd def use it again.

Hi Cathal,
I just returned from Norway 2 weeks ago.
I would go back if the Newcastle - Bergen/Stavanger ferry was running but it's not, and probably never will.
The route I took seems to be the best of a bad bunch.
Harwich - Esbjerg (DFDS) drive to Hirtshals, then Hirtshals - Larvik or Kristiansands.

Not too bad actually, but not as good as the old Newcastle - Bergen/Stavanger.
As both routes are (were) run by DFDS, they haven't lost any thing.

'vette

I live in Stavanger and it is correct that the signs for the ferry terminal have UK covered over but this is only for "if" the ferry starts, there are no definate plans to operate this service again in the near future. A feasability study was done late last year and what I'm lead to believe is this report isn't finalised. There are many Norwegians who want this ferry to run again. The likelyhood is if it will run again it will be a summer schedule only.

Some updates
 

I have contacted all ferry companies in Norway,
and here are - first - some bad news:

DFDS, Fjord Line and Color Line; none of these have any plans to reopen the ferry route between west-Norway and north-England. Though there has been operative routes since 1862, with only 5 years with no sailing under the second world war, and a couple of years between 1984 and 1986/1987(?).

DFDS' official reason was that they did not make any money on it.
That's misinformation. They did some really bad investments, that's it.
The ferries were always full.

Fjord Line gave it to DFDS when it all went down.
Before that, Color Line had these routes in the late eighties and the early nineties. Bergen Lines along with the legendary Fred. Olsen Lines sailed the north seas before that. Always a success - espescially for the tourism here, which they have lost 90,000 BRITISH PASSENGER/NIGHTS at hotels in the summer season alone!

We have a group on Facebook to get someone to reinstate these trips, because there are alot of norwegians that could sail for a reasonable price to the UK. And we are many who adore the city of Newcastle...

There are (again...) rumours that there are proforma companies looking into this, and supposedly there are some ongoing cooperation between norwegian and british investors who want to build a better ship, a little bit smaller, for tourism between the UK and Norway. Preferrably between Stavanger/Bergen and Newcastle. Time said to publish results would have been the 1st of July this year... but still none... silence, no information, what so ever...

The rumours also has it that sailings would not be in place before 2013 at earliest. Anyway, me and my friends have all waited too long now.

SOMEONE NEEDS TO PUSH THIS!

bier bier bier bier bier bier bier

There's another thread on the HUBB (which I can't find) stating that one of the firms has issued an anouncement that they will be running from Sept 2012 - guess this may be incorrect :(

I think the only company who may pick up this route again is DFDS.
Now they seem to have spare ships on the UK - France crossings.
They may be tempted to run a "once a week" crossing, thus certainly ensuring every berth is full, every deck space has a vehicle on it.
Even if they just ran once a week, that would satisfy many, I for one.

vette

There is a ferry sailing between Norway and UK but mainly for lorries. See more info here: Sea crossing to Norway - ADVrider

It's a nice idea, but a ship running a service once per week still has to do something else to earn it's keep for the rest of the time, based out of a "home" port.
I crossed the short sea route, Dover-Calais, recently with DFDS and the ship in use was registered in Le Havre; it became evident that DFDS have made a bid for the LD (Louis Dreyfuss, a French company) routes, the longer crossings between the south coast of the UK and France.
The UK office of fair trading are taking input about this I understand, but DFDS appear to be moving their business further south, as far as the UK service is concerned - no doubt onto more profitable routes with more passengers, increased business and all-year-round traffic.

Chanel Tunnel group have started a lease on the 3 x Sea France ferries.
I guess Chanel Tunnel are edging their bets, as the ferry remaining operators are picking up the ex Sea France customers, rather than taking Chanel Tunell.

It would be an economic Idea for either DFDS or P&O to consider which is their least profitable sailing times from UK to France.
Then remove these non profit sailings, and divert said ferry on a once a week, guaranteed, "filled to capacity" run from either Harwich to Oslo, or some other UK to Norwegian port, maybe Harwich, which isn't to far from Dover, to Kristiansands, which may well be the closest Norwegian port to mainland UK.

I am quite confident, if DFDS or P&O were to introduce a "once a week" sailing, then the ferry would be packed to the rafters, making serious money.

Vette

Looks like DFDS will reopen the route next year (2014).

That would be good but unfortunately not likely, I contacted DFDS last week to ask if the route to Norway was likely to start up again in 2014 & they said there were no plans to reinstate the UK to Norway crossing :(

Just posted this on another thread.

We live in hope

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