Norway's iconic Bergen–Kirkenes coastal voyage is at the centre of a policy fight that could change what ships sail it in the 2030s. Havila Voyages, one of the two operators running the route, says it is freezing planned investments — including upgrades that would let its ships carry private cars at every port — after the government proposed slashing the next contract from ten years to four or five.
The proposal sits in Norway's draft national budget for 2027, due for a parliamentary vote in December. If it stands, the tender for the coastal route after 2030 will be issued in the first half of 2027 under a much shorter contract framework than operators expected.
Havila's argument is straightforward: ships take decades to pay off, and a four- or five-year contract gives no company room to invest in new builds or cleaner technology. CEO Bent Martini says short contracts usually end up costing the state more, because the investment has to be recouped over a smaller window. He also warns that a brief contract would effectively shut out new entrants and lock in today's operators and their existing fleets.
Climate is the other sticking point. The transport ministry has suggested that climate requirements beyond existing law should only apply where the cost of cutting emissions justifies it. Havila wants the opposite — firmer requirements and enough contract length to justify investing in better propulsion and lower-emission ships. Martini argues Norway risks stalling progress that is already underway if its biggest transport contracts don't push for renewal.
Founder Per Sævik frames the stakes in human terms. Coastal ships are lifelines for the small communities between Bergen and Kirkenes, delivering freight, passengers and connections daily. Jobs and settlement along the coast, he says, can't be rebuilt once the shipping companies pull back.
Havila also points to something bigger: combined with a review of the route in the National Transport Plan, the shorter contract creates uncertainty about whether the classic coastal service continues at all after 2035.
For travellers, this is a story worth watching. The Bergen–Kirkenes run — whether sailed by Havila or long-time rival Hurtigruten — is one of the world's great slow voyages, threading fjords and Arctic ports over roughly a week each way. Nothing changes for passengers booking today, and ships will keep calling daily for years. But the decision shaping the 2030s tender, expected in December, could influence the ships, onboard standards, car-carrying capability and even the route's long-term survival. Anyone dreaming of the voyage later this decade has a stake in how this lands.
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