Aurland Port Authority is building a new tender pier at Gudvangen which will be able to handle two tenders at once. The pier will be 12m long and be ready in 2011. Together with the existing pier, the port will be able to handle three tender boats at one time.
This year Gudvangen expects to receive 11,215 passengers on 19 calls which compares with 15,925 passengers on 40 calls in 2009. The decrease in call numbers is put down to an increase in vessel size visiting but also competition from ports which have docking facilities, says Gry Steine Mundal, marketing manager Port of Flam on behalf of the Aurland Port Authority.
There are no berthing facilities at Gudvangen and there are certain restrictions on ships at anchor. Mundal says: “Due to the fact that Naeroyfjorden, leading to Gudvangen, is very narrow, the maximum length of entering the fjord is 225m. If the length exceeds this limit, special permits must be given.”
The tender pier is located centrally in Gudvangen and is 50m from where the tours depart. It is situated on Naeroyfjord which is the narrowest fjord arm in Europe and is a Unesco world heritage site. The village has a population of 70.
