Wednesday, January 24, 2018 - 09:46 by ce-press
The Seawalk Port of Nordfjordeid was established in 2017. In 2019 the Norwegian port is expecting its first calls, 20 in total bringing 60,000 passengers.
Keen to see a cruiseship calling prior to 2019, the port has halved the berthing fee for this year and next. “We would be thrilled to have some ships already in 2018, and for the first one, the price will be very interesting. We need to test things and to take the good pictures,” explained Eli Forde Aarskog, marketing manager Seawalk Nordfjord.
The Seawalk is about 220m long and 4.2m wide and floats on eight wave-damping pontoons. Consisting of three bridges, each 72m long, it has two link pontoons and a hinged landing section. The walkway is about 210cm above sea level and the railings are 110cm high. About 4,000 passengers per hour can be handled and it can carry a passenger load of more than 300t.
It is recommended that ships between 220m and 330m in length visit but solutions can be found for those under 220m if requested.
When calling, a ship will moor in between the two buoys, each of 300t, which are 390m apart. The ship’s gangway will be used. Passengers will go through a security checkpoint prior to entering Seawalk.
A 600m2 terminal building will be completed in time for the 2019 season. This will include tourist information, a souvenir shop, a ticket sales office and toilets.
Preparation is being made to receive food and mixed waste of up to 10m3.
The minimum depth in the fjord is 40m, the diameter of the turning basin is 1.15km. Maximum vessel draught alongside is 15m.
Once booked the berth is guaranteed.
Sailing time is two hours less than to Olden. Free parking for tour buses will be provided this year and next. Parking is in the port area and is exclusive to shore excursions being offered by the cruiselines.
Passengers arrive directly to the centre of the village of Nordfjordeid. On cruise days there will be a festival programme at midday in and around the picturesque old street area, Eidsgata, where free WiFi is being planned. In addition concerts will be held in the Church of Eid at 1600.
The village is renowned for the fjord horse, being a community of owners and breeders for several hundred years. Passengers can visit The Norwegian Fjord Horse Centre. The village also hosts its own opera house and the Malakoff rock festival.
The main visitor attraction will be a replica of 32m Viking ship, Myklebustskipet, which was burned in the Viking funeral of its owner King Audbjorn of the Fjords in 876 and found in the burial mound of Nordfjordeid when it was first opened in 1874. Being constructed using old building techniques by local craftsmen, the ship is already open to visitors but is due to be completed in March 2019. It will be the main attraction in the new Sagastad Center just 10 minutes walk from the Seawalk pier. The project has been mainly locally-financed to the tune of NKr60m (€6.25m)
Nearby activities include surfing on the shores of Hoddevika at Stad, salmon-spotting in Eidselva, golfing at Stokkenes golf course, visiting a mountain farm at Lote with stunning viewpoints and a bus/boat trip to the Monastery of Selje.
