Friday, December 1, 2017 - 11:35 by ce-press
Olden-Nordfjord is changing its name to OldenLoen. With cruise calls growing and 10,000 passengers arriving in the same area, steps are being taken to avoid congestion. On a two-ship day, for example, the plan is now for one to be moored in Olden and the other to be at anchor in Loen.
This year Seabourn opted for tendering Seabourn Quest in Loen twice rather than going alongside at Olden even though the captain had the pier available in Olden. “There is no issue with having passengers in the village. I think part of our success is that the local community is involved,” explained Solve Oldeide, operating manager Nordfjord Havn.
A new tender jetty at a cost of NKr1m (€0.1m) came into operation at the bottom of the Loen Skylift on May 18 this year. Passengers are able to visit the 350-seat restaurant at 1,000m within five minutes on the cable car. Five walking tracks are also available.
The first call to this new facility, which was ISPS-certified on June 8 2017, was from National Geographic Orion on June 13.
Passenger numbers will increase 15% next year to 160,000. A total of 92 calls were made in 2017. Six of the 17 tender calls took place in Loen, including those from Saga Sapphire. It is four minutes from Olden to Loen by road and, once moored, the ships are out of sight of each other in the two places. There is a large parking area in Loen also.
This year witnessed the 100,000th passenger to Olden: Sophie was treated to a glacier and Skylift tour.
