Thursday, March 7, 2013 - 17:39 by ce-press
A SeaWalk floating pier system will be installed in Geirangerfjord this June which means that passengers will be able to walk directly ashore into Geiranger town centre. “Clearly, this will strengthen Geirangerfjord as a leading cruise destination,” said Rita Berstad Maraak, port director at Stranda Port Authority.
“A SeaWalk will significantly reduce emissions and discharges in the fjord. For Stranda Port Authority, it is important that we stay ahead of developments and take seriously the challenges facing us as a result of increasing numbers of passengers and ever larger ships. Otherwise, we will find ourselves being directed by the environmental authorities and/or others to take action before long,” she added.
The building of SeaWalk will be fully financed by the company SeaWalk Geiranger AS, which will also be financially responsible for operations. SeaWalk Geiranger is locally rooted with substantial investors and the company will be further strengthened in the time ahead. The cruise lines will have to pay a fee for using the SeaWalk.
The SeaWalk will be built to connect with the current tender piers in Geiranger town centre, and is scheduled for completion in June this year, provided that all official permissions are in place. The installation will supplement Hellesylt Quay, which was finished last year and which has been specially designed to receive large cruise ships.
Geirangerfjord is Norway’s second largest cruise port, and receives about 300,000 passengers annually. The number of cruise passengers in the fjord is expected to double in the next 10 years. The ships are growing ever bigger, and have up to now anchored in the fjord while passengers have been taken ashore in small boats. These tender operations take time, are costly and are not very environmentally friendly, explained Maraak.
The time-consuming tender operations have caused many passengers to remain on board ship. With simpler shore access, more passengers will go ashore. This will increase the customer base for local businesses.
Stranda Port Authority believes this venture will also create a marketing base for developing even better services in the tourism experience industry – such as excursions, activities and gastronomic experiences. Satisfaction ratings for Geirangerfjord are high. In some customer satisfaction surveys, some cruise lines also rate Geirangerfjord on a par with St. Petersburg and the highest in the world.
The World Heritage fjord in Geiranger has been a magnet for tourists for generations. But new times bring with them new demands. The SeaWalk project therefore represents a valuable contribution to the development and quality assurance of the Geirangerfjord as one of the world’s most unique tourist destinations.
