Schools, day care centers, and other public institutions are closed in Norway due to an indefinite strike called Thursday. Striking workers include port pilots which would impact sailings.
Norway is currently experiencing a period of economic growth, and state workers are looking for their share of the pie. Their wages have lagged behind that of the private sector triggering the work stoppage as talks broke down.
Must Have Port Pilot to Enter Harbor
According to Maritime law, a cruise ship must have a pilot onboard the vessel as they enter the port. If the strike continues, ships would not be able to dock in Norway ports, including Oslo.
Pilots & Pilot Boat Skippers Strike Over
According to Norwegian Coast Guard Web site Kystverket, the pilots reached an agreement Friday night, June 2nd, ending a week long strike which had impacted cruise line itineraries.
- Brilliance of the Seas, which departs Amsterdam today, will sail its original schedule
- Vision of the Seas is still turning around in Gothenburg today, instead of Oslo as was originally planned
- No word yet on Fred. Olsen Balmoral's altered itinerary
This is excellent news as the popular Norwegian Fjords cruise season is just getting into full swing. Cruises typically combine the British Isles and Fjords. Another option includes a cruise to North Cape and the Arctic Circle.
If you've never sailed to Norwegian Fjords, we highly recommend adding that to your bucket list.
Cruise Destination:
Norwegian
Fjords
Impact of Strike Widens
With all 42 of the Port of Oslo's pilots on strike, a number of cruise ships were turned away or forced to cancel calls.
These include Emerald Princess, which was forced to turn away from the port last Friday, Star Clippers' Star Flyer which cancelled a call on Saturday and Royal Caribbean's Vision of the Seas which was diverted to Gothenburg on Sunday.
Upcoming calls in Tromsø or Alesund in the next week include: P&O Cruises's Adonia, Royal Caribbean's Brilliance of the Seas, MSC Cruises' Magnifica and two Holland America Line Eurodam and Rotterdam.
Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines Balmoral will sail to Kiel Canal, Warnemunde,
Copenhagen, Gothenburg, will be at sea on June 4, visit Zeebrugge June 5
and return to Southampton on June 6.
The only line that has ships in the region that isn't impacted is Hurtigruten,
which sails the coastal waters year-round between Bergen and Kirkenes. They are not required to
carry a pilot.
Royal Caribbean Vision of the Seas June 2 Sailing
UPDATE:
Since the port pilots are on strike, and they are required to enter and leave the port, Vision of the Seas will be unable to dock in Oslo on Saturday, June 2, as originally planned. Because of this, it is necessary to modify Vision of the Seas’ boarding and debarking process. On Saturday, Vision of the Seas will arrive in Gothenburg, Sweden, and guests will be transported to and from Oslo via motor coach. Guests on the Saturday, June 2, sailing of Vision of the Seas should proceed to Oslo as originally scheduled.
Additional Cruise Ship Impact
Should the strike continue and include all port pilots in Norway,
Brilliance of the Seas’
next sailing will be unable to call to any of the Norwegian ports of
call on its itinerary. Royal Caribbean has been diligently working to prepare an
alternative itinerary should the strike continue, which will include
port calls to Copenhagen and Aarhus, Demark, and Berlin (Warnemunde),
Germany.
We encourage guests on the Saturday, June 2, sailing of Brilliance of the Seas monitor this website for any additional updates.
Royal Caribbean Vision of the Seas May 27 Sailing
Royal Caribbean International has issued an advisory that Vision of the Seas, which is currently scheduled to conclude its sailing in
Oslo on Sunday, May 27, may be unable to enter the port. RCI is currently preparing contingency
plans in the event the strike continues and Vision of the Seas is unable
to dock in Oslo.
They encourage guests on the Sunday, May 27, sailing of Vision of the Seas to monitor the website for any additional updates.
Since the port pilots in Oslo are on strike, and they are required to be
onboard in order for us to enter the port, if the strike continues Vision of the Seas will be unable to dock in Oslo on Sunday, May 27, as originally planned. Because of this, it will be necessary to modify Vision of the Seas’ boarding and debarking process on Sunday. Vision of the Seas will arrive in Gothenburg, Sweden, on Sunday, and guests will be transported to and from Oslo via motor coach.
