Skibladner suffered major injuries after the boat crashed out on Lake Mjøsa on Wednesday last week.
It is now clear that Mjøsa’s white swan will not be on the water again until in over a month, ie 26 July.
– We have no choice, says chairman Bjørn Blichfeldt of Oplandske Dampskibsselskap.
Thus, large parts of the season for Skibladner smoke out. They were supposed to start on May 19, but it was canceled due to little water in Lake Mjøsa.
When they first got on the water in early June, it only took five days before the boat crashed.
Affects 4000 passengers
Skibladner is one of the world’s oldest wheeled steamers in operation and draws many tourists to Lake Mjøsa in the summer.
Trips must now be canceled and Blichfeldt says that approximately 4,000 passengers will not be allowed to travel with Skibladner this year.
When the boat finally starts sailing again, there will only be three weeks of scheduled trips and three weeks of charter left.
– It’s not fun. It is fantastic weather and a beautiful boat, so of course we would like to have sailed, says the chairman.
He does not yet know how big the financial loss will be.
– We will look at the financial loss, the number of lost passengers and what we do with the employees over the next few days.
STANDING QUIET: Skibladner stands still in the harbor at Gjøvik while the new impeller is made.
Photo: Ola Almås Jullumstrø / NRK
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Serious damages
Skibladner crashed about 15 minutes after the boat had left the pier at Gjøvik.
Blichfeldt says that the damage is serious, and that it will take a long time to fix it.
all
A large wheel with blades that push the water backwards. This makes the boat move forward.
“data-term =” Paddle Wheel “> paddle wheel on one side of the boat is broken. It’s not just about repairing.
The crew can not order a spare part – it does not exist. Therefore, the impeller must be rebuilt.
– It is also useless to put in 20 men to work with this, because there is no room for that.
Hoping for a full boat towards the end of the summer
The chairman hopes that there will be good weather and a full boat when Skibladner can finally sail again.
– Then we will see what we can manage to correct the economy in the last six weeks, he says.
He believes that they have been through tough times before, and will get through this as well. The employees will also be taken care of.
– They have applied for a job to join when we sail, so they do not think this is a big deal either.
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