Hurtigruten's MS Roald Amundsen made two voyages from Tromsø and around Svalbard in July 2020. Upon arriving in Tromsø on Friday 31 July during the second voyage, the crew and passengers were detected infected with the coronavirus.
The same weekend, the police launched an investigation. It had to be checked whether Hurtigruten as a company or people in the shipping company should implement measures on board to reduce the risk of further infection. Police investigated whether someone had broken the law, says investigating police lawyer Lisa-Mari Ellingsen of Troms Police District.
A good picture of the course of events
More than 30 interviews of employees, passengers and other persons with information on the case were conducted. Extensive material was analyzed along with the confiscated e-mails from Hurtigruten.
Documentation from the National Institute of Public Health, University Hospital of Northern Norway, Norwegian Coastal Administration, Tromsø municipality and Hadsel municipality was included in the research material. The file also included a report from an external Hurtigruten investigation.
- The investigation gave us a good picture of what happened. We have received detailed reports from the Norwegian Maritime Directorate and medical reports from the Norwegian Health Council, says Acting Prosecutor Jørn Bremnes in Troms and Finnmark.
As of Wednesday, July 29, before calling at Tromsø, the company had some independent information suggesting that it was transmitting Covid-19 aboard MS Roald Amundsen. The shipping company's employees were notified by an infection control doctor in Hadsel municipality that the ship was a likely site of infection. Such a possibility was due to the passenger from the first voyage. FHI recommended notifying passengers the same day. There was also a recommendation to test two crew members for Covid-19 on the same day. Additionally, there were two other crew members who had symptoms consistent with Covid-19.
Nevertheless, the shipowner did not implement infection control measures and did not notify passengers, crew or public authorities.
Corporate penalty for Hurtigruten
Hurtigruten Coastal AS (formerly Hurtigruten Cruise AS) is fined NOK 1 million. Penalty for deficiencies in the safety management system, emergency preparedness, organization, reporting, risk assessment, facilitation and notification.
- The breach is considered significant. Taking into account the number of passengers and crew, the nature of the disease, the severity and infectivity, and the risk of further infections. The prosecution considers it appropriate to impose a fine on Hurtigruten. He believes, based on the nature and severity of the violation, that NOK 1 million is the correct fine, says the Bremnes prosecutor.
Hurtigruten was asked to decide within a reasonable time whether the fine would be accepted or not.
Penalty for the captain and the ship's doctor
The captain is fined NOK 30 for failing to notify the Norwegian authorities of a possible infection.
The ship's doctor on the second voyage was fined NOK 40. This is a penalty for failure to practice the profession as medical personnel, and for failure to notify the Norwegian authorities.
They are both asked to decide within a reasonable time whether the fine will be accepted or not.
Other innocent people
For other people, the president and the chief operating officer, and also for ship's doctor in the first there are no grounds for personal criminal liability during the cruise. Therefore, the case is closed for these people.
Source: Politiet
Read our next article: As a result of the murders committed in 2021, 29 people were killed in Norway
