75,000 travelers affected in Holland Norway Lines bankruptcy, curator says

Approximately 75,000 people who had booked a ticket from Germany to Norway with the Dutch ferry company Holland Norway Lines have been affected by the company's bankruptcy, according to the appointed curator Hans Silvius. He could not confirm whether and how customers will be compensated.

The court declared Holland Norway Lines bankrupt on Monday. Last week, the ferry company reported that it had run into financial problems, filing for a deferment of payment on Wednesday. The only ship operated by the Holland Norway Lines, the MS Romantika, immediately halted its operations, and ticket sales were suspended.

Launched in 2022, the MS Romantika initially connected the Netherlands to Norway. However, the ferry was relocated to Germany due to capacity issues at the port in Eemshaven in the province of Groningen. Since June, the ship has been operating its route between Emden, Germany and Kristiansand, Norway.

Holland Norway Lines claimed to have run into financial difficulties after the company had to leave Eemshaven. This resulted in more cancellations than bookings. Even though MS Romantika has been sailing since June, the company said it needs more time to recoup losses from early 2023. The MS Romantika is currently moored in Emden and is no longer sailing.

The appointed curator responsible for managing the assets and settling the financial obligations of Holland Norway Lines Hans Silvius said on Tuesday that roughly 75,000 people who had booked a trip to Norway from Germany were affected by the bankruptcy. This represents 50 fully booked one-way trips. The ship has a capacity of 1500 passengers.

Holland Norway Lines was renting that ferry, and Silvius reported that the owner has now reclaimed it. The loss of the ship complicates the situation, according to Silvius. "In the event of a relaunch, the ship would have to be rented again or a new one would have to be built," he said. As for the likelihood of a relaunch, he chose not to speculate. "We are continually working on it," is all he was willing to disclose.

The curator also announced that the staff has been laid off. The roughly 400 employees are now being paid through the UWV, the Dutch Employee Insurance Agency. One of the subsidiary companies, a Norwegian company, has not yet declared bankruptcy. However, Silvius said he expected that this business will also go bankrupt soon.