Advertisement

Today in Norway For Members

Today in Norway: A roundup of the latest news on Wednesday 

Frazer Norwell
Frazer Norwell - [email protected]
Today in Norway: A roundup of the latest news on Wednesday 
Read about a new defence minister, a ship being held in Bergen and more in today's roundup of important news. Picutred is Vestfjorden. Photo by Artem Shuba on Unsplash

A new defence minister being appointed and a ship being held in Bergen due to sanctions against Russia are among the main news stories from Norway on Wednesday

Advertisement

New defence minister appointed

Bjørn Arlid Gram will take over the role of Minister of Defence following Odd Roger Enoksen’s resignation. 

Enoksen resigned after it was revealed that he started a relationship with an 18-year-old high school student while in his 50s

Gram previously served in the armed forces in the Sør-Varnager garrison, which is responsible for patrolling Norway’s border with Russia. 

The new defence minister said his first job would be to get a thorough update on the situation in Ukraine. 

Advertisement

“The very first thing I will do when I start at the ministry will be to get a thorough update of the very specific situation we are in related to the war in Ukraine and its implications for Norwegian defence and security policy,” he said at a press conference. 

Ship held in Bergen 

The ship Havila Capella owned by Havila Kystruten, has been held in Bergen due to sanctions against Russia lender GTLK. 

“There is uncertainty about the insurance coverage which means that the departure is postponed. It is a situation that has arisen as a result of sanctions against the leasing company that has financed Halvila,” Lass A. Vangstein told regional paper Bergens Tidende

The ship which operates on the Bergen Kirkenes coastal line shares the licence to operate on that route with Hurtigruten. 

The ship was set to leave Bergen at 8pm but was held at the port until gone midnight. Havila has said that it was in contact with Norwegian authorities. 

Norway to look into double-decker trains

The Norwegian Railway Directorate has been commissioned to look at the possibility of increasing the capacity of regional trains in Eastern Norway, the transport ministry has announced. 

The ministry said that eventually, supply wouldn’t be able to meet demand between Oslo and Gardermoen and Moss and Drammen. 

The directorate will look into the use of double-decker trains, work out how much will need to be invested into infrastructure, and where it can cut greenhouse gasses. 

The majority support fine increases

Just under 60 percent of Norwegians support recently increased fines for using a mobile when driving, a new survey, which Norstat did for public broadcaster NRK, has revealed. 

Less than a quarter said they were too high. In March, the fine for being caught using a mobile was increased from 5,000 kroner to 7,450 kroner. 

READ MORE: Norway increases fine for being caught using a phone while driving

More

Join the conversation in our comments section below. Share your own views and experience and if you have a question or suggestion for our journalists then email us at [email protected].
Please keep comments civil, constructive and on topic – and make sure to read our terms of use before getting involved.

Please log in to leave a comment.

See Also