Update: Holland Norway Lines just (4th of September) filed for Bankruptcy. The charter agreement has been terminated, which means the ship is no longer under the control of ‘Holland Norway Lines' and going to be re-chartered by Tallink, meaning the chance of revival of this route is unfortunately very low.
Holland Norway Lines has applied for suspension of payments from the court. In The Netherlands, this is the first stage that often leads to a company's halt and/or bankruptcy. Sometimes, the company can restart or be taken over by another company.
HNL applied for suspension of payments because the business operations are under pressure because of the troubled period (with lots of cancellations and unhappy consumers) it had in its conflict with Eemshaven. Even though the line restarted in Emden, the ticket prices were very high compared to similar routes: They could not compensate for the financial loss incurred earlier in the year.
All employees in Groningen, Norway’s Kristiansand and on board the cruise ferry were informed today. Since its launch in 2022, nearly 400,000 passengers have sailed on the cruise ferry MS Romantika. The company grew in no time from a start-up to a full-fledged organisation, with almost 400 employees
The MS Romantika is not sailing back to Kristiansand for the time being; the original route was Eemshaven-Kristiansand.
If you are stranded in Emden
If you are now stranded in Emden, follow our guide to get from Denmark (drive to DK) to Norway. Kiel (DE) to Oslo might be the best, most relatable ferry. Otherwise, you can safely drive (unplanned, easy to catch one) to Hirtshals and pick up the ferry from there. This route can bring you to Kristiansand immediately and might be your best option.
Are there any refunds possible?
This is all unknown; if you ask for a deferral of payments in the Netherlands, a curator (lawyer) will look at every company to which HNL owes money. Then, based on the order, they will pay out what money is left. Keep in mind, though the consumer, in this case, is, unfortunately, almost always the last one in line.
We will update this post when new info reaches us.
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Just a quick question, I have a friend that has a ticket booked with this company…What are the key factors that led to the bankruptcy of Holland Norway Lines, and how might this development impact passengers who had booked tickets for the MS Romantika cruise ferry? When will these services stop?
Hi Jeff,
Thank you for your questions. The company stopped due to many problems, the biggest one probably that it had to leave Eemshaven port. It will be nearly impossible to get your money back on this one. Services already stopped, 75.000 people are victims as you can read on the website of Holland Norway Lines. Here is a website in which you can file your claims soon: https://www.passagiershnl.nl/