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Yearly Archives: 2021 − News
Norwegian government plans to denude non-Norwegian inhabitants of Longyearbyen of their right to vote
This is a remarkable procedure within a frame of politics that may on occasions well be described as nationalistic: The Norwegian ministry of justice has proposed to remove the right to vote or to be elected from non-Norwegian citizens in Longyearbyen unless they have lived at least three years in mainland Norway.
The background: Local democracy in Longyearbyen
A few words about the background: Spitsbergen is, in accordance with the Spitsbergen Treaty, not organised in a democratic way. The Sysselmannen is not elected but appointed by the government. On a community level, all of Spitsbergen’s settlements were founded by mining companies and run by these companies as company towns for most or all of their history. The introduction of democratic elements has been discussed on a number of occasions in the 20th century, but took shape not before the 1990s and a town council (Longyearbyen Lokalstyre, LL) was established in 2002. Only Longyearbyen has a council, the other settlements in Spitsbergen are still organised as company towns without a democratic structure.
Longyearbyen Lokalystre, led by a mayor (here: lokalstyreleder), is so far elected locally by all inhabitants who have been registered for a certain minimum period regardless of their nationality. This is what the government in Oslo wants to change.
Near 3000 people are registered inhabitants of Spitsbergen’s settlements, with a majority near 2500 in Longyearbyen. Of the total number, more than 900 have a nationality other than Norwegian. A large proportion of Longyearbyen’s population is thus of other than Norwegian nationality. Nationalities in Longyearbyen include Thai people, Swedes and Danes, Russian, Germans, UK and US citizens and many others.
Right to vote and to be elected to be removed from non-Norwegians
A recent proposal from the Norwegian ministry of justice suggests to remove the right to vote and to be elected to be removed from non-Norwegians unless they have been registered in a Norwegian mainland community for at least three years, a condition met by very few of the many hundred “foreigners” living in Longyearbyen.
Longyearbyen is a community with a very international population, but soon possibly with a much reduced level of democracy.
The background lies within general Norwegian Svalbard politics, which aim at developing Longyearbyen as a Norwegian community. This does not necessarily mean an entirely Norwegian population, as is also highlighted by undersecretary of state Lars Jacob Hiim of the ministry of justice in this context. According to Hiim, the proposal in question does not aim at changing Longyearbyen’s population structure, but is to ensure amongst others that voters and their elected representatives have knowledge about “aims and frame conditions of (Norwegian) Svalbard politics”.
Local rejection
Mayor Arild Olsen declared himself fully taken by surprise by this proposal, as Olsen told Svalbardposten. Neither he nor the local council had been involved or informed before the recent publication of the proposal, which Olsen strongly rejects.
Comment
Locally, the proposal is recected not only by Olsen, but also by many others. Some of those who are concerned are appalled: denuding people who have lived in their community for years, sometimes for many years, of the right to vote or to be elected feels completely out of place and politically-democratically rather unappetising especially in the context of a democratic country in the 21st century, let alone in a country like Norway which is usually considered to be a very modern and open society, often leading the democratic path for many other countries in the world. The current proposal has a very nationalistic flavour and is something one would rather expect, for example, from certain east European countries who have chosen a rather downward-leading path in their democratic development.
New weapon regulations
Whereas most people in more central parts of Europe hardly have anything to do with firearms in their daily life, things are different in polar bear country and with 5000 arms for near 2500 people, Longyearbyen has a weapon density that is probably not far away from Texan standards. It is actually not directly required by law to carry a rifle when leaving the settlements as it is often ventilated by poorly informed media (or guides, unfortunately – click here for more about some commonly told arctic bullshit stories), but it is common practice and it is generally strongly advised to be properly equipped when venturing out into polar bear country.
Commercial weapon rental in Longyearbyen
Scientists, individual tourists and others who need, can rent weapons in Longyearbyen from authorised weapon dealers, of which there are two. There was the time when some kind of ID was enough to get a heavy-calibre firearm; but this has been history for years now: to rent a weapon from a commercial supplier, you need to have papers that you are legally entitled to have a weapon of the relevant kind or of a higher class, for example a European firearms pass or a hunting license. If you do not have any of these or equivalent, you can apply for permission from the Sysselmannen.
Borrowing weapons from persons or companies
Until recently it was, however, easy to borrow a weapon from a private person or, as an employee, from a company. The owner of the weapon “just” had to make sure that the borrower had the proper skills and knowledge and was character-wise able to have control over such a potentially lethal weapon. A simple form had to completed by the owner to provide evidence for legal borrowing for up to 4 weeks. But this is now history.
New Norwegian weapon law from 01 June
A new weapon law came into force in Norway including Spitsbergen on 01 June, replacing the previous one which was from 1961. One key change is this: The responsibility to check the borrower’s appropriateness to be given a weapon is not the owner’s anymore but now lies with appropriate authorities. That is the police in mainland Norway and the Sysselmannen (new designation from July: Sysselmester) in Spitsbergen (Svalbard), who provides further information on their official website.
This condition is considered met when the borrower can provide papers that entitle him or her to own a weapon of the kind in question or a higher-classed one (yes, there was a similar sentence higher up on this page already). This can, for example, be a Norwegian weapon card or a European firearm pass. The owner is obligated to check this before handing a weapon to the borrower. This is valid both for borrowing weapons between private persons, for example between members of one family – a common practice in Longyearbyen – and within companies, for example tour operators who supply their guides with rifles, also a very common practice in Spitsbergen.
Out and on tour in Spitsbergen: a rifle is usually not far away.
Applying for borrowing a weapon
If the borrower does not have proper certification, then the only way to legally borrow a weapon is applying for permission from the Sysselmannen, who will check the applicant’s general appropriateness (certificate of good conduct) and the relevant skills and knowledge (“tilstrekkelig våpendugleik”) to handle a weapon. According to the Sysselmannen, this can be done by providing evidence for having done military service, active membership in a shooting club or a safety course that includes weapon handling such as, for example, the courses usually provided by UNIS in Longyearbyen to their students and employees. The application costs 248 kroner (near 25 Euro). Click here to access an application form, applications by email are not accepted.
That’s the theory. In practice, questions remain open: do official documents such as a certificate of good conduct need (approved) translation and which documents exactly are accepted or not. I have sent a question catalogue to the Sysselmannen and provide updates here as more information becomes available.
Borrowing versus renting
Commercial weapon rental (Norwegian: utleie) is forbidden for private persons and most companies. Only authorised weapon dealers may offer weapons for rental on a commercial basis.
Deterrents remain compulsory
All this does not touch the legal requirement to carry an appropriate deterrent such as a signal pistol because polar bears are strictly protected and may not just be shot. Everything must be done to avoid dangerous encounters or, if it happens anyway, to avoid shooting a polar bear as long as human life is safe. Pepper spray is, however, not legally available in Norway including Spitsbergen. In certain situations, for example from the relative safety of a hut or even a tent, pepper spray could be helpful to scare a polar bear away efficiently and for good, thus potentially avoiding a situation where a bear might be shot.
Norwegian regulations for international travelling to change soon
A couple of interesting press releases saw the light of day in Oslo last Friday (18 June), including information about tourism and ship-based tourism (cruises and coastal cruises) in Norway including Spitsbergen.
News from Norway about international travelling
There is another press release concerning international travelling. Non-Norwegians may initially get the impression that the release is not too exciting, but there is some good stuff hidden in the beaurocratic wording of the release, especially near the end. It starts on a lower level of excitement: the colours of the FHI chart, which is important information for European travellers, are now matching European colours again. Which is nice for everybody who prefers green above yellow, but it doesn’t change much. The latest FHI map, updated today (21 June), shows only two European countries outside Scandinavia in green, namely Poland and Romania.
Norway will lift travel warnings for Europe (Schengen treaty countries), the UK and and a range of other countries from 05 July, subject to future warnings that may be issued at any time as needed. But this is relevant for Norwgians who want to travel abroad rather than non-Norwegians who want to travel to Norway. Also family visits will be easier: so far limited to first-grade relatives, the list of persons who may visit family in Norway is now getting longer, including for example grandparents. That is great for everybody concerned, but not a game changer for people wishing to travel to Norway in general.
Norway joins the European vaccination certificate system, which may make it significantly easier to get some fresh arctic wind around the nose this summer for those who have plans.
Corona infection values will be “harmonised with Europe”
Further down in the press release in question, a harmonisation of infection thresholds that countries need to stay under in order to travel to Norway without quarantine is mentioned. This may initially not sound too exciting, but it means that the threshold will be lifted from 25 infections per 100,000 people within 14 days to 50, something that may be an important change, as the old threshold of 25 is easy to miss even for countries with a good development, while 50 gives some more room for smaller outbreaks to not ruin everyodies travel plans. This change will enter force on 05 July.
Norway joins European vaccination certificate system
And there is yet another important update: from 24 June, European travellers can use the European digital vaccination certificate to document their vaccinations or previous infections, and fully immunised travellers will be able to enter Norway regardless of the status of the country where they have stayed before entering Norway. This may indeed change things for many people.
Stage 3 of Norwegian opening plan comes on Sunday, including relevant updates for Spitsbergen tourism
Stage 3 of the Norwegian plan to lead the country back to normal life will come on Sunday, as the Norwegian government has announced in a press release. This first press release includes steps for the country back towards normal life and economy.
Two Oslo press releases
There is a second official press release, which is important for Spitsbergen tourism, including ship-based travelling. So far, a ban is in force that makes cruising over several days largely impossible. This will change on Sunday (20 June), but this comes with quite a bit of small print and the general development of the corona pandemic will continue to govern life in general and tourism in particular. This leaves a number of questionmarks, but the possibility of some Spitsbergen trips later this season is, at least, not completely unrealistic.
Norway makes steps to normal life and re-opens the possibility for cruises. It remains to be seen if “Spitsbergen under sail” will be possible in 2021.
General restrictions on international travelling remain in force
For international tourists, it is important to notice that the strict entry restrictions remain in force until further notice. Non-Norwegian tourists may enter the country only if they come from “yellow countries” on the FHI-map. Currently, most of Europe is red, and who can tell what the summer will bring considering the delta mutant of the corona virus that is connected to increasing infection figures in the UK? It is uncertain when Norway will permit at least fully vaccinated tourists from “red countries” to enter Norway again.
Currently, Norway only accepts vaccinations registered in Norway. This includes obviously vaccinations given in Norway; vaccinations given in other countries can, as of now, only be registered in Norway by persons who are registered in the country with a personal number (“fødselsnummer” or “D-nummer”). The digital European vaccination certificate may (or may not) facilitate this also for others, but that remains to be seen – as so much these days.
It is, however, clear that Norway will only accept vaccinations that are licensed by EMA (European Medicines Agency) for use in Europe. Other vaccinations such as Sputnik-V or Sinovac will currently not give travellers any advantages (other than the actual protection against infection and disease, of course!).
No testing requirement before flight to Longyearbyen for vaccinated travellers
Fully vaccinated / recovered travellers (“fully protected”) travellers do not need to test anymore before flying from mainland Norway to Longyearbyen. That is good news for the local tourism industry, where many hope that Norwegians will spend their summer holidays in Spitsbergen, where 83,5 % of the adult population (18 and older) are now vaccinated. But testing requirements for international travellers upon entering the country is another thing.
New rules for Spitsbergen-tourism
The following rules will apply from Sunday for tourism and cruising in Spitsbergen:
- Tour operators will need to operate according to safe hygiene standards according to the same rules as on the mainland (no special rules anymore).
- Hotels may use up to 90 % of their capacity and keep the remaining 10 % to accommodate travellers who need to quarantine.
- Charter flights from Norway to Longyearbyen are allowed again, but not from other countries.
- Ships that operate in Spitsbergen need to provide a disease protection plan that is accepted by the Sysselmann. Ships will not be able to use their full capacity, but 90 % or less depending on the protection status of all people on board.
- If there are people on board who are not fully immunised, then the number of people on board is limited to 200 and there is a requirement to do tests before departure. This is valid for Norway and for Spitsbergen.
- If everybody on board is fully immunised, then there may be up to 2000 people on board (yes, two thousand!). But in any case, only up to 90 % of the capacity may be used, or less, depending on the individual case.
- In case of a corona infection or a suspicion, ships need to return to the mainland or their home port, rather than to Longyearbyen where health service capacities are very limited.
- In case of a corona infection or a suspicion, everybody needs to stay on board until permission to leave the ship is given by relevant authorities.
- Cruise ships with an international itinerary need to comply to the requirements to quarantine according to the FHI-map as soon as there is anyone on board who needs to quarantine.
Comment
So there is now finally information for tourism and ship-based travelling in Spitsbergen, something we have been waiting for for quite a while now as the season would normally have started weeks ago already. Many ship owners and tour operators have cancelled their arctic summer season already a while ago. For those who still have trips in their schedules, it remains to be seen what will actually be possible.
A lot will obviously depend on the development of the pandemic. If you want to travel to Norway including Spitsbergen, then you’d better come from a “yellow” country and make sure it remains yellow until you have left.
Easing on entry to Norway and Spitsbergen for vaccinated people
Many tour operators have already cancelled their arctic summer season, but some still maintain some hope at least for the later part of the summer, and there are those who might consider private travelling to 78 degrees north or even a bit further.
If that will be possibe, what and how, remains to be seen. Corona is obviously the factor that is governing all travel-related activities now and for some time in the future, with all the well-known factors such as progress of vaccination programmes, new mutants of the virus, infection rates and so on.
The FHI-map: an important database
Given the current positive development lasts, Norway seems to be opening up stepwise. International tourists are essentially not allowed into the country as of now, with few exceptions depending on the country or region of origin, which is shown on this map of the Norwegian public health institute (FHI). “Yellow” makes travelling an option that can be considered also for tourists, but that applies currently only to parts of Finland as well as Iceland and Greenland.
Corona-map of the Norwegian public health institute (FHI). Latest version as of 04 June:
a lot of red.
Vaccinations make travelling easier, Spitsbergen is included
Nevertheless, there is a development that may give international travellers reason to hope:
- According to a governmental press release published on Wednesday, fully vaccinated or recovered people may enter Norway again without quarantine from today (Friday, 11 June). That is, however, only for persons who got their vaccinations in Norway or who have their infection with Covid-19 registered in Norway in the last 6 months, but chances are that this may chance when the European digital vaccination certificate system is in operation. Norway has announced to join this system, and we can be curious about Norwegian decisions coming then. Testing upon entering the country remains compulsory.
- Spitsbergen is now included in important steps of the easing: as Svalbardposten reports, vaccinated/recovered people who are not required to stay in quarantine (as above) may travel on the Longyearbyen. It was and is not possible to quarantine in Svalbard, so quarantine time has to be done on the mainland, a major obstacle for international travellers. A negative Corona test in Norway within 24 hours before departure to Longyearbyen remains compulsory.
The question of coastal cruises in Spitsbergen waters remains so far open. There is still hope that some cruises may be possible later in the season, possibly only for vaccinated/recovered people.
Corona, Norway, Barentsburg …
Corona, getting to Norway Longyearbyen vaccination and testing
One can follow the almost daily news and press releases on travel and quarantine regulations in Norway with some astonishment. The bottomline is currently that the Norwegian government opens for easier access to the country by easing on quarantine – but only for Norwegians. Exceptions from this simple rule are few at the time being. The policy is currently to enable Norwegian travellers to spend at least some of the quarantine time at a place of their own choice, rather than in a quarantine hotel. Corona vaccinations are currently only recognized if applied in Norway, this may change with the introduction of a digital European vaccination certificate.
Spitsbergen has a record-breaking vaccination rate of more than 80 % of the adult population. Nevertheless, frustration is growing in Longyearbyen about being kind of forgotten while the rest of the country is opening up. Despite of the high vaccination rate, Longyearbyen is Norway’s only town which requires testing before you can trave there. This is not a local decision, local authorities seem to be happy to get rid of this testing regime but it is a decision that needs to be taken in Oslo. The obligation to test before travelling to Longyearbyen also apply to immunised (vaccinated or previously infected) people. A rapid test is available at the airport of Oslo Gardermoen for 1195 kroner (near 120 Euro), while a PCR test with result in 1-5 hours comes for 2500 kroner (near 250 Euro) (prices from a supplier at Oslo Gardermoen). In addition comes the challenge of testing while travelling, which may easily add an extra hotel night to one’s schedule.
Something much better
Barentsburg and the view over Grønfjord. Drawn by Edda Maaß, who celebrated her 18th birthday recently, with kind permission. Congratulations!
But one can also just forget all this misery at least for a short while and enjoy something beautiful, such as this drawing made by Edda Maaß who recently filled 18 years. Many readers will know the place 🙂
Norway untightens entry requirements – for Norwegians
The Norwegian government has announced to untighten entry restrictions in a press release on 21 May..
On the day the new regulations entered force, on 27 May, the government released another note with additional information, including an entry ban for tourists as one key point. One might get the impression that the Norwegian government took this as an implicitness that did not require explicite mentioning beyond insinuation in the said release.
Non-norwegian tourists are NOT allowed to enter Norway
The above-mentioned release from 27 May says amongst others:
“These (add: persons) can not enter Norway (applies to citizens of all countries, including citizens from EU/European economic zone and scandinavian countries):
- Tourists
- …
Followed by a list of groups that are currently not allowed to enter Norway (unless an excemption applies to them on an individual case basis), including distant relatives (such as grandparents!), foreign students (including those from scandinavian countries), persons with residence or work permit but who do not already live in Norway, business-related travelers, owners of holiday houses etc. (not complete).
Mentioning tourists as the first group in this list, and with the single word “tourists” in contrast to all other groups, sends a clear message: tourists are currently not welcome in Norway.
Airport at Oslo Gardermoen: international tourist traffic is a one way road at the time being: Norwegians may visit other countries, but not the other way around.
There are excemptions for travelers who may enter Norway despite of the general entry ban. This includes, amongst others, non-Norwegians who live in Norway, people from regions or countries which sufficiently low incidence that the quarantine obligation does not apply, visitors to close relatives, people in certain professions (for example journalists, seafarers, medical personell from certain countries, …) and people who are registered residents in Spitsbergen.
It is the map of the FHI, the Norwegian national health authority, that will play an important role in this context for another while. Currently, almost all European countries are listed as “red”.
As you go into detail, the roles are complex, please check with the official websites of relevant Norwegian authorities for binding information. But in general, the message is pretty clear, see above.
With SV Antigua to the ice in Spitsbergen … or not
Sunday, 30 May 2021, early afternoon – about 30 arctic travellers would now board SV Antigua in the port of Longyearbyen and meet the crew and each other.
Not so today, for reasons that are not a secret. The trip does not happen for the second time in a row, just as our longer voyage in late June/July.
Nobody will ever know what we are now missing. That is the beauty of these trips: every trip is like the first one (well, almost), and even those who have been around for some time in Spitsbergen don’t know what exactly will happen. Any trip will bring experiences that will surprise everybody. You can never know where you will end up, what the weather will be like and where you happen to see the various sorts of wildlife.
With Antigua at the ice edge in Smeerenburgfjord, early June 2019.
It is nothing we could catch up with later. Next year will be a new year, also 2022 will be only 12 months long and it will bring whatever it will bring, regardless of what we may have missed in 2021.
Just for fun, we can do what we always do before any trip and have a look at the ice chart and weather forecast. As you can see, the north coast of Spitsbergen is locked in behind dense drift ice. In Storfjord, on the southeast side of Spitsbergen, there are, in contrast, some wide fields of more open drift ice. It would have been an interesting idea to set course for south and southeast Spitsbergen rather than to the north, where you currently have open water and the suddenly meet with an impenetrable ice edge. Spitsbergen’s southern fjords are beautiful and the ice in the southeast is tempting. It is amazing to be on a sailing ship and have ice floes in all directions around you.
Ice chart of Svalbard. I’d love to see that on location
(Ice chart © Norwegian Meteorological Institute).
The weather is, of course, another important factor. It would not have been a full week of blue skies and bright sunshine, but a week of normal arctic late spring/early summer weather, with a bit of everything from blue to grey skies and anything that comes with it. The forecast is anything but reliable. If you want to know what it’s like in Smeerenburgfjord or Hornsund on Wednesday, then you have to be in Smeerenburgfjord or Hornsund on Wednesday. As simple as that.
Weather forecast for Hornsund. These forecasts are anything but reliable, but nevertheless an important planning tool (© yr.no).
Sadly, we will not find out. About 40 people (including crew and guides) will miss an experience of a lifetime. Plus, there is the economical aspect for the ship owner, the Tallship Company, the tour operator, die Geographische Reisegesellschaft, and those who are working on the ship. I hope they (this includes me) get well through this period and towards better times.
We’ve still got some hope for the trips later this summer. If you want to travel anyway, and certainly if you want to travel on a small ship in a remote area: make sure, if you can, to get that vaccine in time. And then: fingers crossed.
Norway untightens entry requirements – IMPORTANT UPDATE
!!! In a later release, the Norwegian government has pointed out that the untightened travel restrictions as described below apply only to Norwegian citizens. Details will follow later today in a new article on this page.
The Norwegian government has untightened the strict entry requirements for travellers to Norway. This comes into force today (Thursday, 27 May), according to an official press release.
In very short words, until yesterday the system for entry into Norway has been for months: “who are you and what do you want”, with the result that entry was possible or not depending on nationality and travel purpose. And “not possible” was usually the answer for non Norwegian travellers, unless they had an accepted reason such as a visit to close relatives, business etc.
From now on, the question is again: “where do you come from”.
Entry not based on “who are you and what do you want”, but “where do you come from”
Travellers from the Schengen treaty area as well as the UK may now enter Norway again provided corona infection figures in their area of origin meet certain requirements. In the best case, the obligation to spend some time in a quarantine hotel may even be omitted: in these cases, travellers are allowed to spend quarantine time at home or another suitable place of their choice. This applies to travellers from European countries (Schengen area and UK) with a corona incidence of less than 150 new infections per 100,000 inhabitants in the last 2 weeks (! the figures usually communicated in most countries are based on one week), as long as the rate of positive tests is maximum 4 %. So it is important to keep a good eye on data, which may obviously change on relatively short notice.
There is no differentiation between necessary and unnecessary traves anymore.
Airport Oslo Gardermoen: may become a bit more lively again in the near future.
Many still have to do some time in a quarantine hotel
The following persons will need to spend some time in quarantine in an approved hotel. It still is a bit complicated when it comes to the details, but it applies to most travellers that they will have to spend at least 7 days in a quarantine hotel before they can get tested out. Everybody is obliged to spend 7 days in quarantine, but the question if this has to be done in an approved hotel near Oslo Gardermoen (the airport) or in another place of one’s own choice may make a huge difference for many travellers.
- Travellers from countries outside the Schengen area or the UK still have to spend 7 days in a quarantine hotel.
- Travellers from the Schengen area or the UK also have to spend time in a quarantine hotel if the corona incidence in their region of origin exceeds the values described above moderately. These persons have the chance to continue their quarantine at another suitable place of their own choice after a minimum of 3 days and a negative test. The quarantine ends after a minimum of 7 days and a negative test.
- What about travellers from the Schengen area or the UK with a corona incidence that exceeds the values described above drastically? The Norwegian government has not yet decided on the details, but these travellers will have to spend at least 7 days in a quarantine hotel before they can be tested in order to potentially leave from quarantine.
- Proper Norwegian authorities may give dispensation from the obligation to quarantine. Such dispensation will, however, only be given in special cases and this needs to be done before entering the country.
The door has opened – a little bit
As a bottom line, Norway has opened the door again a little bit after months of entry restrictions which were amongst the toughest in the western world. We are still far away from free travelling as known from times before corona, but travelling for tourists from European countries is at least not something completely unthinkable anymore. It is not yet known when and how the regulations now in force will be untightened further. Technical authorities have suggested 3 days in quarantine also for fully vaccinated people, but regarding this, no decision has been made as of now.
Entry for vaccinated and recovered people
Decisions are yet to be made, but everything points to more freedom, possibly up to free entry, for people who are vaccinated or who have recovered from a corona infection. Norway will join the European system of a digital vaccination certificate, which needs to be in place before we may see such facilitations. According to Norwegian news (e.g. NRK Dagsrevyen, 26.5), preparations for such a certificate are well advanced in Norway and the system may be operating at some point in June.
And Spitsbergen?
A negative corona test is still required to travel to Spitsbergen and nothing has been said about when this will be omitted.
SV Antigua in Spitsbergen, with a touch of eary winter. It is currently impossible to know for sure if Antigua and other ships will be able to operate in Spitsbergen in the late season, but there is still some hope.
It is also not know if opportunities to operate “coastal cruises” will come up this season. Months ago, the Norwegian government has announced to come back to this until the end of May, so there may soon be new information relevant to those who have plans for ship-based travels.
New page: Trøndergruva – the oldest coal mine near Longyearbyen
Let’s take another virtual tour – it was time to play with some new panorama images and to create a new page. Join me on a little mountain walk on Blomsterdalshøgda, a ridge on the north side of Platåberg, just behind the airport. This is a comparatively easy walk, but it does not only have some flowers (as the name suggests) – I fiddled a bit with my camera to get some good flower shots with the focus stacking technique, and you can see a result on the new page.
Screenshot with a part of one of several panoramas on Blomsterdalshøgda. Click here to see the new page with the real panoramas, some pictures and the story of the oldest coal mine near Longyearbyen.
But the main thing here on Blomsterdalshøgda is “Trøndergruva”, the oldest coal mine in the Longyearbyen area and the starting point of a development that gave us Longyearbyen as we know it today 🙂 just click here to join me on a little tour on Blomsterdalshøgda and to Trøndergruva.
Corona aid for Longyearbyen companies: some are discriminated
“Svalbardpakke 2” is the second Norwegian package of corona backing for companies in Longyearbyen that have suffered economically from the pandemic. The package includes 40 million Norwegian crowns (4 million Euro) and it was brought on the way by the Norwegian parliament on 23 February because many local companies, especially tour operators, were suffering from an acute liquidity crunch. But the allocation of the funds reveals a two-class society with discrimination of some companies who are “not Norwegian enough”.
Longyearbyen Lokalstyre, the community administration, stated in a press release on 09 March (this author’s translation): “Mayor Arild Olsen mentions that the administration will emphasise criteria that support general Norwegian Svalbard politics. This will obviously include good working condition, but also the affiliation of the company. For example that the responsible companies are 100 % in Norwegian ownership and that the public limited companies are at least 34 % owned by Norwegian citizens and pay taxes in Longyearbyen. Alternatively, companies are included that have been active in Svalbard for at least five years.”
This was just a press release and not a legally binding text. Later, the minimum period of local activity was increased from five years up to ten for those those companies that are not in Norwegian ownership as described. This is now causing difficulties for several companies.
To prevent any misunderstandings: this is in any case exclusively about Norwegian companies that are registered in the Norwegian Brønnøysund registre and that are based and active in Longyearbyen, and not about companies from elsewhere.
The Spitsbergen Treaty emphasizes the equal treatment regardless of nationality, but sometimes, some are more equal than others (Norwegian national day, 17 May, in Longyearbyen)
But acccording to the current handling of the recent package of corona aids, the nationality of the owners is to play a decisive rule. This includes cases where non-Norwegian citizens have founded a company in Longyearbyen years ago, who live and work in Longyearbyen, create local jobs and pay local taxes, al according to local regulations. It is not about preventing abuse and fraud, but about excluding companies owned, partly or fully, by non-Norwegians.
It does not surprise that some who are concerned feel discriminated. Marcel Schütz has been active with his company Spitzbergen Reisen in her present shape since 2016 after having started with the precedessor in 2012, as he told Svalbardposten. He has invested substantially in Longyearbyen, amongst others in local accommodation of his clients, created several permanent plus several seasonal jobs and pays local taxes. Not being included because of nationality when tax money is returned to companies in need does doubtless not create good feelings, after having contributed to the development of the local economy for years.
Five or six out of 76 companies that are registered in Visit Svalbard may be excluded because of the ownership regulations. Schütz demands the relevant paragraph to be revised and ideally to be fully removed.
Mayor Olsen said that Svalbard, in contrast to mainland Norway, is not part of the European Economic Area and thus more free to make local decisions, and that paragraph 5 is meant to support Norwegian Svalbard politics, which generally aim at a Norwegian focus of local activities.
Official certification scheme for guides in Spitsbergen on the way
The Norwegian government has started work on a new set of rules for tourism in Spitsbergen. With the department of trade and industry and the department of justice, two ministries are involved in the work which will touch many aspects. It appears that guides will play one central rule. Guides are present during any touristic activity in Spitsbergen and they play a central rule in multiple ways: they carry responsibility for a quality experience, often with an educational aspect, for safety – an important aspect in a potentially dangerous environment such as the Arctic – and for compliance with a range of legal regulations and industry and company standards concerning safety and the protection of the environment including wildlife and cultural heritage.
The polar guide: a central position, but not a protected profession
One can only wonder that such a central profession within an industry that is more than one hundred years old* and that has seen decades of intense industrial development both locally and internationally, is not protected. Anyone can offer guide services. Of course there is a range of considerations and initiatives to certify qualified guides, and this has been going on for many years now both locally in Longyearbyen (Visit Svalbard) as well as internationally (PTGA), and many active guides have used one or another supplier to achieve some kind of certification. And of course, AECO, the “Association of Expedition Cruise Operators”, is working on the issue and various tour operators have developed their own qualification schemes.
*Regular commercial Spitsbergen cruises started in 1891 with Wilhelm Bade.
Tourists observing walruses in Spitsbergen: the guide play a key role in enabling tourists to have a good, safe experience without disturbing the wildlife or doing any other kind of harm to nature.
The problem is: there is, so far, no officially acknowledged certification. It is unclear who can and will issue acknowledged certifications, which qualifications will be required for certifiation, how, where and by whom these shall be verified and so on.
The Norwegian government is working on an official certification scheme for Spitsbergen guides
This is supposed to change. The Norwegian government has asked the industry and other interested parties to give their input and to make suggestions.
Many might benefit from a well thought-through certification scheme, including the guides themselves. Payment and work conditions in parts of the industry have repeatedly been subject to criticism in recent years. It is easy for companies to replace experienced employees by newcomers when a profession is not protected. There are plenty of young people who would be willing to work for next to nothing or even for free for a season of adventure in the Arctic. This may even be understandable from the individual’s position, but it is, at the same time, a very unfortunate structure for experienced professionals who want to be just that – professionals in the sense that they want to make a living of their work.
Ideally, everyboy could benefit: tourists, the industry, the environment – and the guides
Additionally, many guides have already put a lot of effort into aquiring certifications without knowing if and by whom they will really be accepted. Essentially, any step within qualification is a good step, but if it involves more bureaucracy than anything else to document knowledge and experience that some have used and shown in everyday work in years, without being certain that it is really worth the effort, then it is understandable that a certification scheme rooted in relevant legislation may provide planning reliability that makes it worth to spend some time and effort on.
Spitsbergen is getting vaccinated
Spitsbergen’s corona immunisation schedule is making good progress. The SARS-CoV-2 virus has not yet been locally recorded, which is almost surprising as there have been plenty of infections in mainland Norway and tourists are regularly coming from there. It seems to be common that they think that the mandatory use of face masks, for example in shops, does not apply to them.
The government in Oslo is well aware of Spitsbergen’s remote location, which would cause massive problems in case of a local Covid-19 breakout. The local hospital is not prepared to take care of corona patients, and evacuating patients to the mainland involves a huge logistical effort. Norway has thus decided to give Spitsbergen priority within the national corona immunisation schedule. This applies not only to Longyearbyen, but also to the other settlements, such as Barentsburg, Ny-Ålesund and the research station in Hornsund.
“You shall not pass!”
Longyearbyen’s strategy against the corona virus, and the whole world’s.
Not Spitsbergen, but another fantastic world. Author’s work based on a drawing by Gonzalo Kenny (the original scene in “The Lord of the Rings” involves a slightly larger, highly “inflammable” virus 🙂 )
More than 1400 persons have already been vaccinated in Spitsbergen, including about 90 who have already got full protection with two required injections, as Svalbardposten reports. Today (Thursday, 06 May), another 500 persons are to get their vaccination. This means that a large proportion of Spitsbergen’s adult population will soon be vaccinated at least once.
As everywhere in the world, this involves hopes for increased personal safety and the chance to return to normal life. As of now, it is not known when this will come for international travelling. The government in Oslo has announced to make relevant decisions in May. Norway does also take part in the European project of a digital vaccination certificate, which is scheduled to be available from late June. But it will be every government’s individual decision what kind of options owners of such a document will have, such as entry to a country for non-essential purposes or participating in a ship-based voyage. But it certainly appears as a reasonal possibility that acknowledged documentation of a corona vaccination may contribute to such opportunities.
Spitsbergen with SV Antigua (23.6.-11.7.): cancelled due to Corona
This latest cancellation due to the corona crisis is definitely a hard blow: the long Spitsbergen trip with SV Antigua from June 23 to July 11, 2021, is now cancelled. The participants will now be contacted by the Geographischen Reisegesellschaft.
We had to make a decision together with the owner of the Antigua, the Tallship Company. The current corona development and related travel restrictions did not leave us with any other choice. We would have loved to see a more efficient start of the European vaccination programme, this might have made a difference but it was too slow to enable this kind of travelling in June/July.
Spitsbergen with Antigua (June 23 – July 11): cancelled because of corona.
Finger crossed that we can carry out the remaining trips later in the season, with SY Arctica II in August/September and SV Antigua in September.
It probably goes without saying: anyone who wants to travel this summer, will be well advised to make use of the first opportunity to get a corona vaccination. Nothing is official as of now, but it appears to be a realistic scenario that Norway may lift travel restrictions and possibly enable participation in ship-based tourism initially for those who are fully vaccinated.
Trappers Trail: local dog sledge race took place
These days, it is news in itself if something actually happens! This was the case last weekend, when the local dog sledge race “Trappers Trail” took place. You can’t possibly imagine a public event with better distance and ventilation than a dog sledge race!
“Trappers Trail” is an annual event organised by the Longyearbyen dog club (hundeklubben) – they are the ones with the kennel near the polar bear warning sign next to the lake in Adventdalen. It is an event for local members of the club, more a social event than a competition. Well, it is also a competition, but it is more than just that.
Start of this year’s Trappers Trail: the traditional dog sledge race
for the members of the Longyearbyen dog club.
The Trappers Trail race takes two days. The route does require a good level of training from all participants, both on four and on two legs. It takes them from Longyearbyen via Adventdalen, Todalen, Bødalen and Colesdalen to Colesbukta – about 40 km in total – where the dog club has a club house. The participants spend a night in tents and then return via Fardalen and the glacier Longyearbreen. This second leg is about 30 km long – a bit shorter, but Fardalsbakken, the ascent from Fardalen up to the pass over to Longyearbreen, will push most teams into their reserves, before the long descent down Longyearbreen usually provides a relaxed final run back to Longyearbyen.
Colesbukta is the destination of the first day. Here, Longyearbyen dog club owns a hut and the participants of the Trappers Trail race spend a night in tents before they return on Sunday
(archive image).
The race is an annual highlight for the club members and local onlookers. The complete event happens outside and was thus possible to happen also under corona conditions.
Trappers Trail: Photo gallery
Max Schweiger was on location and provided photos – tusen takk, Max!
- gallery anchor link: #gallery_1968
Click on thumbnail to open an enlarged version of the specific photo.
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