The court in Groningen declared Holland Norway Lines BV (HNL) bankrupt on Monday, 4 September. The bankruptcy was filed in consultation with trustee Hans Silvius and the management of HNL. Silvius has been appointed as curator.
The reason for filing for bankruptcy is that no serious candidate has so far come forward to take over Holland Norway Lines after the company filed for suspension of payments last week. HNL employees in both Norway and the Netherlands were informed by HNL’s management on Monday morning.
Although at this point only Holland Norway Lines BV has filed for bankruptcy, it is expected that the subsidiaries in the group will soon file for bankruptcy as well, as there are no longer any prospects for continued operations.
The cause of the pressure on the still young company’s operations lies mainly in the troubled period at the beginning of this year due to the forced departure from Eemshaven. A period with many cancellations and extra costs, but also with a significant impact on future bookings. A restart first from Cuxhaven, Germany, and later from Emden have proven insufficient to make up for the previous losses.
Also read: Holland Norway Lines applies for suspension of payments
400,000 passengers
The company provided a regular service between first Eemshaven, the Netherlands, later Emden, Germany, and Kristiansand in Norway. The route was serviced by the cruise ferry MS Romantika. 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.
Silvius is now responsible for managing the assets and settling Holland Norway Lines’ financial obligations. The receiver will act as the first point of contact during this process.
The administrator will respond to all queries as soon as possible. Holland Norway Lines deeply regrets the bankruptcy and would like to express its sincere thanks to all parties involved for their support and understanding during this challenging period.
MS Romantika
The RoRo/passenger ship MS Romantika was built in 2002 and sails under the Dutch flag. It is 193 metres long and 35 metres wide with a GT of 40,803. The ship can accommodate 2500 passengers, 300 cars and sixty trucks.
The vessel was originally built for Tallink and constructed by Finnish company Aker Finnyards. In 2021, the ship briefly sailed for Tanger Med, before it was chartered for three years to Holland Norway Lines, with an option for an extra two years.
Picture by Maarten Heerlien, Wikimedia Commons.
Also read: MS Romantika breaks loose in Dutch Eemshaven and hits other ships
