PRESS RELEASE
September 15th, 2023
Trustee developing platform for affected passengers of Holland Norway Lines
Previsously, the trustee, Hans Silvius, reported that there are approximately 75,000 affected passengers who have booked travel services through Holland Norway Lines (HNL). The exact number of affected passengers is currently under investigation. However, it is evident that it involves a substantial number of passengers.
The trustee receives a significant volume of emails from passengers on a daily basis, and processing them in a timely manner is proving to be challenging. The trustee is committed to carefully evaluate the claims submitted by passengers. Therefore, the trustee is working on the development of a platform. Once the platform is ready, passengers will be able to submit their claims through it. Additionally, this platform will keep affected passengers informed about the status of the bankruptcy proceedings. The platform can be accessed at www.passengershnl.com, and it is expected to be available in the second half of October this year.
The trustee will inform all known affected passengers of HNL and its subsidiary company HNL Travel next week via their registered email addresses with further details.
PRESS RELEASE
September 4th, 2023
The court in Groningen declared Holland Norway Lines BV (HNL) bankrupt. The bankruptcy was requested in consultation with trustee Hans Silvius and the management of HNL. Hans Silvius has been appointed as the curator.
The reason for proceeding with the bankruptcy application is that no potential candidate has
come forward for the takeover of Holland Norway Lines since the company applied for a
suspension of payments last week. The employees of HNL in both Norway and the
Netherlands have been informed this morning by the management of HNL.
Although at this point only Holland Norway Lines BV has filed for bankruptcy, it is expected
that the subsidiaries in the group will file for bankruptcy within short, as there is no longer
prospects for continued operations.
Mr. Hans Silvius, appointed as the curator, is now responsible for managing the assets and
settling the financial obligations of Holland Norway Lines. The curator will serve as the
primary point of contact during this process.
The curator will respond to all inquiries as quickly as possible. Holland Norway Lines deeply
regrets the bankruptcy and wishes to extend its sincere gratitude to all parties involved for
their support and understanding during this challenging period.
Passengers who have questions regarding the bankruptcy can contact the curator via the following email address: [email protected]
Other parties – such as suppliers – can contact the curator via the following email address: [email protected]
August 31st, 2023
Holland Norway Lines has applied for suspension of payments from the court
Pending further developments, the MS Romantika is not sailing for the time being and ticket sales have been halted.
Questions & answers for (future) passengers – update: Thursday August 31st, 2023
Answers are subject to change and will be edited as soon as there is more information.
Q: Are all sailings of Holland Norway Lines cancelled, also those for example for sailings later this year and 2024?
A: Not all sailings are cancelled at this stage. The by Dutch law appointed administrator will try to
find a short-term solution for Holland Norway Lines that might secure its future sailings. As soon as there is more information on sailings the coming weeks and months, we will post it on the website and contact our passengers directly by e-mail.
Q: I have already booked a ticket with Holland Norway Lines, will I get my costs refunded?
A: Tickets bought by credit card payments are in most situations covered by your card provider.
Please check your travel insurance or credit card provider for more information on that subject. In all
other cases we or the administrator will inform our passengers as soon as we are able to.
Q: Is my ticket covered by an SGR guarantee?
A: SGR guarantee applies for holiday packages, consisting of a ferry crossing + hotel accommodation,
booked on the Holland Norway Lines website. The guarantee does not cover regular crossings and
mini-cruises. Once we have more information available, passengers who booked a holiday package
will be contacted by us.
Q: I have questions other than the above, where can I ask them. Why couldn’t I contact your HNL
Passenger service team until now?
A: We are very sorry, but pending the by Dutch law appointed administrator, we can’t answer
individual questions. As soon as there is more information, at this stage we will post it on our
website or open other channels. So please check this website frequently for updates. Until further
notice of our administrator, this is the only information we can provide.
Q: The ship is currently docked in Emden. Will the MS Romantika sail back to Kristiansand (Norway)?
A: The MS Romantika is not sailing back to Norway until further notice. We will inform our
passengers once more information becomes available.
Q: I booked a return trip. How do I get back?
A: We are very sorry, but in the current situation a return trip is no longer possible with the
MS Romantika. The ship will not sail for the time being. You unfortunately need to arrange
alternative transportation by yourself. If you have a travel insurance, we also recommend that you contact them to see if they can assist. Some options to consider:
Ferries and flights:
- Ferries: Color Line, DFDS, Fjord Line and Stena Line. These companies provide ferry crossings
between European mainland and Scandinavia. - Flights: The closest airports are Schiphol Amsterdam (NL) and Kjevik Kristiansand (NO). There are multiple daily flights between these airports.
Be aware; at this point of time any costs for alternative transportation/accommodation cannot be
refunded by Holland Norway Lines.
Q: Does my ticket also apply to another ferry boat(s)?
A: No sorry, tickets sold by Holland Norway Lines do not apply to other cruise ferry companies.
PRESS RELEASE
August 30th, 2023
Holland Norway Lines applies for suspension of payments
Holland Norway Lines BV (HNL) applied for a suspension of payments in court this morning. Business operations are under pressure, partly due to the financial losses incurred at the beginning of the year in connection with the troubled period at Eemshaven. Pending further developments, the MS Romantika is not sailing for the time being and ticket sales have been halted.
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. Nevertheless, after the restart in Cuxhaven, Germany, and then a successful start in Emden (1 June), HNL saw the future looking bright again. However, HNL needs more time to make up for the financial losses incurred early this year.
From start-up to full-fledged organisation
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.
