From Fish to Ferraris
When it comes to getting goods where they need to go, our ships and service to coastal communities are a vital link in the chain.
From the inception of The Coastal Express till now, our mission has always been to connect villages, towns, and cities along the Norwegian coastline. For decades, we’ve transported the post, passengers, and freight that have helped families and businesses here not just survive but thrive.
Through the cargo we deliver, our ships are at the heart of important commercial and cultural exchanges. We carry the bountiful catches of fish from northern Norway to southern Norway. From there, high quality Norwegian seafood is exported and enjoyed throughout the rest of Europe and the world.
When our ships return to the remote coastal communities of northern Norway, they come bearing new and exciting goods from all corners of Europe and beyond, be it exotic fruit or fancy cars.
Sent south
The mainstay of what we transport reflects the primary industry for most communities on the Norwegian coast: fishing. Per Anders has worked with cargo on The Coastal Express for decades and , including a lot of fresh seafood from Northern Norway. According to him, “There’s no food that’s in more of a hurry than fresh fish. It needs to get from point A to point B quite quickly.”
Herring, halibut, cod, crab, salmon, shrimp, and scallops are caught or harvested in the teeming waters of the Arctic and carried down to ports in southern Norway. Seafood, whether fresh or dried, is one of the most important exports for Norway, feeding demand throughout Europe and Africa.
Being able to send their fish to customers around the globe provides a key livelihood for many on the coast. In turn, this international trade adds wealth to these otherwise isolated regions, doing a world of good for other industries there.
Transporting seafood via our ships rather than by freezer trucks not only decreases the carbon footprint involved, but also means we’re able to avoid any delays caused by bad weather and closed roads.
But Norwegian exports aren’t limited just to fish. The likes of local cloudberries, blueberries, reindeer meat, authentic aquavits, and craft beer also find their way to markets in various countries through our cargo service.
As producers on the Norwegian coast continue to diversify and improve in quality, the list of sought-after items we’ll be helping to bring to the world will only get longer.
Brought north
It’s not all just one way either. We bring all types of items back to the coastal communities in Northern Norway too – at one point, even carrying live cattle to some of the local farms!
Among the valuable cargo we drop off at ports on the Norwegian coast is food from other countries. Certain vegetables that many take for granted actually arrive courtesy of our ships. Older ones in Northern Norway can even remember how bananas, once never seen in these parts before, caused quite the stir at the local store after being offloaded by our ships for the first time. In fact, a number of coastal villages still rely on our service today for their supply of fresh fruit.
Our ships also frequently carry repair parts or upgrades for fishing boats, keeping the region’s fishing fleet well maintained to meet the challenges of the Norwegian Sea.
Research materials are likewise dispatched on our ships to the Norwegian Institute of Marine Research who are based in various places like Tromsø and Bergen. The data and samples we deliver help scientists better understand the health of our oceans.
The list of cargo we bring to the coast goes on and on, covering a wide range of goods. For Per Anders though, there’s one item that really stood out; a brand new Koenigsegg sports car worth 7 million Norwegian Kroner. “I was ok watching over the car on the ship, but my colleague’s pulse was pretty high when driving it aboard,” he chuckles.