«Marit» og «Therese» lagt ut for salg etter dundrende underskudd

In September 2022, two ships named MS "Marit" and MS "Therese" were commissioned by sporting legends Marit Bjørgen and Therese Johaug. Four years later, the ships are up for sale according to Moss Avis. The project received 119 million kroner in government support with the goal of becoming a leading player in electric sea transport with ships that emit no direct pollution during operation.

However, the cargo ships between Moss and Vestfold have not performed as expected, reports the newspaper. In the last fiscal year, Asko Maritime incurred a loss of 158.1 million kroner, down from 67.8 million kroner the previous year. While operational income increased from 9.8 to 16.8 million kroner, costs amounted to 205.2 million kroner.

Ship brokerage firm BRS Shipbrokers has now entered the market and is seeking bids for the ships. - The ships were specially built for nearshore traffic and currently operate in Oslofjorden. They can be inspected upon agreement and fast delivery is possible. The owners request to be sent the best bids, according to the report. Communications chief Linda Fleischer of Asko emphasizes that nothing is decided yet. - The volume and financial performance of traffic with the "MS Marit" and "MS Therese" between Moss and Horten are weaker than expected.

She writes this in an email to the newspaper. She adds that operations will continue as normal. The ships were actually supposed to be self-sustaining, but continue to operate with navigators on board. Meanwhile, daily manager Øystein Høsteland Sundby is leaving the company by November to become director of Follo RenFollo Ren, an inter-municipal renovation company owned by the municipalities of Frogn, Nesodden, Nordre Follo and Ås in Akershus.