Norway - Water transport services - Market inquiry related to the boat route 'Sunnhordlandsruta' from 2030

Skyss is preparing a competitive tender for the operation of the Sunnhordland route for the period from December 2030 to December 2045 and is now seeking input from the market regarding preliminary proposals for requirements and solutions. The County Committee has decided that emissions from the operation of the route shall be reduced by a minimum of 20-25% compared with current emission levels. This implies that two of the three vessels operating the route must be partially electric. It is planned that the service offering will be adjusted to some extent from December 2030. The quays to be served by the three vessels from December 2030 are illustrated in the appendix Travel Pattern. The service offering and climate ambitions were considered by the County Committee on 18 February 2026. The case documents and decision are available under PS 22/2026: Committee meeting. Skyss is considering the use of a bonus model or a change option to achieve additional emission reductions beyond the minimum requirement defined in Contract Clause 5.3. Skyss welcomes the market’s input on such solutions. In addition, a proposed separate change mechanism related to climate has been included in Chapter 1 of the attached draft contract. At present, it has not been decided whether the contract will be structured as a gross contract or a net contract. The County Committee has requested a more thorough assessment and will consider this in the autumn, prior to the publication of the tender. Regardless of the contract model, there is a desire to introduce strong incentives to utilise market potential and increase passenger numbers where capacity is available. Through this market inquiry, Skyss seeks the market’s input on the alternatives under consideration. At this stage, the draft contract text is adapted to a gross contract, and several sections relating, among other things, to marketing, branding, customer handling and ticket sales will need to be adjusted based on the final decision. At present, it has not been clarified which real-time data and reporting requirements will apply to this contract. With the aim of designing a balanced operating contract, Skyss intends to make certain adjustments to the penalty regime in Chapter 7. This includes, among other things, the introduction of thresholds for when penalties will apply and monthly caps limiting the total penalty amount. Furthermore, minor changes have been made to the change regime (Chapter 1) in order to achieve more balanced contracts. Skyss aims to publish the tender for the operation of the Sunnhordland route in October/November 2026, with contract award planned for October/November 2027. Attached are a draft contract and other relevant documents related to the future contract. We emphasise that the proposed wording in the tender documents represents Skyss’ preliminary proposals and has not been subject to political consideration. The documents are not complete, and text and requirement proposals may therefore be amended, including based on input from the operator market. Market feedback and input will form part of the basis for Skyss’ forthcoming submission to the County Committee in autumn 2026.