Spending some $120 million per year, Norway is basically subsidizing each passenger who travels on Hurtigruten or Havila on their coastal service. The program goes back to 1893 when the ships provided a vital link to remote coastal towns and villages along the Norwegian coast.

Now, that program is up for review again. Last time, the government decided to split the contract between Hurtigruten and startup Havila. This time, the recommendations from the consulting firm Oslo Economics may be more drastic, according to Norwegian news reports.

Based on the facts that the service is no longer as vital as it used to be, although some communities may depend on it during the winter months when road and air access are limited, and passenger numbers have been dropping, according to findings reporte

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