Hurtigruten comes under cyberattack

Norway’s expedition cruise operator Hurtigruten was hit by a cyberattack on 14 December 2020.

“Several key systems are currently down,” the company said in a statement on the Oslo Stock Exchange on Monday.

Hurtigruten added that it cooperates with relevant Norwegian authorities and partners to obtain an overview of the situation and limit the spread and damage of the attack. 

“We do not expect a material financial effect from the cyberattack.”

As of 15 December, Hurtigruten’s website is still down.

The latest cyberattack only deepened Hurtigruten’s woes as the coronavirus has been negatively affecting the company’s business activities. In spring this year, the cruise operator suspended all operations on the Norwegian coast and introduced several targeted measures to limit the spread of the pandemic, including massive layoffs.

In August, the company temporarily suspended expedition sailings for all of its ships after a number of its crew members and several guests tested positive for COVID-19 on board the ship MS Roald Amundsen.

Due to the increase in COVID-19 cases across Europe and in South and North America this autumn, Hurtigruten suspended all expedition operations until the end of December 2020. It also cancelled the remaining of the Antarctica 20/21 season – from January and throughout the first quarter of 2021.

With travel being restricted to a minimum, Hurtigruten decided in September to have only two ships in operation on the Norwegian coast. However, in early December, the company signed an agreement with Norwegian authorities to increase the capacity to five vessels.