May landowners block ferry access to an island

Directors of private ferries may not unilaterally block customers from using critical transport links, the Danish Transport Ministry has warned the Østre Færge company after a dispute between a ferry operator and a local farmer left islanders and hauliers stranded.

The ministry told Østre Færge in a letter that the ongoing ban on Hans Ingemann, a major landowner on Orø, and anyone working with him must cease immediately or the ministry will examine whether the company is complying with Denmark’s ferry-service laws. The route is considered “to some degree socially necessary,” the ministry wrote, and the ban is having “significant consequences” for the municipal ferry between Orø and Holbæk.

The conflict began in April when Østre Færge, which runs a larger vessel between Hammer Bakke and Orø, said Ingemann owed money for services and therefore barred him, his employees and anyone connected to his farm from boarding. Ingemann denies owing any money to the ferry company.

Hauliers transporting straw from Ingemann’s farm to Ringsted Fjernvarme have also been turned away, forcing drivers to reroute via the smaller municipal ferry from Holbæk, adding hours to deliveries. Some large agricultural machines cannot fit on the municipal ferry unless their wheels are removed and they are loaded onto a low-loader, a process that also disrupts tourist traffic.

Orø resident Anita Nag said the situation made her uneasy because one person appeared to control the island’s only transport artery. “I’m surprised that having a critical route gives someone this kind of power,” she said.

Former transport minister Thomas Danielsen, a member of the Venstre party, said ferry operators cannot pick and choose which customers to carry. “It is unheard of to wield this kind of authority as a ferry captain,” he said. “We cannot allow any transport link in Denmark where the operator decides who may travel.”

Østre Færge’s director, Michael Kousted, said his company’s legal advice supported the ban, but he remained open to negotiating a settlement.