Ten municipalities urge state to fund shortcut ferries

Ten municipalities and the Council of Rural Districts are calling on the government to put shortcut ferries on the national Finance Act, with fixed annual support of 30 million to 40 million kroner. The municipalities say the routes risk closure as local authorities cut spending, DR reports.

The ten municipalities operate ferry routes at their own expense. In an open letter to Signe Munk, the minister for cities, rural areas and transport, and Pia Olsen Dyhr, the minister for economy and the interior, they describe the ferries’ future as uncertain, with several routes struggling to survive.

Shortcut ferries connect regions or local areas where the road alternative is significantly longer. The municipalities and the Council of Rural Districts say the services are essential for housing, businesses, tourism, education and commuting, as well as for links between rural communities.

“Without the shortcut ferries, parts of the country will face even greater challenges than they already do,” said Steffen Damsgaard, chair of the Council of Rural Districts.

On Wednesday, a delegation from Thy and Mors raised the same issue at a hearing in parliament and met politicians from both sides. Laila Sølager, chair of the Nordmors Residents’ Association, said the delegation was received positively.

The municipalities say their ferries receive no state support, unlike island ferries, which are subsidised under the “road principle”: travelling by ferry to an island should not cost more than it would if a road and bridge were available.

“We do not want to take subsidy money from island ferries, but it is unreasonable that there should be such a difference,” Damsgaard said. He warned that shortcut ferry closures could cut off parts of the country from one another.

Raising ticket prices is the only other option if the ferries do not receive state support. But Morsø Mayor Jens Dahlgaard said fares could not be increased further without losing passengers.