The technical error occurred on Friday morning in the line that drives the ferry.
On Saturday, Destination Gotland decided to take the ferry out of service for repairs until Tuesday, which means that another 15 departures are cancelled.
Now the Gotland region announces that they are opening up an arena with sleeping places for affected travelers.
– After a few conversations back and forth, we realized that this is an extensive problem.
We are taking precautions because some will have nowhere to go, says Rikard von Zweigbergk, emergency manager for the Gotland region to TV4 Nyheterna.
– We prepare for the worst. Therefore, we will now open up Ica Maxi Arena, one of our larger halls where you should be able to get an easier place to sleep. It is definitely not a hotel, very basic.
Sleep in the car: “Let it be as it will be”
Several of the travelers have been forced to spend the night in their cars or at the ferry terminal. One of them is Anders Norrman, who despite canceled departures, is in a good mood on Saturday morning.
– It has been quiet in the car, we have sat and slept. We came here and were supposed to take the first ferry that left at 03.40 to Nynäshamn and then we got a queue slip, but we didn’t make it. We’ll see if we get the next ferry to Oskarshamn. It will be as it will be, he says.
He should actually have left Gotland at 17.40 on Friday, but after several attempts to get off the island, he is still there.
“Worked terribly”
Robert Ahlberg has been waiting to leave Gotland since 11 pm last night. He thinks the situation was handled poorly.
– It has been very difficult and there is no information – so it has worked very badly, I would say, he says.
Katarina Söderlund was at the ferry terminal at half past ten last night and has spent the night in the car. She also does not think that the information was the best during the night.
– I have been very irritated, and now I am very tired and feel that I have to come today. The information is not very good, she says.
All tours are canceled up to and including August 15
In a press release, Destination Gotland, which operates the ferry service between the mainland and the island, writes that M/S Drotten will be taken out of service from August 12 through August 15 for the repair of a technical fault on the driveline.
“We truly regret the consequences that the canceled tours have for our travelers. We have a humble understanding of how this affects a large number of travelers, their everyday life and planning. We are doing everything we can to make full use of the available capacity,” says Marcus Risberg, CEO of Destination Gotland, in the press release.
15,000 affected
Destination Gotland expects that 15,000 travelers will be affected by the canceled departures.
– A large number of travelers are affected and of course their everyday life and planning is disrupted. It is regrettable and we understand it, says Marcus Risberg, who believes that the situation arises “with the worst possible timing” because it is the “homecoming period” and many travelers are traveling to the mainland from Gotland.
– This means that all departures are actually fully booked during the weekend and the beginning of next week, which in turn makes it difficult to find capacity and rebook travelers within a reasonable time, he says.
Added extra departures
Destination Gotland has added extra departures, but they cannot start until the night of Tuesday.
– We have of course looked around and examined what is available, but no actor has the capacity to hand over to us at such short notice, says Marcus Risberg.
In the meantime, the ferry terminal in Visby is open around the clock to ensure that all stranded travelers have a roof over their heads. Destination Gotland also informs travelers about available accommodation on the island.
– Then we have a continuous dialogue with the region, which reviews the possibility of possibly opening up gymnasiums and other similar facilities, if necessary, says Marcus Risberg.
He emphasizes that the travelers who have been affected according to an EU regulation are entitled to some compensation.
– It means that in case of canceled departures, the traveler has the right to receive compensation for reasonable and reasonable costs, we naturally follow it.
Even earlier this week, Destination Gotland was forced to cancel some of the departures due to the storm that hit large parts of the country.