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Mo i Rana dredging project scheduled for 2024Mo i Rana dredging project scheduled for 2024

Mo i Rana, a gateway to the Arctic Circle and location of Norway’s second largest glacier, has received funding for a dredging project set to take place June-December, 2024.

Holly Payne, Editor Video Production and Deputy Editor

August 28, 2023

4 Min Read
cruise mo i rana
Øystein Lorentzen, cruise coordinator, Port of Mo i RanaPHOTO: HOLLY PAYNE

It will see Mo i Rana’s 300mtr-long Toraneskaia quay area increase from a depth of 7-8mtr to 9.5mtr.

The second quay, Bulkterminalen, has a length of 129mtr and a depth of 11mtr. There is one spot for anchorage about 200m to 300m from the Toraneskaia quay.

Øystein Lorentzen, the port’s cruise coordinator, explained, ‘We have the dredging project because a lot of pollution from factories has been brought here by the current.

‘This polluted water will be moved across to the deep-water quay.’

The 130m NOK project will last for four months, with special care to be taken during the process to avoid disturbing spawning cod.

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The dredging will cost 130m NOK; the work will be be carried out June-December 2024

Due to its number of buses and guides, Mo i Rana can handle a single ship at a time carrying around 1,500 passengers.

The port will receive a total of two calls this year and has one call scheduled for 2024.

Shuttle buses are required for cruise ships arriving at the second berth and tender port owing to industrial traffic.

Passengers with wheelchairs or pushchairs will need to book an adapted taxi, with these readily available. 

Key sights and attractions

From August 25-26, during Cruise Norway’s fam trip to Northern Norway (August 24-September 1) cruise line representatives had a chance to visit some of Mo i Rana’s main attractions. Among them, crossing the Arctic Circle and visiting the Arctic Circle Center located 80km north of the city (an hour from Mo i Rana by road). Passengers can step over the threshold after hearing stories on the area’s history and culture from a member of the Sami indigenous group, and listen to a joik – a native Sami musical expression.

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At the Arctic Circle and Sami heritage at Nordland National Park Centre

Combined with a 300mtr trek inside Gronligrotta cave, the itinerary from Mo i Rana takes four hours. Shore excursions have been held for two groups so far this year at the cave, comprised of of 39 and 29 passengers; the attraction is not suitable for pushchairs or wheelchair users.

The two locations can be blended with the Nordland National Park Centre for a six-hour tour from Mo i Rana (six to seven hours from Bodø). There, passengers can learn about the lives of Per Adde and Kajsa Zetterquist, their impact on preserving Sami culture and visit the Adde Zetterquist Art Gallery to see their unique artwork. A small cinema shows a short, five-minute film (English subtitles) offering a glimpse into the lives of Adde and Zetterquist, while the center’s shop offers passengers the chance to purchase artwork and crafts produced locally.

The centre contains a selection of handicrafts from the various Sami subgroups and showcases the Sami way of life from past to present. Lavvu – traditional Sami houses – can be found in the grounds, and passengers can sit around an open fire for refreshments or feast on Sami-made bread in a camp area.

Mo I Rana walking tour

A walking tour includes Mo i Rana old town, and focuses on the city’s history during World War Two – including its prisoner of war camps – and its steel-making industry, as well as Mo i Rana’s exponential growth. It includes a stop at Helgeland Museum at Rana which opened in early 2022 and contains exhibitions on the town’s World War Two history, natural history, Sami culture and more. Of special note is a reproduction of the old village Mo between 1920-1950 in the scale of 1:100, spanning more than 80 sq m. Many of the displays have text written in Norwegian only.

A new exhibition will open at the museum next summer portraying a timeline of Mo i Rana’s history. The venue is suitable for 25-minute to one-hour tours.

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Old town Mo i Rana and Helgeland Museum at Rana

Read more about:

Norway

About the Author

Holly Payne

Editor Video Production and Deputy Editor

Holly is Deputy Editor, Seatrade Cruise Review & Seatrade Cruise News and has experience managing a range of highly successful international business and consumer titles. With a flair for video reporting and a history of overseas work documenting people and places of diverse cultures, Holly brings a variety of skills to the Seatrade Cruise portfolio.

Holly’s academic credentials include oral and written Arabic language skills (intermediate-advanced), an MA Multimedia Journalism with NCTJ accreditation, and a BA (Hons) Degree in Classical and Archaeological Studies with English and American Literature.

 

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