Norway - Yachting Essentials

Norway Yachting Essentials

Electricity:

• Voltage: 220 V
• Frequency: 50 Hz

Fuel:

Most harbours have fuel berths for yachts. During the summer, petrol is readily available on the south coast for boats with large outboard engines, while the rest of the coast requires carrying jerry cans from the nearest gas station. Petrol is also available in big marinas.

The green diesel dispensed in Norway does not contain any biodiesel.

Diesel sold at roadside filling stations contains 6 to 7% biodiesel.

LPG:

AGA and Nippon are major propane suppliers in Norway, exclusively dealing with standard cylinders which can be exchanged. The cylinders are refilled in large automated plants. Foreign cylinders, however, are not accepted.

LPG Norge has a chain of propane filling stations for cars, where you can get foreign propane bottles filled, including Camping Gaz, but these locations may not be convenient for boats. It's recommended to carry an adaptor for your specific cylinder.

VestGass, located north of Bergen in Straumane, may also fill foreign propane tanks.

Although the situation is evolving, it is still impossible to fill foreign cylinders in most areas in Norway.

Butane is available only in small disposable canisters for camping cookers, grills, etc.

This site is useful: https://www.mylpg.eu/stations/norway/ 

Getting Work Done:

Maintenance facilities for sailboats are limited, particularly in the north, but there are fishing boat facilities that offer repairs, provided you have a decent supply of spare parts. Due to the cost of parts and shipping, it is recommended that you stock up before heading for Norway.

Provisioning:

Groceries are expensive in Norway, so if you are coming from a country where costs are lower, you may want to stock up before leaving.

Norway offers easy access to fresh provisions in larger centres and villages, with small shops providing basic groceries for those in need.

Navigation Hazards:

All warnings and Notices to Mariners are published on webpage of the Norwegian Mapping Authority.

Not all of Norway's many fish farms are shown on the charts as their positions vary frequently, so keep an eye out for them.

Military exercise areas does not interfere with normal boating. There are a few small military areas indicated on the chart, some of which cannot be visited and others that can be transited without anchoring, fishing, or diving. Special rules apply to boats weighing more than 50 tons or 24 metres in these areas.

Bridges are marked in every official nautical chart.

In Norway, overhead power cables are common. They are marked on the charts by a red broken line, with the lowest height in metres highlighted in red. Be aware that the mooring ropes have been known to run between the surface buoys and the shore with nothing to warn the mariner of their presence. Note: in remote places in early spring it is advisable to allow for sagging of cables due to icing.

Norway's lobster season begins on October 1. The buoys are small, usually without flags, and difficult to detect even in broad daylight in a flat calm. These present a concern to late-season cruisers making an inshore passage.

Tidal streams east of Lindesnes are minimal, though strong currents may be found at the mouth of large rivers such as Skjenselva and Drammenselva (5 knots is not uncommon).

Transit planning is required in the west of Lindesnes due to significant tidal streams in inshore channels and fjords due to river flow, wind, and other factors.

The following sites are useful: https://www.kartverket.no/en/at-sea/efs and https://www.bridgeinfo.net/list/norway/clearance

Docking/Marinas:

Individual marinas or clubs should be contacted in advance, however, major marinas will accept guests as they turn up.

There are challenges in anchoring in Norway. Some of the issues you may face are sea bottom conditions (thick kelp, stiff clay with weed, and hard sand), depth (Norwegian anchorages tends to be deep), and limited, sloping shelf of suitable depth.

Small anchorages often have fortøyningsbolter (mooring bolts), T-shaped metal pickets or rings set into the rock, often marked by target-like rings, making them difficult to see without.

Visitors' berths (gjestebrygger) are increasingly found in larger towns and cities, often equipped with electricity, water, showers, and washing/drying machines. Many private boat clubs also have space designated for visitors and/or allow visitors to use members’ vacant spaces.

More harbors are incorporating floating pontoon systems (flytebrygger) with finger piers for easy berth separation, making them convenient and easy to tie to.

Avoid tying up to private docks or pontoons without the owner's permission, and never plug into someone's private electricity outlet without a compensation agreement. If there are no visitor berths available, it is recommended to find the nearest anchorage and visit the village by dinghy.

Quays may be necessary in areas where there are no docks (flytebrygge), where the pontoon is overcrowded with visiting boats, or the pontoon is too small.

Local boating clubs have long provided moorings for their members, but various agencies are now installing moorings that are available for all to use for 24 hours at a time. The usual warnings apply when picking up a mooring that you are unfamiliar with.

Pump-out stations are common in major marinas. Suction fittings on deck are used. See Restrictions for more details on Holding Tanks.