The ship Bruvik is a Norwegian passenger ship that was used as a so-called "Fjordbus" in regular service. It is one of the last ships of this type that is still almost in its original condition.
The Bruvik in motion
The ship was built in 1949 at the Glommens mek. Verksted ”in Fredrikstad for the shipping company “ Nordhordlands Dampbåtlag ”. It was specially designed for use on the Norwegian fjords and, in addition to favorable maneuverability, had a high ice class , which enabled the ship to be used up to a closed ice cover of 60 cm thickness. This was important in order to maintain the line connection between the communities along the fjords of Fylke Hordaland in the winter months . It was used in regular service until the late 1970s. It was then sold to Finland , where it was used as a tour boat for over 10 years. In 1994 it was bought back by "Indre Nordhordland Dampbåtlag a / s" and has been used as an excursion boat after extensive renovation in the winter of 1994/95. His home port is Bergen in Norway.
The ship is named after the small municipality of Bruvik in the administrative district (Fylke) Hordaland.
Fjord buses were an important part of local public transport in parts of Norway until the 1970s. At a time when the road network in the rural and rugged regions of western Norway was still very sketchy, the fjords served as natural transport routes between the communities. These fjord buses ran on several lines according to a regular timetable until they were gradually replaced by the increasing number of individual traffic. Due to the extensive construction of country roads and bridges, almost every settlement in Norway was connected to the road network by the end of the 1970s, making the fjord bus routes superfluous.
Technical specifications
The ship is measured at a length of 45.10 m and a width of 7.60 m with 291 GRT . With an engine output of approx. 810 hp , it reaches a top speed of 16 knots . It is approved for 280 passengers.
