Entry 10.2: Aftermath and Reconstruction
May 1, 2000 - Part 2: A new port
Population: 1,130
Looking towards the east on Kaninfjorden
Roar Gulbrandsen
Roar and his twin brother Birger were born in 1958, Roar being the youngest by only 3 minutes. Roar was the family’s least favorite son that was too far down the line of succession to ever inherit any of the family’s fortune. He was often ignored and overlooked by the family and treated as sort of an outsider. His father repeatedly referred to him as a mistake.
When he turned 17, Roar moved to Stokkvågen and got a job working at the docks, loading freight. After working in Stokkvågen for several years, he eventually moved to Narvik, where he has resided ever since. Living in Narvik was no easy life. Roar had to work for a living, with the lavish life of the Gulbrandsen’s being nothing more than an ever-fading memory. For twenty years, he never attempted to contact his family. To his father and brothers, he was all but forgotten. Despite all of this, Roar’s hard work and dedication paid off, and by the age of 37 he was promoted to harbormaster of the Narvik port.
Once news reached Roar of the environmental calamity and conspiracy perpetuated by his father, Roar was outright appalled, but not surprised. Having lived in Narvik for 23 years, Roar never had to worry about any of the legal and financial consequences of the disaster. He never expected to inherit any of the Gulbrandsen’s fortunate, so he wasn’t upset that his father and two brothers were now broke.
Working at the Narvik port for 23 years, allowed Roar to develop an extensive network of contacts in the shipping and fishing industries. He started calling in favors with those he knew in an attempt to help his hometown. A captain he knew was just recently hired by a company looking for a new home port, whom he managed to convince to invest in the town in spite of negative press. This ended up helping Kanin Fjord through a dark year and allowed Kanin Fjord to attain prosperity once again. Roar became sort of an invisible hero who managed to save his hometown from financial ruin.
1999 – The Dark Year
The fuel spill shut down all fishing in Kaninfjorden during the remainder of the 1998 fishing season and the entire 1999 fishing season. While most of the diesel fuel evaporated, a small amount still mixed into the water column, contaminating the coastlines and the seabed in shallow waters. It negatively affected the food chain and led to the poisoning of many fish in the fjord.
The Norwegian Climate and Pollution spent all of 1999 removing contaminated soil, fish, and plant life, while performing tests and studies on the fjord to determine the extent of the environmental damage. As a result of the spill, the Norwegian Government banned all fishing in both Kaninfjorden and Hjortfjorden until it could be determined that fish and shellfish were safe to eat, and diesel levels were sufficiently low enough in the environment. Additionally, authorities banned all but essential boating on the fjord, leaving any resident with a recreational boat high and dry.
To offset the lost income of fisherman, Norway’s government gave ship captains payment relief from their port leases and allowed them to fish in the Norwegian Sea. The town of Stokkvågen even offered captains the option to unload their catch at the town’s port. This was too little however, as most of Kanin Fjord’s fishing fleet consisted of small 3 to 5 person ships that were specifically designed to fish in the fjord. Only two ships were large enough and sufficiently equipped to fish in the open ocean.
The 1999 fishing year did not bring any revenue into the town. Kanin Fjord’s population shrank for the first time, dropping from 1,101 to 1,062. Any recent arrival that did not have anything finically tying them to the town left for more bountiful seas. Lacking any sufficient income resulted in many residents having to ration their savings to survive. It wasn’t until November of 1999 that the fjord was determined to be safe for fishing and boating.
A Ray of Hope
One year before the South Port Disaster, business leaders had hired an engineering firm to redesign the South Port. It was a risky move, because there was a greater than 50% probability, Troels Gulbrandsen would reject the plan due to his beliefs. Still, they thought if they could cater to Troels’ wallet, the plan might possibly be approved.
The final design was to be presented 1 month after the disaster. Without knowing if or when it would even be possible to fish in the fjord again, the plan was about to be scrapped. One of Roar Gulbrandsen’s contacts managed to convince a newly formed fishing conglomerate called Navnår to invest in Kanin Fjord. Navnår was looking for a home port, and Kanin Fjord’s location was ideally located in their planned fishing range. Navnår purchased both the North and South Ports from the Norwegian Government.
Plans for the new South Port were approved on December 2, 1998, Construction began in February of 1999. Navnår wanting to make a good name for itself in Kanin Fjord, offered residents 80 high-paying temporary construction jobs that included 2 months of company paid for construction training. This provided a lifeline for residents who desperately needed an income.
It was the hope of Navnår, that by the end of the 1999, The Norwegian Climate and Pollution Agency would deem the fjord safe to fish again. The company made plans for the new fishing season to begin in March of 2000. Construction of the new South Port was completed in February of 2000.
2000 – A New Millennium, a New Port
Upon opening in March of 2000, Kanin Fjord now has a modern high-capacity fishing port. The new South Port provided the town with 100 new jobs, and an additional 68 people moved into town to fill high experience positions. Kanin Fjord’s population once again began increasing.
Once the new port opened, all but 4 vessels of the town’s original fishing fleet were decommissioned, and new fishing ships were brought in that were capable of fishing both in the fjord and open ocean. This provided Kanin Fjord with a significant opportunity to be prosperous once again, not to mention cooperate investment in the town.
Before and After Pics
A few more shots of the town from a distance
Aerial of the town and surrounding areas
Kanin (Rabbit) Memorial
A small park containing 3 large rabbit statues was built in front of the new South Port as a monument to the towns history. Before the 1800s, Kanin Fjord was not a fishing village, but rather a fur trading outpost. The town was named Kanin Fjord in 1540 due to the trading of rabbit fur.
View of the port from E220
New Residential Development
The new South Port included the construction of several new high density apartment buildings and a unique row of townhomes built on a ridge.
New Townhomes
I would like to give credit to @Chappington for posting these assets on stream. The frame construction works perfectly with the Norwegian theme.
-
9
2 Comments
Recommended Comments
Sign In or register to comment...
To comment in reply, you must be a community member
Sign In
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In NowCreate an Account
Sign up to join our friendly community. It's easy!
Register a New Account