Stavanger (Norway)

Stavanger is a port city in Rogaland, southwestern Norway,. The city has population around 130,000 (metro 320,000), ranking it the country's 3rd-largest metro area and Norway's 4th most populous municipality.

The Norwegian passenger shipping company FJORD LINE offers direct crossings between Stavanger and Denmark (Hirtshals). The route Hirtshals-Stavanger-Bergen is operated year-round. FJORD LINE's schedule includes 1 daily crossing Stavanger-Hirtshals (travel time 11,5 hours), 2 daily crossings Stavanger-Bergen (5,5 hours) and 1 daily crossing Stavanger-Langesund (17,5 hours).

The town was officially founded in 1125, following the completion of the Stavanger Cathedral. Most of its architecture consists of 18th-19th-century wooden houses (protected as cultural heritage). Gladmat festival is held here annually and considered one of Scandinavia's leading food festivals.

The city's current economy is heavily based on the oil industry. The city is widely referred to as Norway's "oil capital". The biggest company is Statoil (Norwegian energy company headquartered here). Every two years here is hosted ONS (Offshore Northern Seas) - energy sector's 2nd largest exhibition and conference event (the largest being Caspian Oil and Gas Conference).

In 2018, the cruise port had scheduled 187 ship calls with expected around 333,000 passengers. Predictions for 2019 showed 25% increase (ship calls) and 45% increase (passengers). Berth bookings are on a first-come-first-serve basis. The port has plans for building new berth (for mega-liners) and LNG bunkering (for LNG-powered large ships). Currently, the cruise port supplies with LNG only smaller-sized vessels.

The port announced a record-breaking 2019 cruise season with over 45% increase over 2018. For 2019 were booked a total of 243 ship calls (69 different liners) with estimated nearly 500,000 passengers. According to port statistics, ~80% of cruise ship tourists are Europeans, of which half are from Northern Europe. The port currently has 4 cruise berths and around 200 no-ship days per year.

In June 2022, Enova SF (Norwegian state-owned enterprise) provided grants for installing shore power connectivity at several Norwegian cruise ports (including Stavanger), scheduled for completion and inauguration in 2023. Between 2016-2022, Enova granted a total of NOK 842 million for 119 such projects. The technology allows the berthed cruise ship to shut down its diesel engines and instead use the city-grid electricity for the onboard hotel operations and services, thus saving fuel and reducing emissions. Enova SF (2001-founded government enterprise) is owned by Norway's Ministry of Petroleum and Energy and managed by the Ministry of Climate and Environment.

During the post-COVID 2022 season, Port Stavanger handled a total of 211 cruise ship calls and 429048 passengers (out of total ~4,3 million cruisers who visited Norway).

Stavanger cruise terminal