The Government proposes to increase the grant to the Sailing Ship Statsraad Lehmkuhl Foundation by NOK 6 million next year.
“This is fantastic news for the foundation,” says Haakon S. Vatle, director in a press release.
On Saturday, the ship was visited by parliamentary representatives Silje Hjemdal (Frp) and Ove Trellevik (H), who came with the news that the government in the state budget proposes to give an extra NOK 6 million for maintenance. If the proposal goes through, in 2020 the Statsraad Lehmkuhl will receive a total state subsidy of NOK 14.7 million.
The ship will undergo major upgrades over the next few months, before it will embark on an 18-month long sea voyage in September 2021 as part of the UN launch year. The aim of the project is to create awareness and share knowledge about the central role of the sea for sustainable development, and Statsraad Lehmkuhl is participating on behalf of Norway.
Vatle points out that the foundation, despite a possible increased grant from the state, is still not fully in line with the financing of the upgrades. They now hope that Hordaland Municipality and Bergen Municipality will contribute so that they receive the necessary funding.
Statsraad Lehmkuhl is a three-masted steel bark of 98 meters and was built in 1914. It has its home port in Bergen and has the status of floating cultural heritage.
© NTB Scanpix / #Norway Today
