The boats

Today, the Telemark canal is run by two boats in the tourist season. M/S Victoria is in route between Skien and Dalen, and M/S Telemarken sails between Akkerhaugen and Lunde locks. In addition, M/S Skarsfos is frequently used for charter along the waterways. The old pull boats M/S Ørnen and M/S Erik also have some traffic on the Telemark canal.

History

The development of industry at Notodden and Rjukan increased the need for cargo boats, of which the first was the "Dyre Vaa", built at Porsgrunn in 1903. Several more came into use after Norsk Hydro was established at Notodden in 1905. The new ships were the "Aasmund Vinje" (1906), the cargo boats "Notodden" (1908) and "Sterke-Nils" (1913), and, not least, the elegant passenger ship the "Henrik Ibsen". Before the outbreak of World War I, this company alone ran twelve ships. In 1908, the steamship "Sand" was put into regular service between Skien and Skotfoss.

These earliest ships were fuelled by wood; people living along the lakes were able to supplement their income by selling wood to the steamship companies.
The ships had a first-class section towards the stern, with red plush-upholstered seats. Those travelling second class had to make do with bare wooden benches in the bow. Goods were loaded and unloaded using a winch. The crew usually comprised the captain, first mate (who was also responsible for collecting the fares), engineer, stoker and deck hands. Icebreakers were used during winter to clear lanes through the ice. The steamers often had to push from behind, positioning their bows in a special wooden block at the stern of the icebreaker and lending their steam power to the task of crushing the ice. By 1957, motor cars had become so common that it was uneconomical to run a passenger service on the waterways, and all regular services were discontinued. In 1961, however, the company "A/S Turisttrafikk" was formed, offering tourist trips on the waterways from Skien to Dalen. After undergoing a thorough overhaul and modernization, the "D/S Victoria" was, in 1963, brought back into service on this route. The annual number of passengers has steadily increased, and there are now several boats operating on the Telemark Canal.