Liseberg estimates that the costs for demolition and rebuilding of Oceana, which was severely damaged in the fire last year, will exceed one billion kronor.
According to the amusement park, Trygg-Hansa has refused to pay out insurance money, citing that two of the contractors behind the construction were grossly negligent.
It's not reasonable, according to CEO Andreas Andersen.
We feel very secure in our legal position. One must also be honest and say that it has been a troublesome and frustrating dialogue with Trygg-Hansa, he says.
Demanding a billion
The fire broke out on February 12 last year, just a few months before the water park was to be inaugurated. A 51-year-old man, construction manager on site, died in the fire, while about 15 people needed hospital care for minor injuries.
According to Liseberg, the insurance company has indeed granted some compensation for lost revenue, but it's about a maximum of 70 million kronor.
In the lawsuit filed with the Stockholm District Court, the amusement park is demanding 1.02 billion kronor.
We have received a very small compensation, but in general, they have denied compensation, says Andreas Andersen.
Trygg-Hansa's press service states that the company currently refrains from commenting on the matter.
Forced to borrow
Write-offs for the fire meant that Liseberg lost almost half a billion kronor last year. In that perspective, the lack of insurance compensation is a concern, according to Liseberg's CEO.
We have had to borrow money to complete Oceana and it's clear that this affects our financial position, says Andreas Andersen.
If one speculates that no insurance compensation will be paid, which I think is quite unlikely, it's clear that we will have to finance the rebuilding ourselves. But I don't think that's where we will end up.
The Government Accident Investigation Authority pointed out in the spring that a welding work was the cause of the fire. According to the report, the fire was also preceded by a number of deficiencies in the work environment. Among other things, the fitters who performed the welding lacked the proper knowledge of the risks associated with the specific work task.
