Andreas: I will always remember that. I still feel it. I have to be honest and say that. Especially since we lost a colleague. It was a very dark day for everyone who works at Liseberg. I was on my way to work. I had left my dog at the dog daycare in Torslanda. When I was in the car, I could see the smoke coming from Hisingen. It became very clear that this was serious. The entire crisis management was gathered in my office. We watched the fire at Oceana. It was very... It was... It was tough. It is a project that we have been working on for ten years. Of course I want to finish it. I want to finish it. I firmly believe in the project and really hope that we will succeed.
Christer: What will be the biggest challenge?
Andreas: It is a funding issue that we have to deal with. I think we will work it out. We have good insurance. But it is also not an easy project to complete. We have to rethink a number of areas. Above all, we must also be patient. But I think we will make it.
Christer: Do you feel supported by management?
Andreas: Absolutely. A glimmer of light in all the darkness has been that we have had an incredibly good collaboration with everyone who helped both in the days after the fire with NCC but also with our owners. We have had a lot of support.
You can see that this entire part of the building [Oceana's right side] is undamaged*. This is where many of the technical parts of the facility are located. Although there is damage to the swimming facility itself so large parts of Oceana are actually underground. It is a very large basement. There is very little damage to the pool area. There are three things that must be replaced. The roof structure. The roof construction with the glulam arches. The black roof [the black tower] also needs to be replaced. Then there are all the slides, both outdoors and indoors. Those are the three primary things.
Much of the facility actually remains. The damage is less than we thought. Although there are large values after all, it is positive that it is possible to complete the project if that's what we want.
Christer: You are aware that it will potentially be so. Haven't you made a decision there yet?
Andreas: We haven't made a decision yet. But we are investigating the conditions to complete it. We work with NCC, the architect and other consultants to create a basis so that we can make decisions about reconstruction.
Christer: Can you see how big the loss is financially for a fire like this?
Andreas: The damage currently amounts to approximately SEK 480 million. But that's an early estimate. It may be a little less or a little more.
Christer: What are the factors that influence whether you should build it or not?
Andreas: Of course, the economy, but also the project-related conditions. It is about what we need to change and that we need to rethink certain parts. But it feels like there are good conditions for completion You can also say that the journey to a finished project is a little shorter than we might have thought in the days after the fire.
Christer: Have you gotten any clarity on how the fire started?
Andreas: We actually don't have that. A number of investigations are ongoing in parallel. But we don't actually know the cause of the fire itself. There are some theories. It is likely that it is a work step that has gone wrong. But nothing is confirmed yet.
Christer: You had also expected that this would mean visitors all year round. How do you make up for it? How do you work to maintain it?
Andreas: That is a good question. The idea was that we would open Oceana in June. Oceana is an important element in Liseberg as a destination. Oceana is important to the hotel we are sitting in here. It is also important for the tourism industry in Gothenburg. It was an experience that would strengthen us during the off-season, in the winter when the park is not open. Now it's getting late. We have to rethink a little and be a little more creative. We have to find other things to do until we have an Oceana, that is.
Christer: How do they think about the fact that you lost a person here and about what has happened? What kind of reactions do you get as CEO?
Andreas: It has been very tough for the organization [losing Patrik Gilholm, construction manager]. He was a dear and valued colleague with whom many have worked for a long time. Everyone who works at Liseberg has been greatly affected but above all, it is a terrible situation for his family. We think about them the most. In the last two months, we have thought mostly about them.
Christer: What do you think when you look out at this? Is it still hard?
Andreas: I still think it's hard. I have to be honest and say that. We were so close to completing the project. At the same time, I also believe that as CEO you would like to clean up and build and finish. Of course I get those kinds of feelings too when I watch Oceana today.
Christer: Do you ever doubt that it will work?
Andreas: No never. We will fix this too.
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