Back in London Næss had to establish contact with the seven vessels operated by the group; until the invasion they had been controlled by the office in Sandefjord, Norway. These were the whale factory ship "Vestfold" (built in Framnæs shipyard), the tankers "Norness", "Norbris", "Norlys", "Norvinn" and finally the dry cargo vessels "Nordal" and "Nortun". The British government also wanted control of his fleet, demanding to have the vessels on bare-boat charter. This was a major blow to Næss, he felt insulted by what he viewed as unfriendly treatment of a friend of Britain. Næss insisted on running the company himself; knowing both the vessels and the crew he felt he would be the most competent person for that. The British government initially did not accept this; weeks followed where Næss virtually was a hostage, not allowed to contact his vessels or leave the country. The solution came through the banker Sam Guinness, as the companies had substantial amounts of US dollars in New York banks. This money could only be released by Næss, and the British government needed dollars. So for $1,125,000 Næss got his travel permit to the US.