Smyril Line

Not to be confused with MS Smyril.

Smyril Line is a Faroese shipping company, linking the Faroe Islands with Denmark, Iceland, the Netherlands and Lithuania. It previously also served Norway and the United Kingdom. Smyril is the Faroese word for the merlin.

Smyril Line

Company type	A/S (Aktieselskab)
Founded	1983 (1983)
Headquarters	Tórshavn, Faroe Islands
Area served	North Sea North Atlantic Norwegian Sea
Services	Passenger transportation Freight transportation
Operating income	DKK 5.513 million (2009)^[1]
Net income	DKK 407,000 (2009)^[2]
Total assets	DKK 483,000 (2009)^[3]
Total equity	DKK 122 million (2011)^[4]

The old Norröna in Tórshavn Harbour, 1997

History

Since 1983, the company has operated a regular international passenger, car and freight service using a multi-purpose ferry, MS Norröna. The original vessel was a Swedish-built ferry formerly named Gustav Vasa (built in 1973). This was replaced by the Norröna, built in Lübeck, Germany in 2003. The purchase price of €100 million caused the company financial difficulties, and Smyril line eventually had to receive public support from the Faroese Government to stay afloat.

 

MS Norröna, March 2013

In 2010 the holding company was owned by Framtaksgrunnur Føroya (Faroese Development Trust) 33.6%, the Faroese Government 23.6%, TF Holding 20.7% and the Shetland Development Trust 6.8%, and the rest of the shares were owned by several minor stakeholders.^[5]

Passenger operations

The weekly service serves Tórshavn in the Faroe Islands, Seyðisfjörður in Iceland, and Hirtshals in Denmark. As of 2022, there is no sailing to Iceland during winter time, between mid-November and mid-March. The crossing between Hirtshals and Tórshavn takes 38 hours in winter and 30 hours during the summer schedule. The onwards journey to Seyðisfjörður takes another 15 hours.^[6]

Until the end of the summer 2007 timetable, Smyril Line also served Lerwick in the Shetland Islands. On 11 November 2008 Smyril Line announced that it would end services to Scrabster, Scotland and Bergen, Norway.^[7] On 1 September Smyril Line announced that it would end services to Hanstholm (summer) and Esbjerg (winter) in Denmark and move all its Danish ferry operations to Hirtshals.

Cargo

Smyril Line Cargo operates a fleet of five RoRo vessels: Eystnes, Hvítanes, Akranes, Mykines and Glyvursnes.^[8] Cargo is also shipped on the Norröna. Eystnes and Hvítanes connect Seyðisfjörður in Iceland with Klaipeda in Lithuania and from there through Hirsthals and Tórshavn,^[9] with Akranes connecting Rotterdam with Tórshavn and Þórlakshöfn ports.^[10]

The MV Mykines was added to the fleet in April 2017. Built at the Norwegian UMOE Sterkoder shipyard in 1996, it was previously operated as Auto Baltic for Bore shipping company in Finland. It measures 138.5 metres in length and 22.6 metres in width. As a RoRo ship it also takes unaccompanied cars as freight, providing an alternative to the Norröna. It sails from Rotterdam via Tórshavn (stopping there northbound only) to Þorlákshöfn in Iceland.^[11]

The Glyvursnes is the newest vessel, added in December 2023, taking over from the chartered Mistral. The vessel was bought from the Finnish company Bore Ltd. [fi], and was renamed from M/S Seagard [fi] to Glyvursnes. The vessel is 153.5 metres long and 20.6 metres wide, and it was built by the German shipyard J.J. Sietas in 1999. It sails between Tórshavn, Þórlakshöfn, and Hirtshals.^[12]

In 2024 February, Smyril Line signed a contract with the Chinese shipyard CIMC Raffles for two new cargo vessels. The delivery date is set for 2026, and both vessels will be 190 meters long and 3300 lane meters wide. The vessels are designed by Knud E. Hansen. The vessels will be equipped with a battery system, connection to shore power, and will be able to run on methanol.^[13]

See also

• Transport in the Faroe Islands

References

1. "Smyril Line Travel A/S - Hirtshals - Regnskab".
2. "Smyril Line Travel A/S - Hirtshals - Regnskab".
3. "Smyril Line Travel A/S - Hirtshals - Regnskab".
4. . Archived from the original on 9 September 2010. Retrieved 23 June 2011.
5. . Archived from the original on 9 September 2010. Retrieved 23 June 2011.
6. "Sailing Schedule". Retrieved 9 April 2024.
7. "Summer ferry sailings cancelled". 11 November 2008.
8. http://www.smyrillinecargo.com/ Smyril Line Cargo: Homepage, accessed: 2024-04-09
9. "Timetable MS Eystnes/MS Hvitanes" (PDF). Symril Line Cargo.
10. "Smyril Line Cargo Schedules". Retrieved 9 April 2024.
11. "Smyril Line: Smyril Line is expanding its fleet". 20 December 2016. Retrieved 13 April 2017.
12. "Smyril Line expands fleet". Retrieved 9 April 2024.
13. "Smyril Line has signed contracts for two modern and environmentally friendly RoRo cargo ships". Retrieved 9 April 2024.

External links

• Smyril Line (official website in English)
• BBC News: Cars wrecked as ferry hit storms, 13 November 2007