Smyril Line



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.

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.

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.

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.

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. 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. 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, with Akranes connecting Rotterdam with Tórshavn and Þórlakshöfn ports.

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.

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., and was renamed from M/S Seagard 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.

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.