Fjord Line takes delivery of its upgraded cruise ferry MS Oslofjord
Fjord Line took delivery of its remodelled and upgraded cruise ferry MS Oslofjord (YB - 1993, Bergen Group) on Friday after it was rebuilt by the STX Rauma shipyard in Finland for service on a new line between Sandefjord, Norway and Strömstad, Sweden, the cruise operator said in a press release.
MS Oslofjord enters regular service on 20 June, sailing for the first time with passengers and vehicles across the waters of the Oslofjord.
On behalf of Fjord Line, Marcus Pettersson, director for the Sandefjord-Strömstad line, thanked the management and staff of the Finnish shipyard for their hard work in modernizing the ship, which served the company’s western Norway and Denmark line for many years until late 2013. The rebuild, with a contract value of about 30 million euro (250 million Norwegian kroner), included tearing out most cabins and replacing them with public areas for duty free shopping, plus a rich array cafeteria and restaurant offerings.
“Now the MS Oslofjord looks like a brand new ship, and we are looking forward to introducing her to our guests, truck drivers and freight shippers,” says Pettersson.
The ship that will now cross the outer Oslofjord was built 1993 at the Norwegian shipyard Fosen under the name MS Bergen. The cruise ferry, now called the MS Oslofjord, is 134 meters long, 24 meters wide and has a capacity of about 1,800 passengers and 370 motor vehicles. The new interior was designed by Oslo architects Falkum-Hansen Designs, which was also engaged in the planning and design of Fjord Line's two new cruise ferries.
STX Finland’s project manager Kari Toivonen called the conversion project “extremely extensive and demanding.”
“The basic design needed to be reviewed almost totally and the project was executed on a turnkey basis. We are very satisfied about being able to hand over this totally renewed ferry to Fjord Line,” says Toivonen.
The crossing between Sandefjord and Strömstad will take about 2.5 hours each way, with two round trips a day scheduled. The morning departure from Sandefjord is currently scheduled for 6:45 a.m., while the afternoon departure will be at 1:00 p.m.
Fjord Line founded in 1993 is today a modern shipping company that offers safe and comfortable transport between Norway and continental Europe. The company employs about 450 people, 85 of them working on land in Bergen, Stavanger, Egersund, Langesund, Kristiansand and Hirtshals and 385 work at sea all year. The workforce increases between April and September by about 80 employees. The number of seagoing staff will increase in 2014 to about 510 people in the high season.