Buses and ferries, a good combination

By | 2023 Newsletter week 29 | No Comments

2023 has started well for the long-distance bus company Kombardo Expressen, a collaboration between Molslinjen and Herning Turist.

From January to June, 376,116 travellers have taken the Kombardo Express buses (=+20% H1 2022)

The Kombardo Expressen runs across the country and passengers travel with Molslinjen’s fast ferries across the Kattegat or across the Baltic Sea to Rønne on Bornholm.

With the ferry trip, Kombardo Expressen differs from the other long-distance bus companies in Denmark.

SpaceX internet for ferries in Denmark

By | 2023 Newsletter week 26 | No Comments

Molslinjen’s ferries must have internet from the SpaceX project, Starlink. An experiment on the fast ferry EXPRESS 3 on the Kattegat has proven to be able to greatly improve the experience with internet on board the ferry.

“Sending land-based internet across the curvature of the earth and out across the water to hit a moving fast ferry at 70km/h has always been a difficult exercise. But we have had Maritim Starlink on EXPRESS 3 in a test which has turned out really well”, explains Molslinjen’s commercial director, Jesper Skovgaard.

The good test means that all the ferries on the Bornholm line will receive internet from the thousands of communication satellites that Elon Musk has sent into orbit in space already during the summer holiday period. Soon after, the remaining fast ferries on the Kattegat also get internet from Starlink.

The routes of the Molslinjen, the Alslinjen, the Samsølinjen and the Langelandslinjen as well as the ferries on the Øresund between Helsingør and Helsingborg do not experience the same challenges, as they sail shorter routes and closer to land.

Fyn or ferry?

By | 2023 Newsletter week 21 | No Comments

Molslinjen launched a calculator on their website, where motorists can get an estimate of how much they can save in terms of money and kilometres.

We did the test and imagined a journey from Kolding to Helsingør.

The answer was “We can’t help you save money, but you can save 21 km behind the wheel and enjoy a break on board Molslinjen.”

So, in this case it was cheaper to drive via the island of Fyn.

Molslinjen interested in Gotlandstrafiken: “We already have the vessels”

By | 2023 Newsletter week 16 | No Comments

Molslinjen will “probably” tender for the Gotland traffic, said CEO Kristian Durhuus  in a radio interview with P4 Gotland [listen to the interview in Swedish]

The Swedish Transport Administration’s procurement documents will be ready in a couple of weeks, and then the shipping company will have to decide.

Danish and Norwegian ferry transportation companies Molslinjen and Torghatten were acquired by EQT Infrastructure in February and March 2021 respectively. ForSea Ferries was acquired later.

Together, they form Nordic Ferry Infrastructure, a pan-Nordic ferry operator with a well-diversified portfolio of over 65 routes operated by over 100 vessels and transporting over 16 million passengers annually.

Molslinjen has been nominated for the Working Environment Award 2023

By | 2023 Newsletter week 15 | No Comments

A significant reduction in the amount of exhaust particles when loading and unloading diesel vehicles has resulted in a better working environment on board ropax HAMMERSHUS, where employees no longer have to worry about the amount of particle pollution in everyday life.

Captain of Bornholmslinjen’s HAMMERSHUS Jacob Schødt Larsen was made aware of a problem with particle pollution on the vehicle deck. He acted decisively, and this meant that the cause of the contamination was quickly identified and reduced.

The captain and his colleagues are now being rewarded for this effort, by being nominated for the Working Environment Award 2023.

The specific action plan included a thorough review of the ventilation system and the corresponding update of operation and maintenance, as well as a new procedure for handling refrigerated trailers that must be connected to power on board.

Finally, subcontractors were required to ensure that the terminal tractors that load and unload trailers are equipped with particle filters.

New CEO for Molslinjen announced

By | 2023 Newsletter week 8 | No Comments

The current CEO of ForSea, Kritian Durhuus is to become the new CEO of Molslinjen.  Molslinjen’s takeover of ForSea was completed at the end of January and the two companies are in the process of merging.

The vacancy has arisen as current Molslinjen CEO Carsten Jensen is leaving the post to become the new CEO of Nordic Ferry Infrastructure in Oslo.

Nordic Ferry Infrastructure (NFI) is a holding company that will in future own both Molslinjen and the Norwegian transport company, Torghatten.

Kristian Durhuus will join Molslinjen on 15 March 2023.  In the interim period Carsten Jensen will remain responsible for Molslinjen.

Photo: Molslinjen

In Brief

By | 2023 Newsletter week 8 | No Comments
  • In addition to boosting capacity on Finnlines’ own Zeebrugge – Rosslare route, FINNPULP is also to be chartered to P&O Ferries for one roundtrip per week. The vessel will depart Zeebrugge on Tuesdays and Teesport on Wednesdays from 28 February.  The ferry companies have an existing cooperation, P&O Ferries providing stevedoring and ship handling for Finnlines’ Rosslare service at the Belgian port.
  • Viking Line has announced that 13 March to 25 June, CINDERELLA will call at Kapellskär on her morning departure from Mariehamn to Stockholm. The sailing is a result of the sale of the ROSELLA and the loss of her sailings from Åland to Kapellskär.

Photo: Viking Line

  • Björn Blomqvist, CEO of Rederi Ab Eckerö Group, has revealed that there has been recent interest in the sale or charter of their idle cruise vessel BIRKA STOCKHOLM. The ship has been laid up since the Covid pandemic arrived in March 2020.  With interest from Europe and Southeast Asia there have also been enquires for using her as an accommodation vessel.
  • From 1 March, Brittany Ferries will switch from Pound Sterling to Euro as the base currency onboard. Sterling will still be accepted onboard at the daily exchange rate but all products and services will have prices displayed as Euro. Full details of the change can be found here.

Photo: Brittany Ferries

  • Molslinjen has been given permission to replace the MAX MOLS with the EXPRESS 1 when the newbuild EXPRESS 5 is delivered as the main Bornholm fast ferry. Due to the subsidised service, the decision required approval of the Danish Ministry of Transport.  The capacity of EXPRESS 1 up to that of the MAX MOLS will be sold within the contract but the additional part is to be sold commercially at Bornholmslinjen’s own risk.  This arrangement will initially be for one year.
  • Molslinjen’s fast ferries on the Kattegat are now registered with the Too Good To Go food waste scheme. This means that ferry passengers on the last departures of the day to Aarhus have the opportunity to buy food to take home from the ferries’ catering outlets. The scheme attempts to reduce food waste.  A bag of food purchased on the app costs DKK 39 and can contain items such as croissants, sandwiches or salads.

Photo: Molslinjen

Molslinjen lowers the prices on the Kattegat

By | 2023 Newsletter week 1 | No Comments

“Our route is critical infrastructure in Denmark, and we will constantly work to get as many cheap tickets on the market as possible. Like everyone else, we are affected by the increased costs, but we have to make up for that loss by getting more passengers and cars on the ferries”, asserts Jesper Skovgaard, MD Molslinjen.

Molslinjen will have an extra fast ferry on the Kattegat in 2023.

EQT puts Molslinjen’s CEO in charge of Nordic Ferry Infrastructure

By | 2022 Newsletter week 51 | No Comments

Molslinjen’s owners in Sweden, EQT Infrastructure, bring Molslinjen’s Carsten Jensen to a position as CEO of the newly established company Nordic Ferry Infrastructure based in Oslo.

The company is a holding company which in future owns both the Danish ferry company Molslinjen and the Norwegian ferry company Torghatten.

Carsten Jensen takes over immediately as CEO of Nordic Ferry Infrastructure. However, during a transition period he will still be responsible for the Molslinjen until a new CEO is in place.