The new port terminal at Østhavnen in Aarhus has been taken into service on Wednesday 11 November 2020.
“It is the culmination of a huge construction project,” says Molslinjen’s CEO, Carsten Jensen.
11 November 2020 at 05.45 will see the first trip to Odden with Molslinjen’s fast ferry EXPRESS 3, starting from the new ferry terminal at Østhavnen in Aarhus. It marks the culmination of several years of construction work.
The trip also marks a shift in the local traffic in Aarhus. The 1.5 million annual motorists will enter the port faster via a better connection between motorway and terminal.
In the city of Aarhus alone, the signage towards the ferry port must be changed in more than 50 places.
The summer season on Bornholm has broken all records.
Because of Covid-19, Germans couldn’t come to the Danish island. Instead, Corona motivated Danish people to spend their holiday on Bornholm.
Molslinjen, which operates the ferry routes to and from Bornholm, saw record figures from week 26 to 34.
- +2.7% passengers (in total 643,841)
- +15.0% cars
- -21.5% German tourists
Molslinjen operated two catamarans between Ystad and Rønne.
Only high-speed ferry EXPRESS 4 is operating the route between Aarhus and Odden. Few passengers on the route means that a single ferry can easily complete the task.
On 6 December Molslinjen broke a record on the Kattegat when passenger number 3,225,572 bought a ticket for the route between Aarhus and Odden.
“Traffic between East and West Denmark is constantly increasing,” says Carline Jensen, CEO of Molslinjen. Especially the bus route Kombardo Expressen has helped to achieve this increase.
“We expect many guests in December – so many that we have to put in an extra fast ferry on the busiest days,” says the CEO.
A follow-up order to the 109m high-speed catamaran EXPRESS 4, the new Auto Express 115 will be the largest ferry (by volume) ever built by Austal.
Highlights:
- A new generation of medium speed engines that are LNG compatible, with the potential to upgrade to LNG fuel in the future.
- 1,610 passengers / 450 cars (or 617 lane metres for trucks + 257 cars) over two vehicle decks.
- This increases ferry capacity by about 14 %, which solves some of the capacity problems Bornholm has experienced during the recent peak season.
- Service speed close to 37 knots,
- Bornholm route, between Ystad and Rønne, from early 2022.
Currently operating on the route are MAX (900 pax and 240 cars) and EXPRESS 1 (1,200 pax and 417 cars).
A bill of DKK 1.5 million has landed on Molslinjen’s table, after the Ministry of Transport decided to penalise the Bornholm line. The largest part of the amount is due to the fact that the company has “neglected to submit due documentation in connection with some delays and cancellations, just as there have been some episodes with inadequate insertion of replacement ferry to and from Bornholm,” writes Ministry in a press release (in Danish).
Molslinjen’s New Fast Ferry Has Arrived in Denmark
After having sailed all the way from Australia to Denmark, the EXPRESS 4 finally berthed in Aarhus on Sunday 24 February. The Austal-built HSC left Perth on 29 January.
She will enter service on 14 March.
See the arrival video on Stiften.dk
Molslinjen Buys Danske Færger
On 10 October 2018, the Competition Authority approved the transfer from all shares from Danske Færger A/S to Molslinjen A/S.
Sellers are Bornholmstrafikken Holding A/S and Clipper Group A/S.
Molslinjen currently operates the ferries Aarhus-Odden and Ebeltoft-Odden, and since 1 September 2018 also the ferries on Bornholm.
Molslinjen will continue the four Færgen ferry routes under the following names:
- Bøjden-Fynshav = Allinjen (formerly Alsfærgen)
- Esbjerg-Fanø = Fanølinjen (Fanøfærgen)
- Kalundborg-Samsø = Samsølinjen (Samsøfærgen)
Spodsbjerg-Taars = Langelandslinjen (Langelandsfærgen)
Until all condition shave been met, Danske Færger A/S will continue under the same management and in accordance with the same business principles as before.
Molslinjen, the company that takes over the concession for the Bornholm routes from Danske Færger as from 1 September 2018, has decided to acquire Danske Færger entirely.
Molslinjen notified the Danish Competition and Consumer Agency of the merger. The latter will now have to approve the transaction. All interested parties are invited to comment on the merger by 4 July 2018 at 12:00am. Link below. Danske Færger A/S is owned by Bornholmstrafikken Holding A/S (50%) and Clipper Group A/S (50%). Bornholmstrafikken Holding A/S is 100% owned by the Danish Ministry of Transport.
Routes operated by Molslinjen now
- Aarhus – Odden
- Ebeltoft – Odden.
Routes operated by Danske Færger now:
With public service contract:
- Bornholm, Rønne – Køge and Rønne – Ystad
- Ballen – Kalundborg
- Spodsbjerg – Tårs
- Bøjden – Fynshav
Without public service contract:
- Fanø – Esbjerg
- Rønne – Sassnitz
Link to the Danish Competition and Consumer Agency (Konkurrence- og Forbrugerstyrelsen)
