Interislander has confirmed it will buy the former CLdN roro VALENTINE to provide resilience and secure freight capacity heading into the busy summer and Christmas period.
Interislander leased the roro in November 2021 to provide freight capacity across Te Moana-o-Raukawa Cook Strait while repairs were undertaken on the KAIARAHI gearbox.
KiwiRail has exercised the purchase option, buying the ship from Gotland Shipping (see our news from 2 December 2021).
CLdN introduced VALENTINE and CELANDINE on the Zeebrugge – Santander service, adding almost 40% to the total capacity between these two ports.
This scale-up fits well into the growing demand CLdN has been experiencing on the connection between Belgium and Spain.
In 2016 CLdN started the route with only one roundtrip each week. Today it sails between the two ports no less than three times a week., with departures on both sides on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays.
