Fiskerstrand Verft won the 14.5 million contract over what it described as ‘tough competition’ from other European shipyards. FRS, which also secured an option for a sister ferry in 2006, was ‘not just looking for the best price, they also placed quite a lot of emphasis on new design, solid technical solutions and the ability to uphold delivery times’, the yard said.

The hull of the new ship was built at the Western Shipyard in Klaipeda, Lithuania, now part of Estonia’s BLRT Grupp, and was the fifth to be built there for Fiskerstrand. The Norwegians added engine, electrics and navigation gear and interiors.

FRS operates 21 ferries on 13 routes in the Baltic and North Sea. It also has five large catamarans operating there and between Spain and Morocco.<$>The Römö-Sylt route handles about 400,000 passengers and 65,000 cars a year and the new ferry will not only increase that but also provide more comfort and a quicker crossing. The new ship has diesel-electrical drive comprising four 1000kW engines and two Azimuth thrusters providing a service speed of 16 knots. She was built to GL 100A 5K 20/50 E1 ‘Car Passenger Ferry’ + MC E1 AUT class. She also had to satisfy Germany’s<$>SBG and Bundesamt für Seeschiffahrt und Hydrographie (BSH) safety and electronic/ nautical demands.