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Samskip concludes agreement with Faroe Islands operator Farmaleiðir
Scheduled sailings to Klaksvík every 14 days
Samskip has concluded an agreement with Faroese transport operator Farmaleiðir, by which the company will service Samskip vessels in the port of Klaksvík and provide transport services for the company throughout the islands. Served by M/S Skaftafell, the service will be launched on April 1, with sailings every 14 days on the route, which also includes the east Iceland port of Reyðarfjörður, Immingham (England) and Rotterdam.
Farmaleiðir is part of Strandfaraskip Landsins (SL), which is owned by the Faroe Islands self-governing administration. With a workforce totalling around 240, SL currently operates a fleet of 10 ferries on routes within the islands, along with 24 trucks and 50 passenger coaches.
"We´re delighted to have reached an agreement with partners as reliable as SL and Farmaleiðir," says Samskip Iceland vice-president Pálmar Ó. Magnússon. "Facilities in Klaksvik are currently under development, and a new terminal is due to open early in 2005 which will provide the port with first-class amenities. Work is also in progress on the construction of a tunnel linking Klaksvik with Leirvík, which will greatly improve the area´s transport infrastructure. Coupled to SL and Farmaleiðir´s excellent route network, this will provide our customers with fast and reliable services."
According to Magnússon, traffic on the new route will concentrate initially on the export of Faroese fish products, for which a direct link with Samskip´s European network opens up a whole new range of exciting opportunities.
Scheduled sailings by MS Skaftafell to the Faroe Islands come as part of a new Samskip service linking Iceland, the UK and mainland Europe launched at the end of last year. The vessel departs Rotterdam for Reykjavík every 14 days, and the return leg includes calls at the Icelandic ports of Grundartangi and Reyðarfjörður, the Faroes, and Immingham.
MS Skaftafell is a container liner chartered especially to serve the route. Launched in 1999, the vessel weighs close to 5,000 tonnes and can carry 364 container units.
