By
Rebecca Gibson |
Fjord Line’s Bergensfjord is to undergo renovation work at STX Finland’s Raumo shipyard, before re-entering service on the Norwegian company’s new line between Sandefjord, Norway and Strømstad, Sweden, in May 2014.
“STX Raumo was selected based on an overall assessment of its past experience on similar projects, quality and price,” said Ingvald Fardal, CEO of Fjord Line. The company had considered offers from three international shipyards before selecting STX for the NOK 225 million contract.
Bergensfjord, which operates on the Bergen-Stavanger-Hirtshals line, was built in 1993 at the Bergen Group Fosen shipyard in Norway. It will enter drydock in December 2013 and is to be renamed prior to operating on the Sandefjord-Strømstad line.
Oslo-based architects Falkum-Hansen Design will design the vessel’s interior, replacing many of the cabins with public areas offering duty-free shopping and a range of cafeterias and restaurants.
Following the four-month drydock, the 134-metre ship will transport around 1,770 passengers and 370 cars on a twice-daily crossing.
Fjord Line has been granted docking permits by both ports, while the Norwegian Coastal Administration has ruled that the port of Sandefjord must assign sailing times to both Color Line – which already sails the Sandefjord-Strømstad route – and Fjord Line, based on “transparent, neutral and non-discriminatory terms” in 2014.
The government agency also ruled that Fjord Line must be guaranteed access to port infrastructure, while the two competing shipping lines must cooperate in port.