''Norröna'' is the

Faroes The Faroe Islands ( ), or simply the Faroes ( fo, Føroyar ; da, Færøerne ), are a North Atlantic island group and an autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark. They are located north-northwest of Scotland, and about halfway betw ...

' largest

ferry A ferry is a ship, watercraft or amphibious vehicle used to carry passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A passenger ferry with many stops, such as in Venice, Italy, is sometimes called a water bus or water taxi ...

. It sails between Hirtshals,

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark ...

Tórshavn Tórshavn (; lit. "Thor's harbour"), usually locally referred to as simply ''Havn'', is the capital and largest city of the Faroe Islands. It is located in the southern part on the east coast of Streymoy. To the northwest of the city lies the ...

, the Faroe Islands and Seyðisfjörður,

Iceland Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its s ...

History

''Norröna'' (1973)

The old ''Norröna'' was built in 1973 at

Nobiskrug Nobiskrug is a shipyard located on the Eider River in Rendsburg, Germany, specialized in building innovative, custom-made luxury superyachts. In 2020 it celebrated its 115 years of operation. History Nobiskrug was founded in 1905 by Ott ...

Rendsburg Rendsburg ( da, Rendsborg, also ''Rensborg'', nds, Rendsborg, also ''Rensborg'') is a town on the River Eider and the Kiel Canal in the central part of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is the capital of the ''Kreis'' (district) of Rendsburg-Ecke ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

as ''

Gustav Wasa Gustav I, born Gustav Eriksson of the Vasa noble family and later known as Gustav Vasa (12 May 1496 – 29 September 1560), was King of Sweden from 1523 until his death in 1560, previously self-recognised Protector of the Realm ('' Riksföre ...

''. From 1984 she was called the Norröna and sailed for the owner Smyril Line between Denmark, the Faroe Islands, Iceland and Norway, and in some years

Shetland Shetland, also called the Shetland Islands and formerly Zetland, is a subarctic archipelago in Scotland lying between Orkney, the Faroe Islands and Norway. It is the northernmost region of the United Kingdom. The islands lie about to the no ...

also. The successor is the new ''Norröna'' (from 2003). But the old ship is still sailing under the flag of Malta, as a missionary ship under the name ''

MV Logos Hope MV ''Logos Hope'' is a ship operated as a part of a faith based organisations by Gute Bücher für Alle. She was built in 1973 as the ferry MV ''Gustav Vasa'' for service between Malmö (Sweden) and Travemünde (Germany) and later operated as t ...

''.

''Norröna'' (2003)

The new ''Norröna'' is a modern cruiseferry. It was built in Lübeck, Germany, and had its maiden voyage in April 2003. ''Norröna'' has a total LOA (length overall) of , and a width of ; with lifeboats. She has a total of 318 passenger cabins and 72 crew cabins, which accommodates the space of approximately 1,482 passengers and 118 crew members. She has a total of of trailer lane, with space for 800 cars or 130 cargo trailers. Her cruising speed is approximately . ''Norröna'' is the only way to take personal cars to the Faroe Islands and Iceland from Denmark or from the Faroe Islands and Iceland to Denmark.

For passengers the ship is equipped with restaurants, a swimming pool, a small cinema and a fitness centre. Room types include cabins for two, cabins for families, connecting cabins, single berths in a four-person cabin and a dorm-style space with shared bathroom. The ferry also sails in the winter months, but there are few tourists on these trips and therefore only a crew of 20–25 is needed. In the winter months the ferry also changes from being a luxury ship to be more of a

container ship A container ship (also called boxship or spelled containership) is a cargo ship that carries all of its load in truck-size intermodal containers, in a technique called containerization. Container ships are a common means of commercial intermodal ...

. The ferry observes ocean currents and water properties in the North Sea, the Faroe-Shetland Channel and the Iceland-Faroe Ridge for the American Geophysical Union. The new ''Norröna'' cost about 100 million

Euro The euro ( symbol: €; code: EUR) is the official currency of 19 out of the member states of the European Union (EU). This group of states is known as the eurozone or, officially, the euro area, and includes about 340 million citizens . ...

, which nearly broke Smyril, and gave some financial difficulties, but with public support guaranteed the ''Norröna'' remains a Faroese ship.

Alternative routes

The ferry has visited

Newcastle upon Tyne Newcastle upon Tyne ( RP: , ), or simply Newcastle, is a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. The city is located on the River Tyne's northern bank and forms the largest part of the Tyneside built-up area. Newcastle is ...

, England, as a Christmas shopping special, allowing visitors a day in the city. When the weather is bad on the Faroe Islands, the ship may dock at the alternative ports of

Klaksvík Klaksvík is the second largest town of the Faroe Islands behind Tórshavn. The town is located on Borðoy, which is one of the northernmost islands (the Norðoyar). It is the administrative centre of Klaksvík municipality. History The first se ...

Runavík Runavík is a comparatively urbanised village in Runavík Municipality, Faroe Islands. It lies on the south half of the isle of Eysturoy. Port Founded in 1916, Runavík has an important port, originally used predominantly by fishing boats but no ...

instead of Tórshavn.

Accidents

In January 2004 there was an accident with the new ''Norröna'' in Tórshavn, when the ferry hit the wharf and suffered slight damage. In November 2007 the ''Norröna'' lost power in heavy seas near the Shetland Islands; the ferry began to roll and eighty cars were damaged on the car deck. The ship was forced to stop at

Lerwick Lerwick (; non, Leirvik; nrn, Larvik) is the main town and port of the Shetland archipelago, Scotland. Shetland's only burgh, Lerwick had a population of about 7,000 residents in 2010. Centred off the north coast of the Scottish mainland ...

for emergency repairs to the heavily damaged stabilisers.

In popular culture

''Norröna'' plays a major part in the 2015 Icelandic

mystery Mystery, The Mystery, Mysteries or The Mysteries may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional characters *Mystery, a cat character in ''Emily the Strange'' Films * ''Mystery'' (2012 film), a 2012 Chinese drama film * ''Mystery'' ( ...

television series '' Trapped'' ( is, Ófærð) She was featured in detail in the documentary television programme '' Mighty Ships'', on the

Discovery Discovery may refer to: * Discovery (observation), observing or finding something unknown * Discovery (fiction), a character's learning something unknown * Discovery (law), a process in courts of law relating to evidence Discovery, The Discovery ...

channel in some countries and on other networks in others. The episode first aired in early December 2017 in Canada. The series is said to be available in over 150 countries.https://www.discovery.ca/Shows/Mighty-Ships, title=About Mighty Ships

References

External links

Smyril Line
{{DEFAULTSORT:Norrona 2002 ships Ferries of the Faroe Islands Cruiseferries Transport in Shetland