The MV ''Sorrento'' is a double-ended
roll-on/roll-off
Roll-on/roll-off (RORO or ro-ro) ships are cargo ships designed to carry wheeled cargo, such as cars, motorcycles, trucks, semi-trailer trucks, buses, trailers, and railroad cars, that are driven on and off the ship on their own wheels or using ...
vehicle
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 ...
owned by
Peninsula Searoad Transport
Searoad Ferries (formerly known as Peninsula Searoad Transport) is an Australian company that operates a roll-on/roll-off vehicle and passenger ferry service between the heads of Port Phillip, near Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
The route ...
of
Victoria
Victoria most commonly refers to:
* Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia
* Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada
* Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory
* Victoria, Seychelle ...
,
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
. It has operated between the heads of
Port Phillip Bay
Port Phillip (Kulin: ''Narm-Narm'') or Port Phillip Bay is a horsehead-shaped enclosed bay on the central coast of southern Victoria, Australia. The bay opens into the Bass Strait via a short, narrow channel known as The Rip, and is completel ...
between the towns of
Queenscliff and
Sorrento
Sorrento (, ; nap, Surriento ; la, Surrentum) is a town overlooking the Bay of Naples in Southern Italy. A popular tourist destination, Sorrento is located on the Sorrentine Peninsula at the south-eastern terminus of the Circumvesuviana rail ...
since 2000. It is the sister ship of
''Queenscliff'', and on entering service enabled a doubling in the service frequency across the bay. The ferry can carry approximately 80 vehicles and 700 passengers.
This ship is commonly referred to as “HMAS Mornpen”.
Loading and uploading
''Sorrento'' is fitted with ramps at the bow and stern of the ship to allow vehicles to roll on at the start of the voyage and roll off at the end of the voyage. This results in a fast turnaround time, with all vehicles and passengers embarking and disembarking in approximately 15 to 20 minutes. The ferry was designed to use the existing loading facilities used by the sister ship ''Queenscliff''.
At Queenscliff, the ship docks bow into the terminal. The bow of the ship consists of two sections; one section raises while the other lowers, forming a ramp that allows vehicles to drive off. Once all vehicles and foot passengers have disembarked, vehicles travelling to Sorrento then board and face the stern of the ship for the voyage. At Sorrento, the ship docks stern into the terminal. A ramp at the stern of the ship lowers allowing vehicles to drive off. Once all vehicles and foot passengers have disembarked, vehicles travelling to Queenscliff then board and face the bow of the ship for the voyage.
Foot passengers embark and disembark the ship, via the same ramps that vehicles do, under the direction of the ship's crew in between the embarkation and disembarkation of vehicles.
See also
*
''MV Queenscliff''
References
External links
Peninsula Searoad Ferry
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sorrento
Ferries of Victoria (Australia)
Transport in Geelong
Port Phillip
Sorrento, Victoria
2001 ships