Strandfaraskip Landsins is the government agency for public transport in the

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

. It is owned by the Faroese national government under the Ministry of Finance (''Fíggjamálaráðið'') and runs eight ferry routes and a number of bus routes.

History

Strandfaraskip Landsins was established in 1917 when the government took over the ferry ''Smiril'' from the brothers Petur og Niels Juel Mortensen from

Suðuroy Suðuroy (literally South Island, da, Suderø) is the southernmost of the Faroe Islands. The island covers 163.7 square kilometres (63.2 sq mi). In 2018 the population was 4,601. Suðuroy region ( sýsla) comprises this island and Lítl ...

. They had bought the ship in 1895 and operated a scheduled service between Tórshavn and several ports in Suðuroy. In the first half of the 20th century, several other private regional services were founded, which combined freight, mail, passengers and milk transport to and from Tórshavn. Due to the lack of roads, ferries also served as a means for transport between villages-on-the-same-island. Many routes and vessels were taken over by Strandfaraskip Landsins in the 1960s and 1970s. From 1960 onwards the road network was being extended rapidly and several private bus routes were founded. In 1980 the government agency Bygdaleiðir was established and tasked with the integrated bus network in central

Streymoy Streymoy ( da, Strømø) is the largest and most populated island of the Faroe Islands. The capital, Tórshavn, is located on its southeast coast. The name means "island of currents". It also refers to the largest region of the country that also i ...

, linking Tórshavn to the ferry service to

Vágar Vágar ( da, Vågø) is one of the 18 islands in the archipelago of the Faroe Islands and the most westerly of the ''large islands''. With a size of , it ranks number three, behind Streymoy and Eysturoy. Vágar Regions of the Faroe Islands, regi ...

, and on

Sandoy Sandoy ("Sand Island") is the first of the five southern islands that make up the Faroe chain, the fifth biggest of all the Faroe Islands, an autonomous region of the Kingdom of Denmark. It also refers to the region that includes this island alon ...

. Several private companies were taken over in the subsequent years. Bygdaleiðir fused into Strandfaraskip Landsins in the 1990s. In 1980 Strandfaraskip was appointed responsibility over the new helicopter network. This was transferred to

Atlantic Airways Atlantic Airways (, Faroese: Atlantsflog) is the national airline of the Faroe Islands, operating domestic helicopter services and international passenger services as well as search and rescue responsibilities from its base at Vágar Airport ...

in 1994. Strandfaraskip's freight branch was privatised in 2006, with the exception of public service obligations to the outer islands. Until February 2008 the administration of Strandfaraskip Landsins was located in Tórshavn, but in 2007 Jacob Vestergaard, then-Minister of Internal Affairs, moved it to

Tvøroyri Tvøroyri is a village on the north side of the Trongisvágsfjørður on the east coast of Suðuroy island in the Faroe Islands. Together with Froðba, Trongisvágur, Líðin and Øravík it forms Tvøroyri Municipality. The village is conside ...

on the island of

. This served to decentralise jobs in the public sector and was a kind reminder of Strandfaraskip Landsins' roots in Suðuroy. The name Strandfaraskip Landsins means 'national coastal transport', reminiscing of its original focus on seaborne transport. It is often referred to ''Strandferðslan'' or SSL. The ferry routes are known as ''oyggjaleiðir'' (Island routes) and bus routes as ''bygdaleiðir'' (Village routes).

Ferries

Routes: * route 7: Tórshavn (

) –

Krambatangi Krambatangi is the ferry port of Suðuroy in the Faroe Islands. The ferry MS ''Smyril'' M/F disembarks 2–3 times daily from Krambatangi to Tórshavn. Krambatangi is located on the southern side of Trongisvágsfjørður halfway between Trongis ...

(

) * route 36:

Sørvágur :''There is also a town called Vágur on Suðuroy.'' Sørvágur ( da, Sørvåg) is a village on the island of Vágar in the Faroe Islands. It is located at the landward end of Sørvágsfjørður. Sørvágur is the largest village in Sørvágur ...

(

) – Mykines * route 56: Klaksvík ( Borðoy) –

Syðradalur Syðradalur (, is a village on the island of Kalsoy, one of the Faroe Islands. Syðradalur is the southernmost village on the island, and is in Húsar Municipality. On 1 January 2009, Syðradalur had nine inhabitants, down from 12 in 1985. Bj� ...

( Kalsoy) * route 58:

Hvannasund Hvannasund ( da, Kvannesund, older spelling: ''Quannesund'') is a village and municipality in the Faroe Islands, an autonomous region in Denmark. Hvannasund is located on the west coast of the island of Viðoy. It faces Norðdepil on Borðoy. ...

(

Viðoy Viðoy ( da, Viderø) is the northernmost island in the Faroe Islands, located east of Borðoy to which it is linked via a causeway. The name means ''wood island,'' despite the fact that no trees grow on the island; the name relates to the driftwoo ...

) –

Svínoy Svínoy ( da, Svinø) is an island located in the north-east of the Faroe Islands, to the east of Borðoy and Viðoy. It takes its name from Old Norse, Svíney, meaning "Swine Isle". Svinoy also refers to a section of the ocean where North Atlanti ...

–

Kirkja Kirkja ( da, Kirke) is a village on the island of Fugloy, Faroe Islands. It is located on the south-tip of the island, and its land is stretching all over the western side of the island, including a small enclave in the now uninhabited ''Skarðsv ...

and

Hattarvík Hattarvík ( da, Hattervig) is a small village on the east side of the island of Fugloy, Faroe Islands, and is the easternmost settlement in the Faroes archipelago. The village is encircled by high mountains on three sides. History Hattarvik w ...

( Fugloy) * route 60:

Gamlarætt Gamlarætt is a ferry port in the Faroe Islands. It is situated on the southwestern side of the island of Streymoy, the largest island in the Faroes, between the villages of Velbastaður and Kirkjubøur. It accommodates ferry services to the isl ...

(

) –

Skopun Skopun (pronounced ; da, Skopen) is a town in the Faroe Islands situated on the northern coast of Sandoy. Skopun is the second-largest town on the island. Skopun Municipality consists only of the town of Skopun. History Although the area has be ...

(

) * route 61:

(

) –

Hestur Hestur ( da, Hestø) is an island in the central Faroe Islands, to the west of Streymoy and the south of Koltur. ''Hestur'' means ''horse'' in Faroese. On the west coast is a guillemot colony. In the north there is moorland with four small lakes, ...

* route 66: Sandur (

) – Skúvoy * route 85:

(

) –

(

) * route 90: Tórshavn (

) – Nólsoy

M/F ''Smyril'' - the ferry to Suðuroy

MS ''Smyril'' is the fifth ''Smyril'' in service between Tórshavn and

since 1895, the name meaning '' merlin''. She takes up 975 passengers and up to 200 cars and was built in 2005. The crossing over Suðuroyarfjørður takes two hours and five minutes in normal weather and swell conditions, though especially in winter trips are often cancelled or severely delayed. As of 2020 ''Smyril'' crosses the Suðuroyarfjør either twice-daily (3 days per week) or thrice-daily (4 days per week). It is common for Suðuroyingar to stay at friends or family in Tórshavn during weekdays, though others commute on a more-or-less daily basis. The frequency has been topic of extensive public and political debate, where the islanders would be served best with three trips a day whereas the Faroese government also is concerned about the cost-efficiency. The crossing distance is . Planning-wise, 3.5 return trips per day are theoretically feasible, based on 45 minutes

turnaround time Turnaround time (TAT) is the amount of time taken to complete a process or fulfill a request. The concept thus overlaps with lead time and can be contrasted with cycle time. Meaning in computing In computing, turnaround time is the total time t ...

and a 10-minute margin for delay, and a timeframe from 6 to 23 o'clock. When the

Sandoyartunnilin Sandoyartunnilin (Sandoy Tunnel) is an undersea road tunnel under construction in the Faroe Islands. It will connect the main island of Streymoy with Sandoy to the south. The length of the tunnel will be 10.8 kilometres. The estimated cost is 86 ...

opens in 2023 and provided that a suitable ferry terminal were available in Sandoy, ''Smyril'' could possibly reduce the crossing distance down to , allowing an increase in frequency to five return trips per day.

M/F ''Teistin'' - the ferry to Sandoy and Hestur

''Teistin'' (''

black guillemot The black guillemot or tystie (''Cepphus grylle'') is a medium-sized seabird of the Alcidae family, native throughout northern Atlantic coasts and eastern North American coasts. It is resident in much of its range, but large populations from the ...

'') operates the second-busiest route, between

and

. It takes 288 passengers and up to 33 cars. M/F ''Teistin'' was built on

Skála Skála (reclaimed its original name ''Skála'' as opposed to incorrect ''Skáli'' in 2011;Landverk

Skipasmiðja in 2001. Teistin has a frequent schedule, it goes up to 9 times daily each way (9 times from Skopun and 9 times from Gamlarætt). ''Teistin'' also sails the route between

and

, all trips on prior request by telephone. In addition to ''Teistin,'' the ferry ''Hasfjord'' has operated a cargo-only services on both routes since 2020. With a capacity of 12 passengers, she can also be used for passenger services in rare cases.

M/F ''Ritan'' – the ferry to Svínoy and Fugloy

For many years ''Másin'' sailed the route from the village of

to the two smaller islands of

and Fugloy. Presently ''Ritan'' (''

kittiwake The kittiwakes (genus ''Rissa'') are two closely related seabird species in the gull family Laridae, the black-legged kittiwake (''Rissa tridactyla'') and the red-legged kittiwake (''Rissa brevirostris''). The epithets "black-legged" and "red-le ...

'') which earlier plied the route between Tórshavn and Nólsoy, now sails this route.

M/F ''Ternan'' - the ferry to Nólsoy

M/F ''Ternan'' (''

Arctic tern The Arctic tern (''Sterna paradisaea'') is a tern in the family (biology), family Laridae. This bird has a :wiktionary:circumpolar, circumpolar breeding distribution covering the Arctic and sub-Arctic regions of Europe (as far south as Brittan ...

'') is the main ferry to Nólsoy, until December 2020, when the

trimaran A trimaran (or double-outrigger) is a multihull boat that comprises a main hull and two smaller outrigger hulls (or "floats") which are attached to the main hull with lateral beams. Most modern trimarans are sailing yachts designed for recreat ...

was (briefly) taken in use. ''Ternan'' earlier sailed the route to Sandoy, and before the subsea tunnel to Vágar opened in 2002, it shuttled together with ''Sam'' between

and

Vestmanna Vestmanna is a town in the Faroe Islands on the west of the island of Streymoy. It was formerly a ferry port, until an undersea tunnel, the Vágatunnilin, was built from Vágar to Kvívík and Stykkið further south on Streymoy. The cliffs we ...

M/S ''Sam'' - the ferry to Kalsoy

M/F ''Sam'' was built in 1981 and was earlier in service on the route between

and

. Since the opening of the

Vágatunnilin The Vágatunnilin (Vágar Tunnel) is a long undersea road tunnel in the Faroe Islands. It goes under Vestmannasund strait and connects the two islands of Streymoy and Vágar. The tunnel was the first sub-sea tunnel in the Faroe Islands, and ...

in 2002 ''Sam'' sails the route to Kalsoy; the first

ro-ro 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 usin ...

car ferry to the island.

M/F ''Sildberin'' - the Skúgvoy ferry

M/F ''Sildberin'' was built in 2014 and plies the Skúgvoy- Sandur route. The name refers to the

Atlantic puffin The Atlantic puffin ('), also known as the common puffin, is a species of seabird in the auk family. It is the only puffin native to the Atlantic Ocean; two related species, the tufted puffin and the horned puffin is found in the northeastern ...

carrying sandeel (''sild'') in its beak.

HSC ''Erla Kongsdóttir'' - the replacement ferry

The construction of HSC ''Erla Kongsdóttir'' ('' white wagtail'') was commissioned by Strandfaraskip Landsins in 2018 as a support ferry for other routes, especially when other ferries need maintenance (except route 7 to Suðuroy). Numerous similar high speed catamarans (''hurtigbåt'') have shown suitable for the Norwegian coast. She has place for up to three cars and is equipped with a

. ''Erla'' was delivered to the Faroe Islands in November 2020 and put in service on 7 December. Her maiden voyage was delayed due to misfitting ramps in Tórshavn and Nólsoy, especially at high and low tide. On the first official day of service, swell-related vibrations shattered several windows, leaving the ferry out of order for weeks. This propelled public debate about the use of high-speed catamarans in Faroese waters. It also raised questionmarks around Strandfaraskip Landsins' credibility, which at the same time was accused of being little forthcoming with its network redesign in response to the new Eysturoyartunnilin. Another boat, ''Jósup,'' is regularly commissioned by Strandfaraskip to replace vessels that are out of order.

MF ''Herjólfur III -'' the extra freight ferry to Suðuroy

In May 2022 Strandfaraskip Landsins signed a long-term rent agreement with the

Icelandic Road Administration The Road and Coastal Administration ( ) is a state run institution in Iceland whose purpose is to construct and maintain roads and infrastructure (land and sea) in rural areas and between urban areas. Formerly belonging to the Ministry of the Inte ...

Vegagerðin to lease the ferry ''Herjólfur III'', which used to ply the route between the Icelandic Mainland and Vestmannaeyjar. The ferry will insert freight-only services on the Tórshavn-Suðuroy route to relieve ''Smyril'', but will also take passengers when ''Smyril'' is out of service due to issues, maintenance or inspection. The lease lasts until at least autumn 2023.

Earlier sea routes replaced by subsea tunnels

The sub-sea tunnels to

(2002) and the Northern Isles (2006) dismantled two important ferry links. Streymin Bridge (1943) and Norðoyrartunnilin (1946) had suspended the ferry between Hósvík and

Selatrað Selatrað ( da, Selletræ) is a village on the west coast of the Faroese island of Eysturoy in Sjóvar Municipality. The name ''Selatrað'' refers to ''a breeding place for seals''. The 2010 population was 38. Its postal code is FO 497. The vill ...

(1976) and Tórshavn-

Toftir Toftir ( da, Tofte) is a village in Nes Municipality on the island of Eysturoy, in the Faroe Islands. It is part of a chain of villages stretching over a distance of 10 kilometres on the east side of Skálafjørður (fjord) on Eysturoy island. ...

Strendur Strendur ( da, Strænder) is a village on the Faroese island of Eysturoy, located along the Skálafjørður fjord. It is the seat and main settlement of the Sjóvar Municipality. The 2012 population was 785. Its postal code is FO 490. ''Strendu ...

(2003). The

will replace the current ferry link in 2023. The proposed Suðuroyartunnilin would cease the need for seaborne routes to Skúgvoy and Suðuroy.

Buses - Bygdaleiðir

The bus network was moderately changed with the opening of the Eysturoyartunnilin in 2020. The network covers 22 routes as of July 2021: * line 100: ( Tórshavn Fárstøðin, limited services) –

Kollafjørður Kollafjørður ( da, Kollefjord) is a village in the Faroe Islands, located on the island of Streymoy. As of 1. January 2022, the village had a population of 828. Its postal code is FO 410. Until 2001 it was a municipality in its own right but is ...

(Effo) –

Kvívík Kvívík ( da, Kvivig) is a village on the west coast of Streymoy in the Faroe Islands, in the eponymous municipality of ''Kvívík''. History Kvívík is one of the oldest settlements in the Faroes and excavations have shown the remains of Vikin ...

–

* line 101: Tórshavn (Fárstøðin) –

ferry port * line 200: Oyrarbakki –

Eiði Eiði (''Northern Faroese'' �ɔiːjɪ) is a village located on the north-west tip of Eysturoy in the Faroe Islands. It is the seat of Eiði Municipality. It is located 4 km north of Ljósá and 6.5 km west of Funningur. History Eiði was first ...

* line 201: Oyrarbakki – either

Funningsfjørður Funningsfjørður ( da, Fundingsfjord) is a village located at the end of a fjord of the same name ('fjørður' is the Faroese word for 'fjord'). It was founded in 1812 and has since 2005 been part of the municipality of Runavík. Whaling stat ...

– Gjógv * line 202: Oyrarbakki –

Tjørnuvík Tjørnuvík ( da, Tjørnevig) is the northernmost village on Streymoy in Sunda Municipality, Faroe Islands. As of the 2006 census, the population has a total of 71 people. The town uses the Stakkur sea stack for sheep grazing, accessed by cable ...

* line 300: Tórshavn (Fárstøðin) –

(Effo) – Kollfjarðardalur –

Sandavágur Sandavágur ( da, Sandevåg) is a city on the south coast of the Faroese island of Vágar. The name ''Sandavágur'' means ''sandy bay'' and refers to the sandy beach which used to be much larger than present. From one point in Sandavágur you can ...

–

Miðvágur Miðvágur ( da, Midvåg), is a village in the Faroe Islands on Vágar. It has been a municipality until 1 January 2009 when it fused with Sandavágur into Vága kommuna. Located on the south coast of the island of Vágar, Miðvágur is the la ...

–

Vágar Airport Vágar Airport ( fo, Vága Floghavn) is the only airport in the Faroe Islands, and is located east of the village of Sørvágur, on the island of Vágar. Due to the Faroe Islands' status as a self-governing territory, the airport is not subje ...

–

* line 350: Tórshavn ( Glasir) –

(Effo) – Kollfjarðardalur –

–

* line 400: Tórshavn (Fárstøðin) –

(village) – Oyarbakki –

Skálafjørður Skálafjørður ( da, Skålefjord) is a fjord in Eysturoy and the longest in the Faroe Islands. Name Skála is a town situated on the western shore of the fjord. Its name (''Skáli'', genitive case ''skála'') means 'hall', 'assembly hall' or ' ...

– Søldarfjørður – Gøtudalur –

Leirvík Leirvík ( da, Lervig) is a town on the Faroe Islands and was an important regional ferry harbour at the east coast of the second-largest island Eysturoy. Leirvík has a population of 1,048 (2022). It was the only town in the municipality of Le ...

– Klaksvík *line 401: Tórshavn (Fárstøðin) –

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 n ...

– Søldarfjørður – Gøtudalur –

– Klaksvík * line 410: ( Klaksvík –

, limited services) – Gøtudalur – Kambsdalur –

Fuglafjørður Fuglafjørður is a village on Eysturoy's east coast in the Faroe Islands. Its name means "fjord of birds". The village is at the edge of a bay and expands into the surrounding steep hills. The town centre is located close to the harbour and ...

* line 440, ''Skálafjarðarleiðin'': (

, limited services) –

–

– Søldarfjørður –

–

* line 442:

– Rituvík – Æðuvík *line 444: Kambsdalur –

* line 450, ''Tunnilsleiðin:'' Tórshavn (Fárstøðin) – either

–

– Tórshavn (Fárstøðin) (also in the opposite direction) *line 460:

(Effo) –

(village) – Oyarbakki * line 481:

– Oyndarfjørður * line 500: Klaksvík – Árnafjørður –

(ferry for

and Fugloy) –

Viðareiði Viðareiði (pronounced , literally: ''Wood-Isthmus'', da, Viderejde) is the northernmost settlement in the Faroe Islands and lies on the Island of Viðoy, which belongs to the Norðoyar Region. Geography It lies on an isthmus with high mountain ...

* line 504: Klaksvík – Haraldssund – Kunoy * line 506:

–

Húsar Húsar ( da, Husum) is a village on the island of Kalsoy in the Faroe Islands. History Húsar is located on the east coast and the southern part of the island of Kalsoy. Húsar is connected to Klaksvík by a ferry that visits the village three t ...

–

Mikladalur Mikladalur, meaning "great valley or dale" is the largest of four villages on the northern Faroese island of Kalsoy in the municipality of Klaksvík. It is situated in a large U-shaped valley on the east coast of the island. The town's stone chur ...

–

Trøllanes Trøllanes ( da, Troldenæs) is a village at the northern end of the Faroese island of Kalsoy in the municipality of Klaksvík. Its postal code is FO 798. A tunnel to the village of Mikladalur to the south, the Trøllanestunnilin, was completed ...

* line 600:

– Inni í Dal – Sandur –

Skálavík Skálavík ( da, Skålevig) is a village and municipality on the eastern coast of the Faroese island Sandoy. History The village's stone church was built in 1891. The famous Faroese writers Heðin Brú (born Hans Jacob Jacobsen) (1901–1987) an ...

* line 601: (

– Inni í Dal, limited services) – Sandur – Húsavík –

Dalur Dalur ( da, Dal) is a village in the Faroe Islands. Dalur is located on the east-side of Sandoy. The village lies in the bottom of a relatively large valley. ''Dalur'' means ''valley'' in Faroese. A little road leads from Dalur to the south-tip o ...

* line 700:

–

(''ferfulegan,'' ferry port) – Øravík – Hov –

Porkeri Porkeri ( da, Porkere) is a village in the Faroe Islands, situated northeast of Vágur on Suðuroy's east coast. As of 2020 it had a population of 318, and it has been inhabited at least as early as the 14th century. History Tradition says tha ...

–

Vágur Vágur meaning ''Bay'' ( da, Våg) is a town on the island of Suðuroy, part of the Faroe Islands It is situated on the east coast of the island on the Vágsfjørður fjord, and was founded in the fourteenth century. Expansion has meant that t ...

– Lopra – Sumba * line 701:

Sandvík Sandvík (pronounced , "Sandy Bay"; da, Sandvig) is the northernmost village of the island of Suðuroy in the Faroe Islands. It is situated on the northern side of a shallow fjord. The village was previously known as Hvalvík (''Bay of Whales''). ...

–

Hvalba Hvalba ( da, Kvalbø) is a village and a municipality in the Faroe Islands, which consists of Hvalba, Nes-Hvalba and Sandvík. The village spreads around the bottom of a deep inlet, Hvalbiarfjørður, in the northeast of Suðuroy. Population H ...

–

Trongisvágur Trongisvágur ( da, Trangisvåg) is a village on the island of Suduroy in the Faroe Islands. Trongisvágur is the village in the bottom of Trongisvágsfjørður (fjord) on the east coast of Suduroy. Trongisvágur and the neighbouring villages ...

(''ferfulegan,'' ferry port) – Øravík –

Fámjin Fámjin ( da, Famien) is a village located on the western side of Suðuroy, the southernmost island in Faroe Islands. Fámjin is looking directly out to the North Atlantic Ocean. Name Geography The village of Fámjin faces the ocean, althoug ...

Several municipalities operate municipal routes.

Directors

''The list is not complete'' *1 June 2014 - Hilmar Eliasen *13 January 2014 - Regin I. Jakobsen caretaker until 30 April 2014. *From 16 December 2013 - Hans Jóhannes á Brúgv caretaker until 13 January, while Bogi Mortensen was on sick leave *1 February 2009 - Bogi Mortensen *1 May 2008 - 31. jan. 2009 Dánjal Andreasen *19 Nov. 2007 - 30. Apr. 2008 - Jákup Danielsen *1 May 2007 - 19. Nov. 2007 - Regin Vágadal *Sep. 2006 - 30. April 2007 - Niels Juel Arge (yngri) *1 January 2003 - Sep. 2006 - Kristian Davidsen *Jan. 1997 - Des. 2002 - Reidar Nónfjallsamband.fo, Reidar Nónfjall
/ref> *Oct. 1996 - Jan. 1997 - Erling í Liða *Dec. 1994 - Okt. 1996 - Thomas Arabo *Dec. 1992 - Dec. 1994 - Thomas Magnussen *1991 - Dec. 1992 - Johan Restorff Jacobsen *1989 - 1991 - Thomas Arabo *1981 - 1989 - Johan Restorff Jacobsen *1973 - 1981 - Thomas Arabo *ca. 1965 - 1974 - Johan Restorff Jacobsen *From the early 1960s - ca. 1965 - Dánjal Danielsen *Borghild Schrøder, Evensen's wife takes over the administrative tasks and continues as administrator (director) until the mid 1960s *From around 1920 Eivind Evensen is administrator (director) until he dies. *From 1917 the ferry Smyril (Smiril) is run by the Faroese government, before that the Mortensen brothers in ran the ferry Tvøroyri

References

External links

Official website
with some pages in English) {{Commons, Strandfaraskip Landsins Ferry companies of the Faroe Islands Bus transport in the Faroe Islands