BornholmerFærgen was a Danish ferry company which connected the island of

Bornholm Bornholm () is a List of islands of Denmark, Danish island in the Baltic Sea, to the east of the rest of Denmark, south of Sweden, northeast of Germany and north of Poland. Strategically located, Bornholm has been fought over for centuries. I ...

to Denmark, Sweden and Germany. Until 2011 the company was known as Bornholmstrafikken, when it became a subsidiary of Danske Færger. In 2018

Molslinjen (previously ) is a Danish company that operates ferry services between Jutland and Zealand, and also services to Bornholm. In March 2017, the routes in the Kattegat were renamed to Molslinjen. History Molslinjen was formed by DFDS in 1964 sail ...

took over the ferry service to Bornholm under the name

Bornholmslinjen (previously ) is a Denmark, Danish company that operates ferry services between Jutland and Zealand (Denmark), Zealand, and also services to Bornholm. In March 2017, the routes in the Kattegat were renamed to Molslinjen. History Molslinjen was ...

History

1866
The Dampskibsselskabet på Bornholm af 1866 A/S was formed. 1963
Car ferry ''Bornholmerpilen'' enters service. 1973
Danish state takes control. 2000
High speed catamaran ''Villum Clausen'' enters service. 2004
Danish State puts Bornholm routes out to tender. Danish terminal moves from

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the Urban area of Copenhagen, urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the ...

Køge Køge (, older spelling ''Kjøge'') is a Danish seaport on the coast of Køge Bugt (''Bay of Køge'') 39 km southwest of Copenhagen. It is the principal town and seat of Køge Municipality, Region Sjælland (Zealand), Denmark. In 2025, the ...

. 2005
Bornholmstrafikken A/S is formed. New ROPAX vessels ''Hammerodde'' and ''Dueodde'' enter service. 2007
Bornholmstrafikken A/S enters into a 50/50 collaboration with the Clipper Group A/S and establish Nordic Ferry Services A/S 2010
The ''Hammerodde'' is rebuilt at

STX Europe STX Europe AS, formerly Aker Yards ASA, was until 2012 a subsidiary of the South Korean STX Offshore & Shipbuilding. With headquarters in Oslo, Norway, STX Europe operated 15 shipyards in Brazil, Finland, France, Norway, Romania and Vietnam. Th ...

. The ''Dueodde'' is sold to New Zealand ferry operator

Strait Shipping StraitNZ, formerly Strait Shipping, is a New Zealand transport firm that operates roll-on/roll-off freight and passenger shipping across Cook Strait between Wellington in the North Island and Picton, New Zealand, Picton in the South Island, and ...

(Bluebridge). Bornholmstrafikken re-brands as BornholmerFærgen. 2011
High speed catamaran ''Leonora Christina'' enters service. 2016
In 2016 Molslinjen won a 10-year

public tender Government procurement or public procurement is the purchase of goods, works (construction) or services by the state, such as by a government agency or a state-owned enterprise. In 2019, public procurement accounted for approximately 12% of GDP ...

to operate ferry services to Bornholm, and operations started in September 2018 under the name "Bornholmslinjen".

Routes

BornholmerFærgen operate three routes from the island of Bornholm.

Fleet

BornholmerFærgen currently operates a fleet of three ships (one fast ferry and two conventional ferries). A second fast ferry joined the fleet in September 2011.

Current vessels

MS '' Povl Anker''
The ''Povl Anker'' was built at the Danish Aalborg Shipyard in 1978. She is the oldest vessel in the BornholmerFærgen fleet. The vessel is named after Paul Hansen Anker, who was vicar of Rutsker and Hasle and active in the rebellion against the Swedish government in 1658. BornholmerFærgen plan to keep her in service until 2017 as a reserve ferry. In October 2006, she served as backdrop Paprika Steen’s 2007 movie, ''With Your Permission''. The ''Povl Anker'' was classified in 1978 as a ''I 3/3 E, Deep Sea Car Ferry, ICE II'' at Bureau Veritas, meaning that she is strengthened for navigation in ice.

Past vessels

MS ''Dueodde (2005-2010)''
Sister ship to the ''Hammerodde''. Built in 2005 by Merwede. In September 2010 she was purchased by

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

ferry operator

(Bluebridge) and renamed for service on

Cook Strait Cook Strait () is a strait that separates the North Island, North and South Islands of New Zealand. The strait connects the Tasman Sea on the northwest with the South Pacific Ocean on the southeast. It is wide at its narrowest point,McLintock, ...

. She was purchased by

Condor Ferries Condor Ferries was an operator of passenger and freight ferry services between the United Kingdom, Bailiwick of Guernsey, Guernsey, Bailiwick of Jersey, Jersey and France. History Condor Ferries was formed in 1964 by Channel Island businessme ...

in early 2023 and is currently in service with

Brittany Ferries Brittany Ferries is the trading name of the French shipping company, BAI Bretagne Angleterre Irlande S.A. founded in 1973 by Alexis Gourvennec, that operates a fleet of ferries and cruiseferries between France, England, Ireland, Spain and the ...

as the MV Islander. MS ''Jens Kofod (1979-2005)''
Sister ship to ''Povl Anker''. Sold to

Eckerö Linjen Eckerö Linjen is a Finnish shipping company operating a ferry between Berghamn harbour in Eckerö in the Åland Islands and Grisslehamn in Sweden. The company is owned by the Åland based Rederiaktiebolaget Eckerö. Eckerö Linjen should n ...

in 2005 for service between Eckerö and Grisslehamn, The vessel was named after Jens Kofod Pedersen, who, like Paul Hansen Anker was active in the struggle against the Swedish government and was a cousin of Villum Clausen. MS ''Peder Olsen (1991-1999)''
Built in 1974 as the ''Kalle III'' for Jydsk Færgefart A/S. Sold to

Moby Lines Moby Lines (Moby Lines S.p.A.) is an Italian shipping company that operates ferries and cruiseferries between the Italian or French mainland and the islands of Elba, Sardinia and Corsica. The company was founded in 1959 under the name Navigazi ...

in 1999 for service in the

Tyrrhenian Sea The Tyrrhenian Sea (, ; or ) , , , , is part of the Mediterranean Sea off the western coast of Italy. It is named for the Tyrrhenians, Tyrrhenian people identified with the Etruscans of Italy. Geography The sea is bounded by the islands of C ...

. MS ''Rotna (1971-1978)''
Built in 1962 as the ''Kalle'' for Juelsminde-Kalundborg Linien. Sold to Gozo Channel Line in 1978 for service in the

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern ...

. Broken up in 2002. HSC '' Villum Clausen (2000-2017)''
(Launched: 2000) fast ferry (catamaran) Capacity approximately 215 cars and 1055 passengers requiring seats for all. Top speed 48 knots. Recorded in the Guinness Book of Records for its top speed and the longest distance in 24 hours of the voyage from the shipyard

Austal Austal Limited is an Australian-based global ship building company and defence prime contractor that specialises in the design, construction and support of defence and commercial vessels. Austal's product range includes naval vessels, High-spee ...

Ships in Australia to Denmark. Villum Clausen was the brother of Jens Pedersen Kofod, and it was Villum Clausen, who shot the Swedish commander Johan Printzensköld who tried to escape arrest. Since 2017 as ''World Champion Jet'' for Seajets. MS ''Hammerodde (2005-2018)''
Built at Merwede shipyard in the Netherlands in 2005. Capacity 1235 lane meters, 400 passengers, 108 berths in 60 cabins. Ice class 1C.New Deliveries: Hammerodde & Dueodde
Ferry Technology, August 2005. The ''Hammerodde'' was rebuilt by the

shipyard in 2010 with an extra vehicle deck at the stern. Since 2018 as ''Stena Vinga'' for Stena Line.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:BornholmerFaergen Ferry companies of Denmark Ferry companies of Sweden Ferry companies of Poland Companies based in Bornholm Companies established in 1866 Danish companies established in 1866