Molslinjen (previously Mols-Linien) 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.

Molslinjen
Company typeAktieselskab
Founded1964; 60 years ago (1964)
HeadquartersAarhus, Denmark
Area served
  • Denmark
  • Sweden
  • Germany
Key people
Carsten Jensen, CEO
ServicesPassenger transportation, Freight transportation
Websitewww.molslinjen.com Edit this at Wikidata

History

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Molslinjen was formed by DFDS in 1964 sailings commenced on 18 May 1966.[1]

A downturn in traffic following the 1973 oil crisis led Molslinjen into a pooling agreement with rival Grenaa-Hundested Linien in 1979.[2]

In 1984 DFDS sold Molslinjen and Grenaa-Hundested Linien to J. Lauritzen A/S. The company was sold 4 years later to Danish investment company DIFKO.

In 1999 Molslinjen merged with Scandlines subsidiary Cat-Link.

Scandlines sold its holding to the Clipper Group in 2008.

In July 2011, Molslinjen announced it was to terminate the Kalundborg – Aarhus route and sell the two vessels operating the route.[3]

Molslinjen terminated the Aarhus – Kalundborg route on 15 September 2011. Thereafter the route was operated by Kattegatruten until October 2013 and then suspended.

In 2016 Molslinjen won a 10-year public tender to operate ferry services to Bornholm, and operations started in September 2018 under the name Bornholmslinjen.

In 2018, the ferry routes of Alslinjen, Langelandslinjen, Samsølinjen and Fanølinjen became part of Molslinjen with the acquisition of Danske Færger.[4][5]

In January 2023, the Danish and Swedish competition regulators approved the sale of ForSea Ferries to Molslinjen for an undisclosed sum.[6]

Fleet

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Molslinjen

Image Name Built Enterered service Gross Tonnage Notes
  Express 2 2013 2013 10,503 GT
  Express 3 2017 2017 10,842 GT Sailed from Incat shipyards in Tasmania, April 2017[7]
  Express 4 2018 2018 10,500 GT Built by Austal in Western Australia.[8] Austal ships do not have the centre bow that characterises the previous solely Incat built fleet.

Bornholms-linjen

Image Name Built Enterered service Gross Tonnage Notes
  Express 1 2009 2012 10,503 GT
  Hammershus 2018 2018 18,009 GT Operates on Rønne–Køge and Rønne–Sassnitz routes
  Poul Anker 1978 2016 12.131 GT Operates on Rønne–Køge and Rønne–Sassnitz routes
Express 5 2022 2023 Cost €83.7 million, Austal ship. Carries 1,610 passengers and 450 cars.[9]

Langelandslinjen

Image Name Built Enterered service Gross Tonnage Notes
M/F Langeland 2012 2012 4.500 Old livery
M/F Lolland 2012 2012 4.500 Old livery

Fanølinjen

Image Name Built Enterered service Gross Tonnage Notes
M/F Menja 1998 1998 751 runs on HVO Diesel[10]
M/F Fenja 1998 1998 751 runs on HVO Diesel[10]
E/F Grotte 2021 2022 925 E-ferry[11]

Samsølinjen

Image Name Built Enterered service Gross Tonnage Notes
M/F Samsø 2009 2014 4.630
M/F Tyrfing[12] 2025 E-Ferry[13]
launched in October 2024[14][15]

Alslinjen

Image Name Built Enterered service Gross Tonnage Notes
M/F Fynshav 1998 2015 3.380 Laid Up at Kolby Kås do to reconstruction of ferry berth.
  M/F Frigg Sydfyen 1984 2015 1.676 Full time service, until the arrivel of M/F Nerthus
M/F Nerthus[12] 2024 E-Ferry[13][16]

Øresundslinjen

Name Built Tonnage Passengers Notes Images References
Tycho Brahe 1991 11,148 GT 1250 In service
E-ferry (2018-)
  [17][18]
Aurora af Helsingborg 1992 11,148 GT 1250 In service
E-ferry (2018-)
  [19][20]
Hamlet 1997 10,067 GT 1000 In service
(Will be converted into
E-ferry in 2025-)
 
[21][22][23]
Mercandia IV 1989 4,296 GRT 400 Replacement & Freight   [24][25][26][27]

Former Ships

Image Name Built Enterered service Gross Tonnage Notes
  Max Mols 1998 1999 5,617 GT sold in 2024[28]

Routes

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Molslinjen routes
 
Molslinjen's routes to/from Bornholm since 1 September 2018.

Molslinjen operates various routes around Denmark and surrounding countries, under a multitude of brand names.

References

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  1. ^ Skjøtt, Heino. "st ark". Retrieved 15 February 2017.
  2. ^ "Mols Line Ferry Postcards". Retrieved 15 February 2017.
  3. ^ "2358059 - Profile". Archived from the original on 19 February 2012.
  4. ^ "Om FANØLINJEN". FANØLINJEN (in Danish). Retrieved 21 January 2023.
  5. ^ Ferry Shipping News. Molslinjen Buys Danske Færger. Retrieved 22 January 2023
  6. ^ Sjöfartstidningen. Molslinjen får grönt ljus för köpet av ForSea. Retrieved 19 January 2023
  7. ^ "Incat Heralds New Generation Fast Ferry". Archived from the original on 19 May 2017. Retrieved 9 May 2017.
  8. ^ "Austal Commences Construction of 109 Metre High Speed Ferry for Molslinjen of Denmark". 26 April 2017.
  9. ^ "Austal to build new catamaran for Molslinjen".
  10. ^ a b "Gamle Fanø-færger først med fossilfri biodiesel". September 2021.
  11. ^ "El-færgen Grotte".
  12. ^ a b "Nye elfærger har fået navne".
  13. ^ a b "Molslinjen har valgt værfter til byggeriet af nye elfærger - Maritime Direct". 29 August 2022.
  14. ^ "Molslinjen: die dänische Fährreederei Samsølinjens feiert den Stapellauf der neuen Elektrofähre". www.seereisenportal.de (in German). 22 October 2024. Retrieved 14 November 2024.
  15. ^ MOLSLINJEN (21 October 2024). Søsætning af Samsølinjens elfærge, Tyrfing. Retrieved 14 November 2024 – via YouTube.
  16. ^ "Where is the ship? NERTHUS". marinetraffic.com. Retrieved 16 November 2024.
  17. ^ "M/F Tycho Brahe". ferry-site.dk. Retrieved 19 October 2023.
  18. ^ "Tycho Brahe" (in Danish). faergelejet.dk. Retrieved 19 October 2023.
  19. ^ "M/F Aurora af Helsingborg". ferry-site.dk. Retrieved 19 October 2023.
  20. ^ "Aurora af Helsingborg" (in Danish). faergelejet.dk. Retrieved 19 October 2023.
  21. ^ "M/F Hamlet". ferry-site.dk. Retrieved 19 October 2023.
  22. ^ "Hamlet" (in Danish). faergelejet.dk. Retrieved 19 October 2023.
  23. ^ Koefoed-Hansen, Michael (28 July 2024). "Molslinjen sætter klimamål". Færgenyt (in Danish). Retrieved 14 November 2024.
  24. ^ "M/F Mercandia IV". ferry-site.dk. Retrieved 19 October 2023.
  25. ^ "Mercandia IV" (in Danish). faergelejet.dk. Retrieved 19 October 2023.
  26. ^ "M/S Mercandia IV" (in Danish). skip-siden.com. Archived from the original on 20 February 2012. Retrieved 19 October 2023.
  27. ^ ""Mercandia IV"" (in Danish). faergejournalen.dk. Retrieved 19 October 2023.
  28. ^ Koefoed-Hansen, Michael (30 April 2024). "Molslinjen sælger MAX". Færgenyt (in Danish). Retrieved 14 November 2024.
  29. ^ "Time table". MOLSLINJEN. Retrieved 5 February 2023.
  30. ^ "BORNHOLMSLINJENs timetable". BORNHOLMSLINJEN. Retrieved 5 February 2023.
  31. ^ "SAMSØLINJENs fartplan". SAMSØLINJEN (in Danish). Retrieved 5 February 2023.
  32. ^ "ALSLINJENs fartplan". ALSLINJEN (in Danish). Retrieved 5 February 2023.
  33. ^ "Se LANGELANDSLINJENs fartplan her". LANGELAND (in Danish). Retrieved 5 February 2023.
  34. ^ "FANØLINJENs fartplan". FANØLINJEN (in Danish). Retrieved 5 February 2023.
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