MS Smyril


The Smyril is a passenger and car ferry owned and operated by the Faroese transport company Strandfaraskip Landsins. She is the largest ferry in the fleet and the 5th vessel to carry the name Smyril, which is the Faroese word for Merlin. The ferry takes 200 cars and 975 passengers.
The ferry services Suðuroy. It has 2-3 daily arrivals to Krambatangi, the Suðuroy ferry port. The trip from Tórshavn to Tvøroyri takes 2 hours. It is then possible to go by bus from the harbour of Krambatangi to all other villages on the island.

History

The current Smyril was built at the IZAR shipyard in San Fernando, Spain. She entered service on the 15 October 2005.

Previous vessels

Since the 1890s the Strandfaraskip Landsins have operated five different ships named Smyril.

''Smyril'' (I)

Smyril I was built in the 1890s and began as a smaller transport boat in Tvøroyri in the Faroe islands.

''Smyril'' (II)

Smyril II was built in Frederikshavn in Denmark in 1931, arriving in the Faroe Islands in 1932. It was much more modern than the first Smyril, it had a large saloon with sofas, and it even had a small saloon for smokers. The ferry was welcomed with song and music on the harbour of Tórshavn. Two days after arrival, the ferry started to sail on route between the islands. It sailed from Tórshavn, the capital, to many villages, i.e. to the villages on the eastern side of Eysturoy, to the villages on the eastern side of Sandoy and to several of the villages on the eastern side of Suðuroy, to the village Vestmanna, which is on the west coast of Streymoy and to Vágar island and sometimes also to smaller island like Mykines and Nólsoy. Smyril II also sailed to Klaksvík. Smyril I left the Faroe Islands on the same day as the new ferry started on her route, after sailing between the islands in 35 years.

''Smyril'' (III)

Smyril III was built in Tórshavn, at the shipyard Tórshavnar Skipasmiðja, in 1967. It was a modern fast-moving and seaworthy vessel. With the new Smyril the sailing time between Torshavn and Tvøroyri was reduced from four to three hours. Smyril III could accommodate 300 passengers, but with the changes that were made in the infrastructure in the Faroes in the 1970s, the need for a larger vessel, a real car-ferry, grew to cover the community’s requirements.

''Smyril'' (IV)

Smyril IV was built in 1969 as MV Morten Mols for the Danish shipping company Mols-Linien and bought by Strandfaraskip Landsins in 1975. It began to show signs of wear against the strong Faroese elements in the mid 1990s and by 2003 it was facing extreme difficulties in sailing through the strong currents of the islands. It was eventually replaced and taken out of operation in October 2005 with Smyril V.

New harbour

A new harbour was built to accommodate the newer larger version of the Smyril in 2004. The new harbour is called Krambatangi. The former harbour was a few hundred metres further east, on the same side of the fjord of Tvøroyri, the southern side. The old harbour was called Drelnes. The new harbour Krambatangi is located between the villages of Trongisvágur and Øravík, and is in Øravíkarlíð, not far from Trongisvágur. The villages around the fjord of Trongisvágsfjørður are Øravík, Trongisvágur, Tvøroyri and Froðba. Tvøroyri, which is one of the largest villages on Suðuroy, is just on the opposite side of the fjord.