MS Delft Seaways

Last updated
Delft Seaways Dover 09 December 2012 (1).JPG
Delft Seaways
History
Name
  • 2006-2010: Maersk Delft
  • 2010 onwards: Delft Seaways
Operator
Port of registryDover, Civil Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom
Builder Samsung Heavy Industries, South Korea
Yard number1524
Laid down12 March 2003
Launched7 May 2005
Completed2005
Maiden voyage27 February 2006
Identification
Statusin service
General characteristics
Class and type D-class RoRo car ferry
Tonnage35,293  GT
Length186.65 m (612.4 ft)
Beam28.40 m (93.2 ft)
Draught6.75 m (22.1 ft)
Decks9
Propulsion4 x MAN B&W 8L48/60B Diesel
Speed
  • 25  kn (46.3 km/h) (service)
  • 28  kn (51.9 km/h) (max)

Delft Seaways is a ro-pax ferry owned and operated by DFDS Seaways. She is one of three sister ships designed for the cross-Channel route from Dover to Dunkerque, capable of making the crossing in 1 hour and 45 minutes. Delft Seaways is a Scandinavian designed ship built at the Samsung shipyards in South Korea in 2005. [1] She sails under the flag of the United Kingdom and her port of registry is Dover.

Contents

History

Maersk Delft Maersk Delft (1).JPG
Maersk Delft

The ship was ordered in 2003 as the second of the three Maersk D-Class car ferries. delivered in 2006 and made her maiden voyage on 27 February 2006, replacing Northern Merchant which previously operated the route. She had an encounter with armed speedboats in the Gulf of Aden during the delivery voyage from Korea. [2]

Maersk Delft suffered a loss of power whilst returning to Dover following a refit at Scheldeport Dockyard, Vlissingen on 29 January 2007. The fault was blamed on a computer error, but the vessel had to be towed into Dover harbour from outside the eastern entrance where she had anchored. [2]

In July 2010 Norfolkline was acquired by DFDS. The Norfolkline ships and routes were re-branded as DFDS Seaways. In 2016 the ships went into drydock at Damen shipyard in Dunkirk. They were rebranded into the new DFDS livery which dropped the Seaways branding from the side of the vessel. Delft Seaways kept the Seaways name, the same as with the other D-Class vessels.

Vessel overview

Deck plan onboard Maersk Delft Maersk.Delft.Levels.Map.jpg
Deck plan onboard Maersk Delft

The Delft Seaways, or former Maersk Delft, is a member of the triplet D-class of Ro-Pax vessels, being designed to replace the older so-called Racehorse quartet of Ro/Ro ferries specialised for lorry freight. The D-class of vessels has been named so, as all the triplets have their names beginning with the letter D, with Dover, Dunkerque, and Delft Seaways.

All vessels are twin-screw Ro-Pax vessels, with space for 780 passengers and 2990 lane metres of vehicle capacity, divided between 3 vehicle decks, with decks 3 and 4 reserved for lorries and other freight. Their service speed is 25 knots, although they can make 28 knots in an emergency, and are powered by four MAN diesel engines coupled to two propellers. They also have four 1800kW thrusters, three on the bow and one on the stern. The vessels of this class are easily distinguishable due to their signature windows at the bow of the superstructure, which provide for a panoramic view of the English Channel for passengers. [3] [4]

Under Norfolkline, the vessel also had some 132 artworks made by Anne Visbøll, although it is unknown whether the artworks remain on the vessel under DFDS ownership. [5]

Sister ships

Delft Seaways has two sister ships operating on the same service: Dunkerque Seaways and Dover Seaways.

Related Research Articles

DFDS Danish international shipping and logistics corporation

DFDS is a Danish international shipping and logistics company. It is the busiest shipping company of its kind in Northern Europe and one of the busiest in Europe. The company's name is an abbreviation of Det Forenede Dampskibs-Selskab. DFDS was founded in 1866, when C.F. Tietgen merged the three biggest Danish steamship companies of that day.

Norfolkline Ferry company owned by Mearsk Line

Norfolkline was a European ferry operator and logistics company owned by Maersk. It provided freight ferry services on the English channel, Irish Sea, and the North Sea; and passenger ferry services on the English channel and Irish Sea; and logistics services across Europe. Norfolkline employed more than 2,200 employees in 13 countries across Europe, operating out of 35 different locations.

MS <i>Barfleur</i> (1992) Ferry launched in 1991

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MS <i>Isle of Innisfree</i> (1991) Passenger and car ferry ship

MS Isle of Innisfree is a passenger and car ferry to be operated by Irish Ferries between Dover and Calais. Originally built at Boelwerf as the Prins Filip originally sailing between Dover and Ostend, later between Ostend and Ramsgate, she has since 1997 operated for a wide variety of companies.

DFDS Seaways Danish shipping company

DFDS Seaways is a Danish shipping company that operates passenger and freight services across northern Europe. Following the acquisition of Norfolkline in 2010, DFDS restructured its other shipping divisions into the previously passenger-only operation of DFDS Seaways.

Tor Line

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MS <i>Dunkerque Seaways</i>

Dunkerque Seaways is a ro-pax ferry operated by DFDS Seaways on their cross-channel route between Dover, United Kingdom and Dunkirk, France. She was delivered to Norfolkline in 2005 as Maersk Dunkerque.

MS <i>Finbo Cargo</i>

The MS Finbo Cargo is a roll-on/roll-off passenger ferry that was previously called the European Endeavour which was owned and operated by P&O Ferries until May 2019. Eckerö Line purchased the ship from P&O in 2019 and is expected to take delivery in June 2019 and renamed her MS Finbo Cargo.

MS <i>Stena Baltica</i> (2005)

MS Stena Baltica is a RoPax ferry, owned by Stena Line and planned to operate on the Baltic Sea between Nynäshamn, Sweden and Ventspils, Latvia. The ship previously operated on the Irish Sea, between Birkenhead and Belfast, as Stena Mersey.

The ferry service between Rosyth and Zeebrugge was a freight-only service operated by DFDS. The service replaced a passenger and freight service that was initially operated by Superfast Ferries between May 2002 and September 2008, and then by Norfolkline from 18 May 2009 until 15 December 2010. It was the only direct ferry route between Scotland and Continental Europe. On 20 August 2010 it was announced that the passenger service would end on 15 December 2010, although the freight-only service resumed shortly thereafter. The service was terminated in 2018 following a fire aboard one of the ships.

MS <i>SeaFrance Cézanne</i>

MS SeaFrance Cézanne was a ferry launched in 1979 as the Ariadne. Starting life in the Mediterranean, she has spent the majority of her career serving the Dover-Calais cross channel ferry route with successive operators, Sealink, SNCF & SeaFrance, was taken out of service in February 2009 and scrapped in 2011-12

MS <i>Pelagos</i> Roll-on/roll-off ferry

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<i>Blue Carrier 1</i>

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MS <i>Stena Scotia</i>

MS Stena Scotia is a freight ferry owned by Stena and operated by the ferry company Stena Line. She operates on the route that links Heysham with Belfast. She was built in 1996 at the Miho Shipyards in Japan as the Maersk Exporter for Norfolkline. In 2010, she was renamed as the Scotia Seaways when DFDS Seaways acquired Norfolkline and took over all of its operations. Later that year, she was chartered to Stena Line where she was repainted and again renamed, this time as the Stena Scotia, and re-flagged to the Isle of Man. She has three sister ships, Stena Hibernia, Flandria Seaways and Anglia Seaways. She can only accommodate 12 passengers, but provides 1,692 lane-metres.

MS <i>Dover Seaways</i>

Dover Seaways is a Ro-Ro passenger ferry owned by DFDS Seaways and operated between Dover and Dunkerque. The ship was built for Norfolkline and was operated as Maersk Dover from 2006 to 2010 between Dover and Dunkerque.

<i>E-Flexer</i>-class ferry

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D-class ferry Rollon rolloff ferry

The D-class ferries are a trio of RoRo ferries built by Samsung Heavy Industries between 2003 and 2006 and operated by DFDS Seaways. They were originally operated by Norfolkline, and sail between Dover, United Kingdom and Dunkerque, France.

MS <i>Isle of Inisheer</i> Ferry

MV Isle of Inisheer is a RoPax ferry owned by Irish Continental Group and operated by Irish Ferries.

Aura Seaways is a RoPax ferry operated by DFDS Seaways on their Klaipėda–Karlshamn route in the Baltic region. She is the first of a new class of Ropax ferries intended to operate the Baltic route with her sister ship Luna Seaways expected to join her in spring 2022. The ferry was assembled at Guangzhou Shipyard International and is currently the largest RoPax in the company's fleet. The completion of Aura Seaways also mark the first newbuilt passenger vessel contracted by DFDS in nearly 40 years.

References

  1. "Norfolkline freight ferry fleet - Maersk Delft". Archived from the original on January 5, 2009. Retrieved 22 April 2009.
  2. 1 2 "Mv Maersk Delft". February 8th 2006: Had an incident when, off Oman, when approached by a number of small fast which were believed to be pirates. These vessel dispersed when the ferry proceeded to increase speed to 28knots. Archived from the original on 25 June 2009. Retrieved 22 April 2009.
  3. "MV Delft Seaways – Past and Present". 4 July 2012.
  4. "The ferry site".
  5. "Maersk Delft Commission 2005 - 2006". Archived from the original on June 14, 2008. Retrieved 22 April 2009.