 | |
| Industry | Passenger transportation |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1981 |
| Defunct | 1998 |
| Fate | Closure |
| Headquarters | Ramsgate, United Kingdom |
Area served | English Channel |
| Parent | Rederi Ab Sally |
Sally Line UK (sometimes referred to as Sally Ferries UK) was a British ferry operator on the English Channel and North Sea.
Whilst historically, the port of Ramsgate had boasted a ferry service to France, these had ceased in 1966. [1] In December 1979 a new ferry route between Dunkerque and Ramsgate was announced. [2] This was to be operated by Dunkerque Ramsgate Ferries (DRF) and was run by Olau Line-founder; Ole Lauritzen and funded by the sale of his remaining 50% share in Olau Line to TT-Line. The service had originally been expected to utilise the Olau Line vessel; Olau Kent (for which the new facilities at Ramsgate had been designed), but actually was served by the much older ship Nuits St Georges, which commenced sailings in May 1980. [3] [4]
By the beginning of September 1980 a series of problems and the arrest of Nuits St Georges saw the collapse of DRF, which left the terminal at Ramsgate having to be mothballed. [4] [3] [1]
Later in 1980, discussions commenced about a replacement service for Dunkerque Ramsgate Ferries, capitalising on the £6.25 million invested by Thanet District Council to create the ferry facilities at Ramsgate. These discussions involved the Finnish shipping company Rederi Ab Sally, who were looking to expand their routes to the UK and had already discounted a North Sea route, and shipping consultant Michael Kingshott who had already assisted with development of new ferry facilities at Sheerness. [1]
Sally Line was officially founded in April 1981 [5] and led by Michael Kingshott [6] as a subsidiary of the Rederi Ab Sally, [5] and initially marketed as Sally Viking Line, with a livery that was nearly identical with that of Viking Line, a Baltic Sea ferry consortium of which Sally was a member. The naming scheme of Sally's Viking Line ships was also carried over to the UK operations, with ships named either The Viking or Viking [number]. [7]
In 1987 Rederi Ab Sally, including the Sally Line UK operations, was sold to Effoa and Johnson Line, [8] Sally's Baltic Sea rivals and owners of Silja Line. As a result of the change of ownership, a new Sally Line UK livery was adopted in 1988 and the company's ships were renamed with a Sally-prefix. [7]
In 1989, Sally led a consortium with Globe Investment Trust, 3i and merchant bank; Tranwood Earl, who attempted a hostile takeover of The Southampton, Isle of Wight and South of England Royal Mail Steam Packet Co. Limited, trading as Red Funnel. [9] The opening offer of 205p was swiftly rejected [10] and despite threats by Sally of a competing cross-Solent service [11] , or a purchase of Sealink's Isle of Wight operations [12] , a revised offer of 236p per share was made. [13] Associated British Ports Holdings emerged as a White Knight in battle, firstly taking a 1% stake in Red Funnel and then extending this to a 264p per share full takeover offer. [14] Sally withdrew [15] and ABP's takeover of Red Funnel was given the go ahead in October 1989. [16]
Sally Line UK operated the Holyman Sally Line service from Port of Ramsgate to Ostend from 1993 to 1998, but this became no longer viable Holyman became partners with Hoverspeed and moved the service to Dover.[ citation needed ] In the mid-90s Sally Line adapted a new livery and a logo similar to that of Silja Line, [7] but this proved short-lived as the company ceased operations in 1998. [5]
 |
| Name | Built | In service | Tonnage | History |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Viking | 1981–1983 | 5,286 GRT | Scrapped 2015 at Aliağa, Turkey. | |
| Viking 6 Sun Express | 1982, 1985–1986 1985 | 5,073 GRT | Scrapped 2001 at Aliağa, Turkey. | |
| Prinsessan Désirée | 1982 | Branded externally as Sally Viking 2 but not renamed [1] | ||
| Viking 3 | 1983–1984 | 4,299 GRT | Since 2016 MS ST. DAMIAN for Seamed Trading Shipping. | |
| The Viking Wasa Prince | 1983–1989 1989–1990 | 4,655 GRT | Since 2000 MS Moby Lally for Moby Lines. Renamed in 2017 to Moby Baby Two. | |
| Njegos | 1971 (Schiffbau-Gesellschaft Unterweser AG, Bremerhaven, Germany | 1984 | 3,999 GT | Scrapped at Chittagong Ship Breaking Yard in 2022 [17] [1] |
| Le Mans | 1984-1985 | [1] | ||
| Viking 2 Sally Sky Eurotraveller | 1986–1988 1988–1996 1997–1998 | 4,998 GRT (until 1990) 14,558 GRT (1990 onwards) | Scrapped 2016 at Aliağa, Turkey. | |
| Sally Star | 1988–1997 | 9,120 GRT | Since 2012 MS Wasa Express for Wasa Line. | |
| Botnia Express | 1989 | 4,152 GRT | Scrapped at Alang, India in 2021 | |
| Schiaffino | 1990 | |||
| Bazias 3 Sally Euroroute | 1991–1993 1993–1996 | 9,000 GRT | Since 2012 MS Bursa N for Istanbul Lines. | |
| Bazias 4 Sally Eurolink | 1991–1993 1993–1997 | 9,082 GRT | Since 2011 MS Adelta. | |
| Sally Sun | 1992–1995 | 6,643 GRT | Since 1998 MS Gute for Rederi AB Gotland. | |
| Sally Eurobridge | 1994 | 6,041 GRT | Grounded 2008 as MS Riverdance, subsequently scrapped. | |
| Sally Euroway Euroway | 1995–1997 1997–1998 | 9,079 GRT | Since 2007 MS Ammari for Ustica Lines. | |
| Purbeck | 1978 (Société Nouvelle des Ateliers et Chantiers du Havre, Le Havre, France) | 1995-1997 | 2,736 GT | Sank in 2018 at anchorage in Puerto La Cruz, Venezuela, hull caught fire during dismantling in 2023 [18] [19] [1] |
| Eurostar Eurocruiser | 1995-1997 | [1] | ||
| Condor 10 | 1997 | [1] | ||
| Holyman Diamant | 1997-1998 | [1] | ||
| Holyman Rapide | 1997-1998 | [1] | ||
| Eurovoyager | 1998 | [1] |
Services between Ramsgate and Ostend were taken up by TransEuropa Ferries, a subsidiary of TransEuropa Shipping Lines d.o.o. (TSL) of Koper, Slovenia on 21 November 1998, the day after closure of Sally Line services. [23]
TransEuropa Ferries ceased operations on 18th April 2013 and filed for bankruptcy on 25 April 2013. [24] Since 2013, there have been no ferry services from Ramsgate. [25]
In October 2017, it was announced that Seaborne Freight would operate an Ostend - Ramsgate ro-ro freight ferry service from March using three ships, including the MS Nord Pas-de-Calais. [26] [27] On 22 December 2018, the company was awarded a £13.8 million contract to run ferry services between Ramsgate and Ostend to lessen the consequences of probable capacity constraints on the Dover - Calais route after 29 March 2019 in the case of a no-deal Brexit. The contract was cancelled by the Department for Transport on 9 February 2019 after Arklow Shipping, reported to be Seaborne's backer, pulled out. [28] [29] [30]
Following the end the joint venture between Sally Line and Holyman in 1998, the Ramsgate - Ostend service was jointly operated by Holyman with Hoverspeed and relocated to Dover. [31] This service ceased upon closure of Hoverspeed in 2005. [32]
The Dartford - Vlissingen route was taken over by Jacobs Holdings subsidiary; Dart Line in January 1996. [22] Jacobs was owned by former Sally Line executive; Michael Kingshott. [33] Dart Line moved the service to Shell Haven in 2000. [34]
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