MV Hamnavoe
 MV Hamnavoe at Scrabster Harbour |
|
| Career (UK) |  |
|---|---|
| Name: | MV Hamnavoe |
| Owner: | Royal Bank of Scotland Asset Management |
| Operator: | NorthLink Ferries |
| Port of registry: | UK (Kirkwall) |
| Route: | Scrabster to Stromness, Orkney |
| Builder: | Aker Finnyards |
| Cost: | £28,000,000 |
| Yard number: | 440 |
| Laid down: | 27 November 2001 (metal cutting)[1] |
| Launched: | June 2002 (float-out)[2] |
| Christened: | 19 October 2002[3] by Mrs Linda Harcus |
| Completed: | 2002 |
| In service: | 23rd April 2003[4] |
| Homeport: | Stromness |
| Identification: | IMO number: 9246061 MMSI: 235449000 Call sign: VSTY7 |
| Status: | Out of service for Repairs |
| General characteristics | |
| Type: | Roll on/Roll Off Passenger Ferry |
| Tonnage: | 8,780 GT 2,634 NT |
| Displacement: | 5,350 tons |
| Length: | 112 m (367 ft)[5] |
| Beam: | 18.5 m (61 ft) |
| Draught: | 4.4 m (14 ft) |
| Decks: | 7 |
| Installed power: | 2 × MaK 9M32C, each 4,320 kW (5,790 hp) |
| Propulsion: | Controllable pitch propellers |
| Speed: | 19.3 knots (35.7 km/h; 22.2 mph) |
| Capacity: | 600 passengers 450 lane meters; 95 cars |
| Crew: | 28 |
MV Hamnavoe is a car and passenger ferry, operated by NorthLink Ferries across the Pentland Firth from the mainland of Scotland to Orkney.
History
MV Hamnavoe was introduced to the service in 2003, the first ferry to have been specifically built for the Pentland Firth route. Hamnavoe, the old Norse name for Stromness, means 'Home Port' or 'Safe Haven'.[3] The ship was completed in October 2002, but due to delays in the building of the new pier in Scrabster, the Hamnavoe was laid up in Leith.
Layout
MV Hamnavoe was the third vessel in build sequence at the Aker Finnyards in Finland, the other two vessels to be built at the same time were the MV Hjaltland and the MV Hrossey. Facilities include passenger lounges and bars, a self-service restaurant, a children's playroom, a sun deck and a games room. There are 12 passenger cabins - 2 and 4 berths, which are all en-suite. There are 2 specially-adapted cabins for the disabled and wheelchair access throughout the ship.
Service
MV Hamnavoe operates the Pentland Firth lifeline ferry service between Scrabster in Caithness and Stromness in Orkney. The journey takes approximately 90 minutes. She sails up to six times a day, and carries approximately 155,000 passengers every year. During the summer, overnight accommodation is available on board in Stromness before the 6.30am sailing. This route gives a superb view of the spectacular sea stack - the Old Man of Hoy, and the tallest vertical cliff face in Britain - St Johns Head.
New piers and a walkway have been built at Scrabster and Stromness specifically for the MV Hamnavoe, which can take both foot and car passengers. The ship and walkway are fitted with lifts and have been built to accommodate disabled passengers, both boarding and throughout the ship.
MV Hamnavoe was in dry dock (Cammell Laird, Birkenhead) from 14 to 28 February 2010 undergoing annual maintenance. In previous years, the annual dry docks have been in Germany and Denmark. In 2011, for the first time, this ship will not be out of the water, instead receiving an in water survey in Stromness.
Volcanic Ash Cloud
In April 2010 as the Volcanic Ash Cloud from Iceland closed much of Europe's airspace, MV Hamnavoe was taken off her normal route for 3 days and sent to Bergen in Norway to rescue stranded British residents. More than 150 passengers[6] took the 18 hour trip from Bergen to Aberdeen. On returning to her usual route, MV Hamnavoe did an unscheduled trip from Aberdeen to Stromness in Orkney carrying passengers.[7]
Footnotes
- ^ "Another Landmark in NorthLink Ferry Construction Programme". NorthLink Ferries. Retrieved 1 February 2009.
- ^ "Hamnavoe 'Floats Out' on Schedule". NorthLink Ferries. Retrieved 1 February 2009.
- ^ a b "Hamnavoe Named in Home Port of Stromness". NorthLink Ferries. Retrieved 1 February 2009.
- ^ "Hamnavoe takes centre stage before entering service". Orkney News. April 14–20, 2003. Retrieved 1 February 2009.
- ^ "M.V. Hamnavoe". Ships of Calmac.co.uk. Retrieved 1 February 2009.
- ^ "Ferry arrives to beat volcano chaos as flights resume". BBC News. 22 April 2010. Retrieved 22 April 2010.
- ^ "Special bus service to meet Hamnavoe". Orkney Today. Retrieved 22 April 2010.
