Scandline undertakes £4.16m ferry refurbishment

Scandline is having one of its vessels refurbished, spending £4.16 million on the project.

Work will be taking place on the vessel between February and March 2012 and will be carried out by Northern Ireland-based MJM Group.

Danish Scandline provides routes between Scandinavian nations, including ferries to Denmark, Germany and Sweden.

In December, Scandline launched its new ferry, Berlin, which will go into service in March along the Rostock-Gedser route. Scandline is also awaiting the completion of a second new ferry, Copenhagen, which is currently being constructed and expected to be in service by May.

The company's chief executive, Bengt Pihl, noted that this new launch underlines the expanding role of the eastern corridor for ferry traffic, both freight and passenger.

MJM will take on new staff for the refurbishment project, which has been welcomed by employment minister Dr Stephen Farry.

"Their success clearly demonstrates the ability of Northern Ireland-based companies to be competitive in international markets," he explained.

Posted by Andrew Smith