Ferry connection Rostock – Gedser

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Rostock-Gedser.jpg

The Rostock – Gedser ferry line connects the German port of Rostock with the port of Gedser on the southern tip of the Danish island of Falster . Since 1990, people and vehicles have been transported on this 48-kilometer stretch through the Mecklenburg Bay and the Kadetrinne in the Baltic Sea . It is part of the Europastraße 55 .

history

From 1873 there was a mail steamer connection between Rostock and Nykøbing (Falster). On June 26, 1886 , it was relocated to the newly established train stations with ferry basins from Warnemünde and Gedser, now the southernmost port in Denmark. From September 30, 1903, it was operated jointly by the state railways of the two countries as a railway ferry connection between the newly built Warnemünde station and Gedser.

Falster Link ferry

Until the political change in the GDR , the Rostock overseas port, which was opened in 1960, was not used for ferry traffic. As early as 1989, the GT-Link shipping company , which already operated a motor vehicle ferry between Gedser and Travemünde , conducted the first negotiations to start ferry traffic from the Rostock overseas port. After a few trial runs in the summer of 1990, the Rostock – Gedser line was opened on October 1, 1990 by GT-Link . A pontoon jetty at berth 37 (at Pier II) was used for this in Rostock. The ferries Europa Link / Baltavia , Falster Link and Travemünde Link / Rostock Link were used . The convenient location at the motorway Berlin -Rostock the ferry was heavily used, were so offered daily up to seven departures per directions. From April 1, 1991, it traded under the name Europalinien . In September 1994 the offer was reduced considerably and only the Rostock Link was used.

Ferry ship Knudshoved

In the summer of 1994, the Danish State Railways (DSB) had their ferry Knudshoved converted into a car ferry and began using it on October 14, 1994 between Rostock's overseas port and Gedser. To do this, they shared the pier with European lines in Rostock , and return tickets were also mutually recognized. In the summer of 1995, the DSB privatized their ferries in the newly founded DSB Rederi A / S . On September 24, 1995, the parallel rail ferry connection between Warnemünde and Gedser was discontinued.

In May 1996, DSB Rederi acquired the European lines and thus became the sole operator of the ferry connection. It took the Knudshoved out of service and started using the Rostock Link and Falster Link ferries . From June 13, 1996, the Berlin Express fast ferry was used on this route, transporting 600 passengers and 160 cars in just 70 minutes. In the summer of 1996, up to eleven departures were offered in each direction every day. 1997 was DSB Rederi A / S in Scandlines A / S renamed.

Ferry ship Kronprins Frederik

From March 26, 1998, after a renovation, the Kronprins Frederik intercity ferry was used as a replacement for Rostock Link and Falster Link . In the summer of 1998 the Deutsche Fährgesellschaft Ostsee (DFO) and Scandlines A / S merged to form the German-Danish Scandlines AG . The equivalent of DM 10 million was invested in the port of Gedser to replace the facilities.

On June 18, 1998, the easy line shipping company opened another line on the Rostock – Gedser route with the double-ended ferry Anja # 11 and three daily departures in each direction. In March 1999, another ferry was added with Gitte 3 , and seven departures per day were now offered in each direction.

Ferry Dronning Margrethe II

For cost reasons, Scandlines replaced the Berlin Express with the Dronning Margrethe II ferry from June 1, 1999 . A German-Danish crew was used for the first time . From August 30, 1999, easy line only used the Anja # 11 ferry , and on December 17, 2000 it ceased operations completely.

Prins Joachim ferry

On March 29, 2001, the Prins Joachim intercity ferry , which was also converted, replaced the Dronning Margrethe II . The latter was used again from May 1, 2001 in addition to the two intercity ferries. In 2004 the intercity ferries were equipped with new engines, which reduced the travel time to 100 minutes each way. In January 2005 the Dronning Margrethe II retired from service and was scrapped. From October 2007 to October 2008 the chartered Rostock ferry was also used on this line.

Ferry ship Mercandia VIII
Berlin ferry
Copenhagen ferry

On March 26, 2010 Scandlines announced the construction of the two ferries Berlin and Copenhagen . In 2012, they were supposed to replace the ferries Kronprins Frederik and Prins Joachim on the Rostock – Gedser route, thereby significantly increasing capacities. This is delayed by difficulties in the construction and the bankruptcy of the shipyard. That is why Scandlines used the chartered double-end ferry Mercandia VIII several times in the summer months for reinforcement. In May 2016, sparked Berlin the Prins Joachim on what was retired. The Copenhagen went into service in December 2016 . The Kronprins Frederik has been in operation as a freight ferry on the Vogelfluglinie Puttgarden – Rødby since March 2017 and can also be used on the Rostock – Gedser route if required.

There are currently up to ten departures a day in each direction every two hours; the journey takes around 100 minutes.

Ferries

The following ferries were or are used in the liner service between Rostock and Gedser:

  • Europa Link / Baltavia (1990–1992, IMO 6601997, scrapped 2002)
  • Falster Link (1990–1997, IMO 6910453, scrapped in 2006)
  • Travemünde Link / Rostock Link (1990–1998, IMO 7400261, scrapped in 2013)
  • Knudshoved (1994–1996, IMO 5190379, scrapped 1998)
  • Berlin Express (1996–1999, IMO 9111709, scrapped in 2016)
  • Kronprins Frederik (since 1998, IMO 7803205, since 2017 reserve ferry)
  • Anja # 11 / Anja 11 (1998–2000, IMO 8611556, most recently as the accommodation ship Ersai 4 in the Caspian Sea)
  • Dronning Margrethe II (1999-2005, IMO 7315090, scrapped 2005)
  • Gitte 3 (1999, IMO 8611635, scrapped in 2010)
  • Prins Joachim (2001–2016, IMO 7803190, today as Morocco Star on the line Tanger-Med - Algeciras )
  • Rostock (2007-2008, IMO 8000226, today as Wasa Express on the Holmsund - Vaasa line )
  • Mercandia VIII (2012–2015, IMO 8611623, today on the Helsingör - Helsingborg line )
  • Berlin (since 2016, IMO 9587855)
  • Copenhagen (since 2016, IMO 9587867)

literature

  • Horst-Dieter Förster, Reinhard Kramer: Building bridges across the Baltic Sea - the Rostock – Gedser ferry connection , Redieck & Schade, Rostock 2003, ISBN 3-934116-28-0
  • Lothar Schultz: The Lloyd Railway: Neustrelitz-Rostock-Warnemünde , VBN Verlag B. Neddermeyer, Berlin 2010, ISBN 978-3-941712-08-9

Web links