MV Hjaltland
.jpg) MV Hjaltland in Aberdeen, 2015
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United Kingdom | |
| Name | MV Hjaltland |
| Namesake | Old Norse name for Shetland[1] |
| Owner |
|
| Operator | NorthLink Ferries |
| Port of registry | Lerwick, United Kingdom |
| Route | Aberdeen to Lerwick via Kirkwall |
| Builder | Aker Finnyards in Rauma, Finland |
| Cost | £35 million |
| Yard number | NB438 |
| Laid down | 4 October 2001 |
| Launched | 8 March 2002 |
| In service | 1 October 2002[1] |
| Identification |
|
| Status | in service |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | +100 A 1, Ro-Ro Cargo/Passenger Ferry + LMC, UMS, LI, NAV1[4] |
| Tonnage | |
| Displacement | 7,434 tonnes |
| Length | 125 m (410 ft)[1] |
| Beam | 20 m (66 ft) |
| Draught | 5.4 m (18 ft) |
| Decks | 8 |
| Installed power | 4 x MAK 6M43 5400 kW each |
| Propulsion | 2 controllable pitch propellers and 2 bow thrusters |
| Speed | 24 kn (44 km/h) |
| Capacity |
|
| Crew | 33 |
MV Hjaltland is a NorthLink Ferries vehicle and passenger ferry based in Aberdeen. She operates the daily service from mainland Scotland to Orkney and Shetland.
History
[edit]MV Hjaltland and her sister ship, MV Hrossey, were constructed in 2002 at Aker Finnyards in Finland.[1]
Layout
[edit]MV Hjaltland carries passengers, cars, freight and livestock. There are a choice of restaurants, bars and lounges, children's play area and a cinema. The restaurants and lounges have a total seating capacity of 600. The original 100 cabins had a total of 300 beds.[5] All cabins are en-suite, most being two berth, with a number of four-berth cabins for families.[6] In April 2007, an additional accommodation module was fitted in Birkenhead, increasing her capacity to 356 berths.[7] The ship is fitted with lifts and was built to accommodate disabled passengers throughout. There are 10 officer and 28 crew cabins.
Each pair of diesel engines drives a controllable-pitch propeller through a gearbox. There are two rudders, two 900 kW bow thrusters and two Mitsubishi stabilisers.[1][4]
Service
[edit]MV Hjaltland operates between Lerwick and Aberdeen, with a call at Kirkwall on some days. A walkway, built specifically for the current vessels, can take both foot and car passengers. She is also able to relieve on the Stromness to Scrabster crossing.
Incidents and accidents
[edit]In August 2012, a man died after falling overboard into the North Sea about 20 miles (30 kilometres) north of Fraserburgh.[8]
On 23 August 2013, MV Hjaltland was diverted from its normal route to assist with search and rescue efforts following the crash of a Super Puma helicopter 2 mi (3 km) off the Shetland coast close to Sumburgh.[9] The ferry was later used to transport the bodies of three of the crash victims to Aberdeen.[10]
On 9 September 2013, a passenger went missing from the ship during a sailing from Lerwick to Aberdeen. No body was recovered despite a major air and sea search.[11][12]
Footnotes
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f "Onboard the ships to Orkney and Shetland". NorthLink Ferries. Archived from the original on 10 June 2010. Retrieved 25 July 2010.
- ^ "Hjaltland (IMO: 9244958)". Vessel Tracker. Retrieved 25 July 2010.
- ^ "Hjaltland". Marine Traffic. Retrieved 25 July 2010.
- ^ a b "Passenger Ro-Ro Ferries for NorthLink". STX Europe. Archived from the original (PDF) on 30 November 2018. Retrieved 25 July 2010.
- ^ "Hjaltland". STX Europe. Retrieved 25 July 2010.
- ^ "Travel to, from and around the isles". The Shetland Times. 21 May 2010. Archived from the original on 3 January 2011. Retrieved 25 July 2010.
- ^ "Hjaltland at Birkenhead". Irish Sea Shipping. Archived from the original on 25 July 2011. Retrieved 25 July 2010.
- ^ "Man dies after fall from Northern Isles ferry Hjaltland". BBC News. 6 August 2012. Retrieved 26 August 2013.
- ^ "Helicopter Crashes Into Sea Off Shetland". Sky News. 23 August 2013. Retrieved 26 August 2013.
- ^ "Bodies of oil workers who died in North Sea helicopter crash returned to mainland". Telegraph. 26 August 2013. Retrieved 26 August 2013.
- ^ Search for passenger, 22, overboard from Hjaltland stood down https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-north-east-orkney-shetland-24014383
- ^ "Grieving Saltcoats mum devastated after memorial bench vandalised". Ardrossan and Saltcoats Herald.