Luna Seaways

On April 29, Luna Seaways, a new passenger-cargo ferry of Europe's leading ferry operator, sailed for the first voyage from Klaipeda to Karlshamn, Sweden, distinguished by its size and even greater convenience.

This is the second new DFDS ship in Lithuania this year. Its twin-ferry Aura Seaways started servicing passengers and cargo between Lithuania and Sweden at the beginning of the year.

"The employment of the second ferry on the Klaipeda-Karlshamn route will ensure the same - higher quality - standard of cargo and passenger service in the Swedish corridor, the capacity of which can be said to have increased by a third. It is also crucial that the new ships better meet our sustainability ambitions to reduce CO2 emissions by 45% by 2030. Celtic CO2 emissions per transport semi-trailer are 20 percent smaller than the number of our ferries operating on this line so far, ”says Anders Refsgaard, DFDS Vice President and Head of the Baltic Region.

"These are truly impressive ferries that provide exceptional passenger comfort. The feedback on the first, Aura Seaways, is great. These ferries are quiet and spacious, and comfortable cabins and cozy bar and restaurant areas ensure a pleasant journey. In terms of cargo capacity, both ferries are currently the largest ro-pax vessels in the Baltic Sea, capable of carrying a line of 4.5 km of cars, ”says Robertas Kogelis, Director of Ship Service and Sales in the Baltic Sea.

A month and a half trip to Lithuania

Luna Seaways' journey from the shipyard in China to Klaipeda took 47 days. 19 crew members from Lithuania boarded the ferry in the South Korean port of Busan. In order to save fuel and the environment, the company has decided to cover most of the 13,000 nautical miles using just one of the ferry’s four main engines.

Luna Seaways captain Mindaugas Nosavičius shares his impressions about the ferry sailing to Klaipeda: “I am glad that the trip was a success. A lot had to be done to prepare the ship for work in the Baltic Sea. Naturally, we also had some such challenges. In Malta, 14 new members from Lithuania joined the "old" crew. The wind rose in the evening, the waves grew, so we had to anchor and maneuver to block the wind so that the crew could board the ship safely. ”

The captain's recollections will be the crossing of the area famous for pirate attacks - the Gulf of Aden between the coasts of Yemen and Somalia as far as the coast of Eritrea. "We are accompanied on this path by special armed protection. According to the recommendations, the sides of the open decks were fenced with barbed wire, all the doors were locked, most of the lights were turned off, the portholes were blindly sealed with opaque material so that the ferry would emit as little light as possible at night, ”recalls M. Nosavičius.

More convenience for truck drivers

The new ferries will be serviced by two crews from Lithuania. Each has 53 members. "There are a lot of truck drivers on our ferries, so we are very happy to offer them more amenities. The new ferries have a separate area for drivers called the Road Kings Club. Drivers can use a separate buffet restaurant, bar and recreation area, ”says R. Kogelis.

Travellers at Luna Seaways and Aura Seaways will find three restaurants, three bars, a shop, a children’s playroom and spacious public areas.

The new ferries do not have a lounge area - all passengers travel in double or quadruple cabins.

Ferries between Sweden and Lithuania run daily. After leaving in the evening, they reach the port of destination in the morning after 11 hours of travel. DFDS operates more than 20 ferry routes across Europe (9 of which carry passengers). The company transports more than 5 million passengers a year. There are currently 7 DFDS ferries operating in the Baltic Sea, serving four routes: from Klaipeda to Kiel (Germany), Karlshamn (Sweden), Kiogee / Fredericia (Denmark) and from Paldiski (Estonia) to Kapelskar (Sweden).

Technical data of new vessels:
Year of construction: 2021
Length of the boat: 230 m
Ship width: 32 m
Cargo capacity: 4500 linear meters
Passenger capacity: 600
Deadweight: 12750 t.