Visborg ferry
Visborg ferry current position
The current location of Visborg ferry is in Baltic Sea cruising en route to SE LAA. The AIS position was last reported 6 minutes ago.
Current PositionSpecifications of Visborg ferry
| Year of build | 2018 / Age: 8 |
| Flag state | Sweden |
| Builder | COMEC Guangzhou Shipyard (Nansha-Guangzhou, China) |
| Class | fast cruiseferry/Ro-Rax ship |
| Ferry route / homeports | Visby-Oskarshamn-Nynashamn |
| Building cost | USD 150 million / EUR 127 million |
| Speed | 29 kn / 54 km/h / 33 mph |
| Length (LOA) | 200 m / 656 ft |
| Beam (width) | 32 m / 105 ft |
| Gross Tonnage | 32000 gt |
| Passengers | 1650 - 1730 |
| Crew | 98 |
| Cars | 500 |
| Freight vehicles | 110 |
| Decks | 10 |
| Decks with cabins | 5 |
| Sister-ships | Gotland (fka Thjelvar) |
| Christened by | Siv Olofsson |
| Owner | Furetank Rederi AB |
| Operator | Destination Gotland AB |
Visborg ferry Review
Review of Visborg ferry
MS Visborg ferry is a Ro-Ro passenger vessel owned and operated by the Swedish ferry company DESTINATION GOTLAND. The ship has a max capacity of 1730 passengers and 500 cars (or 110 lorries). The newbuild vessel was built in China (Guangzhou) and inaugurated in 2018. The ship operates on the ferry route Visby-Nynashamn (via Oskarshamn) - crossing time 3 hours.
Several daily crossings from Oskarshamn connect to Gotland Island (Visby), Oland Island (Grankullaviken), and Bla Jungfrun Island (aka Blakulla - an uninhabited island/nature park). Port Oskarshamn is a seaport in Kalmar County (southwest of Nynashamn), with capacity to handle container carriers and bulk cargo ships (dry and wet). The port has a total quay length of 2.7 km (1.7 mi), max depth/draft of 11 m (36 ft), a Ro-Ro terminal (serving roll-on/roll-off ships), gantry cranes, covered storage (warehouses), and oil and chemical silos. Located in the port (on the harbor's southern side) is Oskarshamnsvarvet Sweden AB - a shipbuilding yard established in 1863. The shipyard has a floating drydock, gantry crane, slipway, and a 318 m (1043 ft) long quay.
Cabins
As a cruise ferry, Visborg has (TBA) cabins (TBA passenger staterooms), all of which are air-conditioned and have en-suite bathrooms. The ferry company provides bed linens, towels, and toiletries. All rooms (categorized as "day cabins") are located on Cabin Decks 8-9-10 (Kupedack) and are available in two types - Outside and Inside.

Shipboard facilities and amenities
Note: More information on onboard facilities will be available as soon as DESTINATION GOTLAND announces more details about the newbuild.
The ship's main dining facilities include Food Market Restaurant (Restaurangtorg) and Bistro Lounge (Bistrosalong) - both located on Lounge Deck 7 (Salongdack). There is also a Conference Room (located aft-portside on Lounge Deck 7) that can be booked for group meetings and conferences at sea.
The ship offers a total of four Seating Lounges fitted with comfortable reclining Pullman seats. Lounge seating prices are based on deck location:
- Front Lounge (Forlig Salong / 360-degree forward views)
- Economy Lounge (Ekonomisalong / midship portside and starboard views)
- Aft Lounge (Aktersalong / aft-starboard views)
- Cafe / Bistro Lounge (Bistrosalong / aft-portside views)
- Shop, Cinema, Arcade (games room)
Also on Lounge Deck 7 are the ship's Information Desk (guest services) and two kids' playrooms (equipped with toys and games). The ferry company doesn't provide onboard children's entertainment (kids-dedicated program with specially trained staff and supervised activities). Both ship entrances (boarding areas) are also on Deck 7 (forward-midship), with direct access to the Lobby area. The ship has 3 elevators (passenger lifts) accessing all decks.

Aft on Cabin Deck 8 is the Sun Deck (outdoor/open-air deck area), accessible to passengers. The cruise ship has a unique "animal saloon" - a new pet-friendly lounge for DESTINATION GOTLAND, with under-seat shelters for animals.

Aft-midship on the top deck (in front of the funnel) is a helipad (helicopter landing platform), used in emergencies.
DESTINATION GOTLAND ferry+land accommodation packages (hotels, cabins-cottages, camping sites)
Through DESTINATION GOTLAND, ferry passengers can choose dates and book various types of ashore accommodations at discounted prices on Gotland Island. These options include hotels, cabins, cottages, and campsites. The company currently offers reservations (pre-booking) for the following land-based properties.
Coastal hotels and resorts - Best Western Solhem, Best Western Strand, Breda Blick, Clarion Wisby, Helgeand Wisby, Visby Bors, Djupvik, Frejs Magasin, Kalk, Strandakar, Magazin1, Donners Hotell, Hallfreda Hotell, Hotell Gute, First Hotel Kokoloko, Hotell St Clemens, Hotell Slitebaden, Hotell Slottsbacken, Hotell Stenugnen, Vallevikens Hotell, Hotell Villa Borgen, Frojel Resort, Gumbalde Resort, Kneippbyn Resort Visby, Rosas Pensionat, Scandic Visby, Snack Annex, Warfsholm (Klintehamn).
Cabins and cottages (holiday villages and resorts offer everything from cottages to fully equipped guest houses) - Muramaris, Kneippbyn Resort Visby, Vallevikens Hotell, Tofta Camping, Lummelunda Vandrarhem Hostel, Puttersjaus, Aminne Fritid-Havsbad, Gotlands Idrotts, Norderstrand City Camping, Hogklint, Ljugarns Semesterby, Stugor Pensionat Lovangen, Pensionat Warfsholm, Kronholmen's Estate, Visby Gustavsvik, Sudersands Semesterby (Faro), Dromstugan Kneippbyn, Farosunds Semesterby, Lickershamn Holiday Village, Lickershamn Holiday Village, Alva Village, Strandskogens, Snackan (near Klintehamn), Annelunds Holiday Rentals, Fridhem, Mavens kustnara stugor (Kappelshamn), Burgsvik.
Camping options include the popular campsites at Aminne Fritid-Havsbad, Lickershamn, Snacks Camping, Tofta, Strandskogen, Burgsvik, Sudersands Camping (Faro), The Medieval Week's Campground, Visby Strandby (Norderstrand), Bjorkhaga (caravans), Gangvide Farm (caravans), Ljugarns (caravans), Kneippbyn Resort Visby (caravans).
Car decks
Visborg ship's garage decks are Decks 2-3-4-5 - all connected via lifts and staircases. Follows a list of car deck-related safety procedures:
- All onboard emergency instructions are displayed in staterooms, on TV screens, and at the ship's assembly stations (also known as muster stations). Life jackets are issued at the assembly stations. In case of emergency, the use of elevators/passenger lifts is forbidden.
- Disabled passengers or those requiring specific assistance should visit the ship's Information Desk (open 24 hours).
- Apply the handbrake and place the vehicle in park or 1st gear. Switch off the ignition, alarm, electrical equipment, and headlights. Gas cylinders, if any, must be switched off. Lock the vehicle.
- Take only valuables and essential hand baggage from your vehicle.
- Make a note of your vehicle's location and garage deck number/stairway before leaving the car deck.
- Access to the ship's vehicle (cargo) decks during the voyage is prohibited.
- Smoking on vehicle decks, as well as in cabins and passenger lounges, is forbidden.
- Wait for the onboard announcement before returning to your vehicle.
To avoid air pollution, do not start the engine until instructed.
The shipowner Destination Gotland (founded in 1998 and headquartered in Visby, Gotland Island Sweden) is a domestic ferry company operating exclusively in Sweden. Destination Gotland's current fleet includes the conventional ferries MS Drotten (ex Gotland), MS Visby, MS Visborg, MS Gotland (ex Thjelvar), the high-speed ferries HSC Gotlandia and HSC Gotlandia 2, as well as the 2004-built cruise ship Birka Gotland.
Visborg ferry ship related cruise news
- Cruise Industry

Visborg Ferry Delivered by Guangzhou Shipyard
Designers OSK, builders Guangzhou Shipyard International (Guangzhou China) and owners Rederi AB Gotland jointly celebrated the delivery of Visborg...
December 18, 2018 - show more news
Other DESTINATION GOTLAND cruise ships
Visborg ferry Wiki
By GT tonnage, Visborg and her sistership Gotland (ex Thjelvar) are among the world's largest LNG-powered ferries. The vessels have dual-fuel engines able to run on both LNG (liquefied natural gas) and MDO (marine diesel oil). LNG is natural gas consisting of 90% methane and 10% ethane. When cooled to -160 C, it changes from gas to liquid, and its volume decreases by more than 600 times, making it very efficient for distribution. Long-distance LNG transportation is via well-insulated, double-hull gas carriers. Short-distance transportation is via trucks or smaller vessels (also barges) fitted with high-pressure tanks.

The company's newbuild project started in 2014. For the ship design, OSK-ShipTech was contracted - a Danish company founded in 1996 and specializing in naval architecture and marine engineering. The company is headquartered in Denmark, with offices in Aarhus and Copenhagen. The sistership Gotland (fka Thjelvar) has the same design and particulars and was delivered in 2019-Q1. Before the arrival of the new ferries, Destination Gotland had fleet capacity to serve up to 23,920 passengers daily. In 2017, the company ferried a total of 1.749755 million passengers, which was an approx 7.8% increase over 2016.
The Visborg ship was launched (floated out from drydock) in late November 2016. The vessel's delivery was delayed as she had to be moved to the newly built CSI shipyard on Longxue Island (Nansha District, outside Guangzhou City, at the mouth of the Pearl River). Visborg and Gotland (Thjelvar) were the last ships built at GSI's old shipyard (GSI Liwan Factory). The older fleetmates Visby and Drotten (ex Gotland) were also constructed there. The old GSI Liwan shipyard was preserved as a museum where visitors can learn about South China's shipbuilding industry. In its 56-year history, the factory constructed various vessel types, including guided-missile destroyers, salvage ships, and research ships.
The vessel's DWT (deadweight) is approx 4800 tons. Her cargo capacity is 1750 lane meters. Of all 10 decks, the upper 5 are for passenger staterooms, while the rest are garage decks (with parking lots for passenger vehicles and wheeled freight).

The shipowner is Furetank Rederi AB - a joint venture of Klaipedos Nafta Lithuania (10%, owner of Klaipeda's LNG terminal) and Bomin Linde LNG (90%). The new ferry was delivered and commissioned by Destination Gotland AB on December 8, 2018. The christening ceremony was held in Port Nansha (Guangzhou City) on December 9, led by godmother Siv Olofsson (employee of Destination Gotland). The cruise ferry left China on December 17. The repositioning itinerary to Europe was via the Suez Canal.
On January 22, 2018, Destination Gotland AB and Nauticor GmbH & Co KG (Hamburg-based LNG supplier) signed a contract for LNG bunkering for the new cruise ferry. Under the contract, Nauticor supplies LNG to the company's first newbuild serving the route between Gotland Island (Visby) and mainland Sweden (Port Oskarshamn). Destination Gotland's annual traffic is around 1.75 million passengers.
In Sweden, Nauticor operates via its sister company AGA AB (AGA Industrial Gases), which operates the LNG transshipment terminal (capacity 20,000 m3) in Port Nynashamn. Like AGA, Nauticor is a subsidiary of Linde Group - a Danbury (Connecticut USA)-based multinational chemical company formed via the merger of Linde AG (Germany) and Praxair (USA). Linde plc services cover the entire LNG chain (from terminals to end customers), including sourcing, transportation, storage, and bunkering.
AGA AB also supplies LNG to VIKING LINE's Viking Grace cruise ferry. For Viking Grace, the LNG is delivered from Nynashamn's gas terminal via AGA's ship Seagas, which then transfers it to Viking Grace at Stadsgardskajen Terminal (Stockholm).
In 2017, Linde Group signed a time charter with Bernhard Schulte GmbH & Co KG (Cyprus-based ship management company) for annual 7500 m3 LNG bunkering to marine shipping companies and small-scale LNG terminals in Baltic Sea ports.
The shipbuilder CSI (Guangzhou Shipyard International Co Ltd) is a subsidiary of CSIC (China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation) - a state-owned Chinese corporation and one of the country's two largest shipbuilding conglomerates (together with CSSC / China State Shipbuilding Corporation). The parent company CSIC was founded in 1999 and is headquartered in Beijing. The ship's construction cost (YUAN 1 billion / USD 150 million / EUR 127 million) was GSI's record high for a passenger ship.
