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Kattegatruten suspends ferry service

Kattegatruten suspended the ferry service of the "Dolphin Jet" in the morning of Aug 16 due to the tight restrictions in the Kalundborg Fjord. The Fast Ferry which served between Aarhus and Kalundborg did its last trip on Aug 15 evening. Three weeks ago a sailing permit, which obliged the ship to operate at reduced speed in the Kalundborg Fjord and outside a natural area that extended the trip by 11 miles was permitted. Sailing with reduced speed increased the fuel consumption, since it was not an optimal speed for the ferry. At the same time the crossing time was increased by two hours. 70 crew members and other employees who were affected by the decision were briefed Aug 15 morning. Kattegat route expected to find work for 5-10 employees. The "Dolphin Jet" was laid up in Aarhus Harbour. Possibly the ship may be operated between Aarhus and Odden as an alternative route. All customers who paid for tickets to canceled sailings will get money refunded automatically.

New schedule for fast ferry in a few days

Stringent conditions for approval of the Kattegat Ruten's new fast ferry "Dolphin Jet" between Aarhus and Kalundborg means that it is only allowed to operate with a speed of 16 knots in Kalundborg Fjord, while the company's ropax may sail at 18-19 knots. While there is a requirement the fast ferries must have approval for both the route and ship, there is no requirement for approval of other vessels. The requirements are adjusted for the fast ferries due to the fact that they are designed differently. They are driven by turbines, which emit a different noise to that from ships with conventional propulsion with screws. The entire Kalundborg Fjord was designated a so-called Natura 2000 area. The requirement for the "Dolphin Jet" to slow down occurs especially to protect birds, porpoises and seals. At the bottom of the inlet the "Dolphin Jet" must slow down to 12 knots. Kattegat Ruten started the fast ferry route between Aarhus and Kalundborg on 21 July. The "Dolphin Jet" at present makes two daily departures from both Aarhus and Kalundborgs seven days a week, so they can test customer demand. On 13 August the company publishes a new timetable. The crossing time with Dolphin Jet is approx. 2 hours.

Approval postponed again

The approval of the "Dolphin et" on the Kalundborg -Aarhus route has been delayed again until at least July 8 due to unsolved questions regarding the generation of waves in the Kalundborg Fjord. In a meeting of July 2 the authorities raised new demands for investigations of the ferry's environmental impact. Both Nature Agency and Coastal and Maritime Authority must approve the fast ferry. Kattegat Ruten thus reimburses all prepaid tickets. The company is now considering the possibility of sailing between Aarhus and Odden instead. As Odden is already served by fast ferries there should be no difficulty in approving the "Dolphin Jet" to enter the port though Kalundborg is still the company's preferred port in Zealand.