The ferry company has entered into an agreement with Jotun, owner of the Vindal brownfield in the Norwegian Port of Sandefjord, to turn the area into a terminal.
After obtaining the necessary permits and removing the waste currently deposited over Vindal, the new facility, set to come online in 2025, will comprise a new quay wall, a terminal building, manoeuvring areas for passenger vehicles and trucks, as well as other necessary amenities. In addition, in and around the property new green areas will be established.
"We are extremely pleased closing this deal with Jotun. We're growing with more than 15 percent annually and from January 1st 2020 we'll expand further by moving from operating one into two vessels on the route between Sandefjord (Norway) and Strömstad (Sweden). We deem Sandefjord to be the best place in Vestfold county to operate a ferry business from. The investment we're now about to make at Vindal, goes to show our long-term ambitions in and for the city of Sandefjord," Rickard Ternblom, CEO, Fjord Line, commented.
He furthered, "It's a privileged starting point building a port from scratch, should we be granted necessary permissions. It gives us the possibility to take use of the latest and most modern technology in all stages and thus implementing the most sustainable and customer friendly solutions available."
Ternblom also promised that the new facility will be open access, "The port at Vindal will be available for other operators as well, and we would gladly welcome Color Line to use this port, should they want to take use of this facility for their Sandefjord-Strömstad operation. The port itself will be organized as a separate entity within the Fjord Line Group and other operators can buy services from that entity on normal and transparent commercial terms."
"This property has been locked off and unused for many years. Now the waste deposits will be removed once and for all, the property activated again, and we've secured that it is taken into use for commercial and value adding activities rendering further job opportunities in Sandefjord," added Morten Fon, CEO, Jotun.
Photo: Fjord Line