Polish state-owned vessel operator Polish Baltic Shipping Company (Polferries) recently took delivery of a new Ro-Pax ferry built by Italian shipyard Cantiere Navale Visentini.
Designed by NAOS Ship and Boat Design, Varsovia has a length of 216 metres, a beam of 28 metres, a gross tonnage of 41,878, and capacity for 920 passengers in 230 cabins plus up to 2,940 lane metres of freight, or the equivalent volume of 150 lorries and 200 cars. The vessel will be crewed by 24 personnel.
The vehicles will be kept on five decks with the highest of these decks having access to and from the passenger spaces. Access between the vehicles decks is via ramps with anti-slip surfaces.
The newbuild is the longest vessel in the Polferries fleet and a slightly longer variant of a series of NAOS-designed ferries that also includes the 2023-built A Galeotta, which is in operation with Corsica Linea of France. Besides the passenger cabins, the onboard accommodation spaces include restaurants, bars, shops, and entertainment areas. The interiors have wifi internet connectivity and multiple CCTV cameras.
Polferries will operate the new ferry between Świnoujście in Poland and Ystad in Sweden via the Baltic Sea. It is scheduled to commence sailings on this route before the end of July 2024.
