Povl Anker

Povl Anker in Ronne
History
Name	1978–present: Povl Anker
Owner	1978–2004: Bornholmstrafikken 2004–2018: Danske Færger 2018–present: Molslinjen (Bornholmslinjen)
Operator	1978–2004: Bornholmstrafikken 2004–2018: Danske Færger 2018–present: Bornholmslinjen
Port of registry	1978–present: Rønne, Denmark
Route	Rønne – Sassnitz / Mukran (seasonal / reserve) Rønne – Ystad (reserve / emergency relief)
Ordered	1976
Builder	Aalborg Værft Aalborg, Denmark
Yard number	221
Laid down	1977
Launched	1977
Completed	December 1978
Acquired	1978
Maiden voyage	December 1978
In service	1978
Identification	IMO number: 7633143 Call sign: OYRA2 MMSI number: 219173000
Status	in service (reserve / seasonal)
General characteristics
Class & type	Custom Aalborg Ro-Pax Ferry
Tonnage	12,358 GT (originally 9,214 GT) 1,940 DWT
Length	121.17 m (397 ft 6 in) (overall) / 110.00 m (360 ft 11 in) (waterline)
Beam	24.50 m (80 ft 5 in)
Draught	5.15 m (16 ft 11 in)
Depth	7.70 m (25 ft 3 in)
Decks	8
Ramps	Bow visor and stern vehicle loading ramps
Ice class	1A Super
Installed power	4 × B&W Alpha 16V23/30 main diesel engines (total 10,880 kW / 14,790 hp)
Propulsion	2 × controllable pitch propellers
Speed	19.5 knots (36.1 km/h; 22.4 mph) (service) / 20.5 knots (38.0 km/h; 23.6 mph) (max)
Capacity	1,500 passengers (338 berths / cabins) 262 cars or 30 freight trailers
Crew	40–60
Notes	Sister ship to Eckerö

Povl Anker is a historic 121.17-metre Danish Ro-Pax car and passenger ferry built in 1978 by Aalborg Værft in Aalborg, Denmark, for Bornholmstrafikken. Named after the 17th-century priest and Danish freedom fighter Povl Anker, the vessel became an iconic symbol of Bornholm's maritime transport, maintaining primary connections between Rønne and the ports of Ystad, Sassnitz, and København for decades. Known for her robust 1A Super ice-class hull design that allows her to navigate severe Baltic winter ice when high-speed catamarans are grounded, she continues in active service under Molslinjen's Bornholmslinjen brand as a reliable reserve and seasonal vessel.

Service

The ferry, launched on 14 April 1978 at the Aalborg Værft shipyard in Aalborg as Povl Anker, was delivered on 17 December 1978 to Bornholmstrafikken, for which she entered service in the same month on the routes between Copenhagen, Rønne and Ystad as a replacement for Bornholm, which was sold to COSCO at the same time and renamed Min Zhu. A few months later, in April 1979, Povl Anker was joined on the route by her sister ship Jens Kofoed.

On 25 December 1989, while sailing between Rønne and Copenhagen, she collided with the Blenheim lighthouse. Because of this, the ferry was immediately diverted to Trelleborg and disembarked. She subsequently sailed to Landskrona, where she was repaired.

On 16 January 1997, while sailing to Copenhagen, she collided with the merchant vessel Cesis, suffering damage to her visor, which was repaired shortly afterwards in a shipyard in Fredericia. From October to November 2001 she underwent major refitting at Remontova Werft in Gdańsk, during which lateral bulwarks were added in an attempt to increase the ferry's stability.

On 1 October 2004 she was transferred to the routes between Ystad, Rønne and Køge. However, in May 2005, with the entry into service of the new twins Hammerodde and Dueodde, the ferry was placed in reserve, returning to operate sporadically as a replacement for other units in the fleet.

The Povl Anker moored in Rønne in 2017.

On 26 September 2016 she was sold to her compatriot Molslinjen, but continued to operate as a reserve ferry under charter to Danske Færger. On 1 September 2018, following Molslinjen's winning the territorial continuity tender, she was transferred to the newly formed Bornholmslinjen, but continued to operate as a reserve ferry to Hammershus and Express 1. Povl Anker underwent a technical overhaul, modernization, and refurbishment from September to October 2020, during which time it received the Bornholmslinjen livery.