Smyril Line

Since 1983, the company has operated a regular international passenger, car and freight service, currently using MS Norröna, a multi-purpose ferry built in Lübeck, Germany in 2003. The original vessel on the route was a Swedish-built ferry also named Norröna (built in 1973). The cost (about 100 million Euro) of building MS Norröna presented Smyril with financial difficulties, and public support had to guarantee the Faroese ship.

In 2024, the holding company was owned by P/F 12.11.11 (59.5%), Framtaksgrunnur Føroya (Faroese Development Trust, 6.3%), the Faroese Government (16.2%), and the rest of the shares (18%) were owned by several minor stakeholders.

In March 2026, CEO Jens Meinhard Rasmussen announced plans of replacing MS Norröna This comes after Smyril Line reported a record net income of 147 million kr. in 2024.

The service serves Tórshavn in the Faroe Islands, Seyðisfjörður in Iceland, and Hirtshals, in Denmark. As of 2022, the passenger service is halted between the Faroe Islands and Iceland during winter time, between mid-November and mid-March. The crossing between Hirtshals and Tórshavn takes 38 hours in winter and 30 hours during the summer schedule. The onwards journey to Seyðisfjörður takes another 15 hours. The service is weekly, except the ferry departs Hirtshals twice during summer weeks.

From April 1983 until the end of the summer 2007 timetable, Smyril Line served Lerwick in the Shetland Islands. Until the end of the summer 2008 timetable, Smyril Line also served Scrabster, Scotland, and Bergen, Norway.

Between 2009 and 2011 Smyril Line serviced Hanstholm (summer) and Esbjerg (winter) in Denmark.

In 2012, Smyril moved its Danish offices to Hirtshals.