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Sally Line

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Sally Line
IndustryPassenger transportation
Founded1981
Defunct1998
FateClosure
HeadquartersRamsgate, United Kingdom
Area served
English Channel
ParentRederi Ab Sally

Sally Line UK (sometimes referred to as Sally Ferries UK) was a British ferry operator on the English Channel and North Sea.

History

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Background

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Whilst historically, the port of Ramsgate had boasted a ferry service to France, these had ceased in 1966.[1] In December 1979 a new ferry route between Dunkerque and Ramsgate was announced.[2] This was to be operated by Dunkerque Ramsgate Ferries (DRF) and was run by Olau Line-founder; Ole Lauritzen and funded by the sale of his remaining 50% share in Olau Line to TT-Line. The service had originally been expected to utilise the Olau Line vessel; Olau Kent (for which the new facilities at Ramsgate had been designed), but actually was served by the much older ship Nuits St Georges, which commenced sailings in May 1980.[3][4]

By the beginning of September 1980 a series of problems and the arrest of Nuits St Georges saw the collapse of DRF, which left the terminal at Ramsgate having to be mothballed.[4][3][1]

Later in 1980, discussions commenced about a replacement service for Dunkerque Ramsgate Ferries, capitalising on the £6.25 million invested by Thanet District Council to create the ferry facilities at Ramsgate. These discussions involved the Finnish shipping company Rederi Ab Sally, who were looking to expand their routes to the UK and had already discounted a North Sea route, and shipping consultant Michael Kingshott who had already assisted with development of new ferry facilities at Sheerness.[1]

Early years

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The Viking (1983-1989) during the 1980s at Ramsgate Ferry Port

Sally Line was officially founded in April 1981[5] and led by Michael Kingshott[6] as a subsidiary of the Rederi Ab Sally,[5] and initially marketed as Sally Viking Line, with a livery that was nearly identical with that of Viking Line, a Baltic Sea ferry consortium of which Sally was a member. The naming scheme of Sally's Viking Line ships was also carried over to the UK operations, with ships named either The Viking or Viking [number].[7]

In 1982 Sally Line expanded to a two ship service, though there would be a variety of changes in fleet over this period for a variety of reasons, including reallocation of ships by the parent company and vessel sales combining with the ending of charter periods.[1]

Sally Line were not only the ferry operator on the route, but also operated the Port of Ramsgate under a 90 year agreement with Thanet District Council. By 1983 it became clear that the exposed nature of the port needed addressing, and a breakwater scheme was instituted to provide protection to the port and allowing fewer cancelled sailings due to poor weather. As a result of this the Sally Line operations were reorganised with a separate company being established; Port Ramsgate Ltd to assist with the development of Ramsgate as a port for other operators.[1]

By 1984 the amount of cargo carried by Sally Line had increased to such a degree that Sally reached an agreement with French state controlled Compagnie Générale Maritime (CGM) to form a joint service called Sally/CGM Freight Service.[1] CGM were already involved in the Poole-based freight ferry company; Truckline Ferries.[8]

In 1985 the services were rebranded dropping 'Viking' from the name to become simply Sally Line.[1]

Takeover, and Expansion Attempts and Successes

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After many years of losses and an acrimonious withdrawal in 1985 from the Sealink consortium, the state owned Belgian company Regie voor Maritiem Transport (RMT) opened discussions with Sally Line in 1986 about moving their services (now operated in a pooling agreement with Townsend Thoresen to Ramsgate. This would require routing rail traffic to Port of Ramsgate, initially via Ramsgate railway station, but with an envisaged branch line being built to serve the port directly.[9] This did not come to pass and caused Sally/Port Ramsgate Ltd some issues as it forced the collapse into receivership of the contractor for their construction works; John Howard & Company,[10] but this would not be the last word in a relationship between RMT and Sally.

In 1987 Rederi Ab Sally, including the Sally Line UK operations, was sold to Effoa and Johnson Line,[11] Sally's Baltic Sea rivals and owners of Silja Line. As a result of the change of ownership, a new Sally Line UK livery was adopted in 1988 and the company's ships were renamed with a Sally-prefix, with the dropping of 'Viking' from the names severing any vestigial ties back to the parent company's former Viking Line operations.[7][1]

The idea of a rail link to Ramsgate persisted and during 1986/1987 serious discussions took place between Sally/Port Ramsgate, British Railways Board, SNCF and SNCB about moving train ferry services away from a Sealink British Ferries controlled berth at Dover Western Docks to Ramsgate. Ultimately a decision by the Department of the Environment to establish a public enquiry would have delayed the project to such an extent that discussions ceased; but it resulted in Sally Line making a public declaration of their intention to expand and acquire other Sealink channel routes.[9]

In 1989, Sally led a consortium with Globe Investment Trust, 3i and merchant bank; Tranwood Earl, who attempted a hostile takeover of The Southampton, Isle of Wight and South of England Royal Mail Steam Packet Co. Limited, trading as Red Funnel.[12] The opening offer of 205p was swiftly rejected[13] and despite threats by Sally of a competing cross-Solent service[14], or a purchase of Sealink's Isle of Wight operations[15], a revised offer of 236p per share was made.[16] Associated British Ports Holdings emerged as a White Knight in battle, firstly taking a 1% stake in Red Funnel and then extending this to a 264p per share full takeover offer.[17] Sally withdrew[18] and ABP's takeover of Red Funnel was given the go ahead in October 1989.[19] Also in 1989, Sally Line part-owner; Johnson Line was one of the bidders involved, in the privatisation of SMZ[9], and although they were unsuccessful, loosing out to Stena Line, these services may have been combined with those of Sally Line from Ramsgate.

In 1990, Sally's parent companies; Effoa and Johnson Line merged to form EffJohn. After the abortive bid for Red Funnel, but still seeking expansion opportunities, Sally acquired Ramsgate-based Schiaffino Line to expand their own freight services, and adding a route to Belgium in the process[20][1]

Final Years

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In 1992, SNAT announced plans to close their Newhaven to Dieppe service, which they had operated since the withdrawal of Sealink in 1985.[9] Sally Line were rumoured to be on the verge of launching their own service,[21] but ultimately lost out to Stena Line who stepped in to operate the service.[9]

Regie voor Maritiem Transport (RMT), the Belgian-government owned former member of the Sealink consortium until 1985, announced in 1993 that having operated in conjunction with European Ferries under the Townsend Thoresen and P&O European Ferries branding (1985-1990), and then independently as Oostende Lines, they would enter a new pooling agreement with Sally Line from January 1994. This agreement saw their conventional ferry and Boeing Jetfoil services move their UK port from Dover to Ramsgate, ending the link between Dover and Belgium after over 100 years.[22] Sally Line believed that the five-year 50/50 partnership between them and RMT would put Sally in a good position to purchase RMT upon any future privatisation by the Belgian government. Services commenced on 1st January as planned, however further dredging work delayed the introduction of the Prins Filip until the end of the month. The shallow depth of Ramsgate would see a continual risk of grounding at low water during her years operating from the port.[1][9] Sally Line would expand further during 1994 with the launch of a new freight route between Ramsgate and Vlissingen. This was quickly established to take advantage of the announced closure of Olau Line services between Sheerness and Vlissingen in May 1994.[23]

In 1995, the parent company; Effjohn changed their name to Silja Oy Ab (Silja Line). Three years later the name was changed again, this time to Neptun Maritime.[24] As a result of this change, Sally Line adapted a new livery and a logo similar to that of Silja Line.[7][1] Michael Kingshott resigned from his role as Chief Executive in July 1995 to join the shipping company John I Jacobs and was replaced by Bill Moses; formerly of Eurolink Ferries, Hoverspeed, Sealink and Olau Line.[1]

In September 1996, after a reported nine months of discussions[25], and the announcement that RMT services were to cease in 1997;[9] Sally announced a new joint venture with Holyman to be known as Holyman Sally Ferries. The joint venture, commencing in March 1997, was to deploy two of Holyman's 81-metre catamarans on the route to Belgium, and was two-thirds owned by Holyman and one-third owned by the Sally parent company, by now; Silja Line.[26] Sally's freight operations which operated under the name of Sally Freight remained separate from the joint venture with Holyman and the traditional Sally route between Ramsgate and Dunkerque closed in April 1997, being replaced with a fast service which closed in October the same year.[1]

Throughout the 1990s, poor access to the Port of Ramsgate was a continual problem and with no progress being made on a proposed link road despite three public enquiries, this became a particular bone of contention between Sally and government at local and national levels.[27] The link road would eventually open in 2000.[28]

The Holyman Sally venture was not financially viable and Holyman became partners with Hoverspeed and moved the service to Dover in March 1998 as Holyman Hoverspeed Ltd. Silja Line's rumoured plans to sell their UK operations came to light around the same time as the cessation of the Holyman joint venture and Sally Line's passenger operations were restructured and marketed as Sally Direct from May 1998, in what would prove to be a last ditch attempt to save the company. Ultimately the end came at midnight on 20th November 1998 at which point operations of Sally Direct, Sally Freight and Port Ramsgate ceased, and the port at Ramsgate returned to Thanet District Council.[1][29]

Fleet

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Name Built In service Tonnage History
The Viking 1974 (Jos L. Meyer Verft, Papenburg, Germany) 1981–1983 5,286 GRT Scrapped at Aliaga Ship Breaking Yard in 2015[30]
Viking 6
Sun Express		 1967 (Langesunds Mekaniske Værksted, Langesund, Norway/Completion at Framnæs Mekaniske Værksted, Sandefjord, Norway) 1982, 1985–1986
1985		 5,073 GRT Scrapped at Aliaga Ship Breaking Yard in 2001[31][32]
Prinsessan Désirée 1971 (Aalborg Værft, Aalborg, Denmark) 1982 9,149 GT[33] Branded externally as Sally Viking 2 but not renamed, currently in service (as of 2025) as Ionian Star with Starlines[1][34]
Viking 3 1972 (Jos L. Meyer Verft, Papenburg, Germany) 1983–1984 4,299 GRT Scrapped at Aliaga Ship Breaking Yard in 2022[35]
The Viking
Wasa Prince		 1974 (Schichau Unterweser, Bremerhaven, Germany) 1983–1989
1989–1990		 4,655 GRT Scrapped at Aliaga Ship Breaking Yard in 2024[36]
Njegos 1971 (Schiffbau-Gesellschaft Unterweser AG, Bremerhaven, Germany 1984 3,999 GT Scrapped at Chittagong Ship Breaking Yard in 2022[37][1]
Le Mans 1978 (Dubigeon-Normandie, Nantes, France) 1984-1985 4,156 GT[38] Scrapped in 2010[1][39]
Viking 2
Sally Sky
Eurotraveller		 1976 (Schichau Unterweser, Bremerhaven, Germany) 1986–1988
1988–1996
1997–1998		 4,998 GRT (until 1990)
14,558 GRT (1990 onwards)		 Scrapped at Aliaga Ship Breaking Yard in 2016[40]
Sally Star 1981 (Wärtsilä, Helsinki, Finland) 1988–1997 9,120 GRT Currently in service (as of 2025) as Wasa Express[41]
Botnia Express 1972 (Jos L. Meyer Verft, Papenburg, Germany) 1989 4,152 GRT Scrapped at Alang Ship Breaking Yard in 2021[42]
Schiaffino
Sally Eurobridge		 1977 (Rickmers Werft, Bremerhaven, Germany) 1990
1994		 6,041 GRT Grounded 2008 as MS Riverdance, subsequently scrapped[43]
Bazias 3
Sally Euroroute		 1984 (Șantierul Naval, Galați, Romania) 1991–1993
1993–1996		 9,000 GRT Currently in service (as of 2025) as Iskenderun with Asi Marine[44]
Bazias 4
Sally Eurolink		 1984 (Șantierul Naval, Galați, Romania) 1991–1993
1993–1997		 9,082 GRT Currently in service (as of 2025) as Gulf Livestock 2 with Gulf Navigation[45]
Sally Sun 1979 (Falkenbergs Varv, Falkenberg, Sweden) 1992–1995 6,643 GRT Currently in service (as of 2025) as Gubal Trader with Trasmediterránea[46]
Sally Euroway
Euroway		 1976 (Kröger-Werft, Rendsburg, Germany) 1995–1997
1997–1998		 9,097 GT Currently in service (as of 2025) as Dada Star in Lebanon[47][48]
Purbeck 1978 (Société Nouvelle des Ateliers et Chantiers du Havre, Le Havre, France) 1995-1997 2,736 GT Sank in 2018 at anchorage in Puerto La Cruz, Venezuela, hull caught fire during dismantling in 2023[49][50][1]
Eurostar
Eurocruiser		 1976 (J.J Sietas KG Schiffswerft, Hamburg, Germany) 1995-1997 13,867 GRT[51] Scrapped at Alang Ship Breaking Yard in 2014[52] [1]
Condor 10 1993 (Incat Tasmania, Tasmania, Australia) 1997 3,240 GT Currently in service (as of 2025) as Tiger with Tiger Shipping Co[1][53]
Holyman Diamant 1996 (Incat Tasmania, Tasmania, Australia) 1997-1998 4,305 GT Currently in service (as of 2025) as Jaume III with Baleària[1][54]
Holyman Rapide 1996 (Incat Tasmania, Tasmania, Australia) 1997-1998 4,112 GT Currently in service (as of 2025) as Jaume II with Baleària Caribbean[1][55]
Eurovoyager 1978 (Cockerill Yards, Hoboken, Belgium) 1998 12,110 GT Scrapped at Aliaga Ship Breaking Yard in 2012[1][56]

Routes

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Former Sally Line routes today

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Services between Ramsgate and Ostend were taken up by TransEuropa Ferries, a subsidiary of TransEuropa Shipping Lines d.o.o. (TSL) of Koper, Slovenia on 21 November 1998, the day after closure of Sally Line services.[59]

TransEuropa Ferries ceased operations on 18th April 2013 and filed for bankruptcy on 25 April 2013.[60] Since 2013, there have been no ferry services from Ramsgate.[61]

In October 2017, it was announced that Seaborne Freight would operate an Ostend - Ramsgate ro-ro freight ferry service from March using three ships, including the MS Nord Pas-de-Calais.[62][63] On 22 December 2018, the company was awarded a £13.8 million contract to run ferry services between Ramsgate and Ostend to lessen the consequences of probable capacity constraints on the Dover - Calais route after 29 March 2019 in the case of a no-deal Brexit. The contract was cancelled by the Department for Transport on 9 February 2019 after Arklow Shipping, reported to be Seaborne's backer, pulled out.[64][65][66]

Following the end the joint venture between Sally Line and Holyman in 1998, the Ramsgate - Ostend high speed service was relocated to Dover and jointly operated by Holyman with Hoverspeed.[67] This service ceased upon closure of Hoverspeed in 2005.[68]

The Dartford - Vlissingen route was taken over by Jacobs Holdings subsidiary; Dart Line in January 1996.[58] Jacobs was owned by former Sally Line executive; Michael Kingshott.[69] Dart Line moved the service to Shell Haven in 2000.[70]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z Breeze, Geoffrey, Cowshill, Miles and, Hendy, John (2001). Sally Line - The Complete Story. Ramsey, Isle of Man: Ferry Publications. ISBN 1-871947-64-2.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  2. ^ "New Channel Firm". The Daily Telegraph. 19 December 1979. p. 3.
  3. ^ a b "Ferry Ship Arrested". East Kent Times and Mail. 12 September 1980. pp. 1, 16.
  4. ^ a b "M/S FRED SCAMARONI". Fakta om Fartyg. Retrieved 22 August 2025.
  5. ^ a b Asklander, Micke. "Sally Line". Fakta om Fartyg (in Swedish). Retrieved 15 March 2008.
  6. ^ Hunt, Jonathan (14 June 1981). "The Dire Straits of Dover". The Observer. p. 18.
  7. ^ a b c Boyle, Ian. "Sally Line UK". Simplon Postcards. Retrieved 15 March 2008.
  8. ^ Cowsill, Miles (1993). Brittany Ferries: From the Land to the Sea / De la Terre a la Mer (in English and French). Kilgetty, Pembrokeshire: Ferry Publications. ISBN 1-871947-17-0.
  9. ^ a b c d e f g Murtland, Matthew and, Seville, Richard (2014). Sealink and Beyond. Ramsey, Isle of Man: Ferry Publications.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  10. ^ "Port Chief's Fury Over Lost Jobs". Thanet Times. 30 September 1986. p. 1.
  11. ^ Asklander, Micke. "Rederi Ab Sally". Fakta om Fartyg (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 3 August 2012. Retrieved 15 March 2008.
  12. ^ "Sally Sails in With a Bid". Evening Standard. 23 June 1989. p. 19.
  13. ^ Durman, Paul (24 June 1989). "Red Funnel Rejects Sally's £20.87m Offer". The Independent. p. 21.
  14. ^ Rood, Phil (26 June 1989). "Sally Line Issues Warning to Rivals". Southern Evening Echo. p. 3.
  15. ^ Petty, John (17 August 1989). "Sea Containers Signs Up Sachs". The Daily Telegraph. p. 20.
  16. ^ "Sally Sails in With a New Offer". Evening Standard. 22 August 1989. p. 20.
  17. ^ John, Daniel (2 September 1989). "ABP to the Rescue of Red Funnel with Launch of £27m Agreed Bid". The Guardian. p. 11.
  18. ^ Durman, Paul (8 September 1989). "Sally Drops Offer for Red Funnel". The Independent. p. 26.
  19. ^ "Green Light for Red Funnel Take-over". Southern Evening Echo. 12 October 1989. p. 3.
  20. ^ "Sally Takes Over". Isle of Thanet Gazette. 8 June 1990. p. 1.
  21. ^ Walters, John (28 February 1992). "Off the Foreland". Isle of Thanet Gazette. p. 10.
  22. ^ "Port Looses Ferry Fleet". Dover Express. 23 September 1993. p. 3.
  23. ^ Ogilvie, Alan (1994). Inside Olau: the life and death of a ferry company; Sheerness - Vlissingen 1974-1994. Ferry Publications. ISBN 1871947235. OCLC 832558109.
  24. ^ (in Finnish) Valkeat laivat: Loistoristelijöiden ja tappiovuosien aikakausi Archived 2007-10-06 at the Wayback Machine, retrieved 9 October 2007
  25. ^ Birkett, Alison (27 September 1996). "Town Loses Out in Ferries Deal". Dorset Evening Echo. p. 11.
  26. ^ Sharp, Michael (24 September 1996). "UK Ferry Boost to Holyman". The Age. p. C2.
  27. ^ "Ferry Boss Blasts Access Delay". Isle of Thanet Gazette. 27 September 1996. p. 60.
  28. ^ "Revitalising Ramsgate". New Civil Engineer. 1 August 1999.
  29. ^ a b c d "Sally Lines - Past and Present". Dover Ferry Photos. Ray Goodfellow and Nigel Thornton. Retrieved 28 July 2025.
  30. ^ "M/S VIKING 5". Fakta om Fartyg. Retrieved 5 October 2025.
  31. ^ Kiffer, Dave (11 October 2006). "The Wickersham sailed on after leaving Alaska". Sit News. Retrieved 25 June 2013.
  32. ^ "M/S STENA BRITANNICA". Fakta om Fartyg. Retrieved 5 October 2025.
  33. ^ "Technical Facts - Strømstad - Sandefjord - Ships and Sailings - Color Line". Archived from the original on 15 June 2011. Retrieved 17 October 2010.
  34. ^ "M/S PRINSESSAN DESIRÉE". Fakta om Fartyg. Retrieved 10 October 2025.
  35. ^ "M/S VIKING 3". Fakta om Fartyg. Retrieved 10 October 2025.
  36. ^ "M/S KALLE III". Fakta om Fartyg. Retrieved 10 October 2025.
  37. ^ "M/S TRAVEMÜNDE". Fakta om Fartyg. Retrieved 29 August 2025.
  38. ^ "MV Sea Runner (ex Le Mans) - Past and Present". Dover Ferry Photos. Ray Goodfellow and Nigel Thornton. Retrieved 4 November 2025.
  39. ^ "M/S LE MANS". Fakta om Fartyg. Retrieved 17 October 2025.
  40. ^ "M/S GEDSER". Fakta om Fartyg. Retrieved 17 October 2025.
  41. ^ "M/S TRAVEMUENDE". Fakta om Fartyg. Retrieved 17 October 2025.
  42. ^ "M/S DIANA". Fakta om Fartyg. Retrieved 17 October 2025.
  43. ^ "M/S MASHALA". Fakta om Fartyg. Retrieved 17 October 2025.
  44. ^ "M/S BALDER STONE". Fakta om Fartyg. Retrieved 17 October 2025.
  45. ^ "M/S BALDER BRE". Fakta om Fartyg. Retrieved 17 October 2025.
  46. ^ "M/S GUTE". Fakta om Fartyg. Retrieved 26 October 2025.
  47. ^ "M/S ARGO". Fakta om Fartyg. Retrieved 16 September 2025.
  48. ^ "MV Dada Star (ex Argo/Brabant) - Past and Present". Dover Ferry Photos. Ray Goodfellow and Nigel Thornton. Retrieved 26 September 2025.
  49. ^ "M/S PURBECK". Fakta om Fartyg. Retrieved 29 August 2025.
  50. ^ "Truckline (France) Ltd" (PDF). Black Jack - Quarterly Magazine Southampton Branch World Ship Society: 10. Autumn 1979. Retrieved 29 July 2025.
  51. ^ VeriStarInfo
  52. ^ "M/S TRANSGERMANIA". Fakta om Fartyg. Retrieved 26 October 2025.
  53. ^ "HSC CONDOR 10". Fakta om Fartyg. Retrieved 26 October 2025.
  54. ^ "HSC INCAT 041". Fakta om Fartyg. Retrieved 26 October 2025.
  55. ^ "HSC CONDOR 12". Fakta om Fartyg. Retrieved 26 October 2025.
  56. ^ "M/S PRINS ALBERT". Fakta om Fartyg. Retrieved 26 October 2025.
  57. ^ "Sally Moves Ramsgate Freight Routes". Isle of Thanet Gazette. 30 September 1994. p. 1.
  58. ^ a b "Jacobs Takes Over Sally Ferry Route". The Independent. 4 January 1996. p. 20.
  59. ^ "ShiipingData.com: Transeuropa Shipping Lines". Retrieved 19 December 2012.
  60. ^ "Ramsgate staff told to go home as TransEuropa Ferries plunged into administration". Kent Online. 26 April 2013. Archived from the original on 30 April 2013.
  61. ^ "Thanet Gazette". Archived from the original on 10 June 2015. Retrieved 15 November 2013.
  62. ^ "Category: 2017 Newsletter week 41". Ferry Shipping News. Retrieved 23 March 2019.
  63. ^ "No-deal Brexit ferry company owns no ships and has never run Channel service". The Guardian. 30 December 2018. Retrieved 31 December 2018.
  64. ^ "Brexit: Seaborne Freight no-deal ferry contract scrapped". BBC News. 9 February 2019. Retrieved 9 February 2019.
  65. ^ "'Off the Richter scale of incompetence': Chris Grayling rejects calls to resign over ferry contract". The Independent. 11 February 2019. Retrieved 11 February 2019.
  66. ^ O'Carroll, Lisa (11 February 2019). "Supposed backer of no-ships Brexit ferry firm denies having a stake". The Guardian. Retrieved 12 February 2019.
  67. ^ "Hoverspeed Restarts Ferry Route in Holyman Deal". 5 March 1998. Retrieved 28 July 2025.
  68. ^ Forston, Danny and, Webb, Tim (7 May 2006). "It's Murder, Everywhere but the Orient Express". The Independent on Sunday. p. 7.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  69. ^ Tickel, Ra (4 January 1996). "Kingshott Returns to Ferry Operations". The Daily Telegraph. p. 23.
  70. ^ "Dart Line to Cross Thames in Bid to Release Property Cash". The Daily Telegraph. 3 November 2000. p. 40.

Further reading

[edit]
  • Breeze, Geoffrey (1990). Sally Ferries. Kilgetty, Pembrokeshire: Ferry Publications. ISBN 1871947022.
  • Breeze, Geoffrey; Cowsill, Miles; Hendy, John (2001). Sally Line: the complete story. Ramsey, Isle of Man: Ferry Publications. ISBN 1871947642.
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