Hybrid ship put up for sale: - It would be a shame to take Maliina Ittuk out of Greenland

Shortly before Easter, Disko Line put the hybrid ferry Maliina Ittuk up for sale.

The large passenger ship with space for 113 passengers is currently sailing between Qaqortoq and Narsarsuaq, where the sailing will be suspended when Qaqortoq's new airport opens on April 16 and Narsarsuaq is downgraded to a heliport.

It was Disko Line's original plan to move Maliina Ittuk to Ilulissat and the Disko area, where the ferry would be deployed on the route between Ilulissat and Qeqertarsuaq. However, those plans were abandoned in February because it is not possible to secure a permanent berth in Ilulissat.

Offer price of 104 million kroner

Maliina Ittuk is put up for sale through the Copenhagen shipbroker Atlantic Shipping. The sale notice on the company's website states the sale price at 104 million kroner.

- The sales work has only just begun, but Atlantic Shipping will try to investigate whether there are other Greenlandic shipping companies interested in Maliina Ittuk, says senior vice president Mogens Fynbo from Atlantic Shipping.

- We have sent a notice about the possible sale to our regular customers all over the world, but this is probably not where we will find a buyer. The ship is very different from the trawlers and cargo ships we normally deal with, so we will have to do a little extra with the sales work.

- I hope that we can get the ship to Nuuk when it is decommissioned. We would like to present Maliina Ittuk to the defense, who may use the ship to transport soldiers – and perhaps there are others in the area who can see potential in the ship.

- I also think that it would be a shame to take Maliina Ittuk out of Greenland. She is built for Greenlandic conditions with ice reinforcement and so on, so it is obvious to explore the possibilities in Greenland. But there are of course possibilities to sell the ship in other places where there is ice – for example in Norway or the Baltic Sea region.

- In any case, Nuuk is a better location for Maliina in a sales process, because it is easier to get potential buyers to the capital because of the international airport, says Mogens Fynbo.

A difficult decision

Managing Director Michael Højgaard from Disko Line says that it has not been an easy decision to put Maliina Ittuk up for sale.

- We have turned all scenarios, both technical and operational, and our crew has made an extraordinary effort. But when the basic port conditions cannot be ensured, we have to act based on safety and operational responsibility.

Maliina Ittuk has been a bit of a pain in the ass for Disko Line. The construction process itself has been full of challenges, and it took six years from the decision to build the ship until the hybrid ship finally arrived in Greenland.

The first lines for the ship were set back in 2019. Since then, the construction has been affected by both the corona and a number of accidents, so it was not until the autumn of 2025 that the ship finally entered service.

The delays and the construction of the ship have been a costly affair. In Topas Explorer Group's annual accounts for 2025, the ship is valued in the balance sheet under "Tangible fixed assets under construction" at a total of 101,724,911.00 kroner.

Maliina Ittuk is Disko Line's largest ship to date and is specially designed for hybrid operation – i.e. operation with both diesel and electricity. The idea was to convert it completely to electric operation when Greenland's large hydroelectric projects are ready.

The battery capacity provides energy for approximately two hours of sailing at 8 knots. Disko Line expected that it would be a particular strength at Maliina Ittuk.

- It can be used for ice fjord sailings and whale watching. There is a growing environmental awareness among tourists – and this will be an important competitive parameter in the years to come, Michael Højgaard told Sermitsiaq in 2024.

Service contract being negotiated

It is still unknown how passenger traffic in South Greenland will be organized when Qaqortoq Airport opens and Narsarsuaq closes.

"The Ministry of Housing, Infrastructure and Outlying Areas is working together with Air Greenland A/S to enter into a one-year service contract for the traffic task for the period from the airport opening in 2026 and one year onwards. The Ministry has just received an offer from Air Greenland A/S, and is, together with Air Greenland A/S, in the process of preparing the final conditions for the one-year contract. In addition, a public tender is planned to be carried out during 2026, for the traffic task for helicopter transport in South Greenland, for the expected period from the expiry of the one-year contract in 2027 up to and including the end of 2030", the Minister of Social Affairs, Labour Market, Housing, Infrastructure and Outlying Areas, Aqqaluaq B. Egede, stated in a press release in February.

In addition, Disko Line's owner, Topas Explorer Group, continues its tourist activities with boat charters in South Greenland. Last year, the company merged its two shipping companies, Disko Line and Blue Ice Explorer, precisely to simplify operations in view of the new situation when the new airport in Qaqortoq opens.