The deal includes an option to extend the charter by two additional 12-month periods (12+12 months) and a purchase option for the charterer.

The vessel is believed to be chartered to Hibernia Line, a new ferry operator planning to launch a direct service connecting Cork (Ringaskiddy), Ireland, with Boulogne-sur-Mer, France. Hibernia Line aims to offer both passenger and freight transport with six weekly sailings, providing a new route between Ireland and mainland Europe that bypasses the UK land bridge.

SUPERFAST IX, built in 2002, previously operated on Tallink’s Paldiski–Kapellskär route in the Baltic Sea. It had returned to Tallink in 2025 after a 15-year charter with Canadian operator Marine Atlantic (sailing as ATLANTIC VISION) and was redeployed in the Baltic following the sale of the ferry STAR I to the Irish Continental Group in 2025.

"Tallink Grupp continues to optimize its routes to ensure the most efficient operations possible. The charter agreement means a stable cash flow for the company rather than a reduction in our business volume. SUPERFAST IX, with its large passenger capacity, is not the most suitable vessel for the Paldiski–Kapellskär route. However, we have no plans to leave the route, but instead are looking for a vessel with a more appropriate size and design that can replace the SUPERFAST IX," says Paavo Nõgene, CEO of Tallink Grupp. 

Prior to the handover, SUPERFAST IX will undergo planned maintenance at the Turku Repair Yard in Naantali, Finland, between 3 and 18 April.

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