The Baagø Ferry turns 50

Panel 1: The Baagø Ferry turns 50

A ferry in operation forms a vital link between an island community and the mainland. From Assens, ferry services have operated to Baagø and Brandsø, as well as Aarøsund. Before the current ferry was introduced in 1976, the route was Assens – Baagø – Brandsø. The islands’ ability to survive as communities has depended on a reliable ferry connection and the possibility of crossing the Little Belt. However, a ferry requires deep navigation channels and a suitable harbor. Shortly after the current ferry was put into service, calls at Brandsø were discontinued because the ferry’s draft was too deep.

Communication between the ferry company and the island residents has been, and still is, important. The ferry acts as an extended arm of the islanders, and the crew assists with logistics. Today, it is hard to imagine living and working on the island without a stable ferry connection.

Currently, 24 permanent residents are registered on Baagø. Efforts are being made to attract new residents by making it easier to live and work on the island; a fiber connection is expected to be established before the end of 2027. In addition, there is ongoing dialogue with landowners about restoring natural areas.

“We have room for more tourists on Baagø – both in summer and the rest of the year,” says Marianne Mosegaard, owner of Baagø Harbor Kiosk, which also serves as a tourist office for visitors arriving by ferry or private boats.

Christina V. Nielsen, who runs a farm on Baagø, explains that many visitors are fascinated by the wide range of agricultural activities throughout the year: “They see tractors carrying grain as they disembark from the ferry and are surprised by how active the island is.”

The exhibition highlights the ferry connection as a lifeline between town and island, while celebrating the 50th anniversary of the current Assens–Baagø ferry.

The exhibition is the result of a collaboration between Assens Local Council, Assens Harbor, Baagø Residents’ Association, Udvikling Assens, and Museum Vestfyn, with support from the Fyn-Langeland Foundation and Assens Municipality.

Panel 2: All’s well that ends well

On April 19, 1976, the current Baagø ferry entered service. A single ticket cost DKK 6, a 10-trip ticket DKK 48, and a bicycle DKK 4. A passenger car (excluding driver) cost DKK 13, while a truck cost DKK 24.

However, the ferry only entered service 10 days after the official celebrations. The ferry berth on Baagø was not ready when the inauguration took place on April 9, where municipal council member Mrs. Valborg Kristiansen christened the ferry. That evening, Assens Shipyard hosted a celebration at Marcussens Hotel for Baagø residents and invited guests. Still, islanders had to wait another 10 days for stable ferry operations.

The period leading up to operation was not without challenges. In October 1975, the 12-meter ferry hull was transported from Ringe to Assens for completion at Assens Shipyard. During transport, the hull fell off the trailer between Hillerslev and Brobyværk, blocking the road. The hull weighed 50 tons and the superstructure 14 tons. A large crane waiting in Assens was redirected to the accident site, as reported in Fyens Stiftstidende on October 8, 1975.

Panel 3: Ferry in operation

The beet campaign had to go ahead
After about two months of operation, steering issues and challenges with the Baagø ferry berth were discovered. Captain Knud Pedersen invited the board on a trip to Baagø to observe the problems firsthand. The technical issues were resolved before the major beet harvest campaign began in October. Grain transport from Baagø to Assens also ran without delays during the first year.

Staff demands
One of the company’s biggest challenges in the first year was a dispute involving a sailor who joined the Seamen’s Union due to unpaid holiday pay. This led to negotiations and a collective agreement covering the two sailors. It marked a shift toward greater attention to workers’ rights.

The ferry today – a meeting place
Whether due to improved working conditions or other factors, today’s ferry enjoys a strong reputation. Both residents and summer house owners highlight the welcoming atmosphere on board.

“The crew takes an interest in us and keeps track of what we’re doing. It makes the ferry an important meeting place,” says Marianne Mosegaard, who has run Baagø Harbor Kiosk since 2010.

In 2025, the ferry completed 3,554 single trips and carried 24,026 passengers. Of these, 2,190 journeys were made by island residents. Additionally, 2,735 cars and 704 trucks/tractors were transported.

Panel 4: New requirements for the Baagø Ferry

I trafikbetjeningen af de små øer, (Arbejdsgrupperapport fra Skov – og Naturstyrelsen fra december 1992) kan vi læse, at Baagøfærgen var registreret for 100/50 passagerer og 8 personbiler. 

I sin tilladelse til sejlads med passagerer, dateret 15. marts 1996, meddelte Søfartsstyrelsen, at færgen mellem Assens og Baagø efter de nye betingelser kun havde tilladelse til at sejle med 12 passagerer. Denne nedslående meddelelse kom efter, at Søfartsstyrelsen havde afholdt hovedsyn hhv. d. 3., 23., og 31 maj 1995. En nedklassificering af passagerfærge til fragtfærge, med tilladelse til fragt af op til 12 passagerer, kunne undgås, hvis færgen blev forlænget og forsynet med en større mængde opdriftsmateriale.

Selskabet og Assens Kommune blev nu tvunget til at vælge mellem at sejle med et maks. på 12 passagerer eller at anskaffe en større færge. Løsningen blev dog at forlænge den eksisterende Baagøfærge.

I 1998 blev færgen forlænget hos Thomsen & Thomsen Skibsværft i Marstal.  Forlængelse fra den oprindelige til den nuværende længde ses især i den afstand, som færgen nu har mellem det sidste og det næstsidste koøje på skibets bagbordside.

Den oprindelige færges mål: 

• L: 23.5 m
• B: 5,8 m
• Dybde: 1,9 m

Den forlængede færges mål: 

• L: 25,7 m
• B: 6,8 m
• Dybgang: 2,05 m

I dag må færgen sejle med 98 personer hele året i godt vejr. Der er salonplads til 30. 

Derudover er der plads til 5 personbiler eller 1 lastbil/traktor/vogn. 

Det er kritisk for øboerne, når færgen ikke sejler, f.eks. fordi der skal foretages reparationer eller service. Christina V. Nielsen udtrykker, at ”færgen betyder alt. Det er vores livsnerve. Vi havde en lang periode, da færgen sidst lå i dok – så kan man ikke få varer over eller håndværkere med deres grej. Det kræver meget planlægning og logistik, når det sker. I år (2026) lå det meget tidligere, end det plejer. Det var inden vores travle periode i marken. Der er god kommunikation om, hvornår færgen ligger i dok i forhold til landbrug og erhverv, så udfordringerne bliver så små som muligt”. 

Panel 5: Island connections

The ferry between Assens and Baagø docks at the southern part of the island. There have also been sailings to Wedellsborg from the northern end of the island.

Baagø was considered Crown property as early as the 13th century and, during the Middle Ages, was part of the Hagenskov estate. From the latter half of the 17th century, Baagø became associated with Wedellsborg, and it was therefore natural to sail from the island’s northern side to Wedellsborg. In 1916, the farmers of Baagø became independent landowners, and the connection to Wedellsborg changed.

A regular connection to Funen with mail and passenger transport began in 1896 with S/S Turisten, which docked at a wooden pier on the southern coast, operating on the route Assens – Baagø – Brandsø. In 1913, S/S Turisten was replaced by S/S Turisten II.

Before 1896, the postman’s own boat—maintained at his own expense—was used to transport mail, passengers, money, groceries, and sometimes pharmaceutical goods. Both the private postal boats and S/S Turisten docked at the southern landing pier.

In 1961, the vessel Træskoen was introduced on the route between Assens – Baagø – Brandsø.

It was not until 1935 that the parish council took the initiative to build a harbor near Baagø’s southern landing pier. Following a drowning accident on 17 September 1935, when two fishermen attempted to row out to their fishing boats, plans for a harbor on Baagø were accelerated. The harbor was completed in 1938 and inaugurated with a formal ceremony. However, after just three years, a storm on 13 November 1941 destroyed the harbor, and reconstruction began soon after.

Panel 6: The struggle for a proper ferry

In the early 1960s, the residents of Baagø once again approached A/S Lillebelts-Overfarten, which operated between Assens and Aarøsund, to ask whether the company could also provide ferry services to Baagø. This was not the first time they had contacted the company with this request. After the captain and two passengers lost their lives when the postal boat Turisten IV struck a mine in December 1942, the islanders had already reached out to the ferry company about taking over both the sailing service and the postal connection. The request, however, was unsuccessful, and postal transport continued to be handled by others.

In March 1961, Baagø Parish Council contacted A/S Lillebelts-Overfarten with a proposal to have the ferry Sønderjylland call at Baagø harbor. At that time, the Assens–Baagø route was served by Jørgen Pedersen and his boat, which was considered outdated. There was therefore a desire to introduce a proper ferry service to the island. At the time, Baagø had 135 residents and Brandsø had 15.

For A/S Lillebelts-Overfarten to consider taking over the Assens–Baagø–Brandsø route, certain conditions had to be met: the company required exclusive rights to transport mail, and residents had to commit to using the ferry rather than alternative means of transport when traveling between Assens and Baagø.

In April 1961, a ferry was put up for sale in Måløy, Norway. It was well suited to the ferry berth in Assens, and in May that same year, A/S Lillebelts-Overfarten purchased it for DKK 50,000. On March 15, 1962, the new Baagø ferry was refurbished and ready for trial sailing. Mail to Brandsø, however, continued to be delivered once daily on weekdays by another vessel, Pekian, as the water depth at the Brandsø pier was insufficient for the ferry.

A/S Lillebelts-Overfarten transferred the route and the ferry to Knud Pedersen on December 1, 1965. He operated the route until 1974, after which Assens-Baagø Ferry A/S took over.

From 1983, the ferry found new life as a houseboat in Copenhagen.

Today, 50 years after its introduction, the “new” Baagø ferry remains a vital part of the infrastructure and of people’s ability to live and run businesses on Baagø.

Panel 7: The Ferry Carries Joy and Sorrow

Having an island just 30 minutes from town holds great value for residents of Assens and beyond.

The ferry crossing is described as a unique 30-minute experience, where informal conversations arise with strangers, acquaintances, and the ferry crew, and where news and life stories are exchanged. “The ferry carries joy and sorrow, it carries expectations, news – in fact, entire lives,” says Kathrine Vestergaard Hyttel. She lives in Assens and has owned a holiday home on Baagø since August 2020. Before buying her house, she stayed on the island in her caravan. Today, she considers herself a part-time resident of Baagø and is part of the community created by islanders, summer house owners, campers, and ferry staff.

“When you board the ferry in Assens, you are already on Baagø. And on the ferry, you meet the most helpful and welcoming crew you could imagine,” says Kathrine, whose father was from the island. Her recently deceased father’s ashes will also take one final journey on the Baagø ferry before being laid to rest in the Little Belt.

“The ferry makes it possible for us to live the life we want on Baagø. We don’t want to choose between living in Assens or on Baagø. Instead, we enjoy the quality that lies in the contrast between island life and town life – and the ferry makes that possible,” she explains.

For island residents, the ferry makes it possible to live and run businesses on the island.

“Baagø is like a part of Assens – we are connected. The bus stops just on the other side – craftsmen leave items for us on the ferry, and we receive them at Baagø harbor. I support and shop locally in Assens, and people there are used to seeing me around town. The fact that the ferry docks right in Assens – it’s right there – means we can also go in and wait until it departs. Back when we were in school, we did our homework on the ferry – the sailors could step in and help if needed,” says Christina V. Nielsen, who was born and raised on the island.

“The ferry brings customers to the kiosk. Sometimes it’s full, and I get a message telling me to get ready to serve,” says kiosk owner Marianne Mosegaard. Marianne is also responsible for mail and parcel distribution on the island, ensuring that a postal tradition of more than 400 years continues between Assens and the residents of Baagø.