The Norwegian-built GOLDEN CARRIER started her career as a pure rail-way cargo ferry under Swedish flag back in 1986. Named the ÖRESUND at the time, the vessel was commissioned by Statens Järnväger for operation on the at that time new DanLink-service between Copenhagen and Helsingborg. DanLink's two vessels, besides the ÖRESUND the Danish-registered TREKRONER, carried exclusively railway (cargo) wagons. In line with this concept, the ferry initially had no passenger facilities at all. That changed after the completion of the Öresund bridge: The ÖRESUND was taken out of operation, laid up and eventually sold in 2001 to a SeaContainers-controlled venture for future operation on Seawind Line's Stockholm-Turku service. A very extensive conversion started at Remontowa in Poland at the turn of 2001/02, after which the former ÖRESUND reemerged as a ro-pax vessel with modern facilities for over 300 passengers. The ship operated very successfully between Sweden and Finland for five years until it was sold on to Poland in 2007, starting a lengthy spell with Unity Line in service between Swinoujscie and Sweden. In that trade the vessel, now registered as the WOLIN under the Bahamas flag, carried up to 364 passengers. On 31 January 2025 WOLIN completed her last voyage from Trelleborg to Swinoujscie and was laid up pending sale. With the acquisition by a shipowning company affiliated to A-Ships Management, the former ÖRESUND is now going to continue her career in warmer waters.

Both parties have agreed not to disclose the sales price, but A-Ships Management's Ioannis Arkoumanis told Shippax that he was extremely happy his family's company managed to secure the WOLIN / GOLDEN CARRIER. "The vessel is in excellent condition, and I trust that after the upcoming conversion she will be a very competitive ro-pax vessel", Arkoumanis said. Already this week the GOLDEN CARRIER, now registered under the flag of Cyprus, will set sail for the Med to undergo a quick refurbishment which has been projected by Piraeus-based Ath. Kopoukis S.T.A.D. S.A., a naval architects / marine engineers office with which A-Ships Management has been working with for a long time. The upgrade will take place in Greece and comprise modifications for Mediterranean operational requirements. Among others, a new internal ramp connecting Deck 3 and Deck 5 will be fitted, and the existing 'Guillotine' ramp will be modified to operate as a stern ramp providing access to Deck 3, the ship's main vehicle (and formerly train) deck. Passenger facilities will be refurbished but remain widely unchanged as they are still in very good shape, given the fact that GOLDEN CARRIER's transformation from a pure ro-ro- into a ro-pax vessel dates just slightly more than 20 years back. Ioannis Arkoumanis told Shippax that the new vessel will be inaugurated already this June, but the eventual deployment has not been decided yet. A-Ships Management has a strong foothold in the charter market and concentrates on that business; accordingly, the GOLDEN CARRIER will be offered for time charter. At the same time, however, A-Ships Management would like to revive their own seasonal operations between Greece and Italy as well as Italy and Albania, and the GOLDEN CARRIER might accordingly sail in the Adriatic this summer.

The GOLDEN CARRIER has an overall length of 188.88 metres. She has 50 four-bed cabins, 19 double cabins as well as one disabled cabin. All cabins have private facilities. In addition, there are public passenger areas forward on Deck 7. The cargo capacity amount to 1,770 lanemetres. Additionally, the GOLDEN CARRIER is – as one of few remaining ferries in Europe – still able to carry railway wagons on an overall track length of 645 metres of European standard gauge. This capacity is spread across five tracks on Deck 3 accessed from the stern only. In additional to her stern access, the GOLDEN CARRIER has a side access ramp for vehicles in the front part of Deck 3 starboard side. The ship is not equipped with a bow door, although it had – as the ÖRESUND – in fact just a bow door and no other access! That arrangement, however, was alternated in 2002, and the former bow door permanently sealed.

The Arkoumanis family will soon be able to celebrate 40 years in ferry operations. Activities started back in 1987 under the name of Nausimar Ferries in the Adriatic, replaced by the widely known European Seaways brand in 1990 which remained in use until 2018, when the activities were rebranded as A-Ships Management. Interestingly, the Arkoumanis family also has a certain tradition of operating formerly Polish vessel: Back in 1994, the 1967-built LANCUT was purchased from Polferries and inaugurated as the EUROPEAN PRIDE. Also, the GALAXY has Polish roots: That vessel, featured in an article in the most recent edition of Shippax DESIGNS, was even designed and built in Poland.