
SØBY SHIPYARD
A HISTORICAL SHIPYARD
Over 90 years of experience
Søby Shipyard has existed over 90 years and was founded by Arthur Christian Jørgensen as an engine factory, on the 1st of October 1931. Arthur created the “Søby ship engine”, that became the trademark of Søby Shipyard. In 1967 the first dry dock was added to the shipyard, because of high demand from clients, and the other two dry docks were added throughout the years. Dock III is the largest and newest dock on Søby Shipyard, and was extended to 140 meters in length in 2018.The shipyard also engaged in new ship buildings on fishing boats, ferries and other types of vessels, later the shipyard worked on larger steel constructions, extensions and renewals on different Ships. Latest newbuilding was the E-ferry, Ellen.


The founder, Arthur Christian Jørgensen
The founder, Arthur Christian Jørgensen, was an important person for the development of Søby, as he made it his pride and purpose to develop the town throughout his life. If you find yourself in the area during the summer, you can experience a guided tour about Arthur and the work he did for Søby and the community.
Søby Shipyard management
Arthur Christian Jørgensens family wasn’t interested in taking over the family business, therefore Søby Shipyard was made into a foundation which was founded the 1st October 1981 in connection to the shipyard´s 50th anniversary. The foundation’s main purpose is though shared ownership to ensure the expansion and consolidation of Søby Shipyard´s business activities for the benefit of the population of Ærø.
The foundation is managed by a board of 3-4 persons to whom the shipyard director refers to. The daily management is done by the Shipyard director, which make the decision flow fast and effective.

Søby Shipyard today
Today Søby Shipyard is a high-quality Shipyard which core business is servicing our customers with their Ship repairs and maintenance projects, which is done in our three Dry docks. The Shipyard has a large and high-quality engine workshop, where various engines, generators, pumps, compressors etc. are serviced and overhauled. All other departments at the Shipyard are manned by subcontractors, who always are available for the Shipyard, and always delivers the same high quality craftmanship.
The Shipyard has throughout the years build many new ships, and for today still involved in such new building projects. The Shipyard has always had a very innovative approach to building vessels, where the fully electrical ferry “Ellen” is a good example, as it was the first and biggest passenger ferry sailing with a solely electric propulsion system back when it was built in 2019.