Damen Shipyards Group NV of the Netherlands says the Berlin-Ramelau, a roll-on, roll-off ferry it built in China, has been formally handed over to the Port Authority of Timor-Leste.

The crew of the Berlin-Ramelau began training as soon as the ship arrived in Díli on December 9, according to a written statement issued by Damen last Friday.

The ship can carry motor vehicles, other cargo and 380 passengers, taking them to and from Díli, the island of Ataúro and the Timorese exclave of Oecusse-Ambeno, Damen says.

Its statement quotes Timorese Transport and Communications Minister José Agostinho da Silva as saying the ship will be the main means of connecting Oecusse-Ambeno and Ataúro with the rest of Timor-Leste, so improving national integration.

The Berlin-Ramelau was built at the Damen shipyard in the central Chinese city of Yichang, the company says.