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Oct 04
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Attica Group improves H1 earnings despite fewer sailings

By 2026 Newsletter week 40
  • Revenue rose 1% to €329.8 million in H1 2026, despite a 12.8% reduction in sailings.
  • EBITDA increased to €15.7 million, from €4.1 million in H1 2025, supported by improved operational efficiency and cost rationalisation.
  • Net losses narrowed to €13.5 million, from €52.3 million.
  • Results included €14.8 million in profits from asset disposals, compared with €1.7 million a year earlier.
  • Operating expenses fell 1.5% to €316.2 million. Fuel consumption declined 11%, helping offset higher fuel costs and charges associated with ETS, FuelEU and SECA regulations.
  • Traffic declined, with 2.5 million passengers (−6.1%), 448,000 private vehicles (−1.7%) and 265,000 freight units (−4.1%). However, average passenger and vehicle volumes per sailing increased.
  • Net debt increased to €564.1 million, from €515.6 million at end-2025, while cash and cash equivalents stood at €97.5 million.

Ferry operations are being consolidated into two companies, covering Greek domestic and international services respectively. The international restructuring is complete (four companies > one), with the domestic process due to finish by year-end.

Full report: https://www.attica-group.com/storage/media/financial-results/attica-group-interim-fs-2026-1k9G.pdf

Oct 04
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Attica Group completes sale of RoPax LEFKA ORI

By 2026 Newsletter week 40

Attica Group has announced the completion of the sale of its RoPax LEFKA ORI (ex-BLUE HORIZON, SUPERFERRY HELLAS, VARUNA) to a Cyprus-based company for €8.3 million. According to the company, the sale generated a profit of €4.9 million, which will be recognised in the financial results for the second half of 2026. The ship served in Greek coastal shipping for 28 years. She was delivered in Limassol on 20 September and renamed DALEELA EXPRESS. Built by Mitsubishi in Japan in 1987, she has capacity for 1,488 passengers and 1,863 lane metres of vehicle space, with a service speed of 21 knots.

Photo: Dimitris Mendakis

Oct 04
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Creta Cargo Lines reportedly purchases RoPax MED STAR

By 2026 Newsletter week 40

According to reliable sources, Creta Cargo Lines has purchased the RoPax MED STAR (ex-QUEEN DIAMOND, NEW SEA WORLD EXPRESS FERRY, PRINCESS T, VÄSTERVIK), which has been laid up at Neos Molos since May 2024. She arrived in Greece in 2008 for Endeavor Lines but never entered service for the company. In 2013, she was chartered to Gotlandsbåten AB, but the plans fell through. In 2015, she operated unsuccessfully on the Igoumenitsa–Kefalonia (Sami)–Corfu–Bari route. In August 2017, she was sold to Moroccan operator Inter Shipping for the Algeciras–Tanger Med route. In April 2024, she was sold following a tender and towed to Piraeus. Built by Kurushima Dock in Japan in 1986, she has capacity for 1,200 passengers and 1,000 lane metres of vehicle space, with a service speed of 21 knots.

Photo: Dimitris Mendakis

Oct 04
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Three routes in Italy and Greece to be served by Grimaldi’s next-generation RoPax ships

By 2026 Newsletter week 40

The new methanol-ready RoPax ferries ordered by Grimaldi at the China Merchants shipyard in China, each with 3,300 lane metres and capacity for 2,500 passengers, are expected to enter service from 2028. They will be deployed “on the routes between Livorno and Palermo, between Igoumenitsa and Brindisi, and between Piraeus and Heraklion in Greece. The other three will be operated by Finnlines.”

Emanuele Grimaldi, CEO of Grimaldi Group, announced this to Ferry Shipping News on the sidelines of the press conference held during the 27th Euromed Convention, “From Land to Sea”, at Forte Village in Sardinia.

Buoyed by a year that will “probably be the best in Grimaldi’s history” in terms of results, thanks to high freight rates and capital gains from the sale of several vessels, the head of the Naples-based shipping group is already looking ahead to another round of newbuilding orders worth 2–3 billion for ConRo vessels and multipurpose car and truck carriers.

Oct 04
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Grimaldi and Moby awarded Italian maritime continuity contracts

By 2026 Newsletter week 40

Grimaldi Euromed has been awarded new public service contracts for the Civitavecchia–Arbatax–Cagliari and Naples–Cagliari–Palermo routes, which it already operates and whose existing contracts expired this year.

The Italian Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport published the results of the two tender procedures, launched last spring, for contracts lasting 60 months, with a possible 36-month extension. Their combined value, including bonus payments, exceeds EUR 115 million. The Naples-based company submitted bids of EUR 38,800,168 for Naples–Cagliari–Palermo and EUR 45,500,027 for Civitavecchia–Arbatax–Cagliari.

Meanwhile, the passenger and freight service between Genoa and Porto Torres, operated under public service obligations to ensure territorial continuity, will remain within the Moby group for another five years. This time, the contract was awarded to Moby itself, with a bid of EUR 24,124,949, according to the limited information released by the ministry.

The bid is approximately EUR 10 million below the starting price of EUR 34,304,939, representing a reduction of around 29%. The total contract value, including bonuses and the possible 36-month extension, is EUR 54,887,902.

Oct 04
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DFDS doubles Damietta–Trieste frequency with ARK FUTURA

By 2026 Newsletter week 40

DFDS will deploy ARK FUTURA as a second RoRo vessel on its Damietta–Trieste route from 15 October 2026, doubling the frequency to two weekly departures in each direction.

Launched in November 2024 as DFDS’ first direct freight ferry connection between Egypt and Italy, the service has recorded strong growth. The additional vessel will increase capacity for trade between North Africa and Europe, with fresh fruit and vegetables, textiles and industrial products among the main cargoes.

Lars Hoffmann, Vice President and Head of Mediterranean at DFDS, described the expansion as an important milestone, highlighting Egypt’s growing role as a market and trade gateway.

Departures will operate from Damietta on Mondays and Fridays, and from Trieste on Mondays and Thursdays.

Oct 04
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SCA Logistics shifts Benelux RoRo calls to Vlissingen

By 2026 Newsletter week 40

SCA Logistics is moving its Benelux RoRo calls from Rotterdam to Vlissingen from 1 October 2026, under a five-year agreement with terminal operator Verbrugge International.

The operation is expected to handle 400,000–450,000 tonnes annually, including southbound kraftliner and pulp for Western and Central Europe, with recycled fibre, general cargo and RoRo cargo carried back to Sweden.

SCA says the shorter port call will save a couple of hours per trip, reducing emissions and costs. Verbrugge’s established forest-products hub also offers daily barge connections to Rotterdam and Antwerp.

To support the operation, Verbrugge is investing in RoRo infrastructure, including a ramp and floating pontoon.

The move forms part of SCA’s wider logistics restructuring. Separately, changes to its Swedish RoRo network are designed to enable slower sailing speeds and reduce emissions per transported tonne-kilometre by around 40% from October.

Source: https://www.sca.com/siteassets/logistik/aktuellt/new-ways-1-2026.pdf

Oct 04
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CNMC details Ceuta asset-transfer condition for DFDS–Armas deal

By 2026 Newsletter week 40

Following FSN’s July coverage, Spain’s competition authority, the CNMC, has published further details of the conditions attached to its approval of DFDS’s acquisition of certain Armas-Trasmediterránea assets.

In its 25 September statement, the CNMC confirmed that the transaction requires the transfer to a third party of the assets needed to maintain Armas’s Algeciras–Ceuta operation. The aim is to enable a third operator to compete on the route. At least one potential interested party has been identified.

The authority’s in-depth investigation found that the acquisition could reduce competitive pressure on the Ceuta route and increase the risk of coordinated behaviour between DFDS and Baleària across the Strait of Gibraltar.

DFDS had proposed price monitoring, maintaining service quality and Armas’s peak-period frequencies, alongside investment and other commitments. The CNMC considered these insufficient to address its concerns and imposed the asset-transfer condition.

The statement does not identify the prospective operator or specify which assets would be transferred.

https://www.cnmc.es/sites/default/files/editor_contenidos/Notas%20de%20prensa/2026/20260925_NP_Concentración%20DFDS-ARMAS%20%28en%29.pdf

Oct 04
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Brittany Ferries adds daily Guernsey service and Cherbourg link

By 2026 Newsletter week 40

Brittany Ferries will increase its conventional Guernsey–Portsmouth service from six days a week to daily from 1 November 2026, combining direct sailings with a new triangular routing via Cherbourg.

The winter timetable provides daily Portsmouth–Guernsey freight services and a new Guernsey–Cherbourg passenger crossing of around 3½ hours. It also opens freight connections to south-west France, Spain, Portugal and Ireland. VOYAGER services between St Malo, Guernsey and Poole remain unchanged.

Passengers travelling from Guernsey to Portsmouth via Cherbourg will require a valid passport.

The winter timetable runs until 21 March 2027 and is open for bookings. Summer 2027 schedules will be released on 5 October.

Oct 04
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Piraeus Port Authority Accelerates Investment – Resilient Revenues

By 2026 Newsletter week 40

Piraeus Port Authority (PPA) reported revenue of €111.9 million for the first half of 2026, down 8.9%, while net profit fell 24.4% to €35.4 million. Investment in infrastructure and equipment reached €106.7 million.

The decline mainly reflected lower throughput at container Pier I, following unusually strong domestic cargo volumes in H1 2025. Ongoing works also temporarily reduced storage and handling capacity.

Revenues from Piers II and III increased, supported by improving throughput. PPA said this recovery strengthened from July, with the benefits expected to be reflected in its third-quarter results.

The authority is also advancing its planned Logistics Centre alongside its wider investment programme.

https://www.olp.gr/en/news/press-releases/ppa-s-a-presentation-of-1h-2026-financial-results-resilient-revenues-acceleration-of-the-investment-program

Oct 04
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Dutch seaports call for funding and clarity on EU Ports Strategy

By 2026 Newsletter week 40

North Sea Port, Amsterdam, Groningen Seaports, Moerdijk and Rotterdam have urged EU policymakers to translate the European Ports Strategy into practical, adequately funded measures.

Presenting their joint position paper, Full Steam Ahead, in Brussels on 29 September, the five port authorities identified three priorities: investment certainty, clear responsibilities for strategic port infrastructure and stronger cross-border cooperation.

The ports say predictable regulation and financing are essential for investment in quays, energy infrastructure and hinterland connections. They also want clarity on who should develop, secure and fund infrastructure serving both civilian and military needs.

The group argues that European funding and rules must reflect transport and industrial networks that cross national borders. New security requirements should strengthen resilience without unnecessarily delaying investment.

Isabelle Ryckbost, Secretary General of the European Sea Ports Organisation (ESPO), summed up the message at the close of the meeting: “Investing in ports is investing in Europe.”

Source: https://www.northseaport.com/nl/nieuws/north-sea-port-en-nederlandse-zeehavens-vragen-europa-om-duidelijkheid-over-uitvoering

Oct 04
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Portsmouth calls for VAT removal on shore power

By 2026 Newsletter week 40

Portsmouth International Port is urging the UK government to extend the proposed removal of VAT from household electricity bills to shore power supplied to ships.

Responding to the Prime Minister’s Labour Party Conference speech, port director Mike Sellers said high electricity costs were hampering maritime electrification. He called for shoreside electricity to be recognised as a marine fuel and exempted from VAT.

Despite Portsmouth’s investment in shore power, Sellers said operators were taking a financial hit to use it, with electricity costing millions of pounds more than their usual diesel-based fuel.

The council-owned port argues that reducing these costs would support maritime decarbonisation, improve air quality for nearby residents and strengthen its financial contribution to city services.

Oct 04
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Armateurs de France targets European top-five position by 2040

By 2026 Newsletter week 40

Armateurs de France has launched a campaign to put shipping and maritime sovereignty on the agenda ahead of France’s presidential election, under the slogan “Sovereignty begins at sea”.

The association wants France to rank among Europe’s five largest shipowning nations by 2040. According to its figures, France currently ranks sixth, with 1,257 vessels under French control, just a few dozen behind Denmark. A further 137 vessels are on order, potentially creating almost 2,300 direct jobs.

For ferry and RoRo operators, the campaign’s priorities include a stable, competitive tax and regulatory framework, access to finance, support for decarbonisation, skilled seafarers and an attractive French flag.

Armateurs de France will present detailed proposals in the coming weeks and engage with presidential contenders on the future of French shipping.

Oct 04
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Discover Ferries appoints Adrian White as chair

By 2026 Newsletter week 40

Discover Ferries has appointed Adrian White, Marketing and Communications Director at Uber Boat by Thames Clippers, as its new chair.

He succeeds Peter Griffiths, Head of Brand Marketing at Caledonian MacBrayne, who handed over at the organisation’s quarterly member meeting in London on 17 September. Griffiths had chaired the body since 2023, working alongside Director Abby Penlington to strengthen member collaboration, influencer marketing and consumer engagement.

White brings more than 30 years’ experience in travel and leisure, including roles with InterContinental Hotels Group, Europcar, Hertz and the Cayman Islands Department of Tourism.

Representing 12 domestic and European passenger ferry operators, Discover Ferries promotes ferry travel to UK consumers. White will help shape consumer and trade campaigns as the sector introduces cleaner technology, develops links with travel agents and responds to changing passenger expectations.

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