March 2024:
- Passengers: 408,761 (↑14.9%)
- Cargo: 29,672 (↓8.9%)
- Vehicles: 54,205 (↓2.5%)
Q1 2024:
- Passengers: 1,102,738 (↑5.0%)
- Cargo: 84,950 (↓2.1%)
- Vehicles: 152,436 (↓3.3%)
Source: Tallink Grupp
In a press release, the CalMac Board acknowledges the challenges faced by island communities and vows to enhance operational performance, resilience, and communication. CEO Robbie Drummond steps down immediately, and Duncan Mackison assumes the interim CEO role until a permanent successor is appointed.
His resignation comes the week after the CEO of Ferguson Marine, the company building the two delayed ferries for CalMac, was sacked.
The Piraeus Port Authority S.A. announced its financial results for the fiscal year 2023.
+12.9% Revenue (EUR 219.8 million)
+28.8% Pre-tax profits (EUR 96.2 million)
+26.3% Profits after taxes (EUR 66.8 million)
These results represent the highest performances in the company’s history for both revenue and profitability, marking the third consecutive year of improvement.
- Cruise sector: passengers, ship calls and homeport calls up.
- Car handling sector experienced a higher-than-expected increase in domestic car demand with Imported car registrations rising by 31.4%.
- Cargo handling declined by 30.0%.
- In the coastal shipping sector, passenger and car flows increased due to the significantly improved touristic flows, with a 7.9% rise in total passenger traffic and a 3.8% in car traffic.
- The three container terminals maintained growth.
Source: PPA S.A.
Mr George Nikolakopoulos assumes the position of Chief Financial Officer with effect from April 1, 2024.
Mr Nikolakopoulos has more than 20 years of experience in the financial industry. In recent years he has served as General Manager of doValue Greece as Head of Corporate & SME loan management. Previously, he worked at Eurobank with corresponding responsibilities from the position of Deputy General Manager. He started his professional career at Grant Thornton where he held a number of positions of responsibility, completing his 14-year collaboration from the position of Partner, Head of Transactional Services
Recently, it was reported that the ferry Prince, formerly known as Dubrovnik, Duchess Anne, and Connacht, arrived at Aliaga Anchorage in Turkey, sparking rumours of possible dismantling.
The vessel was purchased in April 2023 from the Croatian Jadrolinija and operated between Albania (Durrës) and Italy (Brindisi). It returned to the Perama repair zone in mid-January 2024 and departed for Aliaga on March 29, 2024.
The Prince was built in Ireland in 1979 as the Connacht for B&I Line, later serving with Brittany Ferries and Jadrolinija under different names
Interferry is calling on governments and electricity utilities to prioritise investment in Onshore Power Supply (OPS) development to help the ferry sector maintain its lead in maritime electrification and hybridisation.
Read more here
Logiport, a company part of the Grimaldi Group, has just signed a new port concession with the local port authority for the newly constructed RoRo and RoPax terminal, named Nuova Darsena Traghetti, in Civitavecchia.
The Naples-based group will manage docks 27, 28, 29, and 30, along with the associated yard space, for a period of 4 years.
Additionally, Grandi Navi Veloci (MSC group) and Livorno Terminal Marittimo (Moby) participated in the tender process and lodged an appeal against the concession awarded to the competitor, Grimaldi Group.
Grimaldi operates ferries at the port of Civitavecchia on regular motorways of the sea routes to/from Sardinia, to/from Spain, and with car carriers for new vehicle traffic.
The Giovanni Fagioli-controlled Finaval group has officially announced its co-ownership, holding a 49% share, alongside Grendi who holds 51%, of the vehicle company named Nav.Co. Nav.Co has recently acquired the RoRo ship Wedellsborg for EUR 34 million.
The seller of the vessel was Visemar Levante, a company associated with the Visentini family, who operates the Cantiere Navale Visentini shipyard in Italy where the ship was constructed in 2014. The financing for the deal was provided by Credit Agricole and Banca Popolare di Sondrio. The Genoa-based Banchero Costa served as the ship and financial broker.
Giuseppe Santarcangelo, the Deputy CEO of Finaval and Chairman of Nav.Co, stated that the group, which was previously primarily engaged in owning tanker ships, is now shifting its focus towards becoming a financial player and tonnage provider. He further mentioned that Finaval is currently exploring and evaluating potential new deals.
Attica Holdings agreed to sell ferry Express Skiathos for EUR 9 million to 4naver Shipholding Ltd. The completion of the transaction is expected to take place with the delivery of the vessel to the new buyers, in the first ten days of April 2024.
From this transaction, a net profit for Attica Group of EUR 2.8 million was realized. approximately and will be included in the results of the first half of 2024.
Photo: HSW
It is reported that Fast Ferries Andros is currently being chartered from Blue Star Ferries. The RoPax is temporarily serving on the Piraeus-Syros-Tinos-Mykonos line, replacing Blue Star Paros, which is undergoing her annual refit and dry docking. The ship is chartered from April 5 to April 21.
Photo: Spyros Roussos
The RoPax vessel Kalliste has arrived in Toulon on Thursday April 4th, freshly painted in its new livery. On Saturday, CMA CGM-owned La Méridionale will inaugurate the new route from Toulon to Ile Rousse in Corsica, and Livorno (Livorno only June-September).
Photo: Jean-Pierre Fabre
Emanuele Grimaldi, Chairman of the Finnlines Board, stresses the urgency of addressing climate change and calls for collaboration among stakeholders to achieve decarbonization goals. This includes investing in green technology, developing new fuels, and adapting to changes in vessel design and operation. Financial resources are crucial to fund these initiatives, with significant investments needed in production facilities, fuel supply infrastructure, and engine technology.
Mr Grimaldi says that as the shipping industry moves towards greener fuels and technologies, it’s imperative to not only strategize for the environmental transition but also to consider the transition for seafarers. With the adoption of new fuels, vessels will be designed differently, posing challenges for seafarers accustomed to conventional ship designs. Furthermore, seafarers may require retraining to effectively navigate digitalization and other technological innovations accompanying these changes. Thus, ensuring that seafarers are adequately prepared for these shifts is crucial for the successful implementation of sustainable practices in the shipping sector.
A couple of weeks ago, Ferry Shipping News published Finnlines’ Financial review January–December 2023.
Now the Annual report 2023 is out. Click on the cover below to directly access the Finnlines web page.
