Color Line eventually sold roro COLOR CARRIER to a company within the CLdN group.
The vessel has been renamed CADENA 4. She is actually at Fayard (5 January 2023).
The Trapani-based fast ferry company Liberty Lines controlled by the Morace family announced to have already exercised an option for adding three more new buildings taking to 12 the order with the Spanish shipyard Armon for the construction of hybrid high-speed crafts to be delivered between 2023 and 2026.
The contract includes other options for the construction of further 6 more vessels to be delivered between 2027 and 2030.
These first 12 units are awarded of EUR 23.4 million in public subsidies from the Italian fleet renewal plan approved by the European Commission and part of the Eu Next Gen program.
All the series of new fast ferries will be equipped with an integrated propulsion system including MTU Series 4000 engines by Rolls-Royce, which will be supplying both traditional and electric propulsion; they are the result of intense cooperation between the technical offices of Liberty Lines, Armon shipyard, Rolls-Royce, RINA and Incat Crowther.
The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, a €500 million Italian scheme to help companies in the maritime transport sector to acquire clean and zero-emission vessels, as well as to retrofit more polluting vessels. The measure contributes to the achievement of the objectives of the Commission’s European Green Deal and ‘Fit for 55′ package.
The scheme is aimed at encouraging shipping companies to replace existing vessels with low environmental performance, and to reduce the use of fossil-based fuels in the maritime transport sector. The scheme will support projects increasing the environmental performance and energy efficiency of vessels operating long, medium and short sea services for passenger, freight and combined transport, as well as of other vessels operating in Italian ports.
In particular, the aid will support the acquisition of clean and zero-emission vessels, including vessels powered by electricity and hydrogen, and the retrofitting of vessels.
The aid will take the form of direct grants. The maximum aid amount per beneficiary is 40% of the eligible costs, which may be increased up to 60% for small and medium-sized enterprises and to 45% for projects concerning zero-emission vessels.
Some of the approved projects are for still-to-be-ordered ships from the ferry companies Toremar, Maregiglio di Navigazione, Snav, Lauro.it and Bluferries.
BORE SONG is no longer operating for P&O Ferries. She was chartered since 2011 and served the cross-Channel routes from Zeebrugge. She left Zeebrugge end of December 2022.
BORE SONG is now in the Baltic Sea, working together with her sister BORE SEA for Transfennica (Bore and Transfennica are companies owned by Dutch Spliethoff).
The Assembly of Corsica voted on Tuesday 20 December 2022 the attribution of the delegation of maritime public service (DSP) to Corsica Linea (the red ships) and La Méridionale (the blue ships).
Aim: guaranteeing territorial continuity between mainland France and Corsica.
Duration: from 1 January 2023 until 31 December 2029.
Annual cost: EUR 106.7 million (against 93 million for the actual DSP)
Routes:
Marseille-Ajaccio: Corsica Linea/La Méridionale, alternating, daily
Marseille-Bastia: Corsica Linea, 7/7
Marseille-Ile Rousse: Corsica Linea 3/7
Marseille-Propriano: Corsica Linea 3/7
Marseille-Porto-Vecchio: La Méridionale 3/7
Political:
Separatist and Autonomist Opposition voted against, denouncing an increase in costs and the postponement of the creation of a public shipping company (…).
The European Commission had to be convinced that a maritime public service is necessary.
Molslinjen’s owners in Sweden, EQT Infrastructure, bring Molslinjen’s Carsten Jensen to a position as CEO of the newly established company Nordic Ferry Infrastructure based in Oslo.
The company is a holding company which in future owns both the Danish ferry company Molslinjen and the Norwegian ferry company Torghatten.
Carsten Jensen takes over immediately as CEO of Nordic Ferry Infrastructure. However, during a transition period he will still be responsible for the Molslinjen until a new CEO is in place.
Q2, 2022 – According to the Hellenic Statistical Authority:
- The total passenger traffic in Greek ports recorded an increase of 64.9 % (8,954,863 pax) (Q2, 2021 = 5,430,806 pax).
- The total traffic of vehicles in Greek ports (2,895,550) increased by 26.8% (Q2, 2021 = 2,282,962).
On 6-7 December 2022, Mr Guido Grimaldi, Grimaldi Group Corporate Short Sea Shipping Commercial Director & President of ALIS, announced the enhancing of both Bari and Brindisi lines with more vessels.
More specifically, at the port of Bari, he announced the introduction of a fourth Ro-Ro ship, from January 2023, on the Patras-Bari-Venice line and vice versa, which will contribute to the daily service.
The next day, in Brindisi, he announced the new operation on Patras-Igoumenitsa-Brindisi. RoPax EUROPA PALACE will join her fleet mate RoPax IGOUMENITSA, offering more daily departures, from 14 to 22 weekly.
Brittany Ferries will re-open its Portsmouth to Le Havre service for passengers
- When? 1 March 2023
- What? The route had been run in freight-only mode for the last few years, a consequence of the Covid
- Ship? COTENTIN (114 pax in well-appointed cabins)
As well as Portsmouth – Le Havre, the ship will carry passengers on Le-Havre to Rosslare. Her schedule includes one round-trip to each destination:
Sunday and Thursday
- Le Havre – Portsmouth : departure 17h30 – Arrival 22h00
- Portsmouth – Le Havre : departure 23h30 – Arrival 08h30 Friday
- Le Havre-Rosslare : departure 19h00 – Arrival 14h30 Saturday
- Rosslare-Le Havre : departure 17h45 – Arrival 15h00 Sunday
Godby Shipping’s MIDAS was redelivered from her charter to Stena on 17 December 2022 and has thereafter been chartered to Göteborg-based TransProCon (Swedish Orient Line) until December 2023.
MIDAS will be used in TransProCon service with a combination of liner, project and military cargoes on the Baltic Sea, North Sea and Mediterranean Sea.
