All Posts By

sandra

Feb 10
Love0

Maxicaster Launches their New Generation Mobile Portal across the Fjord Line fleet

By 2023 Newsletter week 6

MAXICASTER is pleased to announce the successful deployment of its next generation mobile portal across the Fjord Line fleet. It is redefining the passenger journey by extending video services to personal devices.

The mobile video service is seamlessly integrated into Fjord Line’s dynamic passenger mobile portal allowing passengers to watch live TV and the latest movies anywhere on board. To ensure passengers never miss their favourite shows, Catch-up TV is enabled allowing passengers to watch previously aired live TV via the interactive Electronic Program Guide (EPG).

The portal is designed to work across any device type ensuring a premium viewing experience regardless on any passenger device. To further enhance the service, MAXICASTER provides a premium Video on Demand catalogue curated to the FjordLines customer demographic.

The service extends the long-term partnership between the two companies, where MAXICASTER is the exclusive technology and video content provider for onboard passenger and crew services across Fjord Line vessels.

Roald Rossnes, Chief Digital Officer at Fjord Line commented “We are extremely proud to be working with MAXICASTER to create this innovative and state of the art solution for our customers. The mobile video service is fully integrated with our customer portals and makes up an important module in our strategy to give the guests well produced services and entertainment throughout the journey.”

Andrew Brown, COO of MAXICASTER commented “Fjord Line and MAXICASTER share a sense of innovation which is common in the Nordic region. By extending the service options to passengers’ own devices Fjord Line highlight their understanding of the changing passenger expectations in the market and commitment to delivering the best possible experience anywhere on board.”

Feb 10
Love0

CLdN to further increase capacity on North Sea routes to and from eastern England

By 2023 Newsletter week 6

CLdN has announced a further increase of capacity for customers on its North Sea routes to and from eastern England. The additional capacity will be provided by the charter of the TUNDRALAND, a modern ro-ro vessel with a cargo capacity of 2,800 lane metres.

The vessel will be introduced into the CLdN network on 13th February 2023, allowing increased tonnage to be redeployed onto the Zeebrugge & Rotterdam / UK routes.

In response to increasing customer demand for unaccompanied freight services to and from the UK, CLdN will also provide a service delivering cargo from Zeebrugge to the Port of Tilbury. (remark: P&O Ferries have a service between Zeebrugge and Tilbury, with 9 departures a week from each port – check the P&O Freight website)

Feb 10
Love0

Grimaldi to become ro-ro terminal operator in the port of Ravenna

By 2023 Newsletter week 6

The port of Ravenna, in Italy, is to become one of the most important hubs for Grimaldi Group’s network in the Adriatic Sea.

The Naples-based shipping company is in advanced negotiations with the local port authority for setting up a new port terminal in Ravenna which is regularly called by Grimaldi’s ro-ro ship on the motorways of the seas to and from the other Italian ports of Brindisi and Catania.

Up to date the ro-ro traffic was and still is handled by a company called T. & C. – Traghetti e Crociere S.R.L and fully owned by the port authority but this company will stop acting as a terminal operator as soon as Grimaldi will be ready to operate with its in-house branch.

Last year the port of Ravenna’s total throughput of trailer handled was 80,595 (+6.4% compared with 2021) or 1,818,670 in terms of tons (+25.7%).

Feb 10
Love0

Grimaldi acquires a new terminal in the port of Amsterdam

By 2023 Newsletter week 6

The Group now owns an area of ​​over 200,000 m2 and a twenty-year concession within the Dutch port

Through its subsidiary Amsterdam Multipurpose Terminal (AMT), the Grimaldi Group has recently gained strategic assets and a 20-year concession within the port of Amsterdam.

The assets that AMT bought from the company EMA are located in the Amerikahaven area and cover a surface of over 200,000 m2, including storage areas, adjacent warehouses and logistics areas, as well as two quays – the first, which is about 500 meters long, dedicated to ships deployed on deep sea routes, and the second, about 300 meters long, for the berthing of vessels serving short sea links.

Not only is Amsterdam an extremely important port for cocoa exports from West Africa to Europe: the Grimaldi Group aims to make the most of its strategic location, transforming it into the gateway for imports of new vehicles, as well as for their distribution in Northern Europe.

Map: BoH – Eigen werk, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=12452593

Feb 03
Love0

A SeaJets family member acquires 5,48% of MIG stocks

By 2023 Newsletter week 5

On Februray 1, 2023, the Athens Stock Market announced that Mrs Despoina Iliopoulou (daughter of Mr Marios Iliopoulos – Seajets), holds 5,48% of voting rights, through Ration Holding LTD, in Marfin Investment Group after the acquisition of shares on 31 January 2023.

By that agreement, Mrs Iliopoulou holds 51,525,000 voting rights out of 939,510,748 voting rights of the Issuer.

The announcement brings new developments to MIG’s ongoing transformation story, considering that with the control of 5.48% of MIG, the Iliopoulos (SeaJets) family becomes its second largest shareholder after Piraeus Bank.

SeaJets owns 17 passenger ships, most of which are high-speed crafts and connects 33 Aegean islands and Crete, while its fleet transport capacity is 3,500 cars and 20,000 passengers.

Feb 03
Love0

Ro-Ro ELIANA MARINO to be sold at auction by Moby

By 2023 Newsletter week 5

The 2000-built ro-ro ship ELIANA MARINO will be sold at auction on 2 March 2023.

The ro-ro operated in bareboat charter by Moby and is owned by Peter Doehle Schiffahrts-KG group. Moby exercised the purchase option for the ELIANA MARINO. The deal should be completed before the auction date.

A public announcement has been published with a reported starting price of EUR 12.5 million.

The procedure specifies that the auction sale will be completed if Moby before will formalize the purchase since the purchase option has already been exercised.

The 2,500 lane metre ro-ro ship ELIANA MARINO has been operating for Moby since 2016 in bareboat charter and is currently deployed on Livorno – Cagliari.

Feb 03
Love0

Grimaldi filed an opposition to the approval of Moby’s financial restructuring plan

By 2023 Newsletter week 5

A statement from Moby published on the Luxembourg Stock Exchange [Bourse.lu] announced that competitor Grimaldi Euromed filed an opposition in the Court of Appeal to the approval of the Moby creditor’s composition plan “with an action once again aimed at preventing the continuation of the composition plan approved with the positive vote expressed by approx. 90% of Moby creditors and homologated by the Court of Milan on November 24, 2022.”

This new action is being brought by Grimaldi “despite the fact that the Court of Milan has

rejected in its entirety the previous opposition to the homologation, even declaring it unfounded, condemning Grimaldi to pay the judicial costs,” Moby stated.

The next hearing in front of the Court of Appel will be held on 2 March 2023.

The Vincenzo Onorato – controlled company concluded by saying: “Against this further legal action brought by Grimaldi, already rejected in the first instance, the Company is evaluating in appropriate legal venues any legal action aimed at defending its restructuring plan and the work of its employees.”

Feb 03
Love0

Italian Bluferries is constructing a battery-hybrid double-ender ferry in Greece

By 2023 Newsletter week 5

As announced earlier [Ferry Shipping News, 13 January 2023], Kanellos Brothers Shipyard at Perama (Greece) recently undertook the start of construction of a double-ended ferry on behalf of the Italian Bluferries, which is a subsidiary of the Italian state railway group, Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane S.p.A.

The design of the ship has been carried out by the Greek office C & T Perdikaris Naval Bureau.

Bluferries is implementing a fleet renewal program through the Greek shipyards and the new ferry will be a sister ship to SIKANIA (2021), which was built by the same yard. The ship will be hybrid (diesel & batteries) and will have a RINA classification.

She is expected to be delivered in 2024.

Feb 03
Love0

Brittany Ferries: SANTOÑA flies the French flag

By 2023 Newsletter week 5

Ropax SANTOÑA, the second LNG-powered vessel after SALAMANCA, has joined the Brittany Ferries fleet on Thursday 26 January 2023.

This e-Flexer and 11th vessel in the Brittany Ferries will enter service on 1 March 2023 and will operate on the Cherbourg/Portsmouth and Portsmouth/Santander routes.

“Today, we reaffirm our eco-responsible commitment by flying it the French flag and operating it with French sailors,” said Jean-Marc Roué, Chairman of the Brittany Ferries Supervisory Board.

“At this time, bookings are more than 20% higher compared to the same period in 2022. We look forward to building on this momentum. Next year, our rail project between Bayonne and Cherbourg will strengthen our position on the freight market. This launch will be followed, at the end of 2024, by the delivery of two hybrid vessels, which will join the fleet in 2025.”

 Photo: Andrew Williamson