Corsica Ferries announced that it has acquired a stake in NEOLINE Armateur, which will build a 136-metre-long cargo ship mainly propelled by the wind to save more than 80% of fuel compared to a conventional ro-ro vessel.
Aegean Sea Lines’ crew is currently working at the Port of Mariehamn preparing the former ROSELLA for delivery to her new owner, the Greek Aegean Sea Lines.
The Viking Line ship was sold in December 2022 for EUR 11,25 million.
She will be delivered on January 16, 2023 and renamed ANEMOS.
The ropax will be introduced on the Piraeus- Western Cyclades route on the summer 2023, after a small-scale conversion.
Currently, she is having her original name and livery erased while she is expected to raise the Greek flag within the next days.
The new ferry will follow the other two sister ships TRINACRIA and SIKANIA already employed by Bluferries in the Strait of Messina. (built by Megatechnica, Greece). It will have a hybrid propulsion with “zero emissions in port”.
Capacity 399 passengers and cargo capacity of a minimum of 22 trailers of 17 meters.
According to latest information, Leve Ferries’ NISSOS AEGINA (ex MIDSLAND) will be chartered to ANES Ferries for the next 3 years with a purchase option.
The ship will be dry docked on January 17, 2023 in order to change her livery. Then she will be introduced on the Piraeus – Aegina/Agistri line.
In June 2022, she was chartered shortly to Joy Ferries for service on the Igoumenitsa-Paxoi line. She stopped sailings in August 2022 and returned at Frantzis Shipyards (Perama), where she was laid up until today.
Photo: Vessels Finder
Tallink Grupp’s figures show improvement after the last two COVID years despite the global economic and security challenges and despite six of the company’s vessels being chartered out by Q4 of the year.
- During the full year 2022, Tallink Grupp transported +84.4% passengers (5,462,085)
- Passenger numbers increased on all three of the company’s current regular routes Finland-Sweden, Estonia-Finland and Estonia-Sweden compared to 2021, with the greatest increase of 96% on the Finland-Sweden routes, the Estonia-Sweden route following closely behind with a 93.4% increase, and the Estonia-Finland route seeing an increase of 76.9%.
- The number of passenger vehicles transported in 2022 increased by 36,1%.
- The number of cargo units carried by the company in 2022, although not seeing as sharp an increase as passenger numbers, also increased by 11%.
- The greatest increase in the cargo units carried was seen on the company’s Estonia-Finland routes, which saw a 19% increase in unit numbers year-on-year.
- The only decrease of the year was the company’s cargo units carried on the Finland-Sweden routes, impacted by the chartering out of the company’s vessel GALAXY, leading to reduced cargo capacity.
Year 2022, like the previous year, continued to be exceptional for the whole world, as well as for Viking Line:
Negative: pandemic + Ukraine + sky-high fuel prices + market uncertainty.
Positive: a renewed demand to travel, especially locally.
Fleet changes:
- AMORELLA and ROSELLA sold.
- VIKING GLORY entered service in March. The ship has been very popular and will reach the 1 million passenger milestone after less than a year in traffic.
Traffic in 2022:
+114% Total passengers 4,945,564 (2,315,137)
+116% Turku – Åland – Stockholm 1,955,988 (904,321). Viking Line’s market share was 64 %.
+236% Route Helsinki – Åland – Stockholm (GABRIELLA) 515,445 (153,183) passengers.
+102% Route Stockholm – Mariehamn (cruise with VIKING CINDERELLA) 517,354 (256,344)
+33% Route Mariehamn – Kapellskär (ROSELLA) 464,375 (348,209)
+116% Route Helsinki – Tallinn (VIKING XPRS) 1,266,642 (586,354)
+42% Total passenger cars 630,651 (442,484)
-9% Total freight units 117,777 (129,278)
Photographer: Joonas Kortelainen
The David MacBrayne Limited Annual Report and Financial Statements for the year ending March 2022 has revealed about CalMac:
- Service levels remained high, with a contractual reliability of 98.8%, despite challenges facing the fleet including covid infections, travel restrictions, extreme weather, and vessel breakdowns.
- Record levels of investment being spent on maintaining the fleet – an increase of 64% over five years from £21.0m in 2018 to £34.3m in 2022.
- Customer satisfaction with the service remained high at 85%.
- Turnover GBP 227 million (199 million)
- Gross Profit GBP 28 million (29 million)
- Operating Loss/Profit -1.2 million (4.8 million)
- Loss/Profit before taxation -2.3 million (3.3 million)
- Loss/profit for the financial year -3.7 million (2.5 million)
“We continue to work with partners including CMAL and Transport Scotland to support the successful delivery of additional vessels and are looking forward to welcoming 16 new vessels to the fleet over the next five years. This will bring significant service improvements to our fleet, improving reliability across the network that will benefit our customers, communities, and visitors.”
CEO Robbie Drummond
Fjord Line has decided to rebuild the two LNG-ships STAVANGERFJORD and BERGENSFJORD from single-fuel LNG-engines to dual-fuel LNG/MGO-engines.
- Rebuilding of STAVANGERFJORD will start in January 2023 and will be finalized by the end of May 2023.
- BERGENSFJORD will be rebuilt during February to medio June 2023.
- The routes affected by the rebuilding are Bergen – Stavanger – Hirtshals, and Hirtshals – Langesund.
- The ships are being rebuilt at Fosen Yard and the engines will be delivered by Wärtsilä.
- Fjord Line has concluded a refinancing as part of the rebuilding of the two ships and due to the current energy crisis.
