On June 17, SAOS FERRIES announced the purchase of the former Japanese Ferry MISHIMA (2001) of Mishima Mura.
The 89m ship was replaced in April 2020 by the newbuilding FERRY MISHIMA and served the Kagoshima-Takeshima-Iwojima-Kuroshima line.
According to the Greek Ferry operator the ship will be converted before enter service in order to comply with the European standards.
On Friday, June 18, Holland Shipyards Group saw ferry SANDØY leaving the yard, bound for Norway. This fully electric ferry has been built for Brevik Fergeselskap.
The vessel is entirely powered by battery power (1,300 kWh). In addition to electric propulsion, another unique feature is a TES (thermal energy storage) system to provide heat.
Corsica Linea has reintroduced DANIELLE CASANOVA after a nine-month interruption. The route Marseille – Tunis has been restarted.
Tickets for Ponte Ferries’ fast ferry catamaran service to Sicily went on sale Wednesday 23 June. HSC ARTEMIS will operate daily return trips from Malta to the Sicilian port of Augusta from August 6.
Zero-Emission ‘Flying Ferries’ for Brittany Ferries
Brittany Ferries is exploring the potential for a new high-speed, sustainable and more efficient form of ferry travel called a seaglider. The concept, an all-electric, wing-in-ground effect vehicle (WIG), is under development in the United States through Boston-based start-up REGENT (Regional Electric Ground Effect Nautical Transport).
Brittany Ferries has signed a letter of intent which could see seagliders with a 50-150 passenger capacity sailing between the UK and France by 2028. REGENT expects the first commercial passengers to travel on smaller electric craft by 2025.
Seagliders combine the convenience of passenger ferries with the comfort of hydrofoils, the aerodynamic efficiency of hovercraft and the speed of aircraft. With the potential to connect existing ferry ports, the craft are expected to fly at speeds of up to 180 mph – six times faster than conventional ferries – with a battery-powered range of 180 miles.
The voyage from Portsmouth to Cherbourg, for example, could be covered in as little as 40 minutes.
Stena Line will be operating a new temporary weekend service between Holyhead and Belfast, 25 June – 18 July.
STENA ESTRID will provide the service which will accommodate a mix of freight and leisure traffic, with a crossing time of 8 hours.
Stena Line is currently experiencing very high demand on its Belfast routes to Cairnryan and Liverpool so the addition of the temporary service will provide much needed additional capacity to and from Northern Ireland.
Furthermore, with present travel restrictions between Britain and Ireland in place, this new route will provide an additional travel option for people who might be considering ferry travel for the first time or who wish to visit Britain, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Stena Line needs more terminal capacity in Killingholme because of increased market demand of unaccompanied freight on Europoort RoRo service. However, Killingholme cannot cater.
As a result, Stena Line will move its Europoort RoRo service to the nearby Port of Immingham commencing January 1, 2022.
Stena Line’s other North Sea route on the Humber, the Hoek van Holland-Killingholme RoPax service, will remain and continue in Killingholme.
Current RoRo Vessels on Europoort-Killingholme: POL MARIS and HATCHE.
“This is a new generation ropax ferry that can use LNG, electricity, and in the future, biogas as fuel. Preparatory work for the innovative fuel solution has taken more time than expected, which has resulted in an adjusted delivery date for July,” says Jyrki Heinimaa, CEO, Rauma Marine Constructions.
Tallink Grupp will re-open the popular Tallinn-Stockholm ferry route on 9 July 2021, after nearly 16 months of suspension of the route due to travel restrictions between Estonia and Sweden. The route will initially be operated with one vessel, BALTIC QUEEN, with departures from Tallinn and Stockholm every other day.
Although the route will re-open to the public on Friday, 9 July, the company will operate a special cruise to Stockholm also on 7 July, where Tallink’s cooperation partners and employees will have the first opportunity to sail again on the route.
HSC POWER JET was launched on the Heraklion-Santorini-Ios-Naxos-Mykonos-Paros line on June 11, 2021. The ship was introduced on that line last summer (August 2020) and will compete with Minoan Lines’ SANTORINI PALACE.
The popular HSC WORLD CHAMPION JET was launched on the Piraeus-Syros-Mykonos-Naxos-Ios-Santorini line on June 11 as well. The fast ferry will depart every morning at 7:00.
HSC SUPERRUNNER JET, former SUPERRUNNER of Golden Star Ferries, will be introduced on the new Thessaloniki-Skiathos-Skopelos-Alonissos-Mandoudi (Evia) line on June 18, 2021. The ship will sail from the port of Thessaloniki 3 times a week, while during August she will add one more departure. She will depart at 7.00 in the morning and will be the fastest connection between Northern Greece and the Sporades islands.
