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sandra

Apr 15
Love2

GetLink To Play The Environmental Cards

By 2021 Newsletter week 15

In a letter to the shareholders, GetLink’s Chairman Jacques Gounon makes a clear statement: crossing the Channel by Tunnel leaves a better footprint than by ferry.

“Eurotunnel’s truck traffic is returning to normal, after the destocking at the beginning of the year and the implementation of customs controls related to the Brexit. We (Getlink) are closely monitoring attempts to bypass these controls by going through Ireland, even if this represents only a marginal flow. The ferries are organising themselves to capture these flows: that is all very well. But where is the fight against climate change? We remind carriers and especially their customers that the carbon footprint for transporting goods by this Irish route is much greater than when using our Shuttles.”

He concludes that, “We are going to put more and more emphasis on our environmental advantage: we have already made a lot of progress, but we are stepping up our efforts and will announce our climate plan at the end of May 2021.”

Apr 15
Love2

SHORT NEWS

By 2021 Newsletter week 15

Grimaldi Adds A Third Ship On Ravenna-Brindisi-Catania

The port authority of Brindisi announced that Grimaldi Group will add a third ship on the ro-ro cargo link connecting the Apulian port with Ravenna and Catania (as from next week).

Until the end of last year the route was partly subsidised by the Italian State in favour of Tirrenia Cin and jointly operated with Grimaldi.

In January the Moby-controlled group left the space to the competitor which rapidly increased deployment of tonnage and frequency.

The next new entry on the maritime link will be the ro-ro vessel EUROCARGO VALENCIA which offers 4,400 lane metres capacity. Service becomes daily.

CADENA 3 Back Home

Roro CADENA 3 is back home in Zeebrugge, after her charter as MASSIMO MURA with Tirrenia, and after a rather long layup in Leixoes.

According to Equasis, she is owned by Cadena RoRo SA, care of CLdN ro-ro SA.

The Flensburg-built vessel will be used on the CLdN routes.

CLdN’s MELEQ To DFDS?

MELEQ will be renamed ACACIA SEAWAYS, a name that indicates an imminent future with DFDS.

Sister vessels TULIPA SEAWAYS and GARDENIA SEAWAYS both operate on Vlaardingen-Felixstowe.

MELEQ was built in Flensburg in 2017.She has a lane metre capacity of 4,000.

Blue Cruises’ NISSOS CHRISSI is almost ready for service in Crete

The conversion of the Blue Cruise’s NISSOS CHRISI – ex- RUNGHOLT- has almost been finished and the small vessel is expected to leave Atsalaki Shipyard (Perama) for Crete within the week.

She was purchased in October 2019 from German operator W.D.R. and she will probably serve the Kasteli – Gramvoussa – Balo line.

Do You Recognise The Veteran Ferry?

RED STAR 1 has been towed by tug CHRISTOS XXVII, and arrived in Tuzla, Turkey.

She was built in Lübeck in 1965 (!) as VIKING III and had a very rich career. The ferry sailed for many companies, on an amazing number of ports. What’s going to happen now is not clear yet.

Photo courtesy Christos Chatzaras / Voyager Shipspotting

Progress On The BLUE STAR MYCONOS Scrubber Conversion

Fast progress on the scrubber conversion of the Blue Star Ferries’ BLUE STAR MYCONOS

which is out of service since March 13, 2021. Her funnel is seen enlarged while she is expected to return in her daily service (Kavala-Lemnos-Lesvos-Chios-Samos-Ikaria-Piraeus line) in June.

Apr 15
Love2

VIDEO

By 2021 Newsletter week 15

Video Of Rescue Exercise With Brittany Ferries’ GALICIA

On Monday April 12, the French “Préfecture maritime de la Manche et de la Mer du Nord” organised in cooperation with Brittany Ferries a rescue exercise. Ropax ferry GALICIA simulated a loss of propulsion, thus causing the vessel to drift 7 nautical miles north of Cherbourg.

The “Jobourg” regional operational surveillance and rescue center then coordinated the rescue operation. Involved were:

  • The Caiman Marine helicopter of the French Navy from the 33F flotilla detachment based in Maupertus-sur-Mer, in charge of deploying the assessment and response team on board the ferry.
  • The intervention, assistance and rescue tug ABEILLE LIBERTÉ, chartered by the French Navy, in charge of towing the GALICIA.
  • A drone was deployed to bring the mooring lance safely aboard the ferry.
Apr 08
Love6

DFDS Opens New Unaccompanied Freight Route Between Calais And Sheerness

By 2021 Newsletter week 14

DFDS is opening a new route between Calais and Sheerness in response to increasing demand for additional ferry capacity for unaccompanied freight between France and the UK.

  • 1st departure is planned for 1 June 2021
  • 1 daily round trip operating 7/7
  • 1 roro ship: GOTHIA SEAWAYS (160 trailers)
  • Sheerness is located around 70km north of Dover and thus closer to the London area
  • Most of the unaccompanied freight carried today by DFDS ropaxes on Dover-Calais and Dover-Dunkirk, is expected to be transferred to the new route
  • In combination with the rail infrastructure in Calais, the market for rail solutions for freight from Italy, Spain and southern France to the UK is it expected to grow
  • Also: intermodal transport solution between Turkey and the UK by combining the freight ferry route to Sète with rail transport to Calais

Remarks

During Q4, 2019, P&O Ferries tried a roro service between Calais and Tilbury, with CAROLINE RUSS. The route was discontinued because of low customer demand and the impact of a French strike action.

In December 2020, P&O Ferries stopped carrying no-accompanied trucks on Calais-Dover.

Comments

Jean-Claude Charlo (MD, DFDS France) says in an interview to the newspaper Nord Littoral, the following:

  • DFDS took over a part of the unaccompanied traffic from P&O, after the latter announced to do accompanied only. End of February the DFDS Calais-Dover route carried 5,000 non-accompanied trailers (against 1200 same period last year).
  • Biggest issue was that time in port could not be increased, hence the decision to open a new roro service to Sheerness.
  • Theoretically non-accompanied could increase because of lack of drivers.
  • DFDS new E-Flexer COTE D’OPALE will have sea-trials on April 12. The interior finishing of the ship will be done in Europe.
Apr 08
Love2

Attica Group in 2020: Positive EBITDA Despite Pandemic

By 2021 Newsletter week 14
  • -53% pax, -14% cargo units
  • -28% revenue, a reduction by €115m
  • -48% EBITDA, but still positive
  • -27% sailings, but maintaining the lifeline services to the islands without interruption
  • Strategy: containing costs to safeguard the Group’s liquidity whilst maximising utilisation of Government support measures against the adverse impacts of the pandemic
  • New investments in line with the group’s sustainability strategy enabled by its solid financial position: 3 passenger ferries to be built in Norway
Apr 08
Love2

Grimaldi Group Strengthens Its Presence In Malta

By 2021 Newsletter week 14

In recent months, Grimaldi Group has proceeded to significantly strengthen its presence in Malta:

  • Brexit: switching flag of ACL ships from UK to Malta (9 done, 1 to follow).
  • Malta Motorways of the Sea Ltd (MMOS), a Grimaldi Group company, has recently strengthened its fleet with the purchase of two additional vessels: roro’s EUROCARGO CATANIA and EUROCARGO SICILIA. (total fleet MMOS = 6 ships – see the fleet here).
  • MMOS runs a regular service from Genoa, Livorno, Salerno and Catania to Malta (and vice versa), under a Public Service Obligation contract with the Maltese Government.
  • This April, Malta is due to be served with one of the brand new 12 GG5G-class roro’s.
  • A second vessel of the same class will be deployed on the same route at the beginning of June.
Apr 08
Love2

EUROCARGO NAPOLI’s Sale To Morocco Cruise Line Put On Hold

By 2021 Newsletter week 14

Some sources revealed to Ferry Shipping News that the sale of the roro ship EUROCARO NAPOLI from Grimaldi Group to the start-up company Morocco Cruise Line (MCL.ma) failed. At least up to date.

The vessel in question recently sailed to Motril, port of delivery, but this week went back to Valencia and is likely to be introduced in Grimaldi Napoli’s network of routes unless the buyer decides to finalise the deal, paying the full price. A 10% account was already paid earlier this year.

MCL was expected to open two new lines: Tangier Med – Motril and Tangier Med – Sète.

EUROCARGO NAPOLI: 175m / 18.5 knots / 1,940 lane metres / cars 400