Pre-Brexit Stockpiling Creates Surge in Irish Sea Shipping Demand
Irish Sea shipping services are experiencing a surge in demand as businesses stockpile amid continuing uncertainty around post-Brexit trading arrangements.
The Council of State (“Conseil d’état”) overturned on November 6 the decision of the administrative court of appeal of Marseille which had condemned the Collectivity of Corsica to pay “a provision of 20 million euros” to Corsica Ferries for a loss because of unfair competition.
According to the decision of the Council of State, the judge of the administrative court of appeal of Marseille “committed an error of law” by ruling acceptable the request of Corsica Ferries for a provision of 30 million (but judge only accepted 20 million).
The Collectivité de Corse was ordered in 2017 to pay 84.3 million euros to Corsica Ferries in compensation for the damage resulting from the payment of subsidies to SNCM and CMN (2007-2013).
On appeal, the administrative court had however suspended the payment of compensation decided at first instance, specifying that the amount of this damage would be fixed after an expertise. In its order of June 4, 2020, the Administrative Court of Appeal specified that an expert report assessed an amount between 91.1 million euros and 100.3 million euros “the net profit of which the company Corsica Ferries has been denied”. An amount contested by the Collectivity of Corsica.
At the same time, shipping companies are required to keep two morning and two evening departures on the routes.
Algérie Ferries announced, in French, the start of a new freight ferry line between Oran and Alicante.
The State-owned company also started a freight-only ferry service from Algiers to Marseille. This will also be interesting for the many Algerians who live in France but saw their vehicle blocked in Algeria because of the pandemic. The cars will be repatriated.
At this point the company does not foresee any ropax ferry crossings.
Cenk Group introduced roro vessel CENK G on the Haydarpaşa (opposite Istanbul) – Chernomorsk (Ukraine) route as of 6 November 2020. She is Grimaldi’s former EUROFERRY MALTA (MarineTraffic).
Molslinjen has decided to temporarily close down the route between Rønne and Sassnitz until Easter 2021 because of corona restrictions in both Denmark and Germany.
VIKING CINDERELLA will make 26 special cruises to four different destinations around the Baltic Sea in the summer of 2021. The mini cruises include three completely new destinations: Gdansk, Bornholm and the High Coast in Sweden (photo: Härnösand, Höga Kusten)
Steen Friis Hansen, the founder of Steen Friis Design, has passed away.
In 1998, Steen Friis founded Steen Friis Design which he took from a one-man company to a larger design studio and strong brand, where he and his team of architects and interior designers over the years contributed significantly to the ferry industry and passenger vessels.
In 2016, Steen Friis Design A/S joined OSK Group, when OSK-ShipTech A/S bought the company, which has specialised in ship interiors with clear references to the Scandinavian design tradition. One of his latest projects was the W.B. YEATS.
Zeebrugge Welcomes the Panda
Street art, or should we say “port art”? Since last week, Port of Zeebrugge’s CSP terminal has a huge mural of internationally acclaimed Wietse.
(instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wietseart/)
ANTIGONI (Re-)Launched
On November 3, 2020, the Greek Elthom shipyard launched the fully upgraded ferry ANTIGONI of the Saronic Ferries consortium (Nova Ferries – 2Way ferries). The ship underwent extensive conversion, in order to be transformed into a closed type ferry and is expected to be introduced in the Saronic Gulf.
She was purchased in July 2020 from Edipsos Ferries and operated on the Edipsos-Arkitsa line as the POSEIDONAS. The ship was built in 2010 in Perama (Atsalaki shipyard), she is 735gt, 77,10 meters long and 17 meters wide. Her carrying capacity is for 590 passengers and 120 cars.
In the background is also seen the German-build NISSOS CHRISSI (ex-RUNGHOLT) of the Cretan Blue Cruises, which is also converted at the same shipyard.
Stena Line Continues the Baltic Reshuffle
Normally a press release contains all the answers. Not in the case of Stena Line’s latest, announcing the introduction of larger, faster ships on Germany – Latvia, without saying which ships.
An overview of changes on the Baltic Sea routes.
(all hyperlinks refer to each individual ship on the Stena Line fleet website)
Nynäshamn (Sweden) – Ventspils (Latvia)
- Currently: SCOTTISH VIKING and STENA FLAVIA
- Next year: lengthened STENA LAGAN (early 2021) and STENA MERSEY (during 2021)
Travemünde (Germany) – Liepaja (Latvia)
- Currently: STENA GOTHICA and URD
- Next year: two modern (unknown) ropax ferries.
- 40% extra lane meter capacity
- Shorter crossing time: 20 hours instead of 27
- 12 weekly departures (6 in each direction)
Karlskrona (Sweden) – Gdynia (Poland)
- 31 October 2020: STENA BALTICA charter ended, ship likely to be returned to Brittany Ferries as COTENTIN.
- Replaced by STENA NORDICA
- Other current ships on this route: STENA VISION, STENA SPIRIT
The Norwegian government has decided (announcement in Norwegian) that the next tender for the Bodø – Røst – Værøy – Moskenes route will be for ferries with hydrogen technology.
“Electric ferries will not work well enough on this long stretch,” said Minister of Transport Knut Arild Hareide.
The final announcement is planned before Christmas, so that contracts can be signed before the summer of 2021.
The start of operations on the ferry connection is 1 January 2024. The tender period lasts for 15 years, which is 5 years longer than the current contract.
A ferry company that has 19 million passengers annually, ordered 10 new fully electric ferries.
Gondan Shipyard has been awarded the contract by Transtejo Soflusa, the Portuguese company that links Lisbon with the other side of the river Tagus.
Each ferry can carry 540 passengers.
The first four units will cross the Tagus in 2022. Four in 2023. Two in 2024.
Works on Scandlines’ biggest competitor can start.
The longest combined road and rail tunnel in the world, with two double-lane motorways and two electrified rail tracks, will link Germany and Denmark under the Fehmarn Belt.
The 18km long tunnel is due for 2029.
At the end of September, the Scandlines Group’s lawsuit was heard before the Federal Administrative Court in Leipzig. On 3 November the court confirmed the planning approval decision as legal.
Scandlines said it is particularly pleased that the court has taken the safety of the ships into account and that the barges used to bring excavated material to Denmark have to give way to the Scandlines ferries in order not to disturb the operations.
Scandlines is not pleased with the planned road works, which will downgrade the current connection. This gives a competitive advantage to the tunnel. “It cannot be that Femern A/S can design worse access to our ferry terminal, ”says Søren Poulsgaard Jensen. Further steps will be taken.
