Whitehall rejects reports of 68% drop in goods exported and says freight flows at normal levels on some days.
Extract:
…the lack of bookings over the summer leaves tour operators and travel companies in a perilous position. Brittany Ferries head of communications, Nigel Wanncott, said new bookings for summer 2021 are already 50% down on pre-Covid years, and those who have booked in advance are starting to cancel. “We’ve already written off spring. Now people who have booked for summer are beginning to wobble – it’s not an exodus yet but we are worried. A disastrous summer where people are discouraged from travelling would put us in a serious situation.
From February 9 to February 28, SeaJet’s HSC POWER JET will operate in the Cyclades, performing 6 subsidised sailings per week.
3x Piraeus-Syros-Mykonos-Naxos-Santorini line.
3x Piraeus-Serifos-Sifnos-Milos line.
Godby Shipping’s MISTRAL time-charter contract with Smyril has been extended and is now valid until end June 2021. In addition to this, Smyril has further options to extend the contract until end 2022.
Fosen Yard and Elpro have signed the contract which makes Elpro responsible for the installation of electrical equipment for the Siem Group passenger ferry, provisionally called Newbuild 93 (ex HONFLEUR, Flensburg, Brittany Ferries)
On 10 February 2021 the Port Authority of Elefsina declared a new open tender (01/2021) for the sale and removal of the ship THEOFILOS (1974), which is laid up at Elefsis bay since 2018.
The deadline for offers is March 2, while the starting price is EUR 778,619.92 plus VAT.
In October 2019, a previous open tender for her removal was suspended – by the Port Authority of Elefsina – and she was awarded to ANEN LINES for EUR 380,000.
More ships are being added to the direct connections between Ireland and the Continent.
More in our Logbook.
Two New Turkish RoRo Connections in One Week
This week (5) sees the start of two new roro freight routes from Turkey.
Route 1: Karasu – Constanta
Joakim Lindblom, the CEO of Sea Lines confirmed last week’s news about the start of a new roro route between Karasu (Turkey) and Constanta (Romania).
- Start: 3 February 2021
- Vessel: VASALAND
- Last year the route was tested with Sea Lines own roro SEA PARTNER.
- Information and timetable: Sea Lines
Route 2: Izmir – Tarragona
EKOL and Inditex started the route Tarragona (Spain) – Izmir (Turkey) with DFDS operating it as of today, 2 February.
A weekly roundtrip is planned and the first sailing from Izmir, on Sunday 7 February at 12:00, has been advertised in DFDS’s latest sailing schedule.
Vessel: SF BALEARES (chartered from Trasmediterranea)
From the second half of February the cruise ferries CRUISE SARDEGNA and CRUISE EUROPA will be deployed on Livorno – Olbia.
Result: In a single journey between the two ports, the company will be able to carry over 1,000 passengers, 120 cars and 65 trailers more than what it has guaranteed so far.
How is it now?
- Presently Livorno – Olbia is being served by CRUISE OLBIA and CRUISE AUSONIA
- CRUISE EUROPA and CRUISE SARDEGNA (actually sailing under the name of CRUISE OLYMPIA) are actually sailing on the route Ancona – Igoumenitsa – Patras route for Grimaldi Minoan Lines.
How will the Grimaldi fleet be reshuffled?
- Livorno – Palermo: CRUISE SMERALDA and CRUISE AUSONIA
- Livorno – Olbia: CRUISE SARDEGNA (ex OLYMPIA) and CRUISE EUROPA
- Civitavecchia – Olbia: CRUISE BONARIA
- Ancona – Igoumenitsa – Patras: CRUISE OLBIA and ZEUS PALACE
- Brindisi – Greece: EUROFERRY OLYMPIA and FLORENCIA
Competitor on Livorno – Olbia: Moby Lines / Tirrenia
Attica Group ordered 3 Aero Catamaran passenger-only vessels to serve the Saronic islands.
- To be built by Brødrene Aa in Norway
- The total investment €21 million
- Delivery of all 3 vessels is expected within the first 4 months of 2022
- Saronic routes: 3 million pax per year
- Maximum speed of 34 knots – 150 passengers
In January 2021 AS Tallink Grupp transported
- -80.4% passengers (121,116)
- -8.4% cargo units (27,283)
- -48.7% passenger vehicles (37,453)
Not a single bid was submitted for the tender for the ferry connection between Greece and Cyprus which expired on Friday 29 January.
- Contract was for 3 years, with a subsidy of €5m/year
- 24 companies asked for the tender documents
- Covid-19 and its passenger travel restrictions might be the reason for the reluctancy
- Project will be re-evaluated
Source: Cyprus Mail
Brittany Ferries believes more companies will look west in the months to come, and it has urged hauliers and logistics companies to get in touch.
Brittany Ferries says the proportion of unaccompanied units is already much higher than in previous years. Since sailings of the new GALICIA began in early December (Santander – Portsmouth), around 40% of its freight has been unaccompanied.
Designed primarily for unaccompanied trailers, roro PELICAN’s fill rates have risen so significantly that it is now the best performing freight ship in the Brittany Ferries fleet.
She has been operating since 2016, connecting Bilbao with Poole.
