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sandra

May 14
Love0

Good Start Of A New Era For Fjord1 – Q1 Results

By 2020 Newsletter week 20

Q1

  • Revenue NOK 752 million (+17%) after the start-up of new routes on 1 January 2020
  • EBITDA NOK 194 million (+23%)
  • Reduced frequency on ferry and passenger boat routes due to travel restrictions have had a limited financial impact, although the effects on Catering and Tourism have been significant.
  • The vessel renewal programme is coming to an end, with five vessels delivered in Q1. Two deliveries remain out of a total of 25 new and upgraded vessels.
  • Fjord1 views 2020 as a ramp-up year, with the start-up of several new ferry contracts, the completion of the vessel newbuild programme and further progress in the electrification of the fleet. Fjord1 is well-equipped to navigate this more uncertain market environment, with a long-term contract portfolio of NOK 22.8 billion and exciting long-term prospects in the tourism industry.
  • Travel restrictions for technical personnel from Germany and Italy may delay the completion of electrification infrastructure. Such delays could postpone the start-up of fully electric ferry routes. This will in turn, postpone the release of government-funded NOx compensation for the new vessels, public infrastructure payments and expected fuel cost savings, as well as the turning point of the net interest-bearing debt.

Outlook

  • Fjord1 believes there will be demand for safe, environmentally friendly and reliable transport in coastal regions in the future.
  • Fjord1 assesses new tender opportunities in the Norwegian market on an ongoing basis, as well as opportunities outside of Norway.
  • Fjord1 has a strong contract portfolio of NOK 22.8 billion in total value through 2033, excluding options and index regulation.
  • In 2020, revenue is expected to grow by 10-15% compared with 2019. The increase will be driven by the new ferry connections that started 1 January 2020.
May 14
Love0

TECHNOLOGY

By 2020 Newsletter week 20

European Commission Adopts A Package Of Guidance And Recommendations To Coordinate A Safe Return To Travel And Tourism This Summer

Extract from yesterday’s speech (13/5) by Executive Vice-President Margrethe Vestager on the Tourism and Transport Package.

“The European Commission has adopted a package of guidance and recommendations, to coordinate a safe return to travel and tourism this summer. This package is built on the Joint European Roadmap towards lifting containment. It’s about coordinating, not replacing, the work that’s being done by businesses and by national and local governments in Europe.”

The essence:

  • Reopening borders
  • Possibility to travel between European countries
  • Travellers and workers need to know that the places that tourists visit are safe
  • EU consumers have a right to a cash refund, if that’s what they want. But many companies will come under pressure and this liquidity crunch would be less severe if customers accepted vouchers, instead of cash refunds. “So today, we adopted a recommendation on how to make these vouchers more attractive.”
May 14
Love0

TECHNOLOGY

By 2020 Newsletter week 20

Fanølinjen Introduce New AI Information System To Avoid Long Waiting Times

The island of Fanø is a popular tourism destination. Guests can now get an estimated waiting time for their booking. The system is based on travel data from previous years, but it is also built so that guests’ travel patterns constantly make the system more intelligent.

“The ticket is fully flexible during the day, and customers can continuously get an indication of how heavy the traffic is and when some waiting is likely,” says Jesper Skovgaard, Molslinjen’s commercial director.

May 14
Love0

SHORT NEWS

By 2020 Newsletter week 20
  • DFDS’ LIVERPOOL SEAWAYS will be renamed PELAGOS by her new owners La Mériodionale.
  • “Every day, our ships cross the Pelagos Sanctuary, a maritime area with a rich and outstanding selection of wildlife.”
  • Tallink Grupp made the decision to add extra departures on the Tallinn-Helsinki route for shuttle vessel STAR. The group initially announced that Star will return to the route only for limited weekend departures from 15 May 2020, but due to increased demand and the company’s commitment to ensure maximum safety and adherence to distance requirements onboard, the company has decided to add further departures to the route already from 14 May 2020. Detailed information here
  • Grimaldi’s 1997-built EUROCARGO TRIESTE has been sent to the scrapyard in Turkey. The roro vessel experienced an engine room fire in November 2019.
May 14
Love0

PHOTOS OF THE WEEK

By 2020 Newsletter week 20

The scrubber conversions on Attica Group’s SUPERFAST XI and BLUE STAR PATMOS are moving on.

The “red” ship has been in Keratsini (DEH dock) since March 29, 2020, while the new front section for her new enlarged funnel has already been put in place.

Her “Blue” fleetmate on the other hand, has been in the Palumbo (Malta) shipyard since the beginning of March 2020 for scheduled repairs and dry docking, as well as to undergo a scrubber conversion too.

Unfortunately, the Covid-19 found the ship in the shipyard and kept her there. As a result, the work progress was relatively slow.

Both ships are expected to be ready by the end of May.

May 14
Love0

Damen Shipyards Group Marks Twentieth Anniversary Of Its Ferries Department

By 2020 Newsletter week 20

The story of Damen Ferries starts just before the new millennium, when the management noticed high levels of activity in the fast ferry sector.

Damen entered the market with the acquisition of a license to construct the successful Australian River Runner design. The company’s first project in the sector was the construction of four River Runners for the Dordrecht Waterbus Service.

Shortly after this, Damen acquired its own yard in Singapore, as well as the design for the Flying Cat 40 – a very successful fast ferry of which over 60 vessels would be constructed. In time, Damen would develop this design into the Damen Fast Ferries 4010 and 4212.

Today, Damen builds a wide range of composite vessels at its dedicated Antalya yard in Turkey. In 2009, the product group expanded its reach with a broadened product portfolio that included larger road ferries alongside fast ferries. Damen Ferries has delivered ferries of diverse types and sizes to Europe, Africa, Asia and North and South America.

Damen Ferries continues to innovate with a firm focus on sustainability. As a result of the predicable – and relatively short – sailing routes encountered in waterborne public transport, the sector lends itself well to being the front runner in electric vessel propulsion.

Damen is building its electric and hybrid electric ferries as part of its E3 programme – environmentally friendly, efficient in operation and economically viable. The shipbuilder already has a number of so-called E-Cross ferry projects under its belt. This includes six hybrid diesel-electric Island Class ferries for BC Ferries in Canada, which are prepared for conversion to full-electric in the future when the regional infrastructure is in place.

Also for Canada, Damen is building a fully electric Road Ferry 6819E3 and a Road Ferry 9819E3 for Ontario. Another landmark project is Damen’s construction of seven fully electric 2306E3 Ferries for Arriva’s operation in Copenhagen.

Director Ferries Henk Grunstra, says, “We are very proud of what we have achieved over the last two decades. The world of maritime public transport has changed considerably in this time and we have changed with it, developing our product portfolio and production processes accordingly. We are looking forward to doing the same in the coming decades, responding to the market’s calls for increasing connectivity and sustainability and playing a leading role in the creation of waterborne public transport fit for the future.”  (Source: Damen press release)

May 07
Love2

FERRY SHIPPING

By 2020 Newsletter week 19

Baleària to be First Shipping Line in the World with Bureau Veritas Covid-19 Certification

Baleària is working towards being the first shipping line in the world to obtain the Global Safe Site Covid-19 badge at the highest level (Excellence) from Bureau Veritas, certifying that its ships and the ferry terminals that it manages implement specific procedures, cleaning plans, organisational and personal protective measures to prevent Covid-19.

The carrier will also periodically be testing for the possible presence of the virus on surfaces in order to obtain the certificate at Excellence level.

 

This certificate will guarantee that Baleària goes beyond the guidelines of the Ministry of Health and the World Health Organisation, conducting more complete, reinforced procedures beyond those indicated by said authorities in terms of safety and cleaning. Certification will cover 16 of the company’s ships (the 12 currently in operation and an additional 4 expected to enter service when the current restrictions on passenger travel are lifted), as well as the two ferry terminals that it manages directly (Dénia and Valencia). Certification is expected to be issued in early June, and will be renewed every 6 months with periodic inspections.

May 07
Love2

TS Laevad and Estonian Road Administration Sign Agreement for Additional Trips and New Ferry for Virtsu-Kuivastu

By 2020 Newsletter week 19

Ferry operator TS Laevad and the Estonian Road Administration signed an agreement with the aim of performing at least 500 additional voyages on the Virtsu-Kuivastu route each year in the period 1 June 2020 – 30 September 2026.

Since it is not possible to do this with the existing fleet during the peak season, it is necessary to acquire a new additional ferry for the route.

According to the state’s wishes, the vessel must be environmentally friendly, have an ice class and an on-board shop, and can also be used on the Rohuküla-Heltermaa line with low sea level. The total length of a suitable ferry is up to 114m, draft about 3.5m, capacity approximately 300 passengers and 110-120 passenger cars or 8 semi-trailer trucks with a length of 19m.

TS Laevad plans to organize a tender for the construction of the additional ferry in the second half of 2020 after the completion of the design work.