All Posts By

sandra

May 03
3

Cldn Launches New Weekly LoLo Service Between Zeebrugge and Ireland.

By | 2025 Newsletter week 18 | No Comments

Cldn Launches New Weekly LoLo Service Between Zeebrugge and Ireland.

  • The new route connects Zeebrugge with Cork and Dublin via a LoLo container service.
  • CLdN has chartered the 800 TEU LoLo vessel JSP ROVER for this service.
  • Operations will take place from CLdN’s Albert II terminal in Zeebrugge.
  • The service starts on Saturday 10th May.
  • The LoLo addition allows better optimisation of CLdN’s RoRo fleet.
  • Enhances customer options on the Zeebrugge–Ireland routes.
  • Strategic expansion at the Port of Cork, reinforcing its importance for trade with the Republic of Ireland.
  • The launch is in response to continued growth in freight demand between mainland Europe and Ireland.
  • Builds on CLdN’s successful mix of LoLo and RoRo services already offered from Rotterdam since last year.
  • Part of CLdN’s broader LoLo strategy, which includes new container vessels under construction, with delivery starting January 2027.
  • Complementary to the four existing weekly RoRo sailings from Zeebrugge to Ireland (2 to Cork, 2 to Dublin).
  • Brings the total to 14 weekly return sailings between Ireland and CLdN’s continental hubs (Zeebrugge and Rotterdam).
  • CLdN now moves over 500,000 cargo units annually to and from the Republic of Ireland.
  • Currently the largest ferry freight mover between Ireland and mainland Europe / Great Britain.
May 03
3

Wasaline Sets a New Benchmark in Battery-Powered Shipping

By | 2025 Newsletter week 18 | No Comments

With a planned retrofit of 10.4 MWh of additional battery capacity aboard the hybrid RoPax AURORA BOTNIA, Wasaline takes the global lead in onboard energy storage for passenger ships. By early 2026, the vessel will boast a total of 12.6 MWh – making it the largest battery installation on a passenger ship to date.

Here’s how the Top 5 now stands:

  1. AURORA BOTNIA – 12.6 MWh (Wasaline)
  2. GUILLAUME DE NORMANDIE – Stena E-Flexer – 12.0 MWh (Brittany Ferries)
  3. HAVILA CAPELLA / CASTOR – 6.1 MWh (Havila Voyages)
  4. COLOR HYBRID – 4.7 MWh (Color Line)
  5. LE COMMANDANT CHARCOT – 4.5 MWh (PONANT)

This retrofit – a collaboration with AYK Energy – is not just about size. It’s a bold step toward Wasaline’s vision of carbon-neutral operations by 2030. As demand for greener maritime transport grows, these milestones are paving the way for more sustainable sea routes across Europe and beyond.

May 03
3

Two New Vessels for Western Ferries

By | 2025 Newsletter week 18 | No Comments

Gordon Ross, Managing Director of Western Ferries, announced APCL Cammell Laird as the preferred bidder of a multi-million-pound contract for two new vehicle and passenger ferries for its Gourock to Dunoon route.

Construction will begin shortly with both vessels due to be delivered to the Firth of Clyde in Autumn 2026.

May 03
3

GALAXY Chartered to the Faroe Islands

By | 2025 Newsletter week 18 | No Comments

It is reported that the A-Ships Management ferry GALAXY has been chartered to the Faroese Strandfaraskip Landsins for a 10-week period starting from 8 September 2025. The ship will replace SMYRIL on the Tórshavn–Tvøroyri route.

GALAXY was previously chartered by the same company in 2017, though for a shorter period. She was built in Poland in 1979. Her carrying capacity is 900 passengers (though she will operate with a maximum of 350 during the charter) and 520 lane metres. Her service speed is 19 knots.

Photo: A-Ships Management

May 03
3

RoRo URD renamed NEARCHOS

By | 2025 Newsletter week 18 | No Comments

According to the latest information, RoRo URD, recently acquired by the Greek company Creta Cargo, will be renamed NEARCHOS. She is expected to serve the Piraeus–Santorini–Crete route from the end of May. On the same line, Creta Cargo has operated RoRo AGIOS GEORGIOS (ex-OLYMPUS, ELLI T) since July 2023.

NEARCHOS had previously served on the Constanța–Karasu route since July 2024 on behalf of Sea Lines. Creta Cargo Lines, founded in 2013, specialises primarily in the transport of unique and dangerous freight. She was built in Italy in 1981 and has a capacity of 186 passengers and 1,598 lane metres. Her service speed is 17.5 knots.

Photo: Marine Traffic

May 03
3

Bluferries took delivery of ATHENA

By | 2025 Newsletter week 18 | No Comments

Bluferries, a company that is part of the FS Group (Italian State Railways), has welcomed its newly built double-ended ferry ATHENA, which has just arrived in the port of Messina.

“ATHENA – the name of the latest addition to the Bluferries fleet – marks a significant step forward in the field of sustainable maritime technology,” said Giuseppe Sciumè, Chief Executive Officer of Bluferries. “It is a hybrid RoRo passenger ship equipped with a latest-generation hybrid propulsion system, underlining our commitment to environmental protection.”

Valued at EUR 26 million, ATHENA is a sister ship to the non-hybrid vessels TRINACRIA and SIKANIA. All three ships were ordered through the support of Ferrando & Massone Shipbrokers and built at the Kanellos Brothers Shipyard in Perama, Greece.

ATHENA is 105 metres long and 18 metres wide. She has a dedicated vehicle deck and a separate passenger deck. Her capacity allows for up to 22 trucks or 125 vehicles, and 393 people including travellers and crew members.

In the coming weeks, ATHENA will enter service on the regular maritime route between Messina and Villa San Giovanni, across the Strait of Messina.

May 03
3

CORSICA EXPRESS THREE sold by Corsica Ferries to BluNavy

By | 2025 Newsletter week 18 | No Comments

A few months after the agreement that saw BN di Navigazione – the company behind the BluNavy brand – acquire the Elba Ferries brand and its service slots from Corsica Ferries, the fast ferry CORSICA EXPRESS THREE has also changed hands as part of the same strategic move.

BluNavy’s CEO, Gianluca Morace, confirmed to FERRY SHIPPING NEWS that “the purchase was already included in the terms of the Elba Ferries deal but has simply been brought forward. The investment for the vessel is approximately EUR 3 million.”

The vessel’s deployment is still to be finalised. “As previously announced, during the next summer season, BluNavy will operate with the ferries ACCIARELLO and TREMESTIERI, which are already in service, along with the recently acquired AETHALIA, which will be active from the end of May,” Morace said.

CORSICA EXPRESS THREE is a high-speed vessel built in 1996 in Italy by the Rodriquez Shipyard. She measures 103 metres in length and 15 metres in width, has a maximum speed of 37 knots, and can carry over 500 passengers and 150 cars. In recent years, she has operated for Corsica Ferries on routes between Piombino–Portoferraio and Piombino–Bastia.

May 03
3

PORTS

By | 2025 Newsletter week 18 | No Comments

Key highlights from North Sea Port’s Q1 2025

North Sea Port= Gent, Terneuzen and Vlissingen

General Throughput

  • Total seaborne cargo: 16.6 million tons, up 0.9% year-on-year (+200,000 tons).
  • Growth mainly driven by liquid bulk and container handling.
  • Follows a positive year in 2024 with +0.7% growth.
  • Diversified activities continue to provide stability amidst global uncertainty.

Cargo Segment Highlights

  • Liquid bulk: Up 7.8% to 3.9 million tons (+300,000 tons).
  • Dry bulk: Down 1.9% to 8.7 million tons (-200,000 tons).
  • Container traffic: Up 33% to 45,000 TEU (~500,000 tons).
  • Break bulk Slight drop of 1.5% to 2.5 million tons (-40,000 tons).
  • Ro-Ro: Decreased 5.1% to 950,000 tons (-50,000 tons).

Geopolitical & Trade Trends

  • United Kingdom: Continued growth of +9.8%, remains largest trading partner.
  • United States: Trade up +11.5%, including a 100,000-ton increase in exports.
  • Russia: Trade declined -32%, now at just 500,000 tons, due to EU sanctions.

Geopolitical tensions (e.g. US trade war) may affect future performance.

https://en.northseaport.com/north-sea-port-also-records-modest-growth-in-the-first-quarter-of-2025

May 03
3

DIGITAL

By | 2025 Newsletter week 18 | No Comments

Hyundai Glovis Embraces Digital Fire Safety for EV Shipping

As EV exports rise, Hyundai Glovis is tackling fire risks with digital innovation. Partnering with Consilium Safety Group, the company is equipping its fleet with the SMiG system—an advanced fire control interface that maps real-time smoke and heat data across ships.

Instead of vague alerts, crews now get pinpoint locations and early warnings—often gaining up to four extra minutes to respond. “It’s a digital guardian at sea,” says Consilium’s Nordberg.

The goal? Smarter, faster, data-driven safety—onboard and potentially in car parks and logistics hubs on land.

Read the full article: https://www.consiliumsafety.com/en/hyundai-glovis-and-consiliums-push-for-safer-ev-shipping/

May 03
1

IMAGE CARDS

By | 2025 Newsletter week 18 | No Comments

Incat Hull 096 – the world’s largest battery-electric ship – was officially launched at the Incat shipyard in Hobart.

Constructed for South American ferry operator Buquebus, Hull 096 is the most significant vessel ever built by Incat and represents a giant leap forward in sustainable shipping. When it enters service between Buenos Aires and Uruguay, it will operate entirely on battery-electric power, carrying up to 2,100 passengers and 225 vehicles across the River Plate.