Total Silence At Québec Ministry Of Transport for Ferry Service to Îles-de-la-Madeleine
Mr Joël Arseneau, MP for the archipelago in the National Assembly is worried because of the total silence regarding the modernisation of the ferries.
Transport Minister François Bonnardel promised on 17 January 2019 to come with a plan on 12 June 2019. So far, nothing.
CTMA currently operates the ropax CTMA VACANCIER and roro CLIPPER RANGER.
Ferguson’s shipyard has taken on ‘dozens’ of new employees since the Scottish Government took control — with ministers now preparing a masterplan for its long term future.
The workforce has been scaled up to around the 400 mark from a previous level of 350 as bosses look to secure a ‘pipeline’ of constant work, likely to include rebuilding Caledonian MacBrayne’s ageing ferry fleet.
Naval architect and marine engineering company Foreship has announced plans to establish a new business entity in Germany, targeting January 1, 2020 as the launch date for Foreship GmbH
Stena Line Takes Delivery of New Ferry Stena Estrid
Stena Line has officially taken ownership of its newest ferry STENA ESTRID following a handover ceremony at the China Merchants Jinling Ship (Weihai) Co., Ltd. (formerly AVIC Weihai Shipyard).
STENA ESTRID is the first of five next generation Stena Line ropax vessels that are currently being constructed. STENA ESTRID will now embark on a six-week journey to its new home on the Irish Sea, where it will begin service on the Dublin to Holyhead route in January 2020.
Stena Line owner Dan Sten Olsson attended a service officiated by the Reverend Stephen Miller of the Mission to Seafarers, who undertook the long held maritime tradition of blessing the ship, in order to bring it good luck at sea.
Following the signing ceremony, Stena Line’s Technical Operations Director Bjarne Koitrand and STENA ESTRID’s Senior Master Matthew Lynch and crew officially took ownership of the vessel.
Stena Line CEO Niclas Mårtensson said that the delivery of STENA ESTRID marks the start of a very important few months for Stena Line’s Irish Sea operations: “Taking ownership is a major milestone for Stena Line,” said Mr Mårtensson, “and is the result of a very significant investment in our Irish Sea operations that reflects our commitment to the region and will ultimately see three of the world’s most modern ferries operating between Ireland and Britain. A first-class customer experience is a priority for us, so we are determined to deliver the best possible freight and travel service to our customers. STENA ESTRID will provide a more environmentally sustainable way to travel with more efficient loading and unloading operations, increased freight capacity and the best Scandinavian quality, style and design in our facilities,” he added.
STENA ESTRID will provide freight capacity of 3,100 lane meters, meaning a 50% increase in freight tonnage, and the space to carry 120 cars and 1,000 passengers and crew.
BC Ferries’ Hybrid Electric Island Class Are on Their Way to BC
BC Ferries’ first two hybrid electric Island Class ferries are on their way to British Columbia. The ships departed Constanta, Romania on November 20, 2019, on the semi-submersible vessel SUN RISE, for the 10,305 nautical mile journey to their new home in B.C.
Damen Shipyards Group is responsible for the transport of the ships.
The Transatlantic voyage will take approximately 40 to 45 days, depending on weather.
Econowind System is Being Tested on the DFDS Ship Lysbris Seaways
eConowind is a Dutch based company, fully dedicated to wind-assisted ship propulsion.
Brittany Ferries and Columbia Threadneedle Investments reach agreement to acquire Condor Ferries from Macquarie Infrastructure and Real Assets
Brittany Ferries, in consortium with the Columbia Threadneedle European Sustainable Infrastructure Fund (ESIF), has reached an agreement to acquire 100 percent of Condor Ferries from Macquarie Infrastructure and Real Assets (MIRA).
Contracts have been signed and the deal is expected to be executed following scrutiny by relevant regulatory authorities. Brittany Ferries will hold a minority stake.
Condor Ferries is an operator of lifeline freight and passenger ferry services. Each year, Condor Ferries carries approximately 1 million passengers, 200,000 passenger vehicles, and over 900,000 freight lane meters between Guernsey, Jersey, the United Kingdom, and the Port of St. Malo in France.
Brittany Ferries began operations in 1973. Today its fleet includes twelve ships connecting France, the United Kingdom, Ireland and Spain. It operates from three ports in the UK, Portsmouth, Poole and Plymouth and carries around 2.5 million passengers every year, as well as 210,000 freight units.
ESIF is a new open-ended, evergreen fund that invests in European mid-market equity assets, managed by leading global asset management group Columbia Threadneedle Investments.
“Ferry Industry, Do Not Miss The Once-In-A Generation Opportunity“
Direct Ferries announced the winners of the 2019 Direct Ferry partner awards at a gala dinner in the NED hotel in London.
Sean Cornwell –Direct Ferries CEO– said “We were delighted to host so many of our key partners in one place to celebrate the ferry industry and to showcase Direct ferries commitment to our partners and the wider ferry industry.
Sean used his keynote address to highlight the once in a generation opportunity the ferry industry has, to position itself as a greener alternative to air travel. He said “We are in a climate emergency and there is a group of travellers that are now looking for more environmentally friendly ways to travel and ferries have a unique opportunity to attract these customers.
“To show our commitment, we have partnered with Climate Perks, a charitable initiative asking employers to offer employees paid journey days if they travel by rail or sail, rather than fly.”
The awards were based around customer experience, strength and quality of the technical integration and API offered and growth on the Direct Ferries platform. The Operator of the Year Award, won by Fred Olsen Express, represents outstanding performance and strength across all of those categories.
The winners were:
Direct Ferries is the world’s largest ferry demand platform and online travel agent. Five million passengers book through the platform annually across ~3,500 routes and ~250 operators globally.
Project partners from 13 EU Member States investigate cost-efficient measures to mitigate the risk from ro-ro space fires. The European Commission invests €12 million to solve this international maritime fire safety challenge.
The name of the project is LASH FIRE (Legislative Assessment for Safety Hazards of Fire and Innovations in RoRo ship Environment)
The consortium is coordinated by RISE Research Institutes of Sweden and comprises 26 partners from 13 Member States of the European Union, including industry partners, research institutes, universities, regulatory bodies, trade associations and experts in communication and external relations. LASH FIRE will provide a basis for the revision of international maritime regulations and gives European industry knowledge to build safer and more competitive ships for sustainable transport.
Ports of Stockholm and Viking Line have jointly invested in a new cargo expedition building for Viking Line’s cargo traffic. This will enable more efficient cargo management, facilitate the forwarding of rolling goods, and will make things easier for haulage vehicle drivers.
Fred Olsen Express and Baleària celebrate one year on the route between the Canary Islands and Huelva with the incorporation, on November 17, of LNG-powered RoPax MARIE CURIE. This Visentini-built ferry was delivered last July.
During the first year of the joint venture, 155 crossings have been performed, increasing the links between the Canary Islands and the Peninsula by 73%.
