EU Grants €7m To New Rail-Road Transhipment Hub In Calais
Logistics innovator CargoBeamer group and Calais Promotion are to receive a grant from the European Union (EU) of up to just over €7 million for the construction of a new rail-road terminal near Calais that uses an innovative system for the automated transfer of freight trailers to and from rail wagons.
Debut Of JOLLY EXPRESS
Ro-ro JOLLY EXPRESS has made her maiden voyage from Naples to Gioia Tauro (Calabria) and Rades (Tunesia).
The ship marks the start of the new partnership between Ignazio Messina & C. & MSC, Mediterranean Shipping Company.
JOLLY EXPRESS is the former TASMANIAN ACHIEVER.
Bore Orders Three LNG Ro-Lo Ships
Bore has signed a new-building contract with Wuhu Shipyard Co.Ltd in China for three new LNG-powered Ro-Lo vessels to be built during 2020-2021.
The new state-of-the-art Ro-Lo vessels will serve under a long-term charter agreement with UPM, a Finnish forest industry company.
The vessel main particulars are; length 120 m, width 21m, DWT 7,000 and a speed of about 15 knots for suitable and economical transport solutions in the trade. They will have ice-class Swedish/Finnish 1A, and will meet the latest technological, operational and environmental standards.
Bore Ltd is in shipping since 1897 and is today a wholly owned subsidiary of Spliethoff Group. Bore manages and charters eight Ro-Ro vessels to established line operators within Europe.
Fast Ferries confirmed the purchase of the HSC TURGUT OZAL of the Turkish Istabul Deniz Otobusleri Sanayi.
The Panagiotaki’s family tug PANTOKRATOR is already in Constantinople for the delivery. The ship was renamed THUNDER and she is expected to arrive in Greece within the next few days.
THUNDER was built in Australia (Austal) in 1998 and served the Yenkapi (Istanbul) – Bandirma run. She is 5.992 gt and 86,6m long
Her carrying capacity is for 800 passengers and 200 private cars. She has 4 MTU 20V1163TB73L diesel engines (24.000 kw) and her service speed is 37 knots (42 knots max).
The ship will be ready to serve the Hellenic Coastal Lines next summer season 2020.
Color Line’s BOHUS is ready to sail -within the next few days- for Piraeus as she was purchased -a few months ago- by Red Star Ferries.
The ship was renamed IONIAN STAR and she left the port of Sandefjord for Piraeus where she is expected to arrive within the next few days.
The classic ferry is expected to be introduced between Brindisi (Italy) – Valona (Albania) and she will probably replace her older fleet mate RED STAR 1 (5.762gt/1965).
IONIAN STAR until recently served the Sandefjord-Stromstad run and she was replaced by COLOR HYBRID.
She is also a sister ship to Seajets AQUA SOLUTION which was purchased in 2018, while her other fleet mate EUROPEAN STAR is still at the port of Brindisi without having any service for the summer of 2019.
The Grimaldi Group has decided to adhere to the “SAILS” (Sustainable Actions for Innovative and Low-impact Shipping) charter. This declaration allows companies operating in the sea transport sector to formalize and pursue their pioneering commitments to protect our planet and its people.
The initiative was launched last July by the French Ministry for Ecological and Inclusive Transition, with the support of ‘Armateurs de France‘ (France’s Shipping Association), 10 members of which have already signed the document (Brittany Ferries, CMA CGM, Corsica Ferries, Corsica Linea, La Méridionale, Louis Dreyfus Armateurs, L’Express des îles, Orange Marine, Ponant)
The Grimaldi Group is the first Italian shipping company to have signed the charter, thus undertaking, in addition to its regulatory obligations, to implement specific actions such as the decrease of atmospheric pollutant and greenhouse gas emissions, the reduction of the underwater noise impact of ships, the optimization of ships energy performance, the fight against invasive species, the protection of cetaceans.
Stena AB Interim Report H1
Ferry & Ro-Ro highlights:
Ferry Operations
EBITDA increased compared to last year mainly due to continued positive volumes for cars (3%) and passengers (1%).
Shipping (Ro-Ro)
Strong contract coverage and utilization rate across the Ro-Ro fleet, offset by lower charter income as a result of vessels sold in 2018.
Irish Continental Group Reports H1
Key figures for the first 6 months (Group)
Key figures for the first 6 months (Ferries)
Trends
Naples-based SNAV, the ferry company owned my Marinvest (the Italian holding company owned by the Aponte family), last year closed with a loss of EUR 550,000 (from a red of EUR 2.5 million in 2017), and the result is also due to an in-depth reorganisation of the business and of the structure.
Today SNAV mainly focuses on three business: the short sea ferry services from the port of Naples to the surrounding islands and from/to the Eolian islands, the link between the ports of Ancona and Split in Croatia, and the chartering management of the owned ferries and high-speed vessels.
The objective of the company from 2019 onwards is to reach a long-lasting financial equilibrium.
Last year SNAV also purchased the ferry SNAV ADRIATICO (ex-STENA BALTICA) for a price of EUR 7.4 million after six years of time charter from Stena and has been immediately re-chartered out for 3+3 years to Grandi Navi Veloci.
Grandi Navi Veloci, ferry company part of the MSC group, registered last year a loss of EUR 13.4 million, from a red of EUR 10.2 million in 2017. Revenues were stable at EUR 386 million while the EBITDA and EBIT decreased respectively to EUR 46.1 and 4.5 million.
Revenues coming from passenger tickets were EUR 224 million (216 in 2017) and from ro-ro traffic EUR 80.4 million (from 72.4); sales and services on-board generated EUR 25.8 million and tonnage charters (out) decreased from EUR 48.7 to 26 million.
Earlier this year GNV was rumored to be in negotiation for taking a minority share in the ferry company Africa Morocco Link operating between the ports of Tanger and Algeciras with a fleet of three ferries.
Instead last July Gianluigi Aponte, founder of MSC, publicly said that Grandi Navi Veloci will currently not proceed with the order for two ro-pax ferries, which were previously announced. They were going to be built at the GSI Shipyard in China.
