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sandra

Jun 06
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IN THE MEDIA

By 2019 Newsletter week 23

Interview with CEO Of Corsica Linea

Some highlights of an interview with Pierra-Antoine Villanova:

  • Three years after the start, the restructuration phase is over. Turnover was €170m in 2016, €200m in 2017 and €220m last year. Net result is €10m, which means we still need to make efforts.
  • Market share on Corsica has grown from 10% to 14%.
  • Mr Villanova does not believe in low-cost. He sees a customer that wants quality of service.
  • Corsica Linea is the second largest employer of French seafarers (“which cost 3 times the price of Italian crew”).

Investment and ecology:

  • Shore power for PAGLIA ORBA (done), PASCAL PAOLI (winter) and JEAN NICOLI (winter).
  • Scrubbers from Ecospray for these three ferries. (€25m)
  • Order for 1 LNG Ferry expected to be placed at a European yard in 2019, with delivery in 2022 or 2023. Tenders out. Finance OK.
Jun 06
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SAAREMAA Gets Prepared for Canadian Service

By 2019 Newsletter week 23

SAAREMAA is being “Canadised” prior to her service on the Matane – Baie-Comeau – Godbout route. Last week, she was presented to the local media.

The route was temporarily operated by CTMA VOYAGEUR, which in fact only has a 12-driver capacity. The problems on the route started when modern LNG-powered ro-pax F.-A.-GAUTHIER experienced problems, which still haven’t been solved. The ferry is still in dry dock.

Since 1 June, the route is operated by F.-A.- SAVARD, a 70-car, 376-pax ferry, until SAAREMAA is ready. The ship is expected to enter service at the beginning of July, as SAAREMAA I. Later on, a naming competition will be organised.

Short of its flagship F.-A.-GAUTHIER, STQ recently acquired veteran APOLLO as a stop gap solution. However, she only lasted for 21 days, because of technical and structural issues.

Jun 06
Love1

SHORT NEWS

By 2019 Newsletter week 23

VIKING GLORY Celebrated Its Keel Laying on 3 June

The construction of Viking Glory is proceeding on schedule. The keel laying ceremony took place at the Xiamen Shipbuilding Industry shipyard in China. The ferry will begin operating along the Turku – Åland – Stockholm route in 2021.

  • On 25 May, Grandi Navi Veloci introduced the recently acquired GNV ALLEGRA –former OSCAR WILDE—on the Genoa – Olbia route.
    For GNV, it is a return to a route after seven years of absence.
May 30
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TOP STORY

By 2019 Newsletter week 22

DFDS New Business Unit Brings Routes Closer to Sales & Marketing Organisation

DFDS has created a new Business Unit (BU), called “Short Routes and Passenger”.

It contains almost all the DFDS passenger activities under one single management.

  • Business Unit Group Passenger
  • Route Dieppe-Newhaven
  • Route Dover-Calais
  • Route Dover-Dunkirk
  • Route Copenhagen-Oslo
  • Route Amsterdam-Newcastle

The new Business Unit will be headed by VP Kasper Moos, who will maintain his office in Dover and report to Peder Gellert, EVP and Head of Ferry Division.

The basic idea of the reshuffle is to bring the routes closer to the sales and marketing organisation.

BU Baltic will continue managing and operating all Baltic Sea routes using BU Short Routes and Passenger as its global sales agency.

May 30
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FERRY SHIPPING

By 2019 Newsletter week 22

On May 31, 2019, HELLENIC HIGHSPEED (4.662gt/1997) will finally be introduced on the Rafina-Tinos-Mykonos-Naxos run on behalf of Fast Ferries.

The ship was chartered -last April- by Fast Ferries in order to replace EKATERINI P. (3.948gt/1990) which suffered serious engine failure.

HELLENIC HIGHSPEED will depart daily from Rafina at 08:05 and return from Naxos at 16:20.

May 30
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LIVERPOOL SEAWAYS To Be Sold To La Méridionale

By 2019 Newsletter week 22

NOTICE: Ferry Shipping News doesn’t want to bring rumours. Sometimes information is reliable, even before any official statement. This story is a good example. It has multiple sources. However, neither DFDS, nor La Méridionale confirmed the transaction.

La Méridionale, one of the two ferry companies operating between Marseille and Corsica, urgently needed an extra ferry to be able to respond to the conditions required by the “DSP” public service contract, which starts in October.

First the French company was going to charter Stena RoRo’s AF MICHELA, actually operating between Ancona and Durrës for Adria Ferries.

Since this vessel was not available (French media report that a Letter of Intent for the charter was cancelled just before the deadline), La Méridionale had quickly to find another vessel with similar characteristics, important to match the criteria described in the DSP contract.

LIVERPOOL SEAWAYS is a near sister of AF MICHELA, built by Visentini.

LIVERPOOL SEAWAYS is currently operating on Kapellskär-Paldiski.

May 30
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Procargo Line Suspended Ro-Ro Service Between Italy and Tunisia

By 2019 Newsletter week 22

The newly established shipping company Procargo Line was obliged to suspend the new ro-ro line between the ports of Cagliari in Italy and Sousse, Sfax and Zarzis in Tunisia, less than a year after the launch.

“After several months we preferred to temporarily stop the line due to economic, operative and political reasons” said the CEO of the company, Euan Lonmon. “In nine months of activity, Procargo Line has demonstrated high flexibility at transporting multipurpose cargoes (ro-ro but also containers and general cargoes) with an innovative handling system”.

The stop may not be definitive since Lonmon highlighted that “the company is officially recognized as a regular sea transport operator and has a sort of berth allocation with service priority in the smaller Tunisian ports”.

Procargo Line was jointly owned by the two shipping groups Grendi Trasporti Marittimi and Vittorio Bogazzi & Figli. The ship deployed on the service was the ro-ro ALTINIA, recently sold by Giovanni Visentini Trasporti Fluviomarittimi. She is actually in Cagliari as GALAXY F.