Key figures Q1
Future prospects unchanged: Operating income for 2019 will remain on a par with 2018 or improve.
Traffic figures Q1
Remark: this year, the busy Easter period is not in Q1 but in April, Q2.
UK Government Cancels Brexit Ferry Deals
The UK Department for Transport is cancelling contracts to provide extra ferry services after Brexit.
The government bought £89m worth of capacity from Brittany Ferries and DFDS.
Ending the contracts could cost the taxpayer more than £50m.
“We needed to be ready”, said Mr Grayling, the Transport Secretary. The cancelled contracts were part of a £4bn no-deal “insurance policy” the government had put in place.
Ferguson Marine Engineering Ltd (FMEL) last month launched legal action against Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd (CMAL) in a row over a £97 million contract to build two new dual-fuel ferries for the Clyde and Hebrides Ferry Service.
Both ships look set to be months behind schedule.
Central to the dispute is the cost of building the two new ferries.
FMEL claims that the operator has demanded hundreds of design changes.
CMAL insists the work is covered by the original contract.
The BEN-MY-CHREE is due to be replaced as the Steam Packet’s flagship vessel by the end of 2021 under the new sea services agreement due to be laid before Tynwald this month.
Court of Session rejects claims that Northern Isles ferry tendering process is unlawful.
The future shape of Shetland’s inter-island ferry and flight networks could become clearer in the coming weeks and months when findings from studies into service levels and infrastructure are presented.
Interislander ferry operator KiwiRail is officially on the hunt for two new vessels that will dwarf its existing fleet.
The vessels, expected to be brought into service by 2024, will need to accommodate 40 rail wagons, about 3,000 lane metres for vehicles, and room for about 1,800 passengers each, according to tender documents.
FRS Ferry Evacuation Drill In The Strait Of Gibraltar
The emergency drill and the evacuation exercise carried out successfully on the FRS-owned TARIFA JET, demonstrates the capacity and high level of safety of all the entities involved.
On 26 April, Moroccan Search and Rescue Service participated in a joint exercise with the Spanish Maritime Rescue Services.
With the objective of maintaining the high level of safety and speed of reaction in their vessels, and contributing to the continuous training of their teams, FRS collaborates regularly with the authorities to perform various evacuation exercises.
This year, in the context of the “SAREX Detroit 2019” exercise, FRS made available its fast ferry TARIFA JET.
The entire exercise was carried out in accordance with the plan, in which the response of the ferry itself and its crew was put to the test, as well as the coordination of the different intervention groups.
The aerial view courtesy of Ulstein Verft shows the soon to be delivered plug-in hybrid vessel COLOR HYBRID. Left is the offshore wind vessel ACTA CENTAURUS, to be delivered this summer, and the newly-arrived hull of expedition ship NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC ENDURANCE
