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sandra

Feb 27
Love3

CNV and Giacalone to Build 17 Ferries for ACTV in Venice Lagoon

By 2026 Newsletter week 09

Adria-based CNV (former Cantiere Navale Vittoria) and Trapani-based Cantiere Navale Giacalone have been awarded contracts to build 17 new ferries for ACTV, the public transport company of Venice and part of AVM (Azienda Veneziana della Mobilità).

CNV will construct four vessels for approximately EUR 15 million.

Giacalone will build 13 hybrid ferries for almost EUR 34 million.

The newbuildings will operate on passenger services in the Venice lagoon.

ACTV recently also launched a public tender to acquire a second-hand double-ended ferry for lagoon deployment.

Feb 27
Love3

Start Romagna to Launch Tender for Full Electric Ferry in Ravenna

By 2026 Newsletter week 09

Start Romagna is preparing to launch a new public tender for a fully electric ferry to operate between Porto Corsini and Marina di Ravenna.

The vessel will serve as a short-sea link across the Candiano Canal.

According to local media RavennaToday, chairman Andrea Corsini and director Angelo Erbacci confirmed that the new tender budget has been increased to EUR 6 million.

The previous tender, launched in October 2024, had a budget of EUR 5 million.

The current ferries on the route — BALENO (built 1990) and AZZURRO (built 1996) — are considered too old for continued operation.

Feb 27
Love3

HSC DIRECT ONE Arrived in Greece

By 2026 Newsletter week 09

On 23 February 2026, the new acquisition of the Greek-based Alpha Lines, HSC DIRECT ONE (ex ESCHILO), arrived in Greece.

The vessel was purchased from Liberty Lines in January and will join the Alpha Lines fleet on the Piraeus – Saronic Gulf service.

She was built in Italy in 2006.

Photo: Dimitris Mendakis

Feb 27
Love3

SSEN Secures Dedicated Vessel to Support Western Isles Infrastructure

By 2026 Newsletter week 09

SSEN Transmission will charter RoRo vessel ARROW to support the Western Isles HVDC Link Project without burdening public ferry services. The vessel will carry construction materials and project freight separate from island ferry traffic. The charter was secured in partnership with Balfour Beatty, Stornoway Port, Comhairle nan Eilean Siar and Ullapool Harbour Trust.

When not needed for the project, the RoRo can be made available to other operators to boost local maritime capacity. SSEN says this approach protects ferry resilience during infrastructure works.

Source: SSEN Transmission

Feb 27
Love3

Storms Reduce Ferry Rotations In The Strait

By 2026 Newsletter week 09

A succession of severe storms at the start of 2026 significantly disrupted ferry operations in the Strait of Gibraltar.

Ferry rotations fell by 15%, with temporary line suspensions due to adverse weather conditions.

Traffic Impact (January)

  • Passengers: 384,350 (-4%)
  • Vehicles: 89,935 (-3%)
  • Trucks: 40,825 (-10%)

Active booking remains mandatory for trucks bound for Tanger Med with the four operating ferry companies.

Operational Response

Baleària operated extraordinary weekend sailings with BAHAMA MAMA and reinforced capacity with SICILIA to support recovery.

Measures were coordinated through a Crisis Cabinet involving authorities on both shores to rebalance tractor units and semi-trailers between the southern and northern sides of the Strait.

Sources: https://www.apba.es/estadisticas and José Galiano on Linkedin

Feb 27
Love3

45 Transport Organisations Urge Stronger EU Transport Budget

By 2026 Newsletter week 09

A coalition of 45 European transport organisations has issued an open letter to EU Member States, calling for a stronger transport budget under the next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) for 2028–2034.

The signatories urge governments to increase the future Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) budget to at least €100 billion.

Strategic Infrastructure At The Core

According to the sector, a modern and resilient European transport network is essential to:

  • Strengthen Europe’s resilience and military preparedness
  • Reinforce industrial competitiveness
  • Safeguard supply chain sovereignty

While ambitions and investment needs are rising, the sector warns that structural underfunding and financing gaps persist.

The organisations argue that continued underinvestment risks undermining the EU’s broader strategic objectives.

MFF Discussions Underway

The appeal coincides with renewed discussions on the next MFF during the General Affairs Council meeting on 24 February.

The signatories are asking General Affairs and Finance Ministers to:

  • Safeguard sufficient EU funding for transport
  • Significantly reinforce the CEF instrument
  • Align budget allocations with strategic priorities

Ports Call For Action

European Sea Ports Organisation Secretary General Isabelle Ryckbost stressed that Europe cannot meet its strategic objectives without a strong transport backbone.

She underlined that ports, as gateways to global trade and pillars of economic and geopolitical resilience, stand ready to invest but require adequate European support.

The full open letter and list of signatories have been made available to EU Member States as part of the budget discussions.

Feb 27
Love3

AS Tallink Grupp Appoints Peep Jalakas As New CEO

By 2026 Newsletter week 09

The Supervisory Board of AS Tallink Grupp has appointed Peep Jalakas as Chairman of the Management Board. His three-year term will begin on 6 April 2026.

As of 27 February, Margus Schults steps down from the Group’s Management Board and will continue as CEO of Tallink Silja Oy in Finland.

Strategic Continuity

Supervisory Board Chairman Enn Pant said the appointment underlines Tallink’s ambition to:

  • Continue strategic growth
  • Strengthen competitiveness
  • Create long-term shareholder value

Given Jalakas’ financial-sector background, Schults will return full-time to Finland, leading Tallink’s Finnish operations.

Incoming CEO Background

Peep Jalakas (born 18 May 1985) has been a Management Board member of AS SEB Pank and Head of Corporate Banking since 2023.

Over a 20-year career at the bank, he has held several leadership roles, including responsibility for corporate client and credit teams.

Jalakas described the move as both an honour and a responsibility, noting his prior cooperation with Tallink during his banking career.

Management Board Composition

Current CEO Paavo Nõgene, who announced his resignation last week, will remain on the Management Board until 22 May 2026 to support the transition.

Following Jalakas’ appointment, the Management Board will comprise:

  • Peep Jalakas
  • Piret Mürk-Dubout
  • Elise Nassar
  • Harri Hanschmidt

The leadership change signals continuity combined with a stronger financial governance focus as Tallink navigates a competitive regional ferry market.

Feb 22
Love3

Tallink Grupp in 2025: Difficult but Satisfactory

By 2026 Newsletter week 08

AS Tallink Grupp has published its unaudited financial results for the 2025 financial year.

  • Revenue EUR 765 million
  • Loan and interest payments amounted to nearly EUR 113 million
  • EBITDA EUR 130 million
  • Net profit EUR 17.3 million
  • Tallink Grupp and its subsidiaries contributed EUR 97 million in taxes to the Estonian state budget. An additional EUR 12 million worth of CO₂ allowances will be surrendered to the state for the previous year.
  • At the end of the financial year, the Group operated 11 vessels, with three chartered out and additional three sold.
  • The company plans to continue paying dividends in the current year.

Paavo Nõgene, CEO of AS Tallink Grupp:

  • “Results were particularly affected by economic uncertainty in largest market, Finland.”
  • “In Estonia, the lack of state support for the maritime sector further strains our business operations and places us at a competitive disadvantage compared to neighboring countries.”
  • “The sale of three vessels supported cost‑base optimization. We have consistently reduced our debt burden and will continue to prioritize this going forward.”
  • CONCLUSION: “Considering all circumstances, the year can be described as difficult but, with reservations, satisfactory.”

Statistics

  • 5 million pax (-0.9%)
  • 6 million pax on Estonia–Finland (+1.8%)
  • 4 million pax on Finland–Sweden (-2.4%)
  • 245,000 cargo units (-19.2%)
  • 760,000 passenger vehicles (-2.2%)

Environmental

In 2025, shuttle vessels began bunkering biomethane.

CEO Nõgene hopes that sufficient fuel will remain available at a reasonable price. “We have already reached three‑quarters of our biomethane supply target.”

Click on the image to access the 2025 report

Feb 22
Love3

DFDS Full Year: Turnaround Gains to Drive 2026 Earnings Improvement

By 2026 Newsletter week 08

Positive trend

  • Financial performance started to turn around in Q4 2025 as the underlying result was above 2024 adjusted for non-comparable items.
  • DFDS closed the year with strong cash flow performance.
  • The Mediterranean ferry network turned profitable again in Q4 2025 and is expected to continue to improve profitability in 2026.
  • The Nordic and Continent logistics business units also improved performance driven to a large extent by the Boost turnaround projects.

These positive developments more than offset lower results in a few other areas.

  • Slowdown in Channel ferry market volumes, even though onboard spending continued to grow.
  • Cost coverage continued to be an issue in the quarter as competitive pressures prevented setting fully matching price increases.
  • A cost reduction programme of DKK 300m was initiated in November 2025, with 400 office-based colleagues were made redundant.
  • A DKK 97m redundancy cost is consequently reported in Q4 2025. During 2026, further specific cost reduction initiatives will be realised to deliver a targeted total cost reduction of DKK 300m.

 

Outlook 2026 

  • Revenue expected to be around level with 2025.
  • EBIT guided at DKK 800–1,100m (2025: DKK 520m).
  • Mediterranean and Channel ferry networks expected to improve earnings.
  • Nordic and Continent logistics to benefit from full-year impact of 2025 turnaround projects.
  • Operating capex expected at around DKK 1.7bn; no new ferry newbuild capex planned.
  • Adjusted free cash flow expected to be above zero.
  • Outlook subject to economic uncertainty, including ~1% expected EU GDP growth and geopolitical risks.

Click on the picture to access the report

Feb 22
Love3

Two New RoRo’s – A Major Step Forward for Godby Shipping

By 2026 Newsletter week 08

Godby Shipping has taken a significant leap by ordering two Stream RoRo 1700 vessels — with options for two more — at CIMC Raffles.

This is more than fleet renewal. It is a decisive move to scale capacity and strengthen environmental performance.

At a glance:

  • 125 m x 24 m
  • 1,700 lane metres
  • ~6,200 dwt
  • Three cargo decks + stern ramp

Developed with Technolog Services, the vessels will deliver 70–100% more cargo capacity than MIMER and MIDAS — with similar fuel consumption.

Efficiency and future readiness are central:

  • Advanced CFD optimisation
  • Shore power connection
  • Batteries for emission-free port stays
  • Prepared for waste heat recovery and methanol

Steel cutting starts in 2027. Deliveries are scheduled for 2028–2029.