TT-Line will launch a new intermodal connection between Klaipėda and Vilnius on 19 October 2026, extending its freight network in Lithuania.
The service will offer two round trips per week and accommodate both cranable and non-cranable trailers, linking Vilnius with TT-Line’s wider network through combined rail, sea and road transport.
New transport options include Vilnius–Oslo and Vilnius–Bettembourg in Luxembourg, with onward connections from Bettembourg to France and Spain.
Claudio Veritiero is stepping down as CEO of Peel Ports Group after nearly five years in the role and six years with the business.
Mark Whitworth, Non-Executive Chairman and former Group CEO, will become Executive Chairman on an interim basis while a successor is appointed.
Peel Ports credits Veritiero with delivering annual profitability growth of 9% and overseeing major investments, including:
He also led the acquisition of Humber Bulk Terminal, expanding the Group’s infrastructure and capacity.
Emanuele Grimaldi has been appointed President of the Malta International Shipowners Association (MISA), following its AGM in Valletta on 9 October. A founding member, he succeeds Marily Frangista, who becomes Vice President, while John Coustas remains Secretary/Treasurer.
The appointment comes as Malta’s ship register reaches 94 million gross tonnes, reinforcing its position as Europe’s largest. Grimaldi recently concluded his term as Chairman of the International Chamber of Shipping and previously led Confitarma and European Shipowners (ECSA).
Vancouver Island Ferry Company (Hullo), has appointed Louisa Bell as CEO from January 2027.
Bell was most recently Chief Commercial Officer at P&O Ferries, overseeing customer strategy, sales, marketing, pricing and the onboard offering. She succeeds acting CEO Marco Ahrens, who will remain General Manager.
Ferry operations are being consolidated into two companies, covering Greek domestic and international services respectively. The international restructuring is complete (four companies > one), with the domestic process due to finish by year-end.
Full report: https://www.attica-group.com/storage/media/financial-results/attica-group-interim-fs-2026-1k9G.pdf
SENSUS 42 SD has moved from dock trials into sea trials in the Gulf of İzmit, marking the next major milestone for UM Shipyard’s high-speed passenger ferry.
Launched at the yard in Başiskele in August, the 41.90-metre-long and 12.80-metre-wide aluminium HSC ferry is arranged for 325 passengers and classed by RINA. The sea-trial programme is progressing successfully and will continue through the autumn ahead of certification and delivery.
Power is provided by two 1,340 kW YANMAR 12AYM-WGT diesel engines driving fixed-pitch propellers. The main engines, generators and auxiliary equipment are positioned on the main deck, simplifying access and maintenance.
The hull form was developed to combine reduced power demand with seakeeping performance. With the demi hulls running fully submerged and a limited waterplane area at the surface, the design naturally reduces vessel’s vertical motions. In Rough Sea Mode, SENSUS 42 SD is designed for operation in wave heights up to 2.5 meters. Four active fin stabilizers provide additional motion damping.
SENSUS 42 SD is the first vessel of the in-house-developed SENSUS platform. Hull development was supported by extensive CFD analysis and tank testing at Istanbul Technical University.
For the UM Shipyard and SENSUS teams, the trials mark the point where years of in-house engineering can now be validated under real operating conditions.
UM Shipyard will participate as a sponsor at the European Ferry Shipping Summit in Athens on 8–9 October.
(Photo credit: UM Shipyard)
Attica Group has announced the completion of the sale of its RoPax LEFKA ORI (ex-BLUE HORIZON, SUPERFERRY HELLAS, VARUNA) to a Cyprus-based company for €8.3 million. According to the company, the sale generated a profit of €4.9 million, which will be recognised in the financial results for the second half of 2026. The ship served in Greek coastal shipping for 28 years. She was delivered in Limassol on 20 September and renamed DALEELA EXPRESS. Built by Mitsubishi in Japan in 1987, she has capacity for 1,488 passengers and 1,863 lane metres of vehicle space, with a service speed of 21 knots.
Photo: Dimitris Mendakis
According to reliable sources, Creta Cargo Lines has purchased the RoPax MED STAR (ex-QUEEN DIAMOND, NEW SEA WORLD EXPRESS FERRY, PRINCESS T, VÄSTERVIK), which has been laid up at Neos Molos since May 2024. She arrived in Greece in 2008 for Endeavor Lines but never entered service for the company. In 2013, she was chartered to Gotlandsbåten AB, but the plans fell through. In 2015, she operated unsuccessfully on the Igoumenitsa–Kefalonia (Sami)–Corfu–Bari route. In August 2017, she was sold to Moroccan operator Inter Shipping for the Algeciras–Tanger Med route. In April 2024, she was sold following a tender and towed to Piraeus. Built by Kurushima Dock in Japan in 1986, she has capacity for 1,200 passengers and 1,000 lane metres of vehicle space, with a service speed of 21 knots.
Photo: Dimitris Mendakis
The new methanol-ready RoPax ferries ordered by Grimaldi at the China Merchants shipyard in China, each with 3,300 lane metres and capacity for 2,500 passengers, are expected to enter service from 2028. They will be deployed “on the routes between Livorno and Palermo, between Igoumenitsa and Brindisi, and between Piraeus and Heraklion in Greece. The other three will be operated by Finnlines.”
Emanuele Grimaldi, CEO of Grimaldi Group, announced this to Ferry Shipping News on the sidelines of the press conference held during the 27th Euromed Convention, “From Land to Sea”, at Forte Village in Sardinia.
Buoyed by a year that will “probably be the best in Grimaldi’s history” in terms of results, thanks to high freight rates and capital gains from the sale of several vessels, the head of the Naples-based shipping group is already looking ahead to another round of newbuilding orders worth 2–3 billion for ConRo vessels and multipurpose car and truck carriers.
Grimaldi Euromed has been awarded new public service contracts for the Civitavecchia–Arbatax–Cagliari and Naples–Cagliari–Palermo routes, which it already operates and whose existing contracts expired this year.
The Italian Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport published the results of the two tender procedures, launched last spring, for contracts lasting 60 months, with a possible 36-month extension. Their combined value, including bonus payments, exceeds EUR 115 million. The Naples-based company submitted bids of EUR 38,800,168 for Naples–Cagliari–Palermo and EUR 45,500,027 for Civitavecchia–Arbatax–Cagliari.
Meanwhile, the passenger and freight service between Genoa and Porto Torres, operated under public service obligations to ensure territorial continuity, will remain within the Moby group for another five years. This time, the contract was awarded to Moby itself, with a bid of EUR 24,124,949, according to the limited information released by the ministry.
The bid is approximately EUR 10 million below the starting price of EUR 34,304,939, representing a reduction of around 29%. The total contract value, including bonuses and the possible 36-month extension, is EUR 54,887,902.
