- On 27 September Moby SPL have carried their 4 millionth passenger, since St. Peter Line merged with Moby SpA in 2016.
- TESO’s double-ender ferry SCHULPENGAT did not find a buyer. The vessel will be scrapped in Ghent, Belgium.
- Former SVEA DROTT, now the ANEMOS, is on her way to the Turkish scrapyards after more than a year of lay up.
- After three years on the Gothenburg-Fredrikshaven route STENA GOTHICA has returned home and started her regular service on the Baltic Sea again, accompanied by her sister vessel URD. Her place has been taken by STENA VINGA.
- A healthy economic development in the EU and growing trade have caused cargo volumes on DFDS’ routes from Klaipeda to Karlshamn and Kiel to increase. Therefore DFDS has decided to charter an extra ro-ro as from 6 October. It is the 2,191 lane meter MAESTRO UNIVERSE.
First Autonomous Ferries Presented At Norwegian Maritime Safety Conference
The Norwegian University of Science and Technology NTNU has developed an autonomous all-electric passenger ferries for urban water transport. The small vessel has been presented at the “Sjøsikkerhetskonferansen 2018” in Haugesund.
Watch a demo
Mr Roberto Prever, President at Naos Ship and Boat Design srl, was so kind to share with Ferry Shipping News his pictures of TASMANIAN ACHIEVER II. Built by the Jinling shipyard, she has been doing successful sea trials. Speed was above the expectation, there was an excellent response to the rudders and vibration was well below the limits.
Toll Shipping will operate the two new ships in the Bass Strait, between Tasmania and mainland Australia.
Last Friday I (Mike Louagie) embarked on Holland America Line’s KONINGSDAM for a cruise out of Civitavecchia. Especially the American guests were impressed by Superman and Superwoman on the Tirrenia ferry BITHIA.
As soon as we left the port, CRUISE ROMA entered, coming from Barcelona.
Passing the Strait of Messina is always a navigational highlight. One of the ships was the UN RoRo vessel CÜNEYT SOLAKOGLU.
All creatures big and small… Jadrolinja’s ferry HANIBAL LUCIC is looking very small compared to the KONINGSDAM.
Photographed in the Corfu Strait is ANEK Lines’ ASTERION II.
North West Ferries’ AGIOS SPIRIDON serves different islands out of Igoumenitsa. She is seen here approaching Kerkyra (Corfu).
The Yellow Disruption
May 68, does that ring a bell?
Then you simply have to read our interview with Pierre Mattei, CEO of Corsica ferries.
Northern Isles Ferry Tender
The procurement of the next contract to operate the Northern Isles Ferry Services (from/to Orkney and Shetland) is underway, with the publication of the contract notice.
The current contract, with Serco, finishes in October 2019.
The contract, worth an estimated £370m, will run for eight years and all routes will be tendered as a single bundle.
The Invitation To Tender documents will issue early in the new year, with a view to awarding the contract in Summer 2019.
It is not a surprise but now it is official:
- Tersan and Barreras will build Havila Kystruten’s four vessels.
- Havyard Design & Solutions will deliver the ship design and an extensive equipment package. For them it is a record contract.
- Steel cutting to begin end of year.
- Important order for Norwegian maritime cluster.
- Delivery Q3 and Q4, 2020.
Photo: Design manager Arve Leine of Havyard Design & Solutions AS, Sales Director Gisle Vinjevoll Thrane of Havyard Design & Solutions AS, chair of the board and owner Per Sævik in Havila Kystruten AS, CEO Arild Myrvoll of Havila Kystruten AS and CEO Geir Johan Bakke of Havyard Group ASA.
Stena Line added a ro-ro vessel on Rotterdam (Europoort)-Harwich. They started to charter the CLdN-owned SOMERSET.
DFDS has decided to put the (repaired) ro-ro vessel FINLANDIA SEAWAYS on its route between Norway, Zeebrugge and Immingham, instead of the side port/container vessel LYSBRIS SEAWAYS.
DFDS will add Brevik to the port rotation, in addition to the current ports of Fredrikstad and Halden. This means that DFDS will be able to offer quick transport solutions from the continent and the UK to both the east and west shores of Oslofjord.
This service will replace the current ro-ro connection between Ghent and Brevik from the middle of February 2019.
All 12 Turkish-flagged UN Ro-Ro ships will be DFDS-rebranded, and will get Turkish UNESCO world heritage sites as new names for the vessels.
This was decided after Peder Gellert and Selçuk Boztepe launched a competition in which 107 staff participated.
CEMIL BAYULGEN will be the first to be named EPHESUS SEAWAYS in connection with her lengthening and scrubber installation in December.
Møre og Romsdal county municipality has awarded the contract for the ferry connections Molde-Sekken, Solholmen-Mordalsvågen, Aukra-Hollingsholm and Sølsnes-Åfarnes, to Fjord1 ASA.
Characteristics of this Norwegian contract are:
- Ten years.
- Focus on environment with plug-in electric ferries.
- 1 January, 2020: start of Molde-Sekken, Solholmen-Mordalsvågen and Aukra-Hollingsholm.
- 1 January 2022: start of Sølsnes-Åfarnes. Two new ferries needed.
- The contract is worth NOK 2,260 billion.