SUPERSTAR II Introduced on Eastern Aegean and Dodecanese Routes

By 2025 Newsletter week 27

On 2 July 2025, SeaJets’ fully refurbished SUPERSTAR II (ex-COLOR VIKING) began operating from Piraeus to Mykonos, Ikaria, Samos, Patmos, Leros, Kalymnos and Kos for the 2025 summer season.

She was purchased from color Line in November 2022 and arrived in Greece in March 2023. During the conversion, new cabins were added, and the interior was fully renovated with reclining bed-type VIP seats, a VIP lounge with bar, and redesigned passenger areas. Built in Denmark in 1985, she carries 1,700 passengers and 340 cars (510 lane metres) and sails at 19 knots.

Photo: SeaJets

Stena Line to Withdraw Rosslare–Cherbourg Ferry Service in September 2025

By 2025 Newsletter week 27

Stena Line will discontinue its three-day ferry link between Rosslare (Ireland) and Cherbourg (France), with the last departure scheduled for 29 September 2025 from Cherbourg, arriving in Rosslare on 30 September.

The decision follows a strategic route review aimed at reallocating company resources more efficiently and bolstering its Irish Sea network.

Despite the route closure, Stena Line confirms nearly £40 million (€46–46.8 million) is being invested to upgrade terminals in Liverpool, Belfast, and Fishguard, and to increase freight capacity on other Irish Sea routes.

Leading Irish officials have decried the move, citing the vital role of Rosslare as Ireland’s closest continental port and a hub for trade and tourism, especially given recent growth at the port.

What will happen with route vessel STENA VISION (1981) is not known.

Photo: Stena Line

Sweden Secures Train Ferry Link to Germany for Military Mobility

By 2025 Newsletter week 27
  • The Swedish Government has tasked the Swedish Transport Administration with ensuring continued train ferry traffic between Sweden and Germany until at least the end of 2031.
  • The decision underlines the importance of the Trelleborg–Rostock route for military mobility, NATO host nation support, and national supply resilience.
  • Stena Line operates the route with SKÅNE and MECKLENBURG-VORPOMMERN – the world’s largest train ferries.
  • The Swedish Armed Forces and Civil Contingencies Agency (MSB) will be consulted as part of the assignment. Progress reports are due in December 2025 and 2026.
  • “This is not just a transport link – it’s a strategic puzzle piece for Sweden’s supply capacity and redundancy,” says Malin Collin, CEO of Port of Trelleborg. “As the country’s only remaining train ferry route, we carry great responsibility. It’s positive that the Government confirms the need to safeguard this connection through to 2031.”

Source: Swedish Government (in Swedish)

Photo: Stena Line

Greek Ports Face Heightened Climate Risks, Study Finds

By 2025 Newsletter week 27
  • A new study assesses 155 Greek ports and finds significant future risks from marine flooding and extreme heat due to climate change.
  • By 2050, 96% of ports could suffer operational disruptions during extreme sea levels, rising to 100% by 2100 under high-emission scenarios (RCP8.5).
  • While only a few ports risk full inundation, most face reduced quay freeboard, complicating safe berthing and cargo handling.
  • Heat risks are also increasing: by 2100, 75% of ports may face over 50 days annually above 32°C, with deadly heat days projected at 20% of ports.
  • Island ports, vital for regional connectivity, are especially exposed and need targeted resilience measures.
  • The authors urge urgent adaptation planning to safeguard port operations and related socio-economic systems.

Download the paper via this link: Exposure of Greek Ports to Marine Flooding and Extreme Heat Under Climate Change: An Assessment.

FOR EV Installs Major EV Charging Hub at Karlskrona Port in Partnership With Stena Line

By 2025 Newsletter week 27
  • FOR EV, a Scotland-based EV charging infrastructure provider, has installed its largest site to date at Karlskrona Port, Sweden, in partnership with Stena Line.
  • The project delivers 54 charge points supplying 1,200 kW, including AC and DC chargers, with a dedicated bay for vans and HGVs.
  • This marks FOR EV’s first installation outside the UK, following a previous collaboration with Stena Line at Cairnryan Port.
  • The fully funded solution includes installation, operation and maintenance—at no cost to Stena Line—and uses 100% renewable energy.
  • The investment supports both ferry passengers and the growing regional EV community.
  • Partners include local suppliers Comfort and WSP.

Torghatten Appoints New CEO: Kjetil Håbjørg Joins in August

By 2025 Newsletter week 27

Torghatten has announced the appointment of Kjetil Håbjørg as Group CEO, starting 15 August 2025.

He joins from his role as Norway Director at SAS, bringing over 20 years of leadership experience in aviation, with a strong background in managing large and complex operations both in Norway and abroad.

Håbjørg, who grew up in a small community himself, says he identifies closely with Torghatten’s mission to support quality of life and business along the coast.

Until mid-August, Stein Andre Herigstad-Olsen will continue as acting CEO.

IMAGE CARDS

By 2025 Newsletter week 27

Molslinjen has inaugurated its own internal safety training facility at Odden Ferry Port, allowing crew to practise emergency procedures in the same waters their ferries sail. This new Kombardo Academy enables practical training, such as life raft drills, without needing to travel to external locations. Up to 200 staff from all Molslinjen routes will benefit from the high-quality, in-house courses each year.

Photo: Molslinjen

CLdN’s second hybrid G9e vessel, LEONINE, has departed on her maiden voyage from the Far East to Europe.

Following delivery from Hyundai Mipo Dockyard, the vessel underwent a short drydock at Changhong International Shipyard in Zhoushan, China. There, she was fitted with a low-friction silicone hull coating and advanced thruster grids designed to reduce hull resistance—key steps in line with CLdN’s commitment to lowering its carbon footprint.

LEONINE is expected to arrive in Europe by the end of the summer, where she will be welcomed into the fleet.

Watch the video of LEONINE leaving the shipyard in China: click on the photo.

MASSALIA, formerly NORMANDIE (1992), has made her inaugural call in Tanger Med — marking a new chapter for La Méridionale in the Mediterranean.

Refitted to meet passenger and freight needs, the ship offers reliable, comfortable, and responsible transport between France and Morocco. With capacity for 1,200 passengers, 492 vehicles, and 2,370 lane metres of freight, MASSALIA strengthens ties between both shores.

Source: La Meridionale on Linkedin

New Investment Boosts Echandia’s North American Expansion

By 2025 Newsletter week 26
  • Swedish battery specialist Echandia has secured new long-term funding from U.S.-based S2G Investments, raising its latest round to SEK 325 million (USD 34 million).
  • The capital will support scale-up of production, U.S. market growth, and R&D from its new Marysville, Washington facility.
  • Echandia’s LTO battery systems serve ferries, RoRo/RoPax vessels, tugs, and offshore ships, with clients including Molslinjen and WETA San Francisco.
  • Revenue quadrupled in 2024 and is set to triple again in 2025 amid rising demand for zero-emission marine tech.
  • Echandia will supply batteries for the San Francisco Bay Ferry’s REEF programme, with deliveries starting in 2026.

Source: Echandia

ML FREYJA Starts New Charter With Grendi in Italy

By 2025 Newsletter week 26
  • The RoRo ship ML FREYJA has arrived in Cagliari from Zeebrugge.
  • She will be renamed GRENDI STAR for a new long-term charter with Grendi Trasporti Marittimi.
  • Grendi, controlled by the Musso family, operates services linking mainland Italy (Marina di Carrara, Tuscany) with Sardinia (Cagliari and Olbia).
  • Built in 2017 by Cantiere Navale Visentini and owned by Visemar Levante (Visentini family), the ship offers:
    • 2,700 lane metres
    • Length: 191m
    • Beam: 26m
    • Draught: ~8m
    • Speed: 22 knots
  • Until recently, ML FREYJA was chartered by Mann Lines (now owned by Wallenius SOL) in Northern Europe, calling at Bremerhaven, Zeebrugge, Tilbury, Cuxhaven, Paldiski, and Turku.
  • She has been replaced by the newly built SOUTH ENABLER, also delivered by Cantiere Navale Visentini.

Photo Mike Louagie