Interferry Welcomes Immediate Application Of Energy Efficiency Correction
Confirmation by the IMO of a 20% correction in its Energy Efficiency Design Index (EEDI) calculation formula for ro-ro and ro-pax vessels has been welcomed by trade association Interferry as an incentive to revive newbuild projects that have been inhibited by the current criteria.
IMO remains committed to reducing GHG emissions from international shipping and, as a matter of urgency, aims to phase them out as soon as possible in this century.
The initial strategy envisages to reduce the total annual GHG emissions by at least 50% by 2050.
On 29 May, the European Commission is due to adopt the new Connecting Europe Facility proposal, the key EU funding instrument for transport infrastructure. What’s in for ports?
The ESPO Conference on 31 May and 1 June is probably the first occasion to discuss this new proposal with the Commission, Members of the European Parliament, the TEN-T coordinators and the ports. It will be held in Rotterdam.
Strong Political Support For Wasalines
The City of Vasaa is prepared to help financing the building of a new ferry for Wasaline, says Ålands Sjöfart.
The city council of Vasa will be supporting and legally guaranteeing a loan taken by the ferry line on EUR 35 million and give a direct loan of EUR 25 million.
The European Investment Bank is ready to lend EUR 70 million.
Earlier this year several yards have been contacted to get a view on the possibilities.
Top oil exporter Saudi Arabia would be happy to see crude rise to $80 or even $100 a barrel, three industry sources said, a sign Riyadh will seek no changes to an OPEC supply-cutting deal even though the agreement’s original target is within sight.
Port Of Rotterdam Authority Launches New Pronto Application
The Port of Rotterdam Authority presented the first version of its new digital application Pronto. Pronto constitutes a major step forward when it comes to improving efficiency for the some 30,000 vessels that call on Rotterdam every year. The application allows ships visiting the port to cut their waiting time by an average of 20%. The application enables more effective utilisation of capacity at the port terminals, as well as the precise planning and coordination of a range of vessel services, including bunkering, servicing and maintenance and provisioning. In addition, Pronto directly contributes to the reduction of CO2 emissions in the port.
DFDS Expands Into the Med By Acquiring U.N. Ro-Ro
In a company announcement, DFDS says it acquires U.N. Ro-Ro, the Turkish operator of freight shipping routes in the Mediterranean, connecting Turkey with Italy and France.
This means a geographic expansion of the DFDS route network, with a considerable expansion in the Mediterranean.
DFDS is to acquire 98.8% from owners, the Turkish private equity firms Actera Group and Esas Holdings.
U.N. Ro-Ro is highly profitable, with an enterprise value of EUR 950 million.
“With the acquisition of U.N. Ro-Ro, we are expanding into one of Europe’s most attractive freight markets which is operationally similar to northern Europe. This gives us opportunity together with the existing strong management team to leverage our network, fleet, experience and skills to develop the business further while supporting the growth of U.N. Ro-Ro’s customers”, says Niels Smedegaard, CEO of DFDS.
The transaction is subject to approval by the Turkish, Austrian and German competition authorities as well as Italian authorities in relation to the transfer of the Trieste terminal as a strategic asset. Closing of the transaction is expected to take place in June 2018.
U.N. Ro-Ro operates five freight shipping routes in the Mediterranean between Turkey and EU: four routes connect to Italy (Trieste) and one to France (Toulon).
The routes carried 202,000 freight units in 2017.
By the end of 2017, U.N. Ro-Ro deployed 12 ro-ro ferries, all built by the Flensburg shipyard, where also some of DFDS’ ships are built.
Boreal To Be Acquired By A Hong-Kong-Based Private Equity Fund
Everbright Overseas Infrastructure Investment Fund LP (EOIIF), a Private Equity Infrastructure Fund based in Hong Kong, has entered into an agreement to purchase 100% of the shares in Boreal Holding AS (Boreal).
The transaction is expected to be completed in April / May 2018.
Boreal is a big Norwegian company, operating busses and ferries, amongst others. The company’s structure, management and organization will remain unchanged.
The ro-ro vessel that was involved in a collision on the River Scheldt estuary (see previous news) left the Fayard shipyard on Thursday last week, and re-entered service in Gothenburg on Sunday April 8.
On Wednesday April 10 DFDS returned to the normal schedule when stand-in JUTLANDIA SEAWAYS rejoined the Cuxhaven – Immingham route.
