Wasaline’s 2024 Performance: Progress and Sustainability Highlights

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Key Developments and Achievements

  • Reduction in Carbon Footprint:
    • Total carbon dioxide emissions reduced by 5% in 2024.
    • Increased use of green shore power by 22%, saving 1,800 tons of CO₂.
  • Operational Performance:
    • Cargo volumes increased by 6% in tonnage and 3.2% in length metres.
    • Passenger numbers and vehicles decreased by 9%, while buses saw a 1.3% decline.
    • Revenue dropped by 3.7%, but overall results remained stable.
  • Market Share Gains:
    • Maintained market share in passenger traffic.
    • Passenger vehicle and bus market share increased, with a 50% growth in the bus segment.
  • Intermodal and Carbon-Neutral Transport:
    • Launched intermodal transport from Umeå to southern Sweden and Europe, minimising emissions.
    • Introduced carbon-neutral transport options for passengers and cargo, with climate compensation allocated to biofuel or battery resources.
  • Commitment to Carbon Neutrality:
    • Targeting full carbon neutrality by 2030.
    • Hybrid vessel AURORA BOTNIA uses LNG, biogas, and batteries, operating on electricity in port areas with green shore power.

Outlook

  • Positive booking trends indicate an economic turnaround for both passengers and cargo.

Stena RoRo Expands Fleet with the Addition of STENA SHIPPER

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Stena RoRo has announced the acquisition of the RoRo vessel GIUSEPPE LUCCHESI, now renamed STENA SHIPPER, as part of its fleet expansion strategy.

  • Seller: CIN (Compagnia Italiana di Navigazione SpA), part of Moby Lines SpA.
  • Built in 2012 at the Odense Yard
  • Danish flag
  • Comes with an existing contract for service on the Rades–Marseille route in partnership with Cotunav.
  • Length: 193 metres
  • Cargo Capacity: 3,663 linear metres across four decks
  • Speed: 21 knots

One More Route Between Spain and Algeria

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Baleària launched a new RoPax ferry route from the port of Barcelona to Algiers, which is the company’s first international line from the port of the Catalan capital.

The company currently offers four routes to Algeria:

  • Barcelona-Algiers
  • Valencia-Algiers
  • Valencia-Oran
  • Valencia-Mostaganem

Baleària has been operating on Algeria since 2016, when it opened its first Valencia-Mostaganem route. Last October, it began operating between Valencia and Algiers, and in December between Valencia and Oran.

The Algerian routes become highly competitive with several European ferry companies offering services, against a weakened state-owned Algérie Ferries.

Source: Baleària

Smyrna Di Levante on the Kyllini – Zakynthos Route

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Levante Ferries’ RoPax SMYRNA DI LEVANTE is set to temporarily replace her fleetmate MARE DI LEVANTE on the Kyllini – Zakynthos route starting January 21, during the latter’s annual maintenance. SMYRNA DI LEVANTE is the largest ferry ever to serve this specific route.

The ferry is also planned to operate on the Kyllini-Zakynthos-Poros (Kefalonia) route next summer, marking a significant expansion of the company’s fleet and bringing new opportunities to the port of Zakynthos.

Photo: Kostas Papadopoulos

List and Price of Vessels Sold by Moby in 2024

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The latest financial report (2023), published by Moby this week, includes a complete and detailed list of vessels sold or disposed of by the Onorato-controlled company in the last 12 months:

  • RoRo ship PIETRO MANUNTA sold to Salem Al Makrani Cargo of Dubai for €7.7 million.
  • RoPax vessel MOBY VINCENT sold to Ship Recycling Investments Inc. for final scrapping at the SOK Denizcilik and Ticaret Limited Sti shipyard in Turkey for $2.2 million.
  • Ferry BASTIA sold to Alilauro Gruson for €854,000.
  • RoPax MOBY CORSE sold to Ferry Med Srl for €6.2 million.
  • Ferry MOBY ALE sold to Ship Recycling Investments Inc. for €873,000.

After completing its financial restructuring and debt settlement a year ago, Moby has filed its 2023 financial report, showing its first profit in years. The company reported a net profit of €371 million, largely due to debt write-offs of about €285 million from the settlement process concluded in January 2024.

Revenues grew to €242 million in 2023 (up from €211 million in 2022), and EBITDA turned positive at nearly €8 million, recovering from a €26 million loss the previous year.

(Source: Shipping Italy)

Tallink Grupp’s Ropax STAR Returns To Estonia And Starts Service On Paldiski-Kapellskär Route From 9 February 2025

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  • STAR, which is returning to Estonia from long term charter to Irish Ferries, starts operating on the Paldiski-Kapellskär route from Sunday, 9 February 2025.
  • Due to port service restrictions, only freight and car passengers.
  • The vessel will operate on an intensified schedule, alternating in the opposite direction to the schedule of the company’s cruise ferry BALTIC QUEEN, which sails between Tallinn and Stockholm. This ensures that ferry travel between Estonia and Sweden is again possible almost daily.
  • Before returning to regular service on the Paldiski-Kapellskär route, STAR will undergo the necessary renewal and preparatory work in dry dock at Naantali, Finland.
  • Will replace the vessels SAILOR and REGAL STAR, which previously operated on the route and will now remain on standby for future company decisions.

PORTS

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Ferry Terminal Turku: Passenger Terminal Constructor Chosen, Contract Signed

 Port of Turku Ltd and Skanska have signed a contract for the construction of the Ferry Terminal Turku passenger terminal.

  • The construction starts January 2025, completion end of 2026.
  • The main facade materials of the passenger terminal, named ORIGAMI, will be glass and aluminium. The three-story complex will cover over 10,000 square meters.
  • The project aims to achieve three stars in the environmental classification.

Source: Port of Turku

Port of Kiel Records a Satisfactory Result in Challenging Times

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With 7.6 million tonnes of cargo (-3.8%) and 2.7 million cruise and ferry passengers (-5%) handled, the port is only slightly behind the record results of the previous year.

While volumes on the Scandinavian ferry routes declined, freight volumes to the Baltic region and the Swedish paper business experienced significant growth.

As a consequence of the current economic slowdown in Scandinavia and Germany, volumes fell both on the route to Gothenburg (total cargo 1.97 million tonnes) and to Oslo (total cargo 774,000 tonnes).

The development is different at the Ostuferhafen, which accounts for almost half of the total throughput at the port of Kiel with 3.6 million tonnes handled.

The Baltic route experienced positive growth for the second year in a row and closed with 2.74 million tonnes (+4.5 %). The paper business also developed strongly, particularly at the beginning of the year, and closed with significant growth (total result 744,000 tonnes, + 10 percent).

Intermodal transport in the port of Kiel continued to suffer from the railway infrastructure in need of renovation and the constantly rising track prices in 2024, falling to 13,000 units.

An extension to the existing shore power system is currently under construction at the Ostseekai, one of Kiel’s two large cruise terminals. The port is also planning further investment projects, including the expansion of the port area, additional photovoltaic systems and e-charging stations for cars and lorries.

In total, the Port of Kiel plans to invest 70 million euros over the next five years.

More information: Port of Kiel

Ship Travel Increases in Helsinki in 2024, Cargo Traffic Steady

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  • The Port of Helsinki Group’s total cargo traffic volume was 14.0 million tonnes (+0.5%).
  • Increase of pax: 9.4 million ferry passengers, 139,000 international cruise passengers.
  • On both Tallinn and Stockholm routes, passenger numbers followed a steady growth curve.
  • Unitised cargo traffic 12.2 million tonnes (+5.9%). Of this amount, 6.7 million tonnes was in export (+5.8%) and 5.5 million tonnes in import (+6.0%).
  • All in all, 672,000 trucks transported a total of 8.8 million tonnes (8.1%) of cargo. A total of 444,000 TEUs (-1.8%) of containers were transported; the amount of container cargo in tonnes was 3.4 million (0.7%).

Outlook

  • Expectations for the current year are cautiously optimistic. The worst seems to be over in terms of the economy, although cargo traffic growth remains very small in general.
  • In passenger traffic, moderate growth is anticipated as ship traffic is expected to increase compared to 2024 due to shipowners operating on the Stockholm and Tallinn routes with full ship capacity this year.

Source: Port of Helsinki

Port of Rostock: Second Best Handling Result In The History Of The Overseas Port

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“It is the second best handling result in the 65 year history of the Overseas Port, at 30.1 million tonnes“, states Dr. Gernot Tesch, managing director of Rostock Port.

Passengers

  • 1 million cruise & ferry pax (140,000 more than in 2023).
  • 57 million passengers on the three ferry services to Denmark and Sweden operated by Scandlines, Stena Line and TT-Line (+30,000).
  • Ferry travel continued to increase last year. The number of cars and mobile homes carried between Northern Europe and Rostock went up to 666,000.

Investments

  • EUR 18 million in 2024
  • EUR 50 million in 2025, in infrastructure and in participations to strengthen the competitiveness of the port.

Cargo handling results at the Overseas Port

  • Slight effect of the sluggish economy.
  • RoRo (“wheeled”) cargo 16.5 million tonnes.
  • Truck/trailer units carried on the ferry and RoRo connections to and from Northern Europe increased slightly to 517,000.
  • The number of railway wagons carried to and from Trelleborg decreased mainly on account of building sites, from 26,800 in 2023 to 21,800 last year.
  • The approach of ROSTOCK PORT to widen its range by establishing a port terminal for car handling has proven to have a stabilising effect for ferry and RoRo traffic.
  • The share of wheeled cargo in the overall handling at Rostock Overseas Port was 55 percent.
  • There was a slight decline in the handling of intermodal transport.

Source and more detailed info: Rostock Port