Keel section for new Irish Ferries cruise ferry laid at ceremony in Flensburg

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The laying of the keel section of the new €144 million cruise ferry being built for Irish Ferries, has taken place at Flensburg Schiffbau Gesellschaft.

The 55,000 tonnes vessel will be delivered next July. She will enter year-round service on the Dublin-Holyhead and Ireland-France routes.

It will be the largest ferry built by the FSG shipyard to date.

A name is currently being chosen by public competition, via the website.

DFDS investigates the possibilities for issuing a new corporate bond

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DFDS A/S announced to the Oslo stock exchange its intention to issue new DKK and/or NOK denominated senior unsecured bonds with an expected maturity of 5 years in the near future.

The Issuer has mandated Danske Bank A/S, Nordea Bank AB (publ) and Nykredit Bank A/S to arrange fixed income investor meetings starting on 15 September 2017. There is no certainty that the issue of the New Bonds will be initiated or consummated.

CMA CGM to start a new ro-ro service to Morocco

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French company CMA CGM has the intention to start a Marseille-Tanger ro-ro freight service, as from November.

Two –still unknown– ro-ro ships are going to be chartered. The service would be weekly, with a Saturday departure on each side.

Goal is to take some of the freight away from the Tanger to Algeciras and Barcelona routes, in what is known as the ‘citrus’ season.

Although being a container company, CMA CGM already has a ro-ro service to Tunisia, with a vessel chartered from Stena RoRo, the MONT VENTOUX (see photo).

Two small ro-ro sister ships are laid up in the port of Marseille, MAESTRO SEA and MAESTRO UNIVERSE. Could these be the ships? To be confirmed.

Source: Actu Transport Logistique Photo: Mike Louagie

Viking Line revises earnings forecast for fiscal year 2017

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Viking Line says in its stock market announcements that operating profit for 2017 is expected to be lower than the year before, which is different to what the board assessed previously.

Reasons are:

  • Pressure on prices as well as volumes, because of competition.
  • Higher bunker prices expected.

Remark:

  • A correction of Finland’s refund legislation for 2017 is expected to have a positive impact on the Group’s earnings.

Two BC Ferries units to get a midlife LNG facelift

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BC Ferries have decided to send two ro-pax vessels to Remontowa Ship Repair Yard S.A. in Gdansk, Poland, for a mid-life upgrade. This includes the conversion of both vessels to dual-fuel.

The 1993-built SPIRIT OF BRITISH COLUMBIA has left Canada on September 12, bound for Poland. Sister vessel SPIRIT OF VANCOUVER ISLAND (1994) will follow the next year, after the summer season.

BC Ferries plans to operate these two vessels for another 25 years.

After selling a ro-ro, Godby Shipping says it is looking at newbuildings

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Mariehamn-based ro-ro company Godby Shipping has announced that an agreement to sell one of their eight vessels, the MIRANDA, has been signed.

Delivery will take place in January 2018. MIRANDA and MISANA Miranda (1999) are currently time chartered to Stena RoRo but relet to Transfennica and used in their liner service on the Baltic Sea and North Sea.

Eva Mikkola Karlström told the magazine Sjöfartstidningen that Godby Shipping’s goal is to build two new vessels, probably in China, and tailor-made for a specific customer.

Photo: Godby Shipping / Pär-Henrik-Sjöström

Scandlines to be sold for two billion euros?

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German press reports the intention of the UK-based owner, private equity firm 3i, to sell the ferry firm, with a possible price tag of €2 billion.

Scandlines operates ferries between Puttgarden-Rødby and Rostock-Gedser. The sale was already planned in 2012, in relation to the threat of a fixed connection between Puttgarden and Rødby.