Since DRUJBA was sold to Polferries as CRACOVIA (see above), a replacement had to be found for Drujba Line, the Bulgaria-based ferry company that operates a one-vessel Black Sea service from Burgas, Bulgaria to Batumi (Georgia) and Novorossiysk (Russia). The company now operates the former Tirrenia ferry LAZIO (1994), which was acquired by the Burgas-based company PB Shipping EOOD earlier this year.
MacGregor, part of Cargotec, has signed a contract with French civil engineering construction company Bouygues Travaux Publics, to design, fabricate and install three linkspan facilities in the port of Calais.
In August, the pending decision was already criticized by local politicians from extreme right party Front national. They condemned the fact that the ramps would be built in Poland, and not in the Nord Pas-de-Calais region. They also tried to prove that the floating type of linkspan is less reliable than the actual fixed links. The port authorities argued that the nearby port of Dunkerque successfully uses floating linkspans since 15 years, and with the same berthing frequency as in Calais
Photo: MacGregor
Source: MacGregor
The UK Department for Transport has published a document about implementing and maintaining good cyber security practices on maritime vessels.
The document can be downloaded here.
Ferguson Marine, who has been awarded the construction of two dual-fuel ferries for CMAL, has created a very interesting visual presentation of the vessels, including VR (Virtual Reality) options.
The first ferry will be delivered in early 2018, with the second vessel following a few months later.
The ships are designed to carry 127 cars or 16 trucks, or a combination of and up to 1,000 passengers. The new ferries are earmarked for the Ardrossan-Brodick and the Uig Triangle routes, operated by CalMac Ferries Ltd.
Photo: Ferguson Marine
An interesting read: a blogpost from reservation technology expert company Pharos shows a successful summer season for their ferry customers.
Photo: Imagebank Tallink / Marko Stampehl