Monteverde Shipping Ltd says it will open a passenger and freight ferry line between Gibraltar and Algeciras.
Baleària will carry out a second economic study on the Motorway of the Sea between Gijón and Nantes, to try to assess the costs of launching the maritime line .
The first study they have carried out results in heavy losses in the first three years.
Baleària’s President Adolfo Utor points out that new elements have appeared that can contribute to reducing the expected losses.
Steps are being taken to extend the existing Northern Isles lifeline ferry contract after state owned ferry operator CalMac confirmed it is taking legal action over a Scottish Government decision to award the next contract to current holders Serco NorthLink.
Longest Ferry Ever on Le Havre – Portsmouth
Brittany Ferries’ Cap Finistère is the longest ferry ever to operate on Le Havre – Portsmouth. She replaces Etretat, currently in Poland for annual overhaul.
Cap Finistère will be operating one round trip a week during the next four weeks.
Ventouris Ferries’s Rigel VII With New Livery
Ventouris Ferries’ ropax Rigel VII is sporting her new livery since last week. A fresh coat of white paint plus the Ventouris Ferries traditional signals are giving her a striking appearance. The ship is undergoing her conversion at Kynosoura (Diamantis yard) since September 13, 2019. She will be probably introduced – from the summer season 2020 – on the Italy-Albania run.
She was built in Japan (Imabari) in 1994. Her carrying capacity is for 730 passengers (312 beds), 122 trucks and 278 cars. (1,251 lane meters) but that is going to change.
Ionian Star (Ex-Bohus) in Piraeus Dry Dock
On November 29, Red Star Ferries’ latest acquisition Ionian Star entered the Vassiliadis large dry dock in Piraeus, in order to undergo scheduled repairs and refit.
The classic ship was purchased a few months ago from Color Line in order to replace the older Red Star 1 on the Brindisi – Valona line.
She arrived in Piraeus on September 10 and since then she was laid up to Koros shipyards (Salamis).
Ragnar Johansson Appointed Maritime Personality of the Year
The Göta Älvklubben has appointed Wallenius SOL’s CEO Ragnar Johansson as the Maritime Personality of the Year 2019. Ragnar received the award for his many years of work in developing Swedish shipping.
Göta Älvklubben, based in Gothenburg, is a forum for people from the shipping industry and for media people interested in shipping. Each year, they designate the Maritime Personality of the Year with the aim to make the shipping industry in Sweden more visible. During the year, the nominee must have distinguished himself with new ideas and good entrepreneurship, showing the potential of today’s Swedish shipping.
After christening the third new DFDS freight ferry in Göteborg on Friday 29 November, the mega roro started to operate on the Ghent route.
On Sunday 1 December she called for the first time. After her first return trip, DFDS invited the Belgian and Dutch media to show the new ship.
And since Ghent is home.. (all photos: Mike Louagie)
Sam De Wilde, Managing Director of DFDS’ Freight Ferry and terminal activities in Belgium, explained how DFDS has grown the ships in function of the cargo. “We had the Flower-class, then they were lengthened. Now Hollandia Seaways is a 6,800 lane meter ship. She will do two return crossings a week. The two other, smaller ships will also each do two return trips.”
From quay to quay the crossing takes 32 hours. Loading and unloading takes 8 hours. Hollandia Seaways has been designed in such a way that a bigger ship doesn’t mean more time in port. “The roro configuration with ramps etc. allows us to load and unload at the same time,” said Sam De Wilde.
In Ghent they call it “the Volvo Boat”. 40% of the cargo is for Volvo (cars, trucks, suppliers)
Sam De Wilde (Managing Director of DFDS’ Freight Ferry and terminal activities in Belgium), Captain of Hollandia Seaways, Raf De Wit (terminal director DFDS Ghent)