FERRY SHIPPING

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Contract Signed for a New Ferry for Isle Of Man Steam Packet Company

A new purpose-built vessel for the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company will be constructed in South Korea.

The contract was signed on July 31, with shipbuilders Hyundai Mipo Dockyard (HMD), based in Ulsan.

The new vessel is expected to commence service in Spring 2023.

Contractual delivery: 30 November 2022.

Price tag: EUR 76.8 million

Actual fleet:

The new vessel will replace the BEN-MY-CHREE, which will then be used as a back-up vessel.

Grandi Navi Veloci Announced a New RoPax from Visentini, To Be Delivered in 2021

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Grandi Navi Veloci, a ferry company part of MSC Group, announced that a new ro-pax unit currently under construction at Cantiere Navale Visentini shipyard will be added to its fleet next year.

The newbuilding is scheduled for delivery next spring and is a sistership of CIUDAD DE VALENCIA just handed over to Trasmediterranea (photo below).

(203m / 32,000 GT / 157 cabins / 1,000 passengers / 2,564 lane metres / 24 knots speed)

Further details were not disclosed but, as the technical management of the ship will be in the hand of a company controlled by the Visentini family, it’s likely that Grandi Navi Veloci will take the new ro-pax unit in long-term charter, maybe with purchase option.

Exactly one year ago, Gianluigi Aponte, founder of MSC Group, revealed that the project for 2 + 2 new ferries at GSI shipyard in China was suspended due to the higher price requested.

As of today, the Genoa-based ferry company operates a fleet of 16 vessels deployed on the national and international market linking Sicily, Sardinia, Spain, Tunisia, Morocco, France and Albania.

New Baltic Connection between Liepaja – Karlskrona – Travemünde

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From August 13, Stena Line will be adding a port-call in Karlskrona (Sweden) on the existing ferry route between Liepaja (Letland) and Travemünde (Germany).

“We see an increasing demand for sea transportation in the Baltic region. This is an expansive region where Stena Line already has a strong presence and we are pleased to expand our customer offering. Our intention is to increase the frequency and capacity even further going forward.”, says Erik Thulin, Trade Director Baltic Sea North.

The route between Liepaja and Travemünde is operated by the two Danish-flagged RoPax vessels STENA GOTHICA and URD, both with a freight capacity of 1,600 lane meters. The new weekly port-call in Karlskrona will initially be in the direction Liepaja-Travemünde on Thursday evenings.

Click on the map to see a live view of Stena Line’s freight routes.

Click on a ship to see its details.

Two months ago, Flow Ship Design already came up with a rendering of a hybrid double-ended ferry (diesel-electric), designed to carry 600 passengers and 170 cars.

This ferry is also part of the METRO project, for the Croatian domestic route Brestova-Porozina.

What does the competition do?

TT Line has a route connecting Trelleborg (Sweden) with Klaipeda (Lithuania) and of course Travemunde (Germany) – Trelleborg.

DFDS has a route connecting Karlshamn (Sweden) with Klaipeda (Lithuania) and Kiel (Germany) – Klaipeda.

New RoPax Design for Metro Project

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Croatia-based Flow Ship Design has published a new rendering of a ropax ferry. It has been designed for the EU-funded METRO project within the framework of the Interreg Italy – Croatia Programme.

METRO stands for “Maritime Environment-friendly TRanspOrt systems”.

Some characteristics of the hybrid ropax:

Short international routes in Adriatic Sea (Italy-Croatia / Ancona-Split)

Passengers 1,340 Crew 75

Cruising speed 15.5 knots.

Fully enclosed Main hold capacity of 630 lane meter or 2020 m2,

In addition hoistable car deck with parking area of 1865 m2

Stern and bow ramps

Twin screw, twin rudder, twin dual fuel engines driven with abt. 400 m3 LNG storage tanks. Two shaft generators (PTO/PTI) coupled with battery system with abt. 5 MWh capacity to cover entire range of electric power demand.

Two months ago, Flow Ship Design already came up with a rendering of a hybrid double-ended ferry (diesel-electric), designed to carry 600 passengers and 170 cars.

This ferry is also part of the METRO project, for the Croatian domestic route Brestova-Porozina.

Baleària Starts Sète – Nador Route

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Soon after Morocco reopened its borders, Baleària started a ferry service from the French port of Sète to Nador.

The vessel is REGINA BALTICA, with according to the company’s website, a Moroccan crew.

GNV is already operating this route (and 5 Moroccan routes in total, from Italy, France and Spain)

Baleària has scheduled eleven crossings, in order to meet the demand from people of Moroccan origin residing in European countries. (six trips from France and five from Morocco).

The last crossing is planned for September 7, but the company is exploring the possibility of more trips.

All passengers must present a negative PCR test carried out no more than 48 hours before travel. For Moroccans living in Northern France, Belgium or Holland this is a challenge, because of the driving distance and time.

The capacity of the vessel is currently restricted to 1,300 passengers (1,675) and 300  vehicles (350).

Sales Contract Signed: Investor Lars Windhorst Gives Shipbuilding in Flensburg a Future

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Sales Contract Signed: Investor Lars Windhorst Gives Shipbuilding in Flensburg a Future

There is hope for the insolvent Flensburg shipyard. Tennor Holding founder Lars Windhorst is honouring his promise to stand by the FSG, by announcing the following measures:

  • Several businesses belonging to Tennor Holding are taking on 350 employees as well as shipyard business assets, in the scope of a transferred reorganisation (in line with German insolvency law)
  • 300 staff had to move into a transfer company on 1 August (read: job losses)
  • First step: ensure the shipyard’s finances are sound
  • Order (to be confirmed) for two roro vessels
  • Newbuilding 774 (what was to become Brittany Ferries’ HONFLEUR – photo) was taken over by Siem on July 24. Siem is the former owner of FSG, from 2014-2019. Possibility to finish the vessel in Flensburg.

HSW’s EXPRESS PEGASUS Introduced on the Crete-Dodecanese Subsidized Line

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The Hellenic Seaways’ veteran EXPRESS PEGASUS will be introduced –-summer season 2020– on the Sitia (Crete)-Kasos-Karpathos-Rhodes subsidized line.

From August 5 to September 27, the ferry will connect Crete with Dodecanissa for the first time in her Greek career. The ship is expected to leave the port of Piraeus soon.

According to the schedule she will depart every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 11.00 from Sitia and every Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday at the same time from Rhodes.

EXPRESS PEGASUS was built in Italy in 1977. Her carrying capacity is for 1.294 passengers and 185 private cars.

Increased Protocol and Strict Measures on Board Greek Ferries

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On August 2, the Hellenic Ministry of Shipping and Island Policy announced the change in the health protocol with an increase of the passenger capacity on board coastal ferries to 80%.

The protocol on the ships with cabins is also increased to 85%, while the minimum distance of 1,5 meters is maintained between the passengers.

The passenger and crew cabins would accommodate up to four people if they are first- or second-degree relatives or people with disabilities with their escort.

At the same time, it was decided the mandatory use of face mask –from August 4 to August 18, 2020- inside and outside the ferries.

The passenger protocol in the high-speed crafts will be also increased to 80% only if they have High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filters and their installation and operation is certified according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

The shipowner, the operator and the ferry masters are responsible for the preparation of the aircraft-type seats coverage plan for each ship. Passengers, masters and crew members are required to comply with COVID-19 outbreak prevention and control measures before boarding, during boarding and when disembarking on passenger – car ferries that perform domestic trips.

For any violation of the provisions and measures the fines imposed are:

  • to passengers, naval agents and crew members the administrative fine is 150 euros
  • to ship-owners, operators and ship masters the administrative fine is 1.000 euros.

FERRY FINANCE

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Finnlines: Essential Lifeline for Finland – Challenging Q2

 H1 2020

  • -20% Revenue EUR 236.4 million (295.5)
  • -20% EBITDA EUR 66.4 million (83.5)
  • -32% Result EUR 31.7 million (46.7)

Q2 2020

  • -33% Revenue EUR 105.8 million (157.9)
  • -43% EBITDA EUR 28.2 million (49.4)
  • -64% Result EUR million 11.0 (30.4)

Especially Q2 was extremely challenging, with almost no passenger traffic and the slowdown in global trade caused by the global pandemic.

Finnline is essential for the supply of island-like Finland. The company says that it transports more than one third of the roughly one million trucks moving over the three main sea bridges, Finland–Estonia, Finland–Sweden and Finland–Germany, which are connecting Finland to the rest of Europe.

During H1, Finnlines operated on average 19 vessels in its own traffic. The cargo volumes totalled approximately 357k (386k) cargo units, 60k (88k) cars (not including passengers’ cars) and 522k (581k) tons of freight not possible to measure in units.

In addition, some 227k (310k) private and commercial passengers were transported.

Finnlines has been following closely all the emergency measures to shipping companies, and aims for fair conditions of competition.

Eckerö’s H1 Result also Marked by Pandemic

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  • Ferry ECKERÖ and cruise vessel BIRKA STOCKHOLM were out of service as of March 15. ECKERÖ resumed operations June 26.
  • 7 million passengers traveled with the Eckerö Group’s vessels (1.5 million last year)
  • Turnover EUR 52.8 million (EUR 102.0 million)
  • Operating profit EUR -21.8 million (EUR -7.6 million)
  • Profit including unrealized changes in market value of bunker hedges, EUR -22.2 million (EUR -5.5 million)
  • Interest-bearing liabilities EUR 99.2 million (EUR 91.8 million)
  • Net debt EUR 89.0 million (EUR 65.8 million)
  • On July 3, the Group’s intention to close down the Birka Cruises business area was announced