DFDS has announced that it will be launching a new unaccompanied freight service from Tilbury to Calais, replacing its existing Sheerness – Calais service.
The newly located service will start in late June 2023 and will offer one daily sailing in each direction six days a week.
Vessel: BOTNIA SEAWAYS (115 unaccompanied units).
The relocation comes as a result of feedback received from customers and demand for a more accessible route into the UK.
Competitors: P&O Ferries, CLdN, Transfennica…
Grimaldi Group 2022 in figures:
These results are the result of “higher volumes of passengers and new cars transported, as well as containers and general cargo” and “are by far the best achieved by the Grimaldi Group in its long history and confirm exponential and continuous growth, with the exception of 2020, which was affected by the effects of Covid.”
At the end of last year the managed fleet consisted of about 140 vessels, of which 130 owned, with an average age of about 14 years.
Outlook: “The management has not recorded any reductions in activities and/or volumes transported in the first months of the year 2023.”
Also mentioned in the annual report:
The 1995-built EUROFERRY OLYMPIA owned by Grimaldi Group which caught fire in February last year while sailing off the Greek island Ereikoussa is bound for scrap soon.
She is to be sold to Dido Steel Corporation S.A. and will be dismantled and recycled.
Viking Line’s Board of Directors has decided to revise the company’s earnings forecast for 2023. Under the condition that energy prices are maintained at the current level, Viking Line’s board of directors assesses that the profit before tax will be better than the previous year.
The previously published earnings forecast was “Under the condition that energy prices are maintained at the current level and taking into account that the realized profits are expected to be lower than in 2022, Viking Line estimates that the result before tax will be slightly lower than the previous year”.
The Half-year Financial Report for January – June 2023 will be published on August 25, 2023.
The new vessel from P&O Ferries started last Monday (19 June 2023) with its first commercial Channel crossings.
The ship is propelled by a combination of traditional fuel and battery power and has been designed with the capacity to become carbon neutral in future. The major investment in these two 230m long hybrid ships allows P&O Ferries to cut fuel use while maintaining capacity.
The modular elements of the ship mean its electric power capabilities will develop in the future. As technology develops and charging stations are brought in at ports, the installation of additional batteries will allow fully electric operation.
The ship is the world’s largest double-ended hybrid ferry, with two bridges meaning there is no need for it to turn in port, saving fuel on every trip.
As the longest ferry to sail between Dover and Calais, P&O PIONEER and its sister ship P&O LIBERTÉ, which will join the fleet later this year, will replace the capacity of three older vessels with just two, delivering further efficiency benefits.
Introduction of the Fusion Class vessels P&O PIONEER and P&O LIBERTÉ on the Dover-Calais route this year will see the replacement of the remaining Darwin Class vessels in operation, the PRIDE OF KENT and THE PRIDE OF CANTERBURY, following the previous retirement of the PRIDE OF BURGUNDY.
On June 19, 2023, Seajet’s HSC ELITE JET (ex STENA LYNX III) made her debut on the Piraeus– Rethimnon (Crete) line replacing her fleetmate NAXOS JET.
She was purchased in 2019 and came in Greece as the RAPID LINK JET and refitted and upgraded at Perama.
The ship was built in Australia (Incat) in 1996.
Her carrying capacity is for 700 passengers and 156 private cars, speed 33 knots.
Photo: Dimitris Mentakis
On June 18, 2023 Golden Star Ferries flagship ANDROS QUEEN (ex SILVER QUEEN) underwent her sea trials successfully in the Saronic Gulf.
The ship managed to steam at 23 knots.
According to the latest information, the ship is expected to leave Perama Repair Zone for the Port of Rafina until June 25, while she will make her debut on the Rafina – Andros -Tinos – Mykonos line on June 30.
ANDROS QUEEN was built in Japan in 1998.
Her carrying capacity is for 1,400 passengers and 360 private cars, while her service speed is 21 knots.
Photo: Golden Star Ferries
On June 23, 2023, Anek Lines’ flagship EL. VENIZELOS will join her fleet mate ELYROS on the classic Piraeus – Chania (Crete) line. The large ship was out of service for almost three years and it was decided to reintroduce her into the Hellenic Coastal Shipping in the beginning of 2023, replacing Blue Star Ferries’ RoPax BLUE GALAXY.
Since February she has been undergoing a full refit, dry docking and engine overhauling at Perama Repair Zone.
On June 20 she successfully underwent her sea trials as well.
Photo: Kostas Papadopoulos
Italy’s Grendi Trasporti Marittimi, company part of Grendi Group, has just chartered-in the RoRo ship ESTRADEN (owned by Bore) in order to strengthen its cargo capacity on the Marina di Carrara – Olbia route from mid July.
Frequency of the regular service will grow from 3 to 4 times per week.
This 1999-built RoRo unit can offer 2,260 lane metres capacity and is also equipped with two rotor sails.
Brittany Ferries has selected Rina’s Sertica as its new fleet management system.
A statement from the Italian group explains that the decision to implement Sertica followed an extensive evaluation by Brittany Ferries, in seeking a reliable and hosted fleet management solution. It is specifically designed to streamline and optimize maritime operations, by offering a wide range of features for maintenance, procurement and safety management. The system empowers fleet operators with the tools to enhance efficiency and ensure regulatory compliance.
By adopting Rina’s system, Brittany Ferries will replace multiple systems and reinforce its commitment to excellence and innovation in the maritime industry.
