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2024 Newsletter week 03

Jan 19
1

Finnlines report significant increase in passenger numbers

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Finnlines report;

  • 695,000 passengers in 2023 (including freight drivers), up 7% on 2022
  • 17% increase in private passengers 2023 Vs 2022
  • Naantali – Långnäs – Kapellskär 2023 passengers were up 49% Vs 2022
  • Travemünde – Helsinki 2023 passengers increased by 11% Vs 2022

The huge increase on the Finland-Åland-Sweden route was driven by the arrival of the Superstar class Ro-Pax FINNSIRIUS in September 2023, bringing “cruise standards” to the line.  Sister FINNCANOPUS is currently sailing to Europe.  Due to the current Red Sea situation, she is sailing around the Cape of Good Hope and will enter service in February.  The new vessels allow Finnlines to offer both overnight cruises and picnic cruises on all sailings on the route which should bring further increases in passenger numbers.

The arrival of the FINNCANOPUS will see FINNSWAN to transfer to the Travemünde – Malmö route.

Finnlines has announced that on both Finnish routes there will be music and children’s entertainment during summer season 2024.

FINNSIRIUS at Kapellskär | Photo: Gary Andrews

Jan 19
1

Grimaldi Lines to offer a new payment solution

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The Grimaldi Group has signed an agreement with the Cofidis Group to provide a new payment solution to customers.

At the payment stage of the Grimaldi Lines booking flow, customers will be able to select the “PagoDIL by Cofidis” option.  This will allow the payment to be made by 5 or 10 monthly instalments, without interest or additional costs.

Jan 19
1

Netherlands’ Damen Shipyards wins contract for the supply of four, fully electric, passenger car ferries to British Columbia

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Rendering Damen Shipyard Group

Damen Shipyards Group has been selected to build four new hybrid electric Island Class vessels for BC Ferries.

  • Damen that previously built six Island Class ferries for BC Ferries, will construct the vessels in Romania.
  • The selection of Damen’s bid was made from multiple proposals, with no Canadian companies submitting bids.
  • The agreement with Damen is a design-build, fixed-priced contract that ensures delivery dates, performance criteria, cost certainty, and construction quality.
  • The new Island Class vessels will accommodate at least 47 vehicles and up to 390 passengers and crew.
  • These vessels will align with BC Ferries’ Clean Futures Plan by operating exclusively in battery-electric mode using renewable BC hydroelectricity.
  • The expected launch of these vessels is by 2027, serving routes connecting Nanaimo Harbour and Gabriola Island (two vessels) and Campbell River and Quadra Island (two vessels).
  • BC Ferries will also implement electrical upgrades for shore-based rapid charging at the four terminals on these routes as part of a separate contract, timed to coincide with the ship delivery.

Rendering Damen Shipyard Group

Jan 19
1

Almost two million pax for Bornholmslinjen

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2023 was a record year for Bornholmslinjen, with the highest number of passengers and cars ever traveling to and from Bornholm. [Danish press release]

  • Passengers: a total of 1,993,966 pax were recorded, nearly 46,000 more than the previous record year in 2022.
  • Cars: 583,943, more than 10,000 more cars than in the previous record year in 2022.
  • Trucks: 45,345, slightly fewer than the previous year due to the impact of the global economy on freight volumes to Bornholm.

Jesper Skovgaard, Molslinjen’s Commercial Director, anticipates that they will soon reach the magical two million ferry passengers to Bornholm, especially when the high-speed ferry, EXPRESS 5, is fully utilized (in 2023 the ferry was only in service in the second half of the year)

2024 will be the year when ferry capacity to Bornholm can be fully utilized. The marshalling areas in Rønne will be expanded, as they have already been in Ystad.

Photo: Bornhomslinjen

Photo: Bornhomslinjen
Jan 19
1

Seajets charter Minoan Lines’ HSC SANTORINI PALACE

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On January 12, 2024, and according to reliable information, Seajets proceeded with the chartering of Minoan Lines’ HSC SANTORINI PALACE. The ship is in service during the summer period on the Heraklion – Santorini – Naxos – Mykonos – Syros – Piraeus route, while the information suggests a bareboat chartering arrangement.

HSC SANTORINI PALACE was built in Australia (Austal) in 2005. In 2015, it underwent extensive upgrades at Trieste (Fincantieri Shipyards) to increase its passenger capacity. It can accommodate up to 1,160 passengers and 117 cars.

Photo: Mike Louagie

Photo: Mike Louagie
Jan 19
1

Double-ender ferry HARDINGEN sold to Kerkyra Seaways

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Kerkyra Seaways is also the buyer of the Norwegian double-ended ferry HARDINGEN from Boreal Sjø.
The ship has been laid up at the port of Sandnes since April 2023 and was sold along with her sister-ship MØYSALEN to the ferry operator in Corfu, who plans to replace her previous vessel HERMES – which was recently sold to the Croatian Jadrolinija – with two new vessels.

HARDINGEN is expected to be delivered in January 2024.

Both ships will undergo conversion at the Perama repair zone and are expected to enter service on the Igoumenitsa-Corfu route in the summer of 2024.

HARDINGEN has been renamed HARTINGE and now flies the flag of St. Vincent, while MØYSALEN will be renamed HERMES after her predecessor.

She was originally built in Norway in 1993 (Slipen Mekaniske Verksted AS) and has a capacity for 399 passengers and 104 cars or 10 trucks.

Photo: Kostas Papadopoulosn| MØYSALEN is already in Greece since December 27, 2023
MØYSALEN is already in Greece since December 27, 2023
Jan 19
1

Orkney Ferries on a new journey with Hogia Ferry Systems

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Orkney Ferries, a Scottish inter-island ferry operator, has entered into an agreement with Hogia Ferry Systems to replace their reservation and ticketing system with the BOOKIT system in Spring 2024. The decision was prompted by new regulations and rising customer expectations. The transition to BOOKIT is expected to benefit customers by enabling online booking changes and refunds. Orkney Ferries also anticipates improvements in deck space management.

Photo: Shapinsay

Jan 19
1

Saronic Ferries purchased Seikan Ferries’ HAYABUSA N°3

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On January 16, 2024, it was revealed that the Greek Joint-Service Saronic Ferries (Lefakis-Papaioannides) appears to be the buyer of the Japanese Seikan Ferries’ (Kyoei Unyu) RoRo vessel, Hayabusa No. 3.

The ship will cease operations on the traditional Aomori – Hakodate line after 23 years of service and will be replaced by the larger Hayabusa III on January 24, 2024.

She was originally constructed in Japan in 2000 at the Hakodate dock, with a carrying capacity of 105 passengers and 26 trucks (12m). Her service speed is 18.7 knots

Photo: Marinetraffic T.K.S.

Jan 19
1

HSC FJORDLYN sold and bound for Middle-East for a new life

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The Italian shipbroker Ferrando & Massone announced to have intermediated the sale of the high-speed craft FJORDLYN built in 2009 by Oma Baatbyggeri AS shipyard in Norway.
The high-speed craft, sold by Danish interests, can transport some 150 passengers sailing a speed up to 30 knots.
“As from January, this HSC will find a new life in the Middle East where will be refitted and re-classified before entering into service for the new owner” Ferrando & Massone said.

Photo: Norled

Jan 18
1

Green light from Italy’s Antitrust authority to TDT Terminal takeover by Grimaldi

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The Grimaldi Group has received approval from Italy’s antitrust authority to acquire a 100% stake in Terminal Darsena Toscana from Gruppo Investimenti Portuali, a company controlled by the investment funds Infravia and Infracapital. The port authority of Livorno has also announced its intention to authorize the operation involving its primary ro-pax and container terminal.

Terminal Darsena Toscana is a RoPax and container terminal located in the port of Leghorn, covering an area of 389,000 square meters. It boasts an annual throughput capacity of 900,000 TEU, a quay length of 1,430 meters, and direct road and rail connections. Additionally, Sintermar Darsena Toscana, a 50-50 joint venture between Grimaldi and Gruppo Investimenti Portuali, falls under the same concession and is actively involved in the ro-pax handling business.

Emanuele Grimaldi, Chairman of the Grimaldi Group, has already clarified to Ferry Shipping News that Terminal Darsena Toscana will continue its operations as usual, maintaining its container and RoRo/RoPax handling activities.

There are market rumors suggesting that the Naples-based shipping group is also in negotiations to acquire another container terminal called Sech, which is controlled by Psa, at the port of Genoa.

Photo: Grimaldi Group