Strait Link Sets Course under New Owner

By 2026 Newsletter week 14

Strait Link Shipping Pty Ltd has confirmed completion of its sale to Igneo Infrastructure Partners. The agreement to acquire Strait Link was first announced on 19 December 2025 [press release]

Strait Link provides a vital link between Tasmania and mainland Australia.

Further details on operational or strategic changes have not yet been disclosed.

In Europe Igneo Infrastructure Partners own Scandlines.

 

Source: https://straitlink.com.au/strait-link-sets-course-under-new-owner/

DFDS Expands Rosslare–Dunkerque Capacity With Third Vessel

By 2026 Newsletter week 14

From September, DFDS will increase capacity on the Rosslare–Dunkerque route by adding a third vessel and offering seven weekly roundtrips.

The additional RoPax, —OPTIMA SEAWAYS—, will join ATHENA SEAWAYS and VICTORIA SEAWAYS, which already serve the route.

DFDS said growing demand for direct links between Ireland and continental Europe is driving the need for extra capacity.

The route has previously operated as a three-ship service at various times.

DFDS to Upgrade Karlshamn–Klaipeda Service with CIUDAD DE VALENCIA

By 2026 Newsletter week 14

From mid-September 2026, DFDS will strengthen its Karlshamn–Klaipeda service with the chartered CIUDAD DE VALENCIA.

Adding the modern Visentini RoPax will bring a major increase in passenger capacity and extra freight space, supporting further growth on the Baltic route.

Built in 2020, CIUDAD DE VALENCIA can carry up to 950 passengers and offers 2,562 lane metres. Capacity includes space for 250 cars.

Compared with the vessel it replaces (OPTIMA SEAWAYS), passenger capacity will almost triple.

DFDS currently operates two RoPax ferries on the Karlshamn–Klaipeda route. It also runs four other ferries on Baltic Sea routes linking Germany and Sweden, Sweden and Estonia, and Denmark and Lithuania.

Italy Launches New Maritime Continuity Tenders for Sardinia Routes

By 2026 Newsletter week 14

A few days after opening the tender for the Genoa–Porto Torres service, Italy’s Ministry of Transport has now launched two more procedures for subsidised maritime continuity routes to Sardinia.

The tenders cover the following links, currently operated by Grimaldi Euromed:

  • Civitavecchia–Arbatax–Cagliari
  • Naples–Cagliari–Palermo

Each procedure is worth more than EUR 115 million. The contracts will run for five years, with a possible 36-month extension.

The service requirements are clear:

  • Naples–Cagliari: three round trips per week, year-round
  • Cagliari–Palermo: one round trip per week
  • Civitavecchia–Cagliari: three round trips per week, with at least two calls in Arbatax

The new tenders are part of Italy’s wider effort to guarantee regular maritime links between the mainland and Sardinia under public service obligations.

Rail Returns to the Port of Calais After Eleven-Year Absence

By 2026 Newsletter week 14

Rail operations for new vehicles have resumed at the Port of Calais, marking a significant milestone for multimodal logistics at the French gateway.

Eleven years after the last train carrying new cars arrived, the first service operated by Groupe Charles André (GCA), with support from rail operator VIIA, reached the port’s intermodal terminal yesterday afternoon.

The relaunch signals the start of a regular service, strengthening the port’s role in automotive logistics chains.

Key operational details:

  • 3 to 4 trains per week planned until the end of the year
  • More than 36,000 new vehicles to be handled annually
  • Over 50% of volumes destined for the Port of Sheerness on the River Thames

The traffic will primarily consist of vehicles from Stellantis, underlining the growing importance of rail–sea intermodal solutions for finished vehicle logistics.