Interferry Seeks More Time For RoPax Fire Safety Retrofits

By 2026 Newsletter week 25

Interferry supports the new IMO regulation requiring all RoPax vessels to be equipped with fire detection and water-based firefighting systems on weather decks. The rules apply to newbuildings from 2026 and existing vessels from 2028.

However, the association warns that retrofitting an estimated 300 existing RoPax vessels by their first survey after 1 January 2028 is not realistic.

Interferry will therefore ask the IMO to link compliance to the first renewal survey after that date, spreading implementation over a five-year period and making the rollout more practical for operators.

Source: Johan Roos on Linkedin

LMG Marin Opens New Office In Ålesund

By 2026 Newsletter week 25

LMG Marin is opening a new office in Ålesund, Norway, strengthening its presence at the heart of one of Europe’s most important maritime clusters.

The new office will be led by Severin Åkervik Ulstein, who joins as Head of Office with a mandate to build a local team, develop business in specialised vessels and offshore support, and strengthen cooperation with LMG Marin’s existing offices in Bergen, Toulouse and Szczecin.

The office is already involved in several concept development projects and will benefit from LMG Marin’s global network, including collaboration with shipyards across Europe and Asia through parent company Seatrium.

Photo: Anna Marthe Vestre Berge

FerryGateway Association Appoints New Managing Director

By 2026 Newsletter week 25

The FerryGateway Association has appointed Seamus Mc Carville as its new Managing Director from the beginning of May, succeeding long-serving Managing Director Sune Häggblom, who will remain Senior Advisor until the end of June.

Mc Carville joins after almost 25 years as Group CIO at Irish Ferries and brings extensive experience in enterprise IT and digitalisation within the ferry sector. A founding member of the Ferry CIO Forum and former FerryGateway board member, he will focus on strengthening interoperability, innovation and value creation across the Association.

Source: https://ferrygateway.org/909-2/

Norway: Driving Premium Seating Forward

By 2026 Newsletter week 25

The Norwegian group Scuderia AS is a global leader in premium and high-end seating solutions for maritime and industrial markets. By bringing together the brands Eknes and Seat Innovation under one umbrella, Scuderia unites Norwegian design tradition, proven industrial expertise, and international market strength in one powerful organization.

The company combines some of Norway’s most advanced professional environments within pilot, operator, and passenger seating into a single, integrated industrial group. Its portfolio spans the full spectrum of seating solutions, designed to suit a wide range of vessels and user experiences.

Scuderia’s strength lies in its ability to merge Norwegian development, engineering, and design with international production capabilities and scalability. Across its locations in Kristiansand, Bergen, and Oslo, teams work closely together on innovation, sales, and product development, ensuring both depth of expertise and continuous progress.

With a broad market presence, Scuderia delivers everything from advanced pilot and operator seating to complete passenger seating systems for high-speed craft, ferries, offshore vessels, and specialized ships. The company is also expanding into premium seating solutions for the growing rail sector.

Built on a long Norwegian industrial heritage and strong market positions, Scuderia serves an impressive customer base that includes leading players such as Color Line, Kongsberg Maritime, VARD Group, DFDS, Stena Line, P&O, Damen, Grimaldi and many others.

Looking ahead, the ambition is clear: to establish the world’s strongest industrial platform for the development, production, and international scaling of premium seating solutions.

Read more: www.seatinnovation.no and www.eknes.no .

Photo credit:
The Bahama Edge by Seat Innovation visualized by Magne Ekerum – Rendered illustration generated via Vizcom.

Meet the company at the Ferry Shipping Summit in Athens.

CalMac Needs A New Ferry Every 18 Months To Maintain Reliability

By 2026 Newsletter week 25

CalMac CEO Duncan Mackison has warned that Scotland’s west coast ferry network needs a continuous vessel renewal programme, with one new ferry every 12 to 18 months, to maintain reliability.

With an ageing fleet of 37 vessels, operational disruptions have become increasingly common. Several new ships are due to enter service over the coming years, including GLEN ROSA, additional ferries under construction in Turkey and seven smaller vessels being built in Poland.

Mackison also backed a merger between CalMac and CMAL to streamline decision-making and improve delivery.

Read the full article here