May 17, 2024

On May 10, 2024, Anek Lines’ Prevelis resumed service on the Piraeus-Chios-Mytilene route after a complete refit at Elefsis shipyards, following a merger with Attica Group. The ship had previously served the Dodecanese line for 12 years until May 2023, then briefly chartered by Aegean Sea Lines for the Piraeus-Serifos-Sifnos-Milos-Santorini route from June 30 to August 3, 2023.

Photo: Anek Lines

On April 24, 2024, it was reported that Intershippings’ RoPax Med Star was sold to Starlines. The ship was laid up in Gibraltar for 10 months and is currently under tow to Greece.

She was sold in Greece in 2008 (Endeavor Lines) as the Princess T.

In 2013, she was chartered to Gotlandsbåten AB and renamed Västervik but plans failed.

In 2015, she had an unsuccessful presence on the Igoumenitsa-Kefalonia (Sami)-Corfu-Bari route. In August 2017 she was eventually sold to the Moroccan Inter Shipping for the Algeciras – Tanger Med route.

From 2018 to 2023 she served sporadically on the above line until her operator’s collapse. She will be probably used on the Italy-Albania service.

Photo: Matt Davies

On 14 May, Tallink Grupp’s vessel Superfast IX (currently named Atlantic Vision) was redelivered to the company at the Port of Odense in Denmark. The vessel has been chartered to Canada and operating between Newfoundland and Sydney, Nova Scotia for the last 15 years.

The vessel completed its final trip on its Canadian route on 15 March this year, and left Canada in early April.  For the last month, the vessel has been berthed in a shipyard in Denmark, where it has been prepared for the handover to Tallink Grupp ahead of the charter contract ending on 14 May 2024.

Superfast IX is expected to arrive in Tallinn on 16 May. The vessel will initially be berthed at Paljassaare port until decisions are made regarding the vessel’s next operations.

Baleària has reintroduced the “Passió per Formentera” ferry on the Ceuta-Algeciras route, enhancing comfort and eco-efficiency. The ferry now features improvements such as upgraded seating, expanded services, and greater energy efficiency, contributing to a more sustainable and comfortable travel experience. For more details, visit Baleària’s press release.

Building upon the success of the Stena Germanica in 2015, Lloyd’s Register (LR) and Stena Lines will work together on a project to retrofit two Superfast vessels with methanol propulsion.

The conversion will see the Stena Superfast VII and Stena Superfast VIII ferries, which operate on the Scotland to Northern Ireland route between Cairnryan and Belfast, converted to methanol dual-fuel propulsion with the vessels transferring class to LR.

As part of the project, the retrofit process will convert two out of the four main engines in each vessel to run on methanol alongside MGO (Marine Gas Oil). The ship’s bunkering, storage, fuel supply and supporting systems will also be adapted for methanol.

Source: LR