Plans for e-methanol factory in Antwerp terminated

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The planned e-methanol factory in Port of Antwerp-Bruges will not be built. Despite receiving 1 million euros in subsidies from Flanders and the involvement of major players such as INEOS, Fluxys, and Engie, the green fuel for ships is too expensive and not attractive to shipping companies. Energy prices have risen due to the war in Ukraine and increasing geopolitical instability, further raising the costs of sustainable methanol. After extensive research, it has been concluded that customers are not willing to pay the higher price.

Source: Powertomethanolanantwerp.com

In 2024, GNV will add a third ship on the Genoa-Palermo route and take delivery of GNV POLARIS

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The Genoa-based and MSC-controlled ferry company, Grandi Navi Veloci, announced this week at the tourism exhibition Bit held in Milan that a third ferry will be deployed next summer on the Genova – Palermo regular route.

Matteo Della Valle, Chief Passengers Sales & Marketing Officer, stated that GNV recorded a 5% increase in transported passengers in 2023 compared to the previous year.

One of the significant developments for Grandi Navi Veloci in 2024 will be the delivery, scheduled for the last month of the year, of the new ship GNV Polaris, currently under construction at Ganghzou Shipyard International in China. This vessel is part of a broader order for four ships, each with a capacity of 1,500 passengers and 3,100 lane meters, along with 303 cabins. These four new units will be 218 meters long, with a beam of 29.6 meters and a maximum speed of 25 knots.

CLdN acquires the Distriport terminal of Broekman Logistics in Rotterdam

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CLdN announced the acquisition of 100% of the shares in Broekman Distriport Real Estate BV and its 100% subsidiary Broekman Distriport BV.

The acquisition offers the scope to further grow and diversify CLdN’s service offering to and from the port of Rotterdam.

Broekman Logistics announces investments in its Project Services terminal at Rotterdam-Heijplaat, converting it into a quayside location for assembly and technical services for industrial and offshore equipment and heavy machinery.

New Trieste – Damietta RoRo line officially presented and scheduled to sail from October

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The new regular RoRo line, set to be active from next October, linking the Italian port of Trieste with Damietta in Egypt, has been officially presented at the Fruit Logistica exhibition in Berlin, Germany.

The business partners of the initiative will be the Samer Group, DFDS shipping line, HHLA PLT Italy as the terminal operator, the local inland terminal of Interporto di Trieste, and SDAG, the freight forwarding company Trimar.

The transit time for sea transport will be roughly 70 hours and will be combined with rail services to and from Central and Northern Europe. Preclearing will also be another key factor, utilizing blockchain and document digitalization procedures. The vessel due to be deployed has a capacity of 200 semitrailers.

Tallink cruiseferry sold

By | 2024 Newsletter week 05 | No Comments

AS Tallink Grupp subsidiary Hansalink Ltd, has made an agreement to sell the cruiseferry ISABELLE to a company within the Bridgemans Services Group Ltd.

Since 1 July 2023, ISABELLE has been on charter with the Bridgemans Floatel division, who have taken up a purchase option.  The vessel’s future lies in the floating accommodation sector.

The sale of the cruiseferry will have a positive impact on the 2024 financial results of AS Tallink Grupp.

The vessel is currently in dry-dock in North Vancouver for final refit.  Woodfibre LNG has selected the Bridgemans Floatel to house its project construction workforce in Howe Sound, British Columbia, beginning spring 2024.

Photo: Bridgemans

Grimaldi charters CIUDAD DE MAHON to Baleària

By | 2024 Newsletter week 05 | No Comments

The 2008-built RoPax ferry CIUDAD DE MAHON, owned by Trasmed Grimaldi, will move to Spanish competitor Baleària on a bareboat charter that is understood to last 5 years.

The ship’s capacity is for 1,000 passengers and 1,500 lane metres of RoRo cargo and cars.

In the recent past CIUDAD DE MAHON has been deployed on the routes linking the Spanish mainland (Valencia and Barcelona) with the Balearic Islands, in particular Ibiza.

At present it is unknown how Baleària plan to use the vessel.

Photo: Grimaldi Trasmed

MOBY LEGACY arrives, MOBY VINCENT departs

By | 2024 Newsletter week 05 | No Comments

The 50-year-old ferry MOBY VINCENT (1.600 passengers and 920 lane meters capacity) has been sold for scrapping at Aliaga, Turkey.

The 1974-built vessel had been operating until autumn 2023 on the Livorno – Bastia route.  Her place will be taken by MOBY ZAZA for the forthcoming summer season.

The sale of the aged MOBY VINCENT is part of a renovation and cost-cutting plan launched by the Group, controlled by the Onorato family.  The ship should depart Italy soon.

Meanwhile, Moby Line’s brand new RoPax cruiseferry, MOBY LEGACY arrived at the port of Livorno on 28 January. The delivery voyage covered 14,000 nautical miles and took 32 days.  From 17 February the vessel will sail on the Livorno to Olbia route alongside her sister MOBY FANTASY.

Photo: Moby Line

MIRAMAR EXPRESS acquired by Lakeway Link

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New Swedish shipping company, Lakeway Link has acquired the RoRo MIRAMAR EXPRESS.  Lakeway Link, owned equally by Wallenius and Greencarrier, is to open a new service connecting Poland and Sweden.

The vessel will be renamed LAKEWAY EXPRESS and from April offer three weekly departures between Gdynia and Södertälje.  The service is seen as offering a robust alternative or complement to road and rail transportation.

The company intends to expand its services to include additional traffic to Västerås by 2026, following the reconstruction of the Södertälje locks.

The 1,624-lane metre MIRAMAR EXPRESS is currently sailing on the Algeciras – Tanger Med route operated by FRS Iberia/Maroc, recently acquired by DFDS.   It is understood that the vessel is owned by a separate FRS Group company and not included in the sale to DFDS.

Photo: Lakeway Link

Seajets purchased two more high-speed crafts from the Turkish IDO

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Greek sources are reporting that Seajets has added two more high-speed craft to their impressive fleet. This time they purchased the sister-ships OSMAN GAZI 1 and ORHAN GAZI 1 from Turkey’s Istanbul Deniz (IDO).

Both vessels were built in Australia (Austal, Henderson) in 2007 and belong to the Auto Express 88 series. Their carrying capacity is for 1,200 passengers and 225 cars, while they have a top speed of 37.5 knots. With these impressive 6,133 tonners in its fleet, the seemingly unstoppable Seajets will operate within the Aegean Sea with the significant number of 22 high-speed craft.

Photo: Austal

Additional Fjord Line call

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Fjord Line has announced some additions to their route portfolio.

From 1 February to 7 May and 2 September to 30 December, the cruise ferries STAVANGERFJORD and BERGENSFJORD will offer;

  • An evening sailing from Hirtshals to Kristiansand, the shortest route between Denmark and Norway.
  • A nightly domestic route from Kristiansand to Stavanger and on to Bergen.

This adds a call to the current Hirtshals – Stavanger – Bergen route northbound.  Southbound, the route remains as it is today; Bergen-Stavanger-Hirtshals.

7 May to 2 September, Fjord Line continues to sail 3 – 4 departures daily between Hirtshals and Kristiansand with HSC FJORD FSTR, STAVANGERFJORD and BERGENSFJORD

Photo: Fjord Line