Interferry is calling on governments and electricity utilities to prioritise investment in Onshore Power Supply (OPS) development to help the ferry sector maintain its lead in maritime electrification and hybridisation.
Read more here
Logiport, a company part of the Grimaldi Group, has just signed a new port concession with the local port authority for the newly constructed RoRo and RoPax terminal, named Nuova Darsena Traghetti, in Civitavecchia.
The Naples-based group will manage docks 27, 28, 29, and 30, along with the associated yard space, for a period of 4 years.
Additionally, Grandi Navi Veloci (MSC group) and Livorno Terminal Marittimo (Moby) participated in the tender process and lodged an appeal against the concession awarded to the competitor, Grimaldi Group.
Grimaldi operates ferries at the port of Civitavecchia on regular motorways of the sea routes to/from Sardinia, to/from Spain, and with car carriers for new vehicle traffic.
The Giovanni Fagioli-controlled Finaval group has officially announced its co-ownership, holding a 49% share, alongside Grendi who holds 51%, of the vehicle company named Nav.Co. Nav.Co has recently acquired the RoRo ship Wedellsborg for EUR 34 million.
The seller of the vessel was Visemar Levante, a company associated with the Visentini family, who operates the Cantiere Navale Visentini shipyard in Italy where the ship was constructed in 2014. The financing for the deal was provided by Credit Agricole and Banca Popolare di Sondrio. The Genoa-based Banchero Costa served as the ship and financial broker.
Giuseppe Santarcangelo, the Deputy CEO of Finaval and Chairman of Nav.Co, stated that the group, which was previously primarily engaged in owning tanker ships, is now shifting its focus towards becoming a financial player and tonnage provider. He further mentioned that Finaval is currently exploring and evaluating potential new deals.
Attica Holdings agreed to sell ferry Express Skiathos for EUR 9 million to 4naver Shipholding Ltd. The completion of the transaction is expected to take place with the delivery of the vessel to the new buyers, in the first ten days of April 2024.
From this transaction, a net profit for Attica Group of EUR 2.8 million was realized. approximately and will be included in the results of the first half of 2024.
Photo: HSW
It is reported that Fast Ferries Andros is currently being chartered from Blue Star Ferries. The RoPax is temporarily serving on the Piraeus-Syros-Tinos-Mykonos line, replacing Blue Star Paros, which is undergoing her annual refit and dry docking. The ship is chartered from April 5 to April 21.
Photo: Spyros Roussos
The RoPax vessel Kalliste has arrived in Toulon on Thursday April 4th, freshly painted in its new livery. On Saturday, CMA CGM-owned La Méridionale will inaugurate the new route from Toulon to Ile Rousse in Corsica, and Livorno (Livorno only June-September).
Photo: Jean-Pierre Fabre
Emanuele Grimaldi, Chairman of the Finnlines Board, stresses the urgency of addressing climate change and calls for collaboration among stakeholders to achieve decarbonization goals. This includes investing in green technology, developing new fuels, and adapting to changes in vessel design and operation. Financial resources are crucial to fund these initiatives, with significant investments needed in production facilities, fuel supply infrastructure, and engine technology.
Mr Grimaldi says that as the shipping industry moves towards greener fuels and technologies, it’s imperative to not only strategize for the environmental transition but also to consider the transition for seafarers. With the adoption of new fuels, vessels will be designed differently, posing challenges for seafarers accustomed to conventional ship designs. Furthermore, seafarers may require retraining to effectively navigate digitalization and other technological innovations accompanying these changes. Thus, ensuring that seafarers are adequately prepared for these shifts is crucial for the successful implementation of sustainable practices in the shipping sector.
A couple of weeks ago, Ferry Shipping News published Finnlines’ Financial review January–December 2023.
Now the Annual report 2023 is out. Click on the cover below to directly access the Finnlines web page.
ORTC (Corsica Transport Office) published the monthly traffic statistics.
| January | February | |
| Passengers Airport | 158,010 (+7.4%) | 144,841 (+2.1%) |
| Passengers Ferry | 86,610 (+4.4%) | 75,316 (-13.1%) |
| Passenger Cars | 36,251 (+0.7%) | 32,310 (-10.7%) |
| Freight (tons) | 147,392 (+4.8%) | 162,615 (+26.2%) |
The monthly reports can be downloaded here (in French)
Fiskerstrand Shipyard has successfully completed a ferry project. Former ferry Kvernsund has been prepared for its new life in Canada as Astron W for the shipping company Labrador Marine Inc.
Extension by 8.4 m, ice reinforced hull, new propulsion system, hybrid battery system, new interior, adaptations to Canadian ferry terminals, are some of the works that have been done.
The ship is on her way to Canada and arrived in our home port of Ijmuiden on March 27.
Source photo: https://www.facebook.com/fiskerstrandverft
On Tuesday 19 March 2024, the decree implementing the law against cross-Channel social dumping was signed by the French Secretary of State for the Sea, Hervé Berville. All companies operating between Great Britain and France must now comply with French labour law. Operators affected by the move point out that this goes against international norms which they fully comply with.
Source (in French): decree
The latest addition to the Blue Star Ferries fleet, the RoRo Blue Carrier 2 (formerly known as Clementine), joined Hellenic Coastal Shipping on March 22. The vessel embarked on her maiden voyage on the Piraeus-Samos (Vathi)-Kos-Rodos line, becoming the second RoRo vessel in the Blue Star Ferries fleet.
Purchased in July 2023, she remained chartered until the end of December 2023. Built in Japan (Kawasaki) in 1998, she boasts a carrying capacity for 170 unaccompanied trucks and 458 private cars (2,307 lane meters), with a cruising speed of 17 knots.
Photo: Attica Group
According to the recent report of the Institute of SETE-INSETE (non-profit organization) the passenger shipping traffic in Greece for 2023 formed as follows:
- In the Adriatic market, passenger traffic is estimated to have increased by 11.6% in 2023 compared to 2022, while the estimate for the number of passengers was 1.3 million compared to 1.2 million in 2022
| Quarters | Passengers | % Percentage | |
| 2023 | 2022 | 2023-2022 | |
| Α | 167.675 | 131.968 | 27,1% |
| Β | 312.452 | 253.841 | 23,1% |
| C | 659.153 | 621.836 | 6,0% |
| D | 211.381 | 202.266 | 4,5% |
| Total | 1.350.661 | 1.209.911 | 11,6% |
Source: SEEN
- Domestic passenger traffic is estimated to have increased by 6.7% in 2023 compared to 2022, while the estimate for the number of passengers amounts to 18.7 million compared to 17.5 million in 2022
| Quarters | Passengers | % Percentage | |
| 2023 | 2022 | 2023-2022 | |
| Α | 1.672.061 | 1.348.530 | 24% |
| Β | 4.647.594 | 4.503.072 | 3,2% |
| C | 9.811.597 | 9.344.378 | 5,0% |
| D | 2.562.663 | 2.329.694 | 10,0% |
| Total | 18.693.915 | 17.525.674 | 6,7% |
Source: SEEN
