The parking lot at the E40 highway in Jabbeke (Belgium) has been completely renovated. The parking now has permanent scanners that check for hidden refugees in trucks. This parking area is one of the last large place where truck drivers can stop before approaching the ports of Dunkerque and Calais. It has always been a problematic place regarding refugees, trying to enter the lorries.
Viking Line, Ports of Stockholm and the Port of Turku signed a Memorandum of Understanding, February 6, 2024, to create a green maritime corridor between Turku and Stockholm. The goal is for the corridor to be 100% carbon-neutral by 2035.
Source: Press Release Viking Line
Marine Atlantic took delivery of its newest vessel, the Ala’suinu, on February 7th.
Over the next several days, preparations will be underway to prepare for the journey home. This Stena RoRo E-Flexer is projected to arrive at Marine Atlantic’s facilities in April.
The Ala’suinu (pronounced Ah-laa-sue-in-ou), is a name that means “Traveller” in Mi’kmaq. The eagerly awaited vessel further builds upon Marine Atlantic’s commitment to the environment by reducing carbon emissions using battery power to complement the vessel’s efficient engine design. The Ala’suinu will also introduce measures to decrease underwater noise, reducing the impact on marine life. The vessel incorporates the latest Canadian accessibility standards and provides customers with a variety of amenities such as 146 passenger cabins (including 31 pet friendly cabins), 40 passenger pods, a variety of food service options, seating lounges, a children’s play area, and a kennel for pets.
The vessel will primarily operate on the Argentia service this summer, connecting customers between Cape Breton and eastern Newfoundland, and operate between Port aux Basques and North Sydney during the fall, winter, and spring periods.
Source: Marine Atlantic
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
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 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.
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.
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
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
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
