Three modern and eco-friendly RoRo vessels for Airbus

By 2024 Newsletter week 02

Deltamarin is collaborating with Louis Dreyfus Armateurs (LDA) and Wuchang Shipbuilding Industry Group (WSIG) to design eco-friendly vessels for Airbus subassembly transportation. These ships aim to reduce CO2 emissions by 50% by 2030. LDA is modernizing its entire chartered vessel fleet for Airbus, with Deltamarin handling the design. The vessels will be powered by Flettner rotors and dual-fuel engines, minimizing their environmental impact and cutting annual CO2 emissions from 68,000 to 33,000 tonnes by 2030.

Record-breaking passenger volumes for Wasaline in 2023

By 2024 Newsletter week 02

Wasaline announced excellent results for 2023.

+4.4% passengers

+14.3% cars

+11.6% buses

-5.9% cargo units, mostly due to the ending of traffic to and from Russia. The volume of imported paper has decreased due to lower demand. Export from Finland has remained approximately at the same level.

Turnover for Wasaline stayed the same compared to 2022.

Wasaline expects the first two quarters of 2024 to be difficult for both passenger and freight services due to the current economic downturn.

The shipping company is closely monitoring the (heavy) ice conditions in the Kvarken strait and is prepared to reduce the frequency of departures if necessary.

DFDS December volumes: freight 2% lower, passengers 8% higher

By 2024 Newsletter week 02

Ferry – freight:

  • Total volumes in December 2023 were 2.4% below 2022.
  • North Sea volumes were below 2022 due to volume decrease between the UK and the Netherlands while all other routes were above 2022.
  • Mediterranean volumes were below 2022 following lower volumes between Istanbul and Italy due to primarily timing differences in automotive manufacturing. All other routes were above 2022.
  • Channel volumes continued to be above 2022 driven by the Dover Strait routes.
  • Baltic Sea volumes were below 2022 due to a lower activity level in Sweden and the Baltic countries.
  • In 2023, the total transported freight lane metres decreased 7.9% to 38.4m from 41.7m in 2022. The decrease was 4.2% adjusted for Channel.

Ferry – passenger:

  • The number of passengers in December increased 8.1% following more Channel passengers as well a higher number of passengers on the routes connecting Norway-Denmark and UK-Netherlands.
  • The number of cars increased 4.0%.
  • In 2023, the total number of passengers increased 19.4% to 4.5m from 3.8m in 2022.

AS Tallink Grupp Statistics

By 2024 Newsletter week 01

In December 2023 AS Tallink Grupp transported:

  • +6% passengers 491,222
  • -23.9% cargo units 22,514
  • -1.7% passenger vehicles 59,577

In the fourth quarter of 2023 (October-December) AS Tallink Grupp transported:

  • +3.3% passengers 1,338,921
  • -20.7% cargo units 76,198
  • -1.5% passenger vehicles 172,972

During the full year 2023, Tallink Grupp transported:

  • +4.5% passengers 5,705,600 passengers across all the company’s routes. Passenger numbers increased on the company’s current regular Estonia-Finland and Estonia-Sweden routes compared to 2022 but decreased on the Finland-Sweden routes due to a smaller number of vessels operating.
  • +2.6% passenger vehicles 840 881
  • -20.9% cargo units 323 990 units

Summary of what Tallink Grupp’s CEO Paavo Nõgene said:

  • 2023 has been a year of more slow and steady recovery.
  • No sharp increase because some vessels are chartered out.
  • Chartering out makes perfect sense from an operational and risk reduction point of view as the markets are not ready yet for increased capacity on our routes.
  • Addition of MyStar to the Tallinn-Helsinki route is a success.

Photo: Tallink Shuttle vessel MyStar, photo credit: Marten Merila

Norled wins the Stokkvågen tender

By 2024 Newsletter week 01

Norled won the tender for the ferry connections Stokkvågen-Lovund and Stokkvågen-Træna after delivering a concept that cuts emissions by up to 90%.

Three new battery-hybrid ferries will enter the connection in 2027.

The three new buildings that will join the connection will all have capacity for 60 passenger cars and 250 passengers including crew.

The battery capacity for each of the ferries is approximately 8,000 kWh, making them the ferries with the largest battery capacity in Norway.

Norled has entered into a letter of intent with the shipyard Havyard for the construction of three of the battery ferries and also has an option for a fourth vessel.

LMG Marine has designed the ferries.

Norled wins Utsira tender

By 2024 Newsletter week 01

The new Utsira ferry will be operated by Norled.

An island right out in the open ocean, Utsira is one of Norway’s smallest municipalities in terms of population size. There is only one ferry connection: from Haugesund (a town between Bergen and Stavanger).

The contract is for 20 years with an option for an additional 10 years (5+5).

Breeze Ship Design in Leirvik will design the new Utsira ferry. The new double-ender ferry will be fully electric and designed to accommodate 179 passengers and 29 cars.

The new contract will commence on May 1, 2025.

Baleària buys the hybrid ferry RUSADIR

By 2024 Newsletter week 01

Baleària has purchased the cruise ferry RUSADIR after completing more than half a year of charter on the Malaga – Melilla route.

The ferry was originally built as HONFLEUR for Brittany Ferries.

The power comes from LNG or MDO and drives an electric propulsion system.

Baleària considers LNG a transition towards decarbonization. The company says it prepared to operate with renewable sources that are neutral in CO2 emissions.

Spanish MoD buys a second Ro-Ro

By 2024 Newsletter week 01

After buying a Suardiaz Ro-Ro vessel —now the YSABEL— the Spanish armed forces acquired a second ro-ro vessel: CADENA 4.

The vessel belonged to a company within the CLdN sphere. The former COLOR CARRIER was last chartered by Baleària on the route between the continent and the Canary Islands.

Purchase price: EUR 19.5m, according to infodefensa.com.