The shipping company has invested 126 million euros in the construction of the MARGARITA SALAS, which will begin operating next summer
The new catamaran will join the company’s fleet of eleven vessels equipped with dual gas engines.
As part of its commitment to fully transition to zero-emission shipping by 2040, Saronic Ferries participated in a training mission to Norway with the aim of further familiarising itself with electric propulsion technologies in coastal shipping.
The 3-day visit, organised by the Embassy of Norway in Greece, took place in Norway (3-6 December) with the goal of understanding and adopting environmentally friendly technologies for short sea vessels in the Greek market.
The educational visit of the company’s representatives to Norway offered a unique opportunity to explore the latest trends and practices in the electrification and hybridisation of passenger ships. Norway’s progress in this area is not only a model for business efficiency but also a beacon for environmental management in maritime industries.
Saronic Ferries, as already announced in the past, has been preparing since 2020 the study of a purely electric ferry for the transport of passengers and vehicles on the Saronic lines, which it already serves with a fleet of 5 conventional ships.
The study has already been implemented with the Dutch office C-Job and secured approval for the initial study (AiP) from the Norwegian Surveyor DNV, starting in the summer of 2023.
Photo: Saronic Ferries
On December 8, 2023, Piraeus Port Authority S.A. organized a conference on “Electrification of Ships in the Port of Piraeus – Prospects and Challenges”.
The Conference was held in the context of the energy transition of the infrastructure of the port of Piraeus and adaptation of its port operations to the imperatives of the Green Agreement and the EU Package of Measures “Fit for 55”.
It is noted that Piraeus Port Authority has already proceeded with a number of related actions, through two co-financed projects by the EU (CIPORT and EALING), having completed all the technical studies for 5 ship electrification positions in coastal shipping and 4 cruise ship electrification positions, while launching the construction of the aforementioned projects.
Baleària plans to open a new ferry route between San Pedro de Macorís (Dominican Republic) and Mayagüez (Puerto Rico) after summer 2024.
- Distance 133 miles.
- 7 hours crossing.
- Plan to build a terminal in the port of San Pedro de Macorís and adapt the one in Mayagüez.
- Possibly first LNG-powered ferry in the Caribbean.
Baleària has been operating in the Caribbean since 2011, where it currently connects the Fort Lauderdale with the Bahamian islands of Grand Bahama and Bimini.
This new service will be Baleària’s third route in the Caribbean and its sixth internationally.
HSC VITTORIO MORACE, with a length of 39.5 meters and a capacity of 251 passengers, is the world’s first HSC hybrid fast unit. It is equipped with two MTU-Rolls Royce hybrid engines, allowing it to operate entirely in electric mode within ports before recharging the batteries while sailing at 30 knots in open sea.
It is the first of the 9 innovative fast hybrid ships that will join the fleet by 2026.
The vessel was launched at the Astilleros Armon shipyard in Navia, Spain.
- The high-speed ferries BARONESSEN and BARONEN returned to the Brødrene Aa shipyard to replace their diesel engines with batteries.
- The vessels will also be lengthened by 10m to address the reduced energy efficiency as a result from the addition of heavy batteries.
- Innovation in charging: with the assistance of a robotic arm and a battery carousel, the battery module can be replaced in approximately 3 minutes. SHIFTR enables a swift transition to a fully charged battery while the boat is docked, resulting in significant time savings.
- Using a robotic arm and a battery carousel, changing the battery module can be done in about 3 minutes. SHIFTR makes it possible to change to a fully charged battery while the boat is docked, thus saving a lot of time. At the same time, the power grid will not be burdened to the same extent as with fast charging. Slow charging takes place at lower power, and will be less of a burden on the infrastructure.
Now owned by CMA CGM, the logo change marks a new chapter in the history of La Méridionale and follows the order of two new ships.
Deltamarin, part of China Merchants Group, has signed a contract with China Merchants Jinling shipyard (Weihai) for the approval and detail design of La Méridionale’s upcoming ro-pax vessel project.
As a part of the contract, Deltamarin will be responsible for providing both the approval and detail design services for the construction of the new ro-pax vessel pair. Deltamarin has earlier provided the shipyard with consultancy and contract design services on the project.
In August, Viking Line and Gotlandsbolaget presented a new joint investment in cruise traffic between Stockholm, Mariehamn and Visby. Now it is clear that the Baltic Sea’s new cruise vessel will be called BIRKA GOTLAND.
Under the leadership of CEO Susanne Kaarnimo-Knight, BIRKA GOTLAND will offer cruises from the end of March 2024.
Around Easter 2024, the first cruise will depart from Stockholm to Mariehamn. During spring and summer, the ship will also go via Visby on selected departures.
After that, the destinations are gradually expanded during the summer months with several popular destinations such as Härnösand, Ystad, Bornholm and Riga.
In November 2023 AS Tallink Grupp transported
-0.4% passengers 376,997
-20.8% freight units 26,547