Feb 24
Love0

Gotlandsbolaget to dispose of fast ferry

By 2023 Newsletter week 8

Gotlandsbolaget has announced that they will sell or charter the high-speed monohull GOTLANDIA II.

Gotlandsbolaget subsidiary Destination Gotland has returned the vessel to the parent company following a decision not to offer a seasonal service to Västervik.  The company’s Visby services will be maintained by the modern fast ro-paxes VISBY, GOTLAND and DROTTEN.

GOTLANDIA II was built by Fincantieri in 2006 and can carry 900 passengers and 160 cars.

The company also owns the ro-pax VISBORG, currently on charter to DFDS, and another high-speed monohull, GOTLANDIA.  It is understood that the company is also in the process of disposing of the latter fast craft, dating from 1999.

Gotlandsbolaget has an ongoing research project, named Horizon, to introduce climate neutral vessels, including a hydrogen powered catamaran.

Image: Gotlandsbolaget

Feb 24
Love0

Polferries update on new tonnage

By 2023 Newsletter week 8

In an interview with Radio Gdańsk, Andrzej Madejski of Polskiej Żeglugi Bałtyckiej (Polferries) has provided an update on the three ro-pax ferries being built at Remontowa for his company and Unity Line.

  • The Polferries vessel is due to enter service in 2027. The first of the two Unity Line ferries should be delivered in 2025
  • Sheet metal cutting is continuing on the first vessel and the hull should be launched at the end of the year
  • All three units will serve the Świnoujście-Ystad line

Meanwhile, Polferries has said that their Visentini ro-pax newbuild will be launched in the Spring, with the vessel entering service in the second half of 2024.  The vessel will be chartered from a subsidiary of the shipbuilder for a period of 10 years, with a purchase option after 6 years.

Photos: Polferries

Feb 24
Love0

Alslinjen’s electric ferry put into production

By 2023 Newsletter week 8

Steel cutting for Alslinjen’s new electric ferry recently took place at the Cemre Shipyard Tukey.

Molslinjen’s construction project manager, Ole Berg-Hansen, pressed the button to start the CNC plasma cutting machine, which cut through the very first plate for the new ferry.

To be completed in September 2024, the vessel’s key characteristics are;

  • 8 meters in length
  • 600 passengers
  • 188 cars
  • The ferry will have batteries of 3.1 MWh which can be fully charged in approx. 20 minutes

A similar vessel will be built for Samsø line, with production beginning 1 April 2023.

Video of steel cutting 

Feb 24
Love0

MSC Aurelia arrived at Iskenderun in Türkiye

By 2023 Newsletter week 8

After its departure from the port of Naples, the ro-pax ship MSC AURELIA arrived in the Turkish port of Iskendrun on 20 February.

60 pallets of basic necessities and first relief items carried on board will be distributed to those in need.  MSC AURELIA will be used as emergency accommodation, providing the local authorities and emergency services with over 1,000 beds and equipped spaces.

Photos: MSC Foundation

Feb 24
Love1

Creta Cargo Lines’ ro-ro Orion joined the Hellenic Coastal Shipping

By 2023 Newsletter week 8

On 20 February Creta Cargo Lines’ ro-ro ORION (the former ORCADIA and SATURN) made her debut on the Lavrion – Naxos line.

The handy size vessel is expected to support the other vessels of the Cretan Company’s fleet (TALOS and IOSIF K.) on domestic ferry services.  The company mainly transports trucks and dangerous freight to the smaller and difficult ports of Cyclades Islands.

Photo: Kostas Papadopoulos

Feb 24
Love0

Sea Speed Lines ro-pax Olympus eventually sold

By 2023 Newsletter week 8

After numerous tenders that were cancelled due to a lack of bidders, Sea Speed Lines’ ro-pax OLYMPUS has been sold to an anonymous buyer for USD 1.755.100.

The sale follows a lengthy period out of service. She previously served the Piraeus – Rethymnon line.  In the summer 2022 she was to be introduced on the Piraeus or Lavrion – Santorini – Anafi line.  However, this failed to materialise.

According to unconfirmed information, her buyer is Creta Cargo Lines.  With her new owner concentrating on cargo, it seems possible that OLYMPUS will be converted to a ro-ro vessel.

Photo: Dimitris Mentakis

Feb 24
Love1

Corsica Victoria sold to start-up

By 2023 Newsletter week 8

The 50-year-old CORSICA VICTORIA has been sold by Corsica Ferries to a new-start company, Flipper Lines.  She has been renamed CAMOMILLA.

The buyer is 55% owned by Saimja Shpk, 30% by Maria Grazia La Sorte and 15% by Hitaj Esmeralda.
CORSICA VICTORIA has been moored in the port of Leghorn since last summer but is expected to sail for Brindisi in the coming days.  She will be deployed on the Brindisi (Italy) – Vlora (Albania) service.

Tribute to CORSICA VICTORIA on YouTube

Feb 24
Love0

Interest in Straitsman

By 2023 Newsletter week 8

Québec’s CTMA has confirmed an interest in acquiring the STRAITSMAN from New Zealand operator Bluebridge.  The 2005 ro-pax will soon leave the service, after being replaced in the fleet by the CONNEMARA, acquired from Stena RoRo.

CTMA would purchase the STRAITSMAN to replace the back-up vessel C.T.M.A. VACANCIER, originally the AURELLA of 1973.

Meanwhile, appearing in front of a Scottish Government committee, Stuart Garrett, Managing Director of Northlink Ferries indicated that industry reports of CMAL visiting the vessel were also correct.  If CMAL was to purchase the vessel for use by Northlink, it would operate on services to Orkney and Shetland to boost passenger and freight capacity.

Photo Bluebridge

Feb 24
Love0

New CEO for Molslinjen announced

By 2023 Newsletter week 8

The current CEO of ForSea, Kritian Durhuus is to become the new CEO of Molslinjen.  Molslinjen’s takeover of ForSea was completed at the end of January and the two companies are in the process of merging.

The vacancy has arisen as current Molslinjen CEO Carsten Jensen is leaving the post to become the new CEO of Nordic Ferry Infrastructure in Oslo.

Nordic Ferry Infrastructure (NFI) is a holding company that will in future own both Molslinjen and the Norwegian transport company, Torghatten.

Kristian Durhuus will join Molslinjen on 15 March 2023.  In the interim period Carsten Jensen will remain responsible for Molslinjen.

Photo: Molslinjen

Feb 24
Love0

In Brief

By 2023 Newsletter week 8
  • In addition to boosting capacity on Finnlines’ own Zeebrugge – Rosslare route, FINNPULP is also to be chartered to P&O Ferries for one roundtrip per week. The vessel will depart Zeebrugge on Tuesdays and Teesport on Wednesdays from 28 February.  The ferry companies have an existing cooperation, P&O Ferries providing stevedoring and ship handling for Finnlines’ Rosslare service at the Belgian port.
  • Viking Line has announced that 13 March to 25 June, CINDERELLA will call at Kapellskär on her morning departure from Mariehamn to Stockholm. The sailing is a result of the sale of the ROSELLA and the loss of her sailings from Åland to Kapellskär.

Photo: Viking Line

  • Björn Blomqvist, CEO of Rederi Ab Eckerö Group, has revealed that there has been recent interest in the sale or charter of their idle cruise vessel BIRKA STOCKHOLM. The ship has been laid up since the Covid pandemic arrived in March 2020.  With interest from Europe and Southeast Asia there have also been enquires for using her as an accommodation vessel.
  • From 1 March, Brittany Ferries will switch from Pound Sterling to Euro as the base currency onboard. Sterling will still be accepted onboard at the daily exchange rate but all products and services will have prices displayed as Euro. Full details of the change can be found here.

Photo: Brittany Ferries

  • Molslinjen has been given permission to replace the MAX MOLS with the EXPRESS 1 when the newbuild EXPRESS 5 is delivered as the main Bornholm fast ferry. Due to the subsidised service, the decision required approval of the Danish Ministry of Transport.  The capacity of EXPRESS 1 up to that of the MAX MOLS will be sold within the contract but the additional part is to be sold commercially at Bornholmslinjen’s own risk.  This arrangement will initially be for one year.
  • Molslinjen’s fast ferries on the Kattegat are now registered with the Too Good To Go food waste scheme. This means that ferry passengers on the last departures of the day to Aarhus have the opportunity to buy food to take home from the ferries’ catering outlets. The scheme attempts to reduce food waste.  A bag of food purchased on the app costs DKK 39 and can contain items such as croissants, sandwiches or salads.

Photo: Molslinjen