A call for tenders has been issued for the DSP serving the Islands of islands of Ouessant, Molène, Sein (Finistère), Belle-Île, Groix, Houat and Hoëdic (Morbihan) in France.
The contract is for the period 2023-2029.
One of the candidates is Brittany Ferries.
The two current operators Penn ar Bed and Océane are also under consideration but the region wants one single operator.
On May 24, Stena RoRo delivered the first of two extended E-Flexer ferries to Stena Line. She is the STENA ESTELLE and will operate on the Karlskrona – Gdynia line.
In total, Stena Line will be operating five E-Flexer vessels, with two of them being the extended version. The fourth in the order has now been delivered.
Compared to the basic design, the ferry has been extended by 36 meters. With the extension, the ferry is 240 meters long and has an increased capacity of 50% more cabins, 30% more passengers and 15% more cargo. Loading and unloading are streamlined with a drive-through configuration for both car decks.
A meeting between ESPO and Interferry has agreed a common work programme to promote an environmentally sustainable future for the European ferry business through the provision and use of onshore power supply (OPS).
EU-wide tax exemption for electricity provided to ships at berth.
KiwiRail has selected Siemens Energy to supply the integrated Electric Propulsion System (EPS) for Interislander’s new rail-enabled, more environmentally-friendly ferries.
The EPS includes the alternators, switchboards, batteries, azimuth thrusters, power and battery management systems and integrated alarm system. In addition, Hyundai Mipo Dockyard and Siemens Energy entered into a contract to design, supply, install, and commission the EPS for the two new Interislander ferries.
Selecting Siemens Energy as the maker for the EPS is another step towards the 40 per cent reduction in emissions that the new fleet will bring to Interislander operations and KiwiRail’s goal of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.
The hybrid technology selected to drive the new ferries will use electrical propulsion from generators fuelled by diesel and batteries recharged by electrical shore power.
Batteries will power 30% of the 3-hour journey. Under normal conditions the ferries will be operating on batteries only while manoeuvring and in port, using a combination of battery and shore power. Any surplus energy produced by the generators during sailing can also be battery stored.
The selected propulsion system uses pods.
HONFLEUR, the ropax ferry ordered by Brittany Ferries at Flensburger Schiffbau and completed by Fosen Yard in Rissa has been handed over to its owner Siem Industries (Seven Yield Pte Ltd)
The white ferry is expected in Gdynia, Poland for completion.
So far, we don’t know who the operator will be.
Swedish public transport company Västtrafik has taken delivery of their fourth electric hybrid ferry Eloise.
The 298 passenger ferry has an installed capacity of 1260 kWh, with which she can sail fully electric for six hours, recharging via shore power or, if necessary, the onboard diesel generator.
It is powered by an EST-Floattech battery system.
EST-Floattech’s Green Orca 1050 High Energy Battery System runs on Lithium Polymer NMC cells with a high discharge rate capability.
An in-house designed battery management system (software) and several mechanical features (hardware) ensure continuous safe operations.
Godby Shipping’s MIDAS will start a new time-charter for Scandic Line, Latvia, between Riga and Sweden. The charter contract is for 6+6+6 months.
The main cargo is prefabricated construction elements for the Swedish building sector, trailers, mafis and other roro cargoes plus containers on weather deck.
After being laid up since August 2021, Seaspeed Ferries’ OLYMPUS is being reactivated for the Southern Aegean run.
Following a decision of the Hellenic Ministry of Shipping and Island Policy, she takes over the subsidized Piraeus-Santorini-Sitia-Kasos-Karpathos-Diafani-Chalki-Rhodes, Piraeus-Heraklion-Sitia-Kasos-Karpathos-Diafani-Chalki-Rhodes and Piraeus-Santorini-Anafi lines.
The 1976-Japanese-built vessel has already undergone her dry docking at Neorion shipyars (Syros) and is currently at Spanopoulos Shipyards for the final repairs.
On May 20, 2022 Red Star Ferries’ EUROPEAN STAR (former ST CHRISTOPHER/1981) entered the dry dock at Spanopoulos Shipyards -probably for repairs- a development that probably extends her life.
The last of the “Sealink Saints” was expected to be introduced on the Brindisi – Valona run in 2019 but never sailed. She was laid up at Neos Molos (Drapetsona) and Ambelakia (Salamina) in January 2020.
Photos: Kostas Papadopoulos
Naples-based ferry company SNAV (MSC Group) is in advanced talks with the Italian shipyard Intermarine for a new single-hull ship capable of transporting up to 700 passengers, several sources revealed to Ferry Shipping News.
The ship in question will be deployed on the routes connecting Naples with the surrounding islands and the delivery is scheduled 18 months after the signing of the contract.
“The design and construction of aluminum fast ferries has been for many years the core business of Rodriquez Cantieri Navali (merged into Intermarine in 2013), that has built a significant number of vessels in the range from 30 to 115 meters for operators from all over the world” says the shipyard website.
Today the production of fast ferries is focused on vessels of smaller size, ranging from 40 to 70 meters, with different types of hulls: monohulls, catamarans, wave-piercing catamarans and hydrofoils.