Sep 22
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Metsä Board starts pre-engineering for new folding boxboard mill in Kaskinen, Finland

By 2022 Newsletter week 38
  • Metsä Board will start pre-engineering for a new folding boxboard mill with an annual capacity of approximately 800,000 tonnes at the Kaskinen mill site in Finland.
  • The pre-engineering phase will include technical design, design of infrastructure and logistics solutions and tendering for the main equipment. As part of the pre-engineering, an environmental impact assessment and an environmental permit process will be launched.
  • The company estimates that a possible investment decision could be made in 2024 at the earliest.
  • Roro operator Wallenius SOL has Port of Kaskinen in its schedules (picture).
Sep 22
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Two shipyards submitted offers for building a new ro-pax ferry for Regione Siciliana

By 2022 Newsletter week 38

After two failed attempts the Regione Siciliana succeeded in receiving offers from two shipyards for building a ro-pax ship set to be deployed on the routes to and from the Aeolian islands.
Some sources said to Ferry Shipping News that Fincantieri and Astilleros Armon are the interested shipyards..
The procedure had a tender price of EUR 120 million (down from the initial 130 million for two units of the previous unsuccessful tenders) to build a ferry capable of carrying 1,000 passengers (including 38 crew members), for a total of 336 beds, as well as vehicles and goods (including dangerous goods).

The ship will have to be equipped with two cargo decks, one dedicated only to cars and accommodating 53 in 255 lane meters, while the other has a capacity of 610 meters for trailers and 710 for vehicles (147 units). The overall length of the unit will be 138.4m, the maximum width 25.2m, and the maximum speed will be 19 knots.

Sep 15
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Danish ferry tender officially awarded

By 2022 Newsletter week 37

With signatures placed in the Danish Ministry of Transport, the ferry routes Alslinjen and Samsølinjen were finally awarded to Molslinjen for a new 10-year contract period.

The signatures also mean that the contracts for the construction of two new electric ferries in Turkey are activated.

Photo: Transport Minister Trine Bramsen and Molslinjen’s managing director, Carsten Jensen, with the contracts for the next 10 years on Alslinjen and Samsølinjen.

Sep 15
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DFDS August volumes: strong passenger demand, freight remains robust in most regions

By 2022 Newsletter week 37

Ferry – freight:

  • Due to lower volumes in the Baltic Sea region and on the Dover Strait, total volumes in August 2022 were 5.2% below 2021.
  • Freight volumes were higher than in 2021 in all other regions.
  • North Sea volumes were above 2021 despite a negative impact from a strike in Felixstowe port.
  • Volumes in the Mediterranean network continued to grow, even though fires in the Trieste region held back volumes, driven by higher Turkish industrial production and exports.
  • Channel’s volumes were below 2021 following a decrease on the Dover Strait due to partly lower total market volumes, and partly addition of capacity by a third ferry operator.
  • Baltic Sea’s volumes were below 2021 due to the war in Ukraine.
  • For the last twelve months 2022-21, the total transported freight lane metres decreased 1.4% to 43.3m from 43.9m in 2021-20.

Ferry – passenger:

  • The number of passengers increased fourfold to 693k equal to 82% of volumes in August 2019, the latest comparable month pre-Covid-19.
  • The number of cars equalled 85% of volumes in 2019.
  • The Channel business unit’s volumes were reduced by addition of capacity by a third ferry operator.
  • For the last twelve months 2022-21, the total number of passengers was 3.0m compared to 0.7m in 2021-20 and 5.1m in 2019.
Sep 15
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Attica Group: EUR 120 million for green investments

By 2022 Newsletter week 37

According to the Greek press, the management of the Attica Group submitted its EUR 120 million investment plan to the Recovery Fund for the energy upgrading of its existing ships, as well as the gradual replacement of its oldest vessels within a decade.

Attica Group has already completed a EUR 21 million investment for the construction of its three modern Aero Catamarans (AERO 1, 2 and 3), which were introduced last August in the Saronic Gulf service and officially presented to the press on September 8, 2022.

As far as the passenger traffic performance of the Group is concerned, the first eight months of 2022 (January-August) the traffic was reduced by 15% compared to 2019, while the traffic in August 2022, was reduced by 6% compared to August 2019.

Sep 15
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More progress on the Greek Ports Privatization Process

By 2022 Newsletter week 37

On September 8, 2022 the board of the Hellenic Republic Asset Development Fund was about to approve the documents of the candidates in the tender for the sale of the 67% of the Igoumenitsa Port Authority, while on September 22 will be the final deadline for the submission of binding financial offers for the port of Alexandroupolis.

So far, three are the submitted binding offers for the Port of Igoumenitsa (ATTICA S.A – AKTOR CONCESSIONS S.A., GRIMALDI EUROMED S.p.A. – MINOAN LINES and Thessaloniki Port Authority), while further development we will probably see after September 15.

As far as the Port of Alexandroupolis is concerned, within the framework of the Greek-American defense cooperation (Mutual Defense Cooperation Agreement – MDCA) the port is used by the American armed forces for the transfer of war material to Europe. In this tender, two investment partners are participating. On the one hand is Quintana Infrastructure & Development and on the other hand the consortium of Black Summit Financial Group, Euroports, EFA Group and GEK TERNA, as well as the consortium Cameron S.A., Goldair Cargo S.A. and Bollore Africa Logistics.

Sep 15
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Guernsey will not buy a new passenger ferry for the island

By 2022 Newsletter week 37

In January 2022, the Policy & Resource Committee of Guernsey announced its intention to buy a ferry to lease to Condor Ferries.

“The idea was that a conventional ferry would add support to Condor’s current cluster of ships, which would give more security and an enhanced service to the island,” said the President of the Committee, Deputy Peter Ferbrache

Last week, the Policy & Resources Committee said it has abandoned plans to buy the island a new passenger ferry.