FINNECO II, the second of three roro vessels in the Eco class was delivered at the China Merchants Jinling Shipyard (Jiangsu) in China on 30 May 2022. The vessel will enter Finnlines’ Biscay line, where it will join the sister vessel, FINNECO I.
Ropax EPSILON, owned by Caronte & Tourist, but operated since several years in a bareboat charter by Irish Ferries, has been handed over this week to the new owner.
The Messina-based company, with the support of Ferrando & Massone acting as broker, sold the vessel to EuroAfrica of Poland for a price exceeding EUR 50 million.
At least until the end of the current year the EPSILON will remain in bare boat charter to Irish Ferries serving the maritime link between Ireland and the UK.
This ropax unit was built by Cantieri Visentini shipyard in 2011, can transport roughly 2,900 lane metres of roro and accommodate some 500 passengers.
From June 17, 2022, the port of Mytilene (Lesvos Island) will be connected with Smyrna (Turkey) with a direct ferry service. The line will be served by the High-Speed Craft IHSAN ALYNAK of the Turkish IZDENIZ shipping company and is expected to make two sailings per week (every Friday and Sunday).
The duration of the voyage will be about two hours and 15 minutes.
IHSAN ALYNAK was built in Turkey (Yalova) in 2017, while her carrying capacity is for 400 passengers and her service speed 30 knots.
The former Acciona’s HSC ALMUDAINA DOS (1997) left Almeria on May 31 and set sail for the Port of Piraeus. The ship was purchased last April by the new established Horizon Sea Lines and renamed SANTA IRINI.
She is expected to arrive in Greece on June 3, where she will undergo a small refit. Then, she will be chartered to the Cretan Transportation Services (CTRS) for daily excursions on the Heraklion – Santorini line.
The delegates who were at the Ferry Shipping Summit had the opportunity to grab their personal paper copy of RoPax magazine.
It is now also available online: click on the cover.
The Moby ferry has left Russian waters, bound for Gibraltar, according to MarineTraffic.
Given the current economic and political instability, and “despite upheavals and thanks to both the diversity of our fleet and markets served and the efforts of employees onshore and at sea” Grimaldi Group registered record results in 2021.
Consolidated turnover came in at EUR 3.46 billion, significantly up on the EUR 2.78 billion seen in 2020.
EBITDA came in at EUR 947 million, up from EUR 659 million the previous year, while equity increased to EUR 4.45 billion.
The Naples-based group informed that Trans-Atlantic operator ACL and the Grimaldi deep-sea services to West Africa and South America generated exceptionally good results amid high rates for the carriage of containers, in particular. But even the Grimaldi EuroMed services were successful, despite the microchip crisis and passenger transport limitations imposed by the pandemic.
Both Aegean operator Minoan Lines and Trasmed, the latter active on the Continental Spain-Balearic Islands routes, contributed to the 2021 EBITDA.
“Given, what is more, the very good result of the first quarter of this year, it is with positivity and confidence that we look to the future” Grimaldi also added. Specifying that by the end of 2024, the group will have taken delivery of another 14 newbuilds.
As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, for the very first time, Jadrolinija has initiated the procedure of purchasing full-electric vessels that will transport passengers in the Dubrovnik, Sibenik and Losinj areas, as was confirmed by the President of the Management Board of the national shipping company, David Sopta, for Rijeka portal Novi list.
A preliminary consultation procedure has since been initiated, as part of the public procurement procedure for three Jadrolinija ferries which will be up to 55 metres long and boast a transport capacity of at least 370 passengers, with fully electric propulsion.
Jadrolinija intends to finance the construction of these new vessels through the National Recovery and Resilience Plan.
CLdN and DFDS have agreed to cease the slot charter agreement to allow both parties “to focus on their customers’ needs.”
Going forward, CLdN will operate the full capacity of the additional sailings introduced in January this year on the direct route Rozenburg vv Killinghome.
Terminating the call at Vlaardingen will allow for a later departure from Rozenburg, answering customers’ requests for just in time deliveries for example refrigerated cargoes, in addition to faster turnaround of equipment.
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.
