On November 24, 2021, Rederi AB Gotland said it has acquired the Kawasaki-class roro vessel VALENTINE from Cobelfret Ferries.
The vessel has been chartered out on a bare-boat basis to KiwiRail for traffic in the Cooks Sound between the North Island and the South Island of New Zealand.
VALENTINE is now on her way to New Zealand and is expected to arrive there during the second half of December.
Port of Kiel has set itself the goal of reducing all CO2 emissions it causes to zero by 2030. The path to climate neutrality is described in a three-step plan that concretizes the BLUE PORT concept for the port and was presented on November 24 with the first presentation of the environmental report.
Photo Tom Körber
In 2020:
Maritime transport of passengers in EU ports was severely hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, decreasing by 45.0% compared to 2019.
The total number of passengers embarked and disembarked in EU ports was 230.1 million.
Italy remained the largest maritime passenger transport country in Europe.
The top EU maritime ports embarking & disembarking passengers were:
Europe’s ports welcome that the review of the current AFIR proposal is accompanied by provisions in the new FuelEU Maritime Proposal, which requires vessels to use shore-side electricity infrastructure at berth.
The alignment of requirements between what ports need to do and the obligations for shipping lines to use the infrastructure is one of the main points of ESPO’s joint position on the maritime pillar of the proposal for an Alternative Fuel Infrastructure Regulation (AFIR) and on the proposal for a FuelEU Maritime Regulation.
Europe’s ports ask for a full alignment of Article 9 of the AFIR proposal with Articles 4 and 5, as well as with Annex III of the FuelEU Maritime proposal.
Trasmed GLE, a ferry company part of Grimaldi Group, publicly protested against the Port Authority of the Balearic Islands for the alleged unfair competitive conditions in favour of the competitor Baleària.
The company headed by Ettore Morace complained about the fact that its vessel VOLCAN DEL TEIDE was obliged to wait for a berth off the port of Alicudi because of ferry NAPOLES.
As a consequence, Trasmed’s vessel had to berth one hour and a half later than scheduled. The case will be taken by Grimaldi Group’s subsidiary to the competent authorities for the antitrust in Spain.
RoRo AMIRA MARFAT (former ALEXO, FINNMERCHANT, MERCHANT, FINNLAND), is on her way to Aliaga (Turkey) for scrap, flying the flag of Comoros.
The ship was sold by the Cypriot Salamis Lines last September to the Turkish Merfat Maritime, in the context of upgrading its shipping activities and renewing its fleet. She was purchased in January 2017 and replaced -on the Lavrion-Limassol-Haifa line- by the newer VASSILEIOS (1990).
Photo: Selim San
French antitrust authorities have announced to study the agreement between DFS and P&O on Calais – Dover.
Earlier, the British authorities announced the same. (see Ferry Shipping News)
According to Equasis, Stena RoRo has sold MONT VENTOUX to CMA CGM. The latter has chartered the vessel from Stena RoRo for many years.
Irish Continental Group
Volumes (Year to date, 20 November 2021)
Ferries Division (Irish Ferries)
Volumes (since last Trading Update, 21 August 2021)
Irish Continental Group plc will acquire CIUDAD DE MAHON from Trasmed GLE in January 2022.
The vessel will serve the Dover – Calais route operated by Irish Ferries after dry docking and branding changes.
The vessel was built in 2000 as NORTHERN MERCHANT and had Dover as her port of registry at that time.
Passenger capacity 589. Freight unit carrying capacity 91.
Irish Ferries commenced services on the Dover – Calais route on 29 June 2021.
The plan was to have a three-ship operation, with up to 30 sailings per day on the route with sailings in each direction approximately every 90 minutes.
Fleet:
The introduction of the two extra vessels represents a total investment of €35.5m
