On October 6, 2021 the Hellenic Republic Asset Development Fund (HRAD) transferred an additional 16% of the shares of Piraeus Port Authority (PPA) SA to COSCO SHIPPING (Hong Kong) Co., Limited. The completion of the transaction came after the ratification of the relevant amendment by the Hellenic Parliament. COSCO SHIPPING paid to the HRAD EUR 88 million plus accrued interest of EUR 11,87 million and a letter of guarantee of EUR 29 million.
Following the successful installation of the Norsepower Rotor Sail on the hybrid ferry COPENHAGEN in 2020, and a year of demonstrated results, Scandlines has prepared the sister ferry BERLIN for its own Rotor Sail installation.
Scandlines’ COO, Michael Guldmann Petersen, commented: “We expected COPENHAGEN Rotor Sail to provide a 4 – 5% CO2 reduction. That expectation has been met.”
BC Ferries’ sixth Island Class ferry is now on its way to British Columbia after departing Damen Shipyards Galati in Romania on October 11.
Island 6, as it is temporarily named, is the last in this series of newly built Island Class ferries to join BC Ferries’ fleet.
Vincenzo Onorato publicly announced his intention to resign from the role of chairman at Moby. The seasoned shipowner wrote in a post on Facebook that “the person which will take over my role is respectable” and is expected to head the company in strict cooperation “with my sons Achille and Alessandro” and with a “young and motivated management team.”
Moby’s Vincenzo Onorato published on Facebook a picture of the first ro-pax newbuilding (to be named MOBY FANTASY) under construction at GSI shipyard in China and which will be launched next month. (designed by OSK Group).
The photo shows world’s largest ice-rated multi-fuel roro ships at the Yantai CIMC Raffles Offshore Ltd., China.
The ice-classed vessels have a length of 242m and a deadweight capacity of abt. 27,000 t making them largest in the class.
The Knud E. Hansen designed vessels will be the first Mega RoRo vessels in the world powered by LNG-fuelled engines.
First vessel scheduled for delivery mid-December. Second vessel was launched week 40.
Minister for European Affairs Thomas Byrne has inaugurated a new Irish terminal at the French ferry port of Dunkirk, with Ireland-France sea routes rising from 12 before Brexit to 44 now. (date: 11 October)
End of September, it has already handled nearly 40,000 freight units (trucks and unaccompanied containers) moving from Rosslare and back, as exporters side step the UK landbridge since Brexit took effect on 1 January.
Positive trend for September
Pax: +27.6% • 310,265
Pax Cars: +4% • 64,610
Cargo Units: +4% • 33,982
Negative trend for Q3
Pax: -13% • 1,144,092
Pax Cars: -16.8% • 229,468
Cargo Units: -1.1% • 90,538
Numbers are still far off from what Tallink is used to in Q3 in the pre-COVID times.
The company does not foresee great increases in passenger numbers before next spring or summer. Difficult low autumn-winter season ahead.
In light of the need to optimise the company’s activities for the low season ahead and with bookings for the autumn-winter season increasing at a slower pace than expected, the company made the decision to temporarily suspend the operation of its vessels BALTIC QUEEN, SILJA EUROPA and SILJA SERENADE after the end of the Christmas school holidays in January.
SILJA EUROPA will operate some special cruises and charter cruises during the suspension period.
The company will start operating its shuttle vessels Star and Megastar according to the traditional winter schedule from 16 October 2021.
DFDS and CLdN are adding more roro tonnage. The ships come from the Moby fleet.
Our colleague from Shipping Italy revealed that both ELIANA MARINO and MARIA GRAZIA ONORATO ship have been sub-chartered from Moby for at least six months.
ELIANA MARINO (2,500 lane metre) will be operated on the Mersin (Turkey) – Trieste (Italy) line by DFDS
Daily charter rate should be around EUR 14,000.
MARIA GRAZIA ONORATO (4,076 lane metre) is expected to be deployed by CLdN in Northern Europe and the ‘charter price’ should exceed EUR 20,000 per day. Both charters start from October.
Both roro’s have been operating up to date by Moby (in bare boat charter) on the Motorways of the Seas, linking Italy mainland with Sicily and Sardinia islands.
Grandi Navi Veloci has extended for 12 months the charter of two roro vessels already operated and deployed on the Genoa – Palermo – Malta route.
The units in question are the sister ships ELISABETH RUSS and CAROLINE RUSS, both controlled by the German company Ernst Russ AG and with a lane metre capacity of roughly 1,600 each.
