Government May Subsidise Direct Ferry Routes to EU Post-Brexit, Says Coveney
The Government is prepared to subsidise direct ferry routes to mainland Europe to ease the movement of goods in a post-Brexit trading environment, Irish Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney has said.
The construction of two new larger Stena Line E-Flexer ferries has begun in Weihai, China. The vessels were ordered in 2018 and the delivery is expected in 2022. Stena Line has also confirmed the third E-Flexer vessel destined for the Irish Sea, STENA EMBLA, is expected to be delivered on time and will start operating on the Belfast-Liverpool route in January 2021.
The two larger E-Flexer vessels for Stena Line will be 240 meters long with a load capacity of 3,600 length meters, compared to the first three which are 214 meters long and have a load capacity of 3,100 length meters. In total, the larger vessels also get 50% more cabins and beds, 30% increased passenger capacity and an additional 15% cargo capacity.
NMT Shipping has chartered STENA FORETELLER (from Stena RoRo) for its Europe – West-Africa service.
STENA NORDICA will return to the Gdynia – Karlskrona route at the end of October.
She will replace STENA BALTICA (former COTENTIN) which will probably be returned to owner Somanor / Brittany Ferries.
CoTuNav charters a second roro vessel: SPIRIT OF MONTOIR (ex FRIJSENBORG) will join LEEVSTEN (ship particulars) on the route between Radès, Marseille and Genoa.
The contract with Smyril for Godby’s roro MISTRAL has been extended and is now valid until March 2021.
Godby Shipping’s MIDAS is running the Wagenborg roro service between Riga and Oxelösund, which started on 6 July,
Godby announced that MIDAS will be used in Accordia Shipping liner service between ports in the USA and the Caribbean, from November 2020 until December 2021. If that means the end of the Wagenborg service is not clear yet.
OFW Ships (Ocean Fresh Water) is about to be declared bankrupt.
The concept was to transform train ferry ODEEP ONE (ex names: MUKRAN, PETERSBURG) into a water-making vessel. Seawater was pumped at a great depth, desalinated and bottled on board.
On October 12, Cees Kloppenburg photographed PRIDE OF CANTERBURY leaving Rotterdam after a visit to Damen Ship Repair.
Photos from Toulon
La Méridionale’s new ropax PELAGOS (ex DFDS’ LIVERPOOL SEAWAYS) has made her maiden call in the Mediterranean on 12 October, in La Seyne sur Mer (Toulon).
She discharged 500 cars that had been embarked in Vigo. Afterwards she sailed to Marseille. She will start a new service from Marseille to Morocco.
CORSICA MARINA SECONDA replaces SARDINIA VERA for the transportation of new cars between Toulon / La Seyne Brégaillon and the Algerian ports of Mostaganem and Skikda.
Corsica Ferries get-together with MEGA SMERALDA, MEGA ANDREA and MEGA EXPRESS TWO.
Tallink: Freight Status Quo, Passengers Dropped Sharply
September
Q3
Paavo Nõgene, CEO of Tallink Grupp said that Tallinks business model needs cargo AND passengers. “Putting travel restrictions in place for passengers strongly affects the operators’ income base. This is why it is important that support mechanisms are put in place by the Finnish government, who has introduced the new restrictions, for all passenger ferry operators to ensure that cargo transportation can continue smoothly and without incurring losses.”
Spanish media reports that Naviera Armas has just received financial oxygen from two private equity funds, Apollo and HPS. They injected some USD 75 million in order to keep the ferry company alive in the rough seas of the coronavirus emergency.
Since the news went public both the EUR 280 and 300 million bonds issued respectively in 2016 and 2017 and due to expire in 2023 and 2024 decreased their values and are now negotiated in the range between 40 and 50% of the original value.
This new debt received from the funds comes after EUR 50 million provided by some Spanish banks earlier this year.
Last week Grandi Navi Veloci officially announced to have sub-chartered from Naviera Armas-controlled Trasmediterranea both ropaxes TENACIA and FORZA owned by Grimaldi Holding and deployed up to now on the Spain – Balearic Islands routes.
STEF-owned ferry company La Méridionale announced the cancelation of 90 agreements regarding terms of employment. All the agreements will be renegotiated with the unions, both for the crews and the shore staff. This should be done by the end of the year.
The fact that the company lost the major Corsican ports in the 15-month transitional contract (to Corsica Linea) did not help the finances, especially not together with the pandemic.
However, owner STEF is a strong logistics group.
La Meridionale also bought PELAGOS (DFDS – LIVERPOOL SEAWAYS – EUR 30,6 million) before Covid. The ship is still laid up in Le Havre.
CTMA says in a French press release it is pleased with the smooth operation of the tourist season, despite the pandemic.
CTMA Ferry provides regular ferry service between Souris, Prince Edward Island and the Îles de la Madeleine.
Nearly 19,000 visitors, excluding residents of the Îles de la Madeleine, accessed the archipelago via the ferry, while public health authorities set the visitor limit at 35,000 during the peak season.
In addition, the ferry MADELEINE (former LEINSTER, 1981) made 117 crossings compared to 170 last year.
Normally, the CTMA Ferry makes annually about 300 trips, carrying a total of more than 100,000 passengers and 41,000 vehicles.
Helsinki-based Nordic Investment Bank and Finnlines Plc have agreed a loan of EUR 30 million to finance the acquisition of three new hybrid cargo vessels.
The new hybrid cargo vessels will be equipped with high-powered battery banks and photovoltaics, which will allow the ships to use electricity and operate emission-free while docked. The vessels will be delivered during 2021–2022, and will operate on routes between Finland and Europe.
CLdN is to step up preparations for the end of the Brexit transitional phase on 31st December 2020 by introducing additional capacity on its UK routes.
One of the reasons for the high demand is the fact that British companies are preparing for a no-deal end of the Brexit transition period by stockpiling essential goods.
Norwegian mobility company Kolumbus and shipyard Fjellstrand have signed a contract for the delivery of the world’s first fully electrical fast ferry. The project is a key part of Kolumbus’ work to reduce emissions from passenger transport.
The TrAM project (Transport – Advanced and Modular), led by Kolumbus, receives economical support from EU’s Horizon 2020 program to develop new methods for design and production of zero emissions passenger vessels.
The politicians of Rogaland county council have decided to partially finance the construction of this electrical fast ferry, intended to validate the methods developed by the TrAM project. During 2022, the vessel will commence the service of Kolumbus’ route from the city of Stavanger to Byøyene and Hommersåk in a test period.
