Oct 24
Love4

New Agadir–Cádiz RoPax Ferry Line to Boost Trade and Jobs

By 2025 Newsletter week 43

A new RoPax service is planned between Agadir (Morocco) and Cádiz (Spain), launching at the end of February 2026, writes Maritime News (in French).

The line will run three round-trips per week, with a crossing time of around 24 hours.

The vessel is expected to carry up to 120 trucks and 240 passengers.

The link aims to unclog the port of Tangier Med, offer a closer gateway for regional exporters, and reduce logistics costs while improving export competitiveness from southern Morocco.

The ship operator has committed to recruiting and training Moroccan seafarers, contributing to job creation and skills development locally.

The new route is part of broader efforts to diversify Morocco’s maritime corridors and strengthen the position of the Souss‐Massa region as an emerging Euro‐Mediterranean trade hub. There was already an attempt to launch a freight service earlier this year.

Oct 24
Love3

ESPO Regrets Postponement of IMO Net-Zero Framework

By 2025 Newsletter week 43

The European Sea Ports Organisation (ESPO) has expressed serious concern over the International Maritime Organisation’s decision to postpone adoption of the Net-Zero Framework (NZF) by one year. The delay, agreed at the MEPC meeting in London, risks slowing global climate ambition and the pace of maritime decarbonisation.

The NZF was intended to set a global regulatory framework for shipping emissions, including a fuel standard and carbon pricing mechanism. ESPO called the postponement a missed opportunity, warning it could prolong regulatory fragmentation and undermine the momentum for a unified global approach.

ESPO urges the European Commission to maintain progress through tax incentives for clean fuels, subsidies, and ETS revenues directed towards onshore power supply and clean fuel infrastructure.

“The postponement should not lead to a cancellation of ambition,” ESPO stated, calling on governments, industry, and civil society to stay engaged in developing a credible and ambitious global framework for shipping’s energy transition.

Oct 24
Love3

ESPO Welcomes Continuation of CEF Programme

By 2025 Newsletter week 43

The European Sea Ports Organisation (ESPO) welcomes the European Commission’s decision to continue the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF), ensuring continued EU funding for developing and upgrading Europe’s transport and energy networks.

ESPO highlights the geostrategic role of ports as multimodal hubs supporting trade, energy, military mobility, and industrial activity. Secretary General Isabelle Ryckbost stressed the need for investment support to help ports deliver on public-interest projects that may not yield immediate returns.

The proposed €81.4 billion CEF budget is seen as a positive step, though ESPO considers it a minimum to achieve Europe’s strategic goals in competitiveness, resilience, and decarbonisation.

The ESPO position can be found here

Oct 24
Love1

IMAGE CARDS

By 2025 Newsletter week 43

Samsølinjen’s upcoming electric ferry TYRFING has begun its long journey home from the Cemre Shipyard near Istanbul, Turkey. It is the last of Molslinjen’s two new electric ferries, built for Alslinjen and Samsølinjen, to be completed and prepared for delivery to Denmark.

TYRFING will first sail to Svendborg, where it will be docked for final preparations, inspection, and approval by the Danish authorities. The crew will be trained, and all systems and power connections will undergo testing before the ferry enters service on 1 December 2025.

Oct 17
Love3

Stena Connecta Officially Named in China + Surprise

By 2025 Newsletter week 42

Stena Line’s newest vessel, STENA CONNECTA, was officially named at the CMI Shipyard in Weihai, China, on 16 October. She will soon begin her maiden voyage to her new home port on the Irish Sea.

Together with STENA FUTURA, which entered service in September, the two new freight ferries will boost freight capacity on the Belfast–Heysham route by 40%.

The naming ceremony was attended by Stena Line CEO Niclas Mårtensson, members of the executive team, and Stena AB owner Dan Sten Olsson.

“It is with great pride that we celebrate yet another milestone for our fleet and our company today,” said Niclas Mårtensson. “STENA CONNECTA and her sister vessel represent the very latest in maritime technology and will play a crucial role in maintaining essential transport links in Ireland and the UK, while contributing to our goal of reducing CO₂ emissions by 30% by 2030.”

STENA CONNECTA is a New Max RoRo vessel built for maximised freight capacity, offering 2,848 lane metres across 147 metres. She features a multi-hybrid propulsion system enabling the use of battery power, biofuel, and methanol, and two Norsepower Rotor Sails™ (28 x 4 m) that can save up to 9% in fuel on the Irish Sea route.
Her sister vessel, STENA FUTURA, is also ready for sail installation.

Stena Line, marking 30 years of operations on the Irish Sea, operates 13 vessels (including STENA CONNECTA) and up to 238 weekly sailings. Its network includes passenger and freight routes from Belfast to Cairnryan and Liverpool, Dublin to Holyhead, and Rosslare to Fishguard, as well as dedicated freight routes from Belfast to Heysham and Dublin.

STENA CONNECTA will begin her delivery voyage from China to the Irish Sea soon and is expected to enter regular service on the Belfast–Heysham route from January 2026.

Facts – STENA CONNECTA

  • Length: 147 m
  • Beam: 26.3 m
  • Built: 2023–2025, CMI Shipyard, Weihai, China
  • Passenger capacity: 12
  • Crew: 26
  • Height clearance: 5.3 m
  • Width clearance: 12 m
  • Freight capacity: 2,848 lane metres
  • Route: Belfast – Heysham (approx. 12 sailings per week)
Oct 17
Love3

Stena Surprise: Here Comes the C-Flexer

By 2025 Newsletter week 42

While going through the press photos from the naming ceremony of STENA CONNECTA, we noticed something interesting that wasn’t mentioned in the official press release.

This photo shows attendees — including shipyard workers in white uniforms and hard hats, some guests in formal attire, and a few in bright safety clothing —  seated on white chairs with blue sashes on a red carpet. The stage area features a red backdrop displaying text that reads:

THE SIGNING FOR LETTER OF APPRECIATION /

LETTER OF INTENT OF C-FLEXER RORO / 16th October 2025

This new design appears on the Stena RoRo website, hinting at another exciting step in the company’s continuous innovation journey.

Main particulars:

  • Length: 216 metres
  • Beam: 30,4 metres
  • Lanemetres: 3500-5050
  • Propulsion: Multifuel Battery Hybrid
Oct 17
Love3

New Zealand Selects GSI to Build Two New Ferries

By 2025 Newsletter week 42

The New Zealand Government, through its procuring company Ferry Holdings Limited, has selected Guangzhou Shipyard International (GSI) as the builder of two new ferries, RailMinister Winston Peters confirmed on October 14th. [Government announcement]

Negotiations between Ferry Holdings and GSI are still ongoing, and details will only be released once discussions are completed, along with port agreements with CentrePort Limited and Port Marlborough New Zealand Limited.

The ferries will each be around 200 metres long, with road and rail decks and capacity for 1,500 passengers. Delivery is expected in 2029.

Mr Peters noted that the project would deliver major savings compared with the cancelled iReX project, adding that a full announcement is planned before the end of the year.

Oct 17
Love4

TT-Line Signs LOI with Jinling Shipyard for Second-Generation Green RoPax

By 2025 Newsletter week 42

On 7 October, China Merchants Industry Jinling Shipyard and TT-Line signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) for one plus one second-generation green RoPax vessel. The news came from Chinese sources and has not yet been confirmed by TT-Line.

Highlights:

  • Marks the second collaboration between the partners.
  • NILS HOLGERSSON and PETER PAN were successfully delivered in 2022.
  • Both vessels operate efficiently on TT-Line’s routes to Germany, Poland, Lithuania, and Sweden.
  • The new vessel will be approximately 240 metres long and accommodate 1,000 passengers.
  • The fuel type remains unclear, although Chinese sources mention LNG.

Photo (courtesy CMI Jinling) Jiang Jiazhong, General Manager of China Merchants Industry Nanjing Jinling, and Andreas Schaerli, Chief Operating Officer of TT-Line, signed the letter of intent.

Oct 17
Love3

CLdN Publishes 2025 Carbon Report

By 2025 Newsletter week 42

CLdN has released its 2025 Carbon Report, outlining continued progress in decarbonisation across its operations.

Highlights include:

  • Further improvement in fleet CO₂ efficiency in 2024
  • Reduced CO₂ emissions from CLdN’s ports (excluding the effect of acquisitions)
  • Expansion of on-site renewables and increased use of electric vehicles at port facilities
  • Comprehensive inventory of scope 3 GHG emissions
  • Continued modal shift from road to ship and rail within CLdN’s multimodal network

Click on the picture to download the report.

Oct 17
Love3

HSC PONIENTE JET Sold to Greece, Leaving FRS Iberia

By 2025 Newsletter week 42

According to reliable information, HSC PONIENTE JET (ex-BONANZA EXPRESS, ex-ARTEMIS) has left FRS and has been sold to Greece. Built in Australia by Incat in 1999, she was first operated by Lineas Fred. Olsen, later sold to Ponte Ferries in 2020, where she served until 2023. In 2024, she joined FRS Iberia. Her capacity is 640 passengers and 180 cars (282 lane metres), with a service speed of 31 knots.

Photo: FRS