No Interferry Conference in 2020
Interferry has made the decision to cancel the Interferry Conference in Hobart, Tasmania in October 2020 and reschedule this location for the 2023 conference.
Freestyle translation by Ferry Shipping News
- 4 ferries in operation, 9 stopped. Two thirds of people in partial unemployment.
- Only a few dozen ‘essential’ passengers travel. Freight is now king, something unusual for Corsica Ferries. The company has listened to Corsica transport companies and adapted the offer. Sometimes changes were skillfully implemented overnight, to react as quick as possible.
- We are awaiting what the government says about the relief of travel restrictions. We can only adapt once we know. But we are preparing and we can assure the tourism industry that if travel allows people will have enough ferries to get to the island.
- Although the company is already experiencing the economic consequences of this crisis, Pierre Mattei is happy about the quick reaction time of his company. “It is in our DNA to be agile and versatile.”
- Corsica Ferries suffered a fake news campaign. It was accused of transporting tourists. It all started with pictures from before the lockdown. They were re-released by some politicians, who did not even check.
Freestyle translation by Ferry Shipping News
- Corsica Linea went from 7 to 4 ships: 2 on Bastia, 2 on Ajaccio.
- No link to North-Africa
- Only a few passengers, majority is freight. In the middle of the crisis freight went down. Then we carried only 70% of the normal capacity. Now we transport 80% of the goods that arrive on the island.
- Very difficult to predict summer. I don’t know if we will carry passengers this summer. We need to carry people without putting them at risk.
- We’re going to lose lots of money, but I am not afraid for my company. I am more afraid for the economic earthquake on the island.
- We have a social ambition. We want to develop the local economy. That’s why we employ French seafarers, not Italians (as Corsica Ferries does, note from editor). They are costing us three times more. We have also decided to only work with food from Corsica.
P&O Owners Say Government ‘Slow’ over Threat to Supply Routes
The head of Dubai-based DP World told the BBC that P&O needs £257m in aid to avoid collapse and has applied to the UK government for £150m of that.
Progress on the SUPERFAST XI Scrubber Conversion
Conversion works on Attica Group’s ropax SUPERFAST XI is in progress.
The large ferry is at Keratsini dock since March 29, 2020 in order to undergo her scrubber conversion (open loop type), which will be the first to be performed on a ropax ferry in Greece.
Corsica Linea’s A. NEPITA (ex-Superfast X) is getting a scrubber too, in Perama.
HOLLANDIA SEAWAYS Is Now on the Zeebrugge-Göteborg Route
The mega freight ferry was photographed last Sunday in Zeebrugge.
This week we go back 20 years: 2001
Place: Travemünde, at a moment when TT Line started to operate the new NILS HOLGERSSON and PETER PAN, still in service.
TRANSFINLANDIA (built 1981)
The first ship is TRANSFINLANDIA. She was eventually scrapped in 2012.
TRANSEUROPA (built 1995)
Another Finncarriers fleetmate was the sturdy TRANSEUROPA. In 2013 she let the Baltic Sea for a second life in the Meditterranean, as EUROFERRY OLYMPIA. She is still in service between Salerno and Catania.
LÜBECK LINK (built as FINNROSE in 1980)
Last but not least is the ship that would probably never win a beauty contest. LÜBECK LINK is photographed when she was operating for Nordö Link on the Travemünde-Malmö route. In 2017 she was broken up in India.
The Hellenic Coastal Shipping Urgently Needs Financial Support, Says XRTC
According to the recent XRTC study, the Hellenic Coastal Shipping will need a monthly financial support immediately – for as long as the crisis lasts – ranging from EUR 22 to 30 million, in order to face the unexpected consequences of Covid-19.
Corsica Sardinia Ferries to Launch a New Savona – Golfo Aranci – Civitavecchia Summer Link
Corsica Sardinia Ferries announced on the website a new “all Italian” maritime service set to be offered from July 10 to September 14 and connecting Vado Ligure (Savona) with the Sardinian port of Golfo Aranci and Civitavecchia (Rome).
The new link from Savona will be overnight and served three days per week (on Fridays, Sundays and Tuesdays) while the sailing from Civitavecchia will take place early in the morning on Saturdays, Mondays and Wednesdays. One of the Mega Express-class ferries will be deployed on this route.
Raoul Zanelli Bono, sales director of Corsica Sardinia Ferries, underlined that the new link “will be compliant with all the new rules which has been and will be introduced by health and maritime authorities in order to face Covid-19 emergency”.
The Italian transport ministry published an announcement inviting ferry companies to propose ro-pax units capable of hosting aboard migrants set to be quarantined upon arrival off the Italian coasts from North Africa. Last week Tirrenia-CIN’s ferry RAFFAELE RUBATTINO was already used to accommodate some 180 migrants saved from two NGO vessels (ALAN KURDI and AITA MARI).
The expressions of interest invitation is set to expire on next Friday April 24, at midnight, and ro-pax units proposed (either Italy or Eu-flagged) must have capacity enough to accommodate 250 migrants to be hosted in single cabins (except families). The garage must have instead at least 300 lane metres capacity. The value of the contract is EUR 1.2 million per month.
The Prefecture of Agrigento also launched another public tender, set to expire on Friday April 24 at 9 AM, in order to find ferry companies interested at serving a potential maritime transport service of migrant s from Lampedusa to Sicily (Porto Empedocle). In this case a ferry with at least a 50-passenger capacity is requested.
On April 16, the Hellenic Ministry of Shipping and Island Policy decided to subsidize the Greek Ferry Companies with EUR 15 million in order to compensate them for their losses due to Covid-19.
However, the Greek Ship-owners Association for Passenger Ships (SEEN) sent a letter to the Minister, explaining why these funds are not enough for the sector. They agreed that this is a positive measure, but they firmly disagreed with the procedure (bureaucratic and unnecessary) as well as the amount of compensation provided which does not cover the actual costs of their ships.
According to SEEN the necessary compensation based on the routes which are obliged to perform today, is estimated at EUR 15 million per month, when the Ministry’s decision to compensate them on a monthly basis with EUR 7 million (EUR 8 million less per month). SEEN also noted that in the period 21/3 to 30/4, the costs of their ships after the deduction of the revenues are estimated at EUR 20 million while the Ministry’s Decision provided only EUR 1.6 million for the same period.
For that reason, they emphasized on the need for immediate and substantial support of the Hellenic Coastal Shipping in order to avoid the collapse of the sector underlying that the problem affects the Adriatic service as well.
In view of the above they asked from the Minister to take sufficient and substantial measures in order to support the Hellenic Coastal Lines as well as the International lines (Adriatic Service):
- Compensation of the active ships based on their real expenses (minus the income), as these have already been notified by the Ferry Companies
- Compensate the ferries for the period from March 21 to the date of conclusion of the new Public Service contracts according to the Decision of April 16, 2020
- Compensation of the inactive ferries according to their actual costs
- Increase of the subsidies of the services that are executed today with Public Service Contracts
- Compensate also the Adriatic Service, as the lines between Greece and Italy are of great importance for the import and export trade of the country, offering valuable services.
