Moby group is rumoured to have sold the ro-ro vessel BARBARA KRAHULIK to the German ferry operator TT Line.
Trasmediterranea’s VILLA DE TERROR has finally been delivered.
FRS: Successful Start Of GOLDEN BRIDGE On Motril – Melilla
Since 27 June, GOLDEN BRIDGE connects the ports of Melilla and Motril in just 5 hours.
With 186 meters in length, a capacity for 1,500 passengers, 500 vehicles and cargo, the GOLDEN BRIDGE has a restaurant, bar, premium zone, lounges, children’s play area and outdoor terrace. The introduction of this larger and faster ship represents a significant improvement on this route. Crossing time has gone down from 7 to 5 hours.
The ferry that operated this route previously, VOLCAN DE TAUCE, will cover the Motril – Tangier Med line instead.
GOLDEN BRIDGE is on charter to FRS for six months, owned by Galaxy Seaways SA, and taken care of by A-Ships Management SA in Athens.
DFDS Introduces Its ‘Field To Ferry’ Food Concept
Spectacular Footage of PAROS JET In Stormy Weather of Naxos
Brittany Ferries to Charter Another Visentini Ferry from Stena RoRo
Brittany Ferries is going to charter an additional ferry ahead of the 2020 season. The ship is currently sailing in the Adriatic as AF MICHELA.
There are three main reasons for the charter:
- During winter, Brittany Ferries have to send their ferry PONT-AVEN to a yard to have one of her four engines replaced. That will take almost 3 months.
- To cope with potential delays in the delivery of HONFLEUR, under construction in Flensburg.
- Generate additional capacity to prepare for the impacts of Brexit, should it happen at the end of October.
The chartered ro-pax will be operated from November 2019 until November 2020. She will take over Brittany Ferries sailings from Cork to Santander.
CONNEMARA, which operates between Cork and Santander today, will be brought under the French-flag. This is six months earlier than originally planned and reinforces Brittany Ferries commitment to the employment of French seafarers, a very important issue in France.
Following her re-flagging, CONNEMARA will be free to cover scheduled dry-dock periods for other vessels over the winter and to release ETRETAT (currently operating Portsmouth to Le Havre) to cover services from the UK to Spain in April.
Ferry Shipping News was present at the first Motorways of the Sea Forum in Brussels, on the longest day of the year (21 June).
Corsica Very Worried About the Strike at the Beginning of the Holiday Season
La Méridionale is on strike and unions block the port of Marseille.
The industrial action started six days ago. Two ships from La Méridionale and three ships from Corsica Linea are currently blocked.
The reason is the fact that La Méridionale has been excluded from the latest DSP, at least from three of the five ports. The main ones!
La Méridionale, traditionally a partner of Corsica Linea (and before SNCM), decided this time to tender alone for the DSP.
Because the company only owns three vessels they needed to acquire two extra ships, which didn’t go easy. A plan to charter a Stena RoRo ship couldn’t be realised. Last minute La Méridionale had to change their plans, and it was said they were going to have LIVERPOOL SEAWAYS instead.
Another ship that was going to reinforce the three-ship fleet had to be changed eventually.
Because of the different characteristics of the initially planned vessels, it was decided the candidature of La Mériodionale was not valid.
This means that in spite of their historic track record (with no industrial actions as with the defunct SNCM), La Méridionale will be excluded from all major Corsican services tenders.
The Corsican tourist industry is of course very worried, with the 1st of July around the corner.
The customer information page on the La Méridionale website explains (in French) the ‘why’ of the strike.
Ferry Shipping News translated the last paragraph:
“Today, at the dawn of a decision taken by partisan parties and stained by procedure errors, our candidature to (de)serve the Corsicans and Corsica is about to be rejected for the next 15 months.
Tomorrow, you (the customer) will no longer have a free choice.”
According to the Turkish Aegean Seaways, on June 30, 2019 KAUNAS will be finally introduced on the Lavrio-Cesme run. The ship will be presented to the Greek side on 1 July, 2019 at the port of Lavrio.
The large vessel will fly a European Union flag and she has recently equipped with scrubbers in order to meet with the IMO stricter standards for 2020.
The duration of the voyage will be 7 hours and the ship will depart from Cesme at 10 pm and arrive at Lavrio at 6 o’clock the next day and vice versa.
KAUNAS was built in Western Germany in 1989. Her carrying capacity is for 1,200 passengers (250 beds) and has 800 lane meters. Her service speed is 16,5 knots
The Federal Government in Ottawa started the negotiations with the Canadian Davie shipyard. They have been chosen as the preferred builder for two ferries which will replace the ageing MADELEINE (Madeleine-Prince Edward route) and HOLIDAY ISLAND (Wood Islands-Caribou). Both vessels, respectively from 1981 and 1971, are nearing the end of their life cycle.
The Government conducted an industry analysis, which concluded that the Davie yard is the only Canadian shipyard with the capacity, experience and capability to build these ferries in the required timeframe.
A contract has not been signed, yet.
Ferry Shipping News understands that operator CTMA was not involved in the design process of the new ferries they might have to operate, according to some radio interviews. CTMA also wonders if the Davie yard is capable of building a 130m ferry.
CTMA is also still waiting for a new contract to operate the lifeline services.
Davie, the largest shipyard in Canada, is now building two LNG ferries for the Société des traversiers du Quebec. These prototypes will be the first LNG-supplied ferries ever built in North America.
As from 5 July, DFDS will offer a new freight ferry service between Istanbul and Sète (France).
DFDS will offer a total of four sailings between Turkey and France: two to Sète and two to Toulon.
As written in Ferry Shipping News, week 22, the service was operated by Alternative Transport, which decided to stop.
Flensburg Shipyard Awaits Finance To Finish Three Ro-Pax Ferries
Siem Industries published its annual report, which included a chapter about the shipyard in Flensburg.
Some highlights:
- For the fiscal year 2018, Flensburger Schiffbau-GmbH & Co KG had revenues of EUR 213 million, an EBITDA of EUR -102 million, and a net loss of EUR -111 million.
- B YEATS was delivered substantially late at the end of 2018 at a material loss caused mainly by the lack of performance by subcontractors.
- FSG contracted for four additional vessels during 2018 including two passenger ferries and two ro-ro carriers.
- The current backlog is approximately EUR 860 million consisting of four Ro-Pax vessels and two Ro-Ro vessels.
- One Ro-Pax vessel (HONFLEUR) is in the advanced construction stage and should be delivered by early 2020.
- The remaining three Ro-Pax vessels are delayed and awaiting construction finance.
- Siem’s ownership of FSG is considered as non-core and new equity in FSG was raised in Q1 by a private placement which diluted the Company’s holding in FSG to 24%.
- Changes in the yard’s management were implemented in early 2019.
