Rømø-Sylt Line Gets A Second Ferry

FRS (Flensburger Reederei Group) is buying another car ferry for its ferry connection to Sylt (Rømø-Sylt Line).

It will be the Norwegian ferry TRESFJORD, entering service in November 2019.

With the second ferry, the Rømø-Sylt line is significantly expanding its ferry service, in time for the construction works on the Hindenburgdamm. The Hindenburgdamm is an 11 km-long train-only causeway joining the North Frisian island of Sylt to mainland Schleswig-Holstein. Because of the planned works, rail capacity (such as with car wagons) will starkly be reduced.

Currently, the ship is still in Norway, where it is being rebuilt for its new task.

The TRESFJORD can carry up to 127 cars, just over one and a half times as much as the actual ferry SYLTEXPRESS, which used to operate alone on the line.

AF CLAUDIA Chartered Out To Grimaldi Group For The Civitavecchia – Olbia Route

Until next autumn, Grimaldi Group charters the ro-pax AF CLAUDIA (ex CALIFORNIA STAR), which has been purchased by, and recently delivered to Adria Ferries from Baja Ferries.

Grimaldi announced the ship will be operating for all the summer season on the Civitavecchia – Olbia routes, thus doubling frequency and capacity of the maritime link.

This same vessel was earmarked to enter service for Grandi Navi Veloci on the Genoa – Olbia link but finally did not.

In September the ro-pax AF MICHELA (ex STENA EGERIA) will be returned from Adria Ferries to Stena RoRo, and then chartered out to Brittany Ferries from November 2019 until November 2020. This is to deliver additional flexibility to the Brittany Ferries route network that connects France, the UK, Spain and Ireland.

Baleària’s New LNG-Fuelled Ferry MARIE CURIE Already Deployed On The Valencia – Ibiza – Palma Route

At the end of July, Baleària incorporated MARIE CURIE into its fleet. She is Balearia’s fourth LNG-fuelled ship. She was delivered by Italian shipyard Cantiere Navale Visentini and is a sistership of the HYPATIA DE ALEJANDRÍA.

HYPATIA DE ALEJANDRÍA has been sailing on the Barcelona-Alcúdia-Ciutadella route as from early 2019, while MARIE CURIE has just entered into service on the Valencia-Ibiza-Palma link.

The price for both units is around EUR 200 million.

MARIE CURIE can reach 25 knots of speed, has 186.5 meters in length and a capacity for 880 people, 2,194 linear meters of cargo and 166 vehicles.

She has different passenger accommodations: three lounges of reclining seats (two standards and one superior) and 120 cabins with capacity for up to four people and offering full bathroom, air conditioning, Wi-Fi and smart TV with the digital entertainment system included.

With the aim of improving the customer experience, Baleària has put a lot of energy in digital innovation, such as the digitalization of the entire signage, the camera system installed in the kennel (which allows passengers to see their pets at all times through their smart phone), the self-service totems in cafeteria and self-service , and the free Whatsapp messaging service during the entire voyage.

Ferry TÕLL To Become A Hybrid Ship

The subsidiary of Tallinna Sadam, TS Laevad OÜ has signed an agreement with the Estonian shipbuilding company Baltic Workboats AS to rebuild the ferry TÕLL, which operates the on the Virtsu-Kuivastu line, into an environmentally friendly hybrid ship.

During the reconstruction, a battery bank will be installed on the vessel to reduce the consumption of diesel fuel and reduce the resulting exhaust gas by replacing fossil fuel with electricity stored in battery banks.

The construction works are carried out by the main contractor Baltic Workboats, the battery banks are supplied by Corvus Energy, the automation equipment is supplied by Norwegian Electric Systems and the peak-shaving hybrid solution is designed by LMG Marin.

The total cost of the investment is EUR 1.6 million.

The reconstruction works will start in mid-October this year, mainly during the ship’s voyages. The ship will be off the line for up to two weeks for the final transfer to battery power. According to the agreement, the ferry will run on the power supply of the battery banks the latest by 29 February 2020.

If the project is successful, the technology will be deployed on all four new ships.

Aegean Seaways Suddenly Suspended All KAUNAS Sailings On The Lavrion-Cesme Run

Sudden end for the much expected ro-pax KAUNAS (25.606gt/1989) of the Turkish Aegean Seaways on the Cesme-Lavrion line. It seems that the ambitious project was a short-lived one and the ship returned back to the Black Sea.

She was chartered by the Ukrainian UKR Ferry and introduced on the specific line on July 2, 2019. On July 19, after an official announcement she suspended all her sailings and returned back to her owners and the Chornomorsk (Odessa) – Batumi (Georgia) run.

MOROCCO SUN Arrived In Morocco For Final Inspections Before Entering Service On The Strait

On July 27, 2019, Africa Morocco Link’s (AML) MOROCCO SUN (12.175gt/1980) eventually arrived in Morocco.

The ship left Genoa on July 25 –after an endless refurbishment- and she is expected to be inspected by the Moroccan and Spanish authorities before she will be introduced on the Algeciras-Tangier Med run.

This week she is in Spain, in order to be inspected by the Spanish authorities.

MOROCCO SUN will serve the strait for the next 5 years chartered to AML.

Gondán Shipyard To Build A Catamaran For The Canary Islands

Gondán Shipyards, based in Figueras (Asturia, Spain) has been asked to build a catamaran for maximum 364 passengers. She will operate on routes in the Canary Islands.

She’s the second unit to be built for Lineas Romero. This local company has a regular service of maritime lines between the islands of Fuerteventura, Lanzarote and La Graciosa.

In May Romero took delivery of DON JUAN, also a GRP catamaran built by Gondán.

Brittany Ferries And Repsol Extend Their Agreement For The Delivery Of LNG For Long-Haul Spanish Routes

Brittany Ferries and Repsol have extended their agreement signed last February for the supply of LNG to the ferry operator’s Spanish operations.

Repsol will build two LNG bunker terminals, at the ports of Bilbao and Santander.

The LNG bunker agreement between the two companies provides the basis for the long-term supply of LNG-fuel and key shoreside infrastructure to the new LNG-powered cruise-ferries SALAMANCA and SANTOÑA, which are scheduled to enter service from 2022.

PRINCE To Replace SMYRIL During Drydocking

Strandfaraskip Landsins (SSL) is a nationally owned transport company. The main objective for SSL is to provide transport to all corners of the Faroe Islands.

In September, the company will send its ro-pax SMYRIL to the drydock. A substitute ship has been found: PRINCE.

She will sail on the route to Suðuroy.

In its communication, SSL said that, “PRINCE has recently sailed as a hotel ship in the North Sea and in connection with this the hotel part of the ship was refurbished.”

Vulcan Shipyard Into Liquidation

Trasmediterranea finally got her VILLA DE TEROR. It took a while before Vulcan could finish it, mainly due to lack of money.

The management made deals with the workers and suppliers, who all accepted in one way or another to be paid upon delivery. All of them were paid but due to the lack of new orders the shipyard management decided to ask for its liquidation.