DFDS’ first Jinling vessel (6,700 lane meter) was launched into the Yangtze River on 16 July.
Photo: Jeppe Halkjær Pedersen / DFDS
Scandlines’ BERLIN, operating with sister vessel COPENHAGEN on the Gedser-Rostock route, had to be taken out of service to solve technical issues with the thruster. Unusual noises had been heard.
BERLIN was sent to the Fayard drydock in Odense. A spare thruster was delivered immediately from the Rolls Royce warehouse in Norway.
The subsequent investigation confirmed that the replaced thruster was damaged, and that these were actually the cause of the abnormal noises.
She was out of service from 16 to 19 July, missing a few dozens of crossings in one of the busiest periods of the year.
Photo: Siemens/ Ulrich WIrrwa
Now it is final: Stena Line will move from Varberg to Halmstad at the end of 2019. It revives the memory of the former Lion Ferry operation, acquired by Stena Line in 1985. The reason for the move is that the city of Varberg plans to urbanize the district of Västerport where Stena Line is berthing today.
“We expect the new ferry terminal to be ready for traffic by the end of 2019,” says Björn Alvengrip, CEO HallandsHamnar. HallandsHamnar is the company managing both ports.
Photo: STENA NAUTICA in Varberg, shortly before her departure to Grenaa in Denmark.
Kvarken Link AB has invited four shipyards to provide binding offers for the building of a new ro-pax ferry. Three shipyards are European, one is Asian.
The deadline for the offers is 31 August 2018. A contract should be signed at the end of this year, latest beginning of next year. Delivery if planned for April 2021.
The Finnish Government will support the project with €25 million, and the EIB (European Investment Bank) will grant the applied loan when the contract is signed.
The Swedish Government is not interested.
The route Umeå (Sweden) and Vasa (Finland) is currently operated by Wasaline. The route is halfway the Gulf of Bothnia.
Polish Engineering company Nelton and Danish shipyard Hvide Sande worked together for developing an energy-efficient ferry. The 50m carferry for Danish AeroXpressen, will operate between Marstal and Rudkøbing. The shallow waters were challenging for the design.
The ship will be driven by two electric motors powered by a set of batteries and two generators. Summer capacity is 196 passengers and 32 cars. Delivery is scheduled from Hvide Sande in Denmark in the Q4, 2019
Stena Line is creating new capacities for rail transport and project cargo with the new Rostock-Trelleborg timetable.
As Stena Line saw an increase of 3% of ro-ro traffic, with demand for rail transports and project cargo rising, the company decided to have trainferry SASSNITZ operating Rostock-Trelleborg some days per week, as from September. Normally this vessel is serving the Sassnitz-Trelleborg route. (see also under: Ferry Ports)
Polferries is still dealing with an unavailable, chartered NOVA STAR. A new date for entering service has again been postponed again, now until 31 July, due to unspecified ‘technical reasons’. In the local press, Polferries are blaming owner ST Marine.
On Sunday 15 July, Minoan Lines started a new daily route, connecting Piraeus with Chania.
Chania is the second largest city of Crete, after Heraklion, and the capital of the Chania regional unit. It lies along the north coast of the island, about 145km west of Heraklion.
The 6h30 minute route is operated by the Grimaldi Group owned cruise ferry MYKONOS PALACE.
Société des traversiers du Québec (STQ) has taken delivery of double-ended ferry ARMAND-IMBEAU II. Built by Davie Shipbuilding, ARMAND IMBEAU II is able to operate entirely on LNG. She has icebreaking capability, necessary for year-round operations on the Saint Lawrence River, more specifically the busy Tadoussac–Baie-Sainte-Catherine link near Québec. She’s entering service in October. A sister vessel, JOS-DESCHÊNES II, is expected in autumn.
Color Line has agreed to purchase the ro-ro ship FINNCARRIER and plans to put the ship on the Oslo-Kiel route in January 2019. The establishment of a separate ro-ro offer represents a new area of activity for Color Line, and is part of the company’s growth ambitions from a Norwegian point of view, says CEO Trond Kleivdal. FINNCARRIER is currently operating on the Finnlines network (Hull-Helsinki).
