Oct 19
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Challenges and opportunities in post-Brexit era

By 2017 Newsletter week 42

British Ports Association’s CEO, Richard Ballantyne, urged the UK Government and the EU to find a creative and sensible Brexit solution to the challenges facing ferry ports and operators in the logistics sector.
Mr Ballantyne was speaking at the British Ports Association’s Annual Conference in Poole (October 17-20) where Brexit would be a key topic on the agenda.
He said that, “Whatever the outcome of the Brexit negotiations, it is vital that freight and passengers continue to pass smoothly through our ports.”
Mr Ballantyne also looks at the positive side of a post Brexit era: “A number of UK ports are looking at opportunities such as new trade, and initiatives like free trade zones.”

Photo © Mike Louagie

Oct 19
Love2

CMAL sees a growth in ferry demand

By 2017 Newsletter week 42

Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd (CMAL) has published the annual report for the year ending on 31 March 2017. CMAL owns the ferries, ports, and infrastructure necessary for vital ferry services serving the West Coast of Scotland and the Clyde Estuary, and is fully owned by the Scottish Government.
In his foreword, Chairman Erik Østergaard sums up the following highlights

  •  £29 million was spent in the construction of new vessels, including the completion of CATRIONA
  • £97 million was spent for the building of two new LNG ferries.
  • There is special project to explore the potential for a hydrogen-fuelled ferry.
  •  As the harbour authority for 26 locations across the west coast of Scotland, CMAL invested £24 million in planned upgrade works at selected harbours, including the flagship project at Brodick Ferry Terminal.
  • In 2016/17, CMAL generated revenue of £35,913,000, compared to £33,549,000 in 2015/16. The increase is mainly due to increased harbour dues and revenue grants.
  •  Pre-tax profits increased from £813,000 to £5,524,000 with increased harbour dues and revenue grants as noted, along with a decrease in administration costs.
  • A tax charge in 2016/17 against a significant tax credit in 2015/16 has resulted in post-tax profit of £3,063,000 compared to £7,869,000 in 2015/16.
  • Demand for ferry services continues to grow, driven in part by the road equivalent tariff (RET), as well as the growing popularity of Scotland’s islands as visitor destinations.
  • A new 90m ro-pax ferry will be ordered in late 2018, for delivery in 2021.

Photo © Mike Louagie

Oct 19
Love2

A ferry connection between Turku and St. Petersburg?

By 2017 Newsletter week 42

The Finnish management of Port of Turku paid a visit to St Petersburg at the beginning of October. This happened within the framework of cooperation between PP SPb MF (Passenger Port St Petersburg Marine Façade) and Port of Turku. A Memorandum of Understanding has been signed in July. The aim is, amongst others, to improve the attractiveness of cruise and ferry tourism, and to create the most comfortable environment for passengers of cruise and ferry vessels, representatives of cruise and ferry lines and tour operators.
Moreover, the companies said they intend to develop a joint initiative on attracting operators of cruise lines and ferry lines in order to organize regular international ferry connection between the two ports.
The Finnish group included Sales Director Nirhamo Jaakko, Vice-Chairman of the Board Raaska Petja and Business Development Manager Anstead Paula.

Photo © Mike Louagie

Oct 19
Love2

RMT want the Northern Isles lifeline ferry service under public ownership

By 2017 Newsletter week 42

Trade union RMT has launched a campaign to give the ferry services to Orkney and Shetland, currently run by Serco NorthLink, the same status as CalMac on the Scottish West Coast. RMT aims at, “more frequent, affordable and reliable ferries to the Northern Isles, on properly staffed vessels which are all covered by the collective bargaining agreement with the RMT union. All this can be achieved under public ownership and operation.”
The contract with Serco NorthLink has been extended into 2019. The responsible Minister is looking at the possibilities of awarding the ferry service to an in-house operator, without the need for a EU tendering process. This could be achieved by a so-called Teckal Exemption.
Serco NorthLink Ferries runs the subsidised lifeline ferry contract since 2012. Before, the service was operated by NorthLink Orkney and Shetland Ferries, a joint venture between Caledonian MacBrayne and the RBS Group.

Source: ShetNews, RMT – Photo © RMT

Oct 19
Love2

Highest Q3 number of freight volumes on P&O Larne – Cairnryan route in six years

By 2017 Newsletter week 42

P&O Ferries saw the highest number of lorries and trailers between Larne and Cairnryan in the third quarter of the year (compared with any Q3 since 2011).
P&O carried 53,305 lorries and trailers on its ships in the months of July, August and September. (=+3.3%)
Neal Mernock, P&O Ferries Sector Director on the Irish Sea, said: “Our port at Larne is fast becoming the gateway of choice for anyone exporting to or from Ireland. It has outstanding connections via rail and road, especially after the upgrading of the A8 dual carriageway, and is nine miles closer to Scotland than the port at Belfast.”
P&O Ferries operates seven sailings a day between Larne and Cairnryan using two ro-pax sister vessels, EUROPEAN CAUSEWAY and EUROPEAN HIGHLANDER.

Photo © P&O Ferries

Oct 19
Love2

Port of Marseille is becoming one of the local prides

By 2017 Newsletter week 42

For many years Port of Marseille suffered from a bad image. The services were unreliable, there were strikes, etc..
Recently port company GPMM asked locals in a poll about their perception. Previous poll was in 2011.
87% (+27) think the port is thriving.
84% (+19) say the port is evolving in a good way to be ready for the future.
86% (+23) are confident about the future of the port.
77% (+18) acknowledge the progress in economic development and the creation of jobs.
71% (+38) say Marseille is very competitive in comparison with other European ports.

Source: La Provence – Photo © Mike Louagie

Oct 19
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ESPO presents its sustainable agenda at the 2017 Greenport Conference Amsterdam

By 2017 Newsletter week 42

Europe’s environmental port experts have gathered in Amsterdam for the 12thth edition of the GreenPort Conference. Isabelle Ryckbost, ESPO’s Secretary General ESPO = European Sea Ports Organisation), took the opportunity to present the sustainable agenda for the coming months. The following five priorities were identified

  • European ports call for an efficient but responsible ship waste management policy. Ports do not want to be responsible for unreasonable amounts of garbage.
  •  European ports ask for a VAT exemption for onshore power supply (OPS) used by ships at berth.
  • ESPO asks for a strong Connecting Europe Facility for the period 2020-2027 to allow European ports to make the investments needed towards sustainability.
  • European ports encourage IMO to build on the progress made at the last MEPC and deliver an initial CO2 reduction target accompanied by short-term measures in 2018. An urgently needed global agreement on a target and measures to reduce CO2 from shipping must be achieved by 2023.
  • ESPO would like to start the reflection on a review of the first Code of Practice on the societal integration of European ports, which was published in 2010. What is it about? Many cities are increasingly over-stretched and in need of more housing. They have their eye on the port area. At the same time, many ports are seeking to expand.
Oct 19
Love2

Additional Tuesday sailings on Seatruck’s Liverpool – Dublin route

By 2017 Newsletter week 42

Due to increased demand, Seatruck Ferries has added additional Tuesday morning sailings to the busy Liverpool – Dublin route, commencing 17 October 2017.
The additional sailings will take the route total to 40 sailings per week. Across the three routes Seatruck now offer Irish Sea customers 74 sailings per week, allowing for greater flexibility in the shipment of unaccompanied trailers.

Photo © Seatruck Ferries

Oct 19
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Innovative man overboard detection technology could be used on ferries too

By 2017 Newsletter week 42

MSC Cruises launched a new vanguard video surveillance system offering even greater on-board security. MSC has developed this advanced system in collaboration with Bosch and Hewlett Packard.
The new system consists of a comprehensive shield of intelligent optical and thermal video cameras which provide nonstop comprehensive surveillance alongside the relevant exterior parts of the ship. All captured video images are streamed in real-time to a Central Security Room where the video stream is monitored together with all other inputs from the 1,200 HD CCTV cameras on board the ship.
The system is now operational on MSC Meraviglia and is a first of its kind in the industry.

Photo © Mike Louagie

Oct 19
Love2

QUICK NEWS

By 2017 Newsletter week 42
    • Viking Line’s chartered fast ferry EXPRESS (Incat, 1998), operating as VIKING FSTR, was withdrawn from the Helsinki-Tallinn route earlier than planned, for technical reasons. Instead of October 22 she made her last crossing on October 17.
    • Naviera Armas is chartering the Trasmediterránea Incat fast ferry ALBORAN for the Canary Islands route Los Cristianos-San Sebastián de La Gomera-Valle Gran Rey. The charter contract is for six months. It is not the first time ALBORAN is being chartered by Armas.
    • Naviera Armas will introduce another high-speed craft, the VOLCAN DE TENO. She is currently being overhauled in Cadiz and will service the Canary Islands too. This Incat was acquired from Hellenic Seaways in 2016.
    • Transmediterranea charters the 2,171 lane meter ro-ro MAESTRO SEA, which for a long time has been laid up in Marseille. She runs on Cadiz – Tenerife – Las Palmas instead of VOLCAN DE TENEGUIA, which is away for drydocking.
    • Passengers travelling on Spirit of Tasmania will now have free access to 7,000 online newspapers and magazines from more than 120 countries, thanks to the PressReader app. The app and its publications can be downloaded by passengers on a mobile or tablet prior to sailing, using the Wi-Fi at the terminals.
    • Instead of sending its ferry WIGHT SKY to drydock, Wightlink decided to do an in-water survey with divers. Therefore the vessel sailed to Portland Port, a nearby harbour, also on the South Coast of Britain. The primary reason Portland was chosen was because of ‘the clarity of the water’.
    • In the first 9 months of the year Port of Rotterdam has seen a further growth of the ro-ro freight volumes, an increase of 6.6%. Reason is the growth on the most dominant market, the UK, and more traffic on new markets such as Portugal, Iceland and Scandinavia. Report can be downloaded via this link.
    • Axel Meynköhn, CEO of the ferry company Wyker Dampfschiffs-Reederei announced that the new ferry will be named NORDERAUE. The vessel is currently in the final phase of construction at the Neptun Yard in Rostock. If everything goes well the ship could be christened on December 30. The ship is ready two months earlier than planned.
    • Greek website Elliniki Aktoploia’ reports that the new name of the MOBY LOVE will be AIOLOS. She will run with the ANEMOS (ex MOBY BABY) under the name Med Lines. It is not known where they will operate.
    • Viking Line’s ROSELLA was chartered for a big international police anti-terrorist exercise, involving eight or nine countries. After discharging in Kapellskär on Wednesday morning October 18, the vessel was withdrawn from service for the exercise. On October 19 she runs again as normal.
    • Bad luck for REGINA BALTICA passengers on Friday the 13th. They had to leave the ship in Valencia because of an engine room fire. The vessel is chartered by Balearia for the Valencia-Mostaganem route (Algeria). Until she’s repaired, the Baltic veteran is being replaced by BAHAMA MAMA.