On June 13, 2024 Magic Sea Ferries’ HSC Magic 1 made her maiden voyage on the Piraeus – Agia Marina – Hydra route. The ship will offer two daily sailings from Piraeus and Hydra.

The craft was purchased on March 2024 in Singapore. She was built in 2023. Her carrying capacity is for 317 passengers and it has a 32 knots maximum speed.

Photo: Kostas Papadopoulos

RoRo Thalassitis (formerly Jan Sniadecki) of the Greek-based cargo company Aeinaftis is currently undergoing conversion at Neos Molos (Drapetsona). The ship was purchased from Unity Line in February 2024. Her conversion as a RoRo primarily focuses on her garage and internal ramps, and she is expected to be dry-docked at the end of June. The ship will enhance the company’s presence on routes in the North Aegean and Crete. RoRo Thalassitis’ carrying capacity is 1,116 lane metres (102 trucks).

Photo: Anastasios Anastasiou

Virtu Rapid Ferries Ltd has concluded a time charter agreement with Stena Line Scandinavia AB for the HSC Maria Dolores, covering the Spain-Morocco route. The vessel, which operated on this route from April 2022 to December 2023, recently completed a short-term charter in the Eastern Mediterranean and underwent routine maintenance in Malta.

The vessel will operate for Africa Morocco Link, the company in which Stena has 49% of the shares, announced in April 2024.

Source: Virtu Finance on Malta Stock Exchange and Photo: Austal

Loch Indaal was launched on 8 June at the Cemre shipyard. The vessel is the second of four ferries being built at the yard and will serve Islay and Jura alongside sister vessel, Isle of Islay, which was launched in March.

Scheduled for delivery in February 2025, Loch Indaal will significantly boost capacity on the Islay routes, with the ability to accommodate up to 450 passengers and 100 cars, or 14 commercial vehicles. This addition will increase vehicle and freight capacity by 40% on the Islay routes, strengthening the overall fleet’s resilience.

Photo courtesy of Brian Fulton.

Ystad Hamn Logistik AB has appointed Erik Eskling Hansen as Business Developer, a new role in which he will oversee the commercial development of the port, including ferry traffic and conventional cargo handling, as well as external communications related to public and media relations. Erik will assume his position on June 24.

The Italian government has chartered the GNV Azzurra to serve as a floating hotel in the port of Brindisi, accommodating police officers who are providing security for this week’s G7 summit at Borgo Egnazia, a luxury resort in the Puglia region. The GNV ferry, which can host approximately 2,000 passengers, was brought in to increase available accommodation following the impoundment of the cruise ship Goddess of the Night due to complaints about poor conditions on board.

Earlier this week, unions reported poor sanitary conditions on the impounded cruise ship, citing unusable cabins, water leaks, broken toilets, and faulty air conditioning, which necessitated relocating those on board to hotels and another vessel. The Italian government is estimated to have spent around EUR 6 million to charter the cruise vessel for the duration of the G7 summit.

Washington State is advancing its ferry fleet with the launch of a national contracting process to build five new hybrid-electric ferries. These vessels, expected to be delivered between 2028 and 2030, aim to replace aging diesel ferries, reducing emissions significantly.

The initiative supports state goals for greenhouse gas reduction and includes funding from the Climate Commitment Act and Move Ahead Washington. This shift to hybrid-electric ferries promises a cleaner, more sustainable future for Washington’s ferry system. For detailed information, visit the WSDOT blog.

Nikolai Knudsmoen Utheim has taken over as CEO of Boreal Norge AS.

Utheim has broad management experience and comes from the company Coor Service Management AS where he has held various management positions. In Norway, Coor has a turnover of more than NOK 2 billion and has around 2,000 employees.

Former CEO Kjetil Førsvoll will assist Boreal as a senior advisor for a period before he retires.

Boreal currently has 2,700 employees and a turnover of NOK 4.1 billion.