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Tag: EU | Ferry Shipping News

Jul 19
2

EU to invest €7 billion into sustainable, safe and smart transport infrastructure

By | 2024 Newsletter week 29 | No Comments

The European Commission has selected 134 transport projects to receive over €7 billion in EU grants from the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF), the EU’s instrument for strategic investment in infrastructure. 

Around 20 maritime ports in Ireland, Spain, Finland, the Netherlands, Germany, Malta, Lithuania, Cyprus, Croatia, Greece, and Poland will receive support for infrastructure upgrades, some of which will enable them to supply shore-side electricity to ships, or transport renewable energy. 

Rail projects will receive 80% of the €7 billion. 

Source: European Commission 

Dublin Port has been awarded €73.8 million in funding from the EU’s CEF Transport (Connecting Europe Facility for Transport) as part of a €7billion EU investment in sustainable, safe and smart transport infrastructure. (Source: Dublin Port) 

Dec 01
0

EU: Improved rights and better information for travellers

By | 2023 Newsletter week 48 | No Comments

The European Commission adopted on 29 November 2023 a series of proposals designed to improve the experience of passengers and travellers by strengthening their rights.

The new rules will build on lessons learned, including the recent experiences of the COVID-19 crisis and the bankruptcy of the travel group Thomas Cook in 2019, which had a major impact both on travellers and on the travel market.

In particular, they will clarify rules on reimbursement when flights or multimodal journeys are booked via an intermediary, so that passengers are better protected against cancellations.

They will also provide for smoother journeys, especially those involving different travel services or transport modes, ensuring that passengers have access to direct support, and enhanced real-time information, for example on delays and cancellations.

Special attention is paid to the needs of passengers with disabilities or reduced mobility to address and facilitate the switch between transport modes and improve quality assistance where needed.

The proposals adopted focus on 3 aspects:

  1. Stronger passenger rights
  2. Protection of package travellers
  3. Better multimodal travel information services and the creation of a common European mobility data space
Read the article on transport.ec.europa.eu
Dec 02
0

EU agrees preliminary ETS deal for shipping

By | 2022 Newsletter week 48 | No Comments

The European Parliament, the Council of Ministers represented by the Czech Presidency and the European Commission agreed preliminarily on the conditions on how to include maritime emissions in the EU ETS during the so-called trilogue on Tuesday 29 November.

As proposed by the Commission, not only trips inside the EU but also trips from EU ports to third countries and for third countries to EU ports (50%) will be included.

European shipowners welcome the outcome of yesterday’s trilogue negotiation and the provisional agreement on the EU ETS maritime. The Parliament and the Council have embraced the calls of the industry stakeholders to earmark  EU ETS revenues back to the maritime sector to support its energy transition.

At least 20 million ETS allowances, which correspond to 1.5 billion EUR under the current ETS carbon price, will be allocated to maritime projects under the Innovation Fund.

The provisional agreement on shipping is subject to an overall agreement on the ETS revision in late December.

Feb 18
3

FERRY PORTS

By | 2021 Newsletter week 7 | No Comments

Sustainable Transport Node Initiative By Four Ports

Ports of Stockholm, Belfast, Lübeck and Ghent have applied for EU grant funding to invest in the role of ports as a node and driving force in sustainable transport provision.

The joint application is for green ports of the future to be multi-modal nodes for sustainable and smart mobility through innovation and research within electrification and development of alternative fuels.

The overarching goal is the significant reduction of air pollutant emissions within port areas.

For Ports of Stockholm, the planned project includes the possibility to scale up existing onshore power electricity connection capabilities to be able to charge heavier road vehicles and to provide large-scale battery charging facilities for RoPax ships. Stena Line, a customer of the ports in both Stockholm and Belfast, is one of the additional alliance partners in the EU application for investment in electrification and battery-powered shipping.

The application also includes testing of emission-free machinery within the port areas, a study and pilot trial of autonomous passenger boats and last mile delivery services, as well as charging capabilities for smaller passenger vessels.

Source: Ports of Stockholm
Feb 11
1

Tirrenia’s Head Quarter In Naples To Be Closed Down At The End Of February

By | 2021 Newsletter week 6 | No Comments

After the last meeting with the top management of the company, labour unions announced that Tirrenia will definitely close down its historical head quarter in Naples where some 40 administrative employees work. They will be asked to move to Livorno.

The decision is part of Moby’s debt restructuring and cost saving plan currently under discussion with the creditors (banks, bond holders and the bad company Tirrenia in Amministrazione Straordinaria).

Palazzo Sirignano, this is the name of the historical building, is bound to become a luxury hotel.

Aug 20
0

TECHNOLOGY

By | 2020 Newsletter week 34 | No Comments

The EU Green Deal aims to lower pollution and carbon levels across Europe. End of May saw the installation of a new Norsepower Rotor Sail on the Scandlines hybrid ferry COPENHAGEN, operating on the Rostock-Gedser route.

The installation was undertaken as part of the EU-funded Wind Assisted Ship Propulsion (WASP) project that was launched in late 2019. It has the aim to install five wind assisted propulsion units on a series of different vessels operating in the North Sea and Baltic Sea to test, validate and help facilitate the uptake off wind-assisted propulsion technologies.

These systems are expected to deliver between 4 – 5% fuel savings – corresponding to the same amount of CO2 – in average, and more than 20% in optimal wind conditions.

Press release
Read more about Scandlines' Green Agenda
May 07
2

Might Some of Tirrenia CIN’s Vessels Possibly be Sold?

By | 2020 Newsletter week 19 | No Comments

Italian financial newspaper MF (Milano Finanza) revealed this week that some of Tirrenia’s ferries controlled by Compagnia Italiana di Navigazione, may be put up for sale in the near future.

They are set to be seized by the Court of Rome following the action taken by the public “bad company” Tirrenia in Amministrazione Straordinaria.

The related revenues would be used to cover the deferred payments (a total amount of EUR 115 million) for the purchase of the former Tirrenia which were not paid in 2016 and 2019.

This potential scenario, if confirmed, would be possible in the coming months when the current public contract and subsidy to support lifeline maritime transportation with Sardinia, Sicily and Tremiti with Moby will expire. It should be mid of July but it is likely that a postponement of few months will be granted to the Vincenzo Onorato controlled group.

In its last available annual report, CIN said that the fleet was valued EUR 265 million (31 December 2018). However, some vessels were dismissed last year (HARTMUT PUSCHMANN, BARBARA KRAHULIK and AURELIA).

With reference to the other ferries still under CIN’s control the values reported at the end of 2018 are as follow: VINCENZO FLORIO (21.2m), BENIAMINO CARNEVALE (2m), RAFFAELE RUBATTINO (23.6m), BITHIA (38.5m), JANAS (38.5m), ATHARA (39.2m), NURAGHES (46.4m), SHARDEN (46.6m) and the high-speed vessel ISOLA DI CAPRAIA (2.8m).

Source: ESPO
May 07
2

INDUSTRY ASSOCIATIONS

By | 2020 Newsletter week 19 | No Comments

ESPO Proposes a Two-Step Approach on the New EU Transport Strategy

ESPO believes that in the absence of any insight on the duration and impact of the current crisis, it is, at this moment, impossible to set the ground for a long-term EU Transport Strategy.

ESPO proposes a two-step approach:

1) Europe’s first priority must now be to develop a restart and recovery plan which helps to overcome this crisis. It should develop the measures and instruments for Europe’s recovery to put the European economy and society back on track as soon as possible, while guaranteeing this happens in a safe way.

2) In a second phase, when the “new normal” sets in, the discussion should start on a new Transport Strategy, which will set the long-term goals, ambitions and initiatives for the European transport sector. The Strategy should integrate the consequences of and lessons learned from this crisis and should build on the new post-crisis reality.

ESPO and its members are happy to start the reflection with all stakeholders and EU decision makers in view of formulating clear answers to all these questions and setting the ground for a truly forward looking sustainable, connected, efficient and resilient transport system.

Source: ESPO