- Interferry has appointed six new directors to its Board, reflecting the association’s growing global reach. The appointments were approved at the AGM in Sorrento on 6 October.
- Götz Becker (FRS) has been appointed Chairman of the Board, while Supapan Pichaironarongsongkram (Chao Phraya Express Boat Co., Ltd.) becomes President for the coming year, succeeding Guido Grimaldi.
- New directors (four-year terms):
- Oluwadamilola Emmanuel, Lagos State Waterways Authority – Interferry’s first African Director
- Guido Grimaldi, Grimaldi Group / ALIS
- Morgan Mooney, San Juan Clipper & Fire Island Marine Services
- Mary Ann Pastrana, Archipelago Philippine Ferries
- Katy Taylor, Wightlink (UK)
- Mark Wilson, Bay Ferries / Northumberland Ferries
- Interferry CEO Mike Corrigan praised the expanded diversity and expertise on the Board, noting it strengthens the organisation ahead of its 50th Anniversary Conference in Bangkok in 2026.
- Outgoing directors Chet Pastrana, Emanuele Grimaldi, and Tim Mooney were thanked for their dedicated service.
- The EU will launch the Entry-Exit System (EES) on 12 October 2025, with a progressive, six-month roll-out.
- EES records non-EU travellers’ biometrics (face and fingerprints) and replaces passport stamps at external Schengen borders. Applies from age 12.
- Ferry routes linking third countries to the EU, e.g. UK and Morocco, will be affected. Expect extra border processing.
- Interferry warns of port delays, especially for car and coach passengers, and calls 100% biometric checks from day one unworkable.
- New Regulation (EU) 2025/1534 allows a ‘progressive approach’ to implementation. Member States choose pace and must file national plans by 25 September 2025.
- Communication duties are with port operators as border-crossing infrastructure owners, not ferry companies. Operators should stay in close contact with their ports.
- Interferry contact for guidance: Johan Roos, Director of Regulatory Affairs.
After more than 15 years of negotiations, the IMO has adopted global rules to reduce the carbon intensity of shipping fuels, marking a major step toward meeting its greenhouse gas targets. Under the new Global Fuel Standard, ships must gradually reduce the carbon content of the energy they use, starting in 2028 and benchmarked against 2008 levels.
The compliance system includes financial penalties for high-emission fuels and rewards for low-carbon alternatives. Revenue will help fund the IMO’s Net-Zero initiatives. Interferry supports the move, though notes the new system’s complexity.
Read more on the Interferry website: https://interferry.com/regulatory-reports/
And this is the IMO announcement: https://www.imo.org/en/MediaCentre/PressBriefings/pages/IMO-approves-netzero-regulations.aspx
Interferry has released a new brochure addressing one of today’s most discussed maritime topics: the safety of battery electric vehicles (BEVs) on ro-pax ferries.
Drawing on recent research and findings from EU-funded projects such as Lash Fire, the brochure provides clear and accessible guidance for ferry operators, passengers, and stakeholders.
Core message: BEVs do not present a greater fire risk than conventional internal combustion engine vehicles.
Presented in a Q&A format, the publication:
- Explains why BEV fires are statistically less frequent
- Clarifies common misconceptions around fire causes, intensity, extinguishing methods, and fume toxicity
- Details safe storage practices and the safety of on-board charging
“As electric vehicle numbers rise globally, so do questions about their impact on ferry safety. With the travel season approaching, it’s more important than ever for operators to provide passengers with clear and accurate information. This brochure is a practical tool to support that.”
Johan Roos, Director of Regulatory Affairs at Interferry
The brochure is free to download and share—membership not required.
Ferry operators are encouraged to make it accessible to passengers to support informed, confident travel.
Download the brochure and print instructions (ZIP, 1.2 MB): https://interferry.com/e-cars-on-board-brochure/
A collaborative effort to elevate ferry safety standards in Africa concluded April 17th, after a two-day intensive seminar co-hosted by Interferry and the International Maritime Organization. Over 100 participants from across the African ferry industry and Interferry´s global network convened in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, united in the wake of recent regional tragedies.
The association fielded a delegation of 15 seasoned professionals from its worldwide operator and supplier members, whose purpose was to listen, exchange experience and share best practices on both operational and regulatory levels. Open discussions focused on critical areas impacting safety, including ticketing and passenger counting, cargo loading and stowage, vessel design and classification, insurance and financing, management culture and technical management, incident reporting, and the crucial role of political will in driving safety improvements.
Interferry is calling on governments and electricity utilities to prioritise investment in Onshore Power Supply (OPS) development to help the ferry sector maintain its lead in maritime electrification and hybridisation.
Read more here
A meeting between ESPO and Interferry has agreed a common work programme to promote an environmentally sustainable future for the European ferry business through the provision and use of onshore power supply (OPS).
- Ferries must be recognised as a sustainable passenger transport mode.
- Ferry ports should act as soon as possible to deploy OPS, and ferry lines should commit to using OPS whenever it is available.
- Investments should initially be made where it makes most sense in terms of maximising emissions reductions per installation.
- Both ports and ferries call for a coherent and predictable framework that provides legal certainty for stakeholders.
- Huge investments require funding
- New fuels and technologies for greening the shipping industry should be encouraged and promoted, alongside development of the relevant safety and operational standards.
EU-wide tax exemption for electricity provided to ships at berth.
Interferry has launched a call for papers addressing the ‘Power and People’ themes of its 46th annual conference taking place in Seattle, USA, this October.
Under the Power theme, presentations are invited on any sustainable, future-proof vessel powering options and the related challenges – notably the regulatory targets for greenhouse gas emissions reductions of some 50% by 2030 and a ‘net zero’ scenario by 2050.
The People sessions aim to explore issues facing operators regarding staffing and succession planning, with particular attention to training and retention at a time when the maritime sector, like all industries, is facing an acute shortage of skilled labour.
Interferry is conducting a major energy efficiency data survey among members to ensure that existing ferries can comply with short-term greenhouse gas emissions measures agreed in principle at last week’s meeting of the IMO’s Marine Environment Protection Committee.
Subject to final approval at next June’s MEPC meeting, by 2023 existing ships must achieve new pre-defined energy efficiency values in an initial step towards the 2030 target of a 40% improvement compared with 2008 values – or lose their licence to operate.
Interferry’s survey aims to reconcile the diversity of ferry operations within sector-specific adaptations to the regulatory instrument, the Energy Efficiency Existing Ships Index (EEXI). In this regard, one of Interferry’s main objectives is that true CO2 reductions through historic and future measures carried out by ferry operators are fully credited in the regulation.
Mike Corrigan, CEO of Interferry, Interviews Leaders of the Ferry Industry
Latest interviews:
- Anders Ørgård, OSK Group, Denmark
- Chet Pastrana, Archipelago Philippine Ferries, Philippines