NEWS FLASH

By | 2019 Newsletter week 38 | No Comments

New Advanced Double-Ended Ships for P&O Ferries

P&O FERRIES has signed a contract with Guangzhou Shipyard International Ltd worth €260 million to deliver a new generation of ships on the English Channel.

  • Two 230-metre super-ferries – the largest ever to sail between Dover and Calais – will be operational by 2023.
  • Two options 2024
  • Cutting fuel use by 40 per cent through a combination of fuel and battery propulsion.
  • The heat recovery system saves fuel and reduces the vessel’s carbon footprint by using a steam system to provide heating for ULSFO fuel heaters, fuel tanks, FO/LO purifier heaters and HVAC system reheating. In addition, a heat pump will be used for HVAC system preheating, domestic hot water, machinery rooms and technical spaces below deck 8.
  • Future proofing anticipates the ‘zero carbon emissions ship’. The ship is designed with the capacity to be carbon neutral in the future on the twin assumptions that there are more electric shore charging stations in ports and batteries.
  • A double-ended design and two bridges on the ship, meaning that there is no need for it to turn around.
  • Outside deck areas to provide viewing platforms of the White Cliffs of Dover.
  • Panoramic sea views for passengers.
  • A power management system to close down parts of the ship when not in use.
  • Revolutionary new shape of hull for the English Channel and azimuth thrusters which increase manoeuvrability of the ship.
  • The naval architects for the project are OSK-ShipTech A/S.

TECHNOLOGY

By | 2019 Newsletter week 38 | No Comments

P&O Ferries Launches New Freight App

P&O Ferries is promising its freight customers a simplified way of moving goods between Britain and Europe thanks to its new freight app.

For the first time, freight customers are able to buy tickets to Europe using a credit card, are able to see live updates on departures and can board their sailing just by quoting their reference number.

Henrik Pedersen, Director of Freight Sales at P&O Ferries, said: “We understand that our customers are looking for a service which is punctual, reliable and cost efficient. In a world of growing complexity, this app helps to simplify their journey with us by providing what is in effect a self-service offering.”

“Freight customers travelling between Dover and Calais can now just pay and go without having to set-up an account. They are able to book and pay online, using a debit card or credit card, and have access to the app 24 hours a day. We believe that this is a market-leading offer which creates clear blue water between us and the competition.”

FERRY SHIPPING

By | 2019 Newsletter week 37 | No Comments

P&O Ferries Confirm Opening Calais – Tilbury Route And Announce Ship

The 1,600 lane meter CAROLINE RUSS (MarineTraffic) is the ro-ro that will be used for the new Calais – Tilbury P&O route.
CAROLINE RUSS is owned by a company within the Ernst Russ group.

There will be two sailings every weekday and one each on Saturday and Sunday. The eight-hour sailing will have capacity for 100 units of freight, with a total of 50,000 expected to be carried in the first 12 months. It is expected that time-sensitive supermarket goods including fresh fruit and vegetables will be transported on the route.

The new river berth at the Port of Tilbury is scheduled to open in April next year, enabling P&O Ferries to treble volumes on its existing Zeebrugge-Tilbury services to 600,000 loads of freight a year. An onward rail connection to Daventry is also expected to be operational in 2020, mirroring the rail connections linking the Port of Calais with Le Boulou, Turin and Orbassano on the Continent.

P&O Ferries: New Calais – Tilbury Freight Ferry Service

By | 2019 Newsletter week 36 | No Comments

P&O Ferries will launch a new Calais – Tilbury -Calais daily service operating from end September 2019. The company has announced this in a letter to their freight customers.

The service will provide space for 12 self-drive tractor-trailers and 90 unaccompanied trailers or containers per sailing. The ship is planned to arrive in Tilbury daily at 04:30 enabling the driver to be on the M25 before 06:00.

The new route gives quick and direct access to the M25 London markets, the South of England and also all the Regional Distribution centres north of London / along the M1 corridor up to Birmingham. This route saves up to 75 miles / 125 km each way versus the traditional Dover-Calais crossing.

Eckerö Acquires Ro-Pax To Cope with Increased Cargo and Car Traffic on Finland – Estonia

By | 2019 newsletter week 19 | No Comments

News from the Eckerö side:

  • Rederi Ab Eckerö has signed a letter of intent to acquire P&O Ferries’ ro-pax EUROPEAN ENDEAVOUR.
  • The sturdy Spanish-built vessel will be chartered her out to subsidiary Eckerö Line, for a new twice-daily service Helsinki Vuosaari – Tallinn, to cope with the increased cargo and passenger car traffic.
  • Finnish flag.
  • 2,130 lane metres / 366 pax.
  • Crossing time 3 hours.
  • The ferry will start operating from Helsinki’s Vuosaari to Tallinn’s A terminal in summer.
  • Vuosaari is a place east of Helsinki. Having the service operating from this terminal will help to reduce the traffic congestion in the centre of Helsinki.
  • Eckerö will continue to operate ro-pax ferry FINLANDIA from the terminal in Helsinki.

(the photo was taken in 2005, when the vessel operated for Norfolkline on Dunkerque – Dover)

News from P&O Ferries:

  • Ro-ro vessel MISTRAL, which has been covering the Liverpool – Dublin route during the refit season, will remain on the route so there will be no immediate change to the frequency of the P&O sailings.
  • MISTRAL = 1,625 lane metre / 12 drivers.
  • Other ships on P&O’s Liverpool – Dublin service: NORBANK/NORBAY

P&O Ferries Sues UK Government

By | 2019 Newsletter week 18 | No Comments

P&O Ferries is taking legal action against the UK government. The reason is the GBP 33 million given to competitor Eurotunnel, seen by P&O as unfair distortion of competition.

The money given to Eurotunnel was given by the Department for Transport, as compensation for the GBP 100 million contracts with Brittany Ferries, DFDS and Seaborne Freight. These contracts were to make sure that the companies would have enough ferry capacity in case of a no-deal Brexit.

(see also in our Media section)

FERRY SHIPPING

By | 2019 Newsletter week 8 | No Comments

DP World Acquires P&O Ferries Again

DP World PLC announced the acquisition of the holding company of P&O Ferries and P&O Ferrymasters for a purchase consideration of GBP322 million.

The transaction is subject to customary completion conditions and is expected to close in the first half of 2019.

DP World acquired the British company in 2006, but soon sold off P&O Ferries to its major shareholder, Dubai World. Now it is buying it back from Dubai World.

DP World Chairman Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem said earlier that the indecisiveness of British politicians on the Brexit was obstructing the company’s ability to plan for their UK operations (according to Reuters).

P&O Ferries operates a fleet of 21 vessels on the Short Sea, North Sea and Irish Sea sectors across 11 ports.

Record Quarter For P&O Ferries’ Zeebrugge – Hull Dedicated Freight Service

By | 2018 Newsletter week 28 | No Comments

During a short ceremony held on the 4th of July in Rome, Emanuele Grimaldi, Managing Director of the Grimaldi Group and President and CEO of the subsidiary company Finnlines, received the honor of Commander of the Order of the Lion of the Republic of Finland.

The Ambassador of Finland in Italy, Janne Taalas, declared that the award, conferred by the President of the Republic of Finland, Sauli Niinistö, is a recognition for the great commitment of Emanuele Grimaldi, through the company Finnlines, in developing maritime transport to and from Finland which is of great support to the economy.