P&O Ferries Deploys New Tonnage On The Teesport Routes

By | 2018 Newsletter week 23 | No Comments

One month ago, P&O Ferries announced its plan to increase its capacity by 25% on Zeebrugge-Teesport, without revealing the name of the ship. (see: P&O Ferries Jumps On An Opportunity ).

Now we know! It will be the ESTRADEN, which has previously been working on Europoort – Teesport.

She will work in tandem with the BORE SONG, “to form the fastest and easiest gateway to Scotland for exporters to and from the continent.”

The ESTRADEN (2,270 lane meter) replaces the MISTRAL (1,625 lane meter).

To complete the reconfiguration of ships on its North Sea freight routes, P&O has chartered the STENA CARRIER (2,715 lane meter) to replace the ESTRADEN on Europoort – Teesport.

P&O Ferries currently carries more than 100,000 freight units a year on 6 return sailings a week between Teesport and its continental hub at Zeebrugge. The goods transported include chemicals, plastics, steel, automotive parts and alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks.

TRADE ASSOCIATIONS AND OTHER ASSOCIATIONS

By | 2018 Newsletter week 09 | No Comments

Only Two Major Ferries Scrapped In The Last Quarter Of 2017

The French environmental organisation Robin des Bois (‘Robin Hood’) has published its 50th quarterly shipbreaking report. Since the start of the publications in 2006, more than 10,000 scrapped ships have been reported.
Some trends:

  • Overall, the tonnage of vessels demolished in the last quarter of 2017 shows a drop by 29%.
  • The Chinese Government has identified ship breaking as a major pollution risk. The end of the year was marked by the suspension of operating licenses for all but 2 or 3 facilities in Xinhui and near Shanghai. As a result, the tonnage of dismantled vessels fell sharply in China.
  • The Top 4 of recycled tonnage consists of 1) India, 2) Bangladesh, 3) Pakistan, 4) Turkey.

Only two well-known ferries have been reported as scrapped:

  • OLYMPUS (ROPAX 2, LÜBECK LINK, FINNROSE) was beached in Alang in late November. (see page 81)
  • MED STAR (LA PAZ STAR, STRADA CORSA, STENA TRANSPORTER, FLANDERS, PRIDE OF FLANDERS, NORDIC FERRY, MERZARIO HISPANIA, MERZARIO ESPANIA). On her way from Rhodes to Santorini, a fire broke out in the engine room in June 2017. She was beached for demolition in Aliaga on December 8. (see page 86)

Photo: P&O Ferries’ PRIDE OF FLANDERS in 1995 ©Mike Louagie

Adding a container feeder proves to be a good idea for P&O Ferries

By | 2017 Newsletter week 47 | No Comments

P&O Ferries carried 14,804 units on its new dedicated lift unit freight service between Zeebrugge and Hull since the launch in May.
P&O Ferries has chartered the 118m container feeder ELISABETH to service the route. The ship makes three round-trips per week between Zeebrugge and Hull, complementing P&O Ferries’ existing ro-pax service between the Belgian port and the Humber.
The Zeebrugge hub rail connectivity has been very beneficial to attract business.
P&O Ferries sees a growing proportion of its cargoes originating in Central and Eastern Europe. Exporters from Britain benefit from onward connectivity to northern Spain and Gothenburg via services operated by lines in partnership with P&O Ferries.

Photo © P&O Ferries

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

By | 2017 Newsletter week 42 | No Comments

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

New rail service from Trieste connecting with P&O Ferries’ continental hub at Zeebrugge 

By | 2017 Newsletter week 39 | No Comments

A new rail service from the Italian port of Trieste to and from its Zeebrugge hub has commenced this month, says P&O Ferries. The twice-weekly service is a new Ekol block train that is operated by Hupac and is expected to carry around 5,000 shipments per year from Trieste’s EMT terminal. 

It will be the first direct train that will connect Turkey, Iran and the Middle East with the Benelux countries and all the UK, in a totally green mode, without using a single driver. 

Janette Bell, MD P&O Ferries, said: ” We expanded our operation at Zeebrugge last year so that we now have capacity to ship 700,000 units per year and can continue to grow.” P&O Ferries has 98 sailings across the North Sea every week – to the ports of Tilbury, Hull and Teesport. 

P&O Ferries has reported that rail volumes at its continental hubs in Zeebrugge and Europoort grew by 14 per cent in the first half of 2017. Its operation at Zeebrugge already has connecting rail services to Segrate, Busto and Novara in Italy and Oradea in Romania. 

Photo: P&O Ferries 

P&O Ferries introduces VIP service for freight drivers

By | 2017 Newsletter week 38 | No Comments

P&O Ferries has launched a new Commercial Drivers Club, which guarantees VIP service for freight drivers using its overnight routes on the North Sea (Hull-Zeebrugge, Hull-Europoort) Members using P&O Ferries’ terminals can enjoy a TV lounge, free refreshments and dedicated lavatory facilities.

They are also allocated a cabin with bathroom, which is solely for their own use, subject to availability during peak season. Menus have been improved, and by introducing a new restaurant layout, drivers are able to sit wherever they want. The terminal layout has also been improved, for a faster exit.

Photo: Mike Louagie