VIDEO

By | 2018 Newsletter week 20 | No Comments

Corsica Linea Tests New Ferry Route

Corsica Linea has been testing a ferry route between Ajaccio (Corsica) and Porto Torres (Sardinia), with ro-pax JEAN NICOLI.
In three days 1,500 Corsican passengers decided to take the opportunity to visit their Italian neighbours.
The test was for passengers only, but there could be a market for freight. At least in one direction. Apparently Sardinian building materials are being exported to Corsica.

Look at the France Info video on YouTube (in French)(Time 1:45)

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

Saint Pierre et Miquelon soon ready to operate the new Damen ro-pax vessels

By | 2018 Newsletter Week 05 | No Comments

In 2015 Collectivité de Saint Pierre et Miquelon awarded the contract for two new ferries to operate between the two Islands and Fortune (Canada) to Damen Shipyards Group.
In close cooperation with the client, Damen designed the Fast RoPax 5510, 55 m long, with a capacity for 192 passengers and crew, 3 trucks or 18 cars.
The vessels named NORDET and SUROIT were heavy-lifted to Canada in November and have recently finished their local sea trials.

Photo: Rendering Damen

Spirit of Tasmania to invest in two new ro-pax vessels

By | 2017 Newsletter week 49 | No Comments

TT-Line Company Pty Ltd, operators of Spirit of Tasmania, will order two brand new purpose-built ships to replace the current fleet by 2021. This was announced at a press conference today.
These two new ships will have substantially larger capacity for passengers (from 1,400 to 2,000 pax), passenger vehicles (from 1,000 to 1,714 lane meter) and freight (from 1,800 to 2,500 lane meter).
Chairman Mike Grainger said, “we are going to the best builders of ro-paxes in the world, and the best will be awarded the contract.” The order will be placed next year.
Mr Grainger said the company looked at capacity, customer expectations, operating speed, sea-keeping properties for Bass Strait, capital and operating costs and operational efficiency. No Government cash will be needed.

Built for Superfast Ferries in 1998, the ships in the current fleet underwent a major refurbishment in 2015 and will continue operating until the new vessels are delivered.

Port of Bari wants to get rid of the gutted ferry wreck

By | 2017 Newsletter week 49 | No Comments

Ro-pax NORMAN ATLANTIC took fire in December 2014. The wreck was towed to Bari for investigations and has been there ever since. Because the experts have done their work the several stakeholders have asked the Court to release the ship from her evidential seizure. The ship is moored next to the cruise and ferry terminal, not a pretty sight.

Source: Corriere del Mezzogiorno – Photo: Italian Navy

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

Stena Line and the Port of Trelleborg inaugurate onshore power supply

By | 2017 Newsletter week 43 | No Comments

As the first ferry company in the Port of Trelleborg, Stena Line will now be connecting up its two ro-pax vessels SKÅNE and MECKLENBURG-VORPOMMERN to the electricity grid during calls into port.

Stena Line is a pioneer in this field. Cold ironing is now reality in four of Stena Line’s six ports in Sweden. Throughout Stena Line’s route network, 17% of the ports are connected.

“Planning work is under way to enable us to connect vessels in more of our ports. The objective is for 25% of the ports by 2020 and 7% by 2030,” says Stena Line’s CEO Niclas Mårtensson.

Photo © Stena Line

Short News

By | 2017 Newsletter week 41 | No Comments
  • CLdN decided to introduce an additional ro-ro –ADELINE– on the Rotterdam-London service. From each port there will be two extra sailings per week.
  • GNV’s ro-pax ferry LA SUPREMA made a transatlantic crossing, and is now in San Juan, the capital of Maria-ravaged Puerto Rico. She is acting as a relief ship after the hurricane.
  • CMA CGM will bring in STENA CARRIER and ARK FORWARDER for their new Morocco Express service (see Ferry Shipping News, week 37). These two Stena RoRo ships have a capacity of about 2,700 lane meter.
  • Stena’s former TRELLEBORG, operating as SUNNY between the islands of Qeshm (Iran), has been sold for scrap.
  • Ro-pax STENA EGERIA arrived in Durrës on October 8. She has been chartered by Adria Ferries for one year, from Stena RoRo. She replaces the BRIDGE, which was spotted in Port Suez on October 10. STENA EGERIA has been renamed AF MICHELA.
  • ABB is going to provide an Azipod propulsion system for the new Viking Line cruise ferry to be built in China, the first installation of Azipod propulsion in a cruise-ferry application.
  • Ship2Shore reports that the Onorato Group (Moby/Tirrenia) is aiming at a sale & lease back contract with foreign investors, to cash money from MOBY TOMMY, JANAS, BITHIA and ATHARA.