Shippax News Bulletin – 13
Shippax News Bulletin – 13
- In association with Interferry
Dear Subscriber,
Please find below a selection of news bits from this past week.
For our Shippax Info subscribers, the latest issue of the magazine is now available on the website.
Enjoy the reading!
Keel laying ceremony for the first Finnlines hybrid ro-pax vessel
Illustration of FINNSIRIUS © Finnlines Plc
On 1 April 2022, Finnlines celebrated the keel laying of its first Superstar ro-pax vessel, FINNSIRIUS. Together with its sistership, FINNCANOPUS, it will start to operate between Naantali–Långnäs–Kapellskär in 2023.
The combined passenger-cargo vessel will have capacity for about 300 lorries, 200 cars and 1,100 passengers. The vessels are 235 metres long and they utilize the latest state-of-the art technology.
UK to ban ferry operators calling at all UK ports that don’t pay crew members the UK National Minimum Wage
P&O Ferries' SPIRIT OF FRANCE © Marc Ottini
The fall out from the recent sacking of 800 British crew members by P&O Ferries (POF) to save costs and stay in business, by employing cheaper agency crews from overseas continues. The Secretary of State for Transport, Grant Shapps, addressed the House of Commons on 30 March and delivered a package of measures aimed at “ferry” operators serving UK ports. One of the nine measures was that the Government would ban all ferries calling at UK ports that didn’t pay their crew the UK National Minimum Wage.
Throughout his address to the House, Mr Shapps referred to “ferries”. Shippax thought that this needed clarification whether the Government mean just ro-pax ferries, or both ro-pax ferries and freight ferries. The Department for Transport (DfT) was contacted for clarification and a prompt response was received from Grant Shapps, “yes, the package of measures did include both ro-pax ferries and freight ferries.”
This will lead to a major shake-up in the UK ferry sector.
FERRY ROKKO was launched
FERRY ROKKO launching © Naikai Zosen
On 30 March, Miyazaki Car Ferry’s FERRY ROKKO was launched at the Naikai Zosen Innoshima shipyard in Hiroshima prefecture, Japan.
FERRY ROKKO is a sister ship of FERRY TAKACHIHO, which is set to enter service on 15 April 2022.
The single screw, 14,200-gross-ton ro-paxes will have a length of 194m, 27.6m beam, have a capacity for 576 passengers and 163 trucks and 81 cars
Hurtigruten plans first emissions free coastal express vessel by 2030
The 1997-built NORDNORGE © Hurtigruten
Norway’s Hurtigruten, the founder of the daily coastal express service linking 34 ports between Bergen and Kirkenes, plans to have its first emissions free vessel on the route by 2030. On this project, Hurtigruten will work in partnership with the Norwegian research institute SINTEF.
“We have built our last fossil fuelled ship for the Norwegian coastal express,” said Hurtigruten Norway’s CEO Hedda Felin.
Levante Ferries acquires ro-pax QUEEN CORAL 8 from Marix Line – to become CONTESSA DI LEVANTE
Illustration of CONTESSA DI LEVANTE © Levante Ferries
Greek ferry operator Levante Ferries has added a sixth vessel to its fleet with the acquisition of the 4,945 gt 1999-built QUEEN CORAL 8 from Japan’s Marix Line. Following a major upgrade project to be undertaken in Perama, the ferry will re-emerge as CONTESSA DI LEVANTE before operating in Greek waters.
Just over a month left until the 2022 Shippax Ferry Conference - programme updated
It is time too book if you want to secure a seat to the 2022 Shippax Ferry Conference!
The conference programme has been updated, and we truly feel this is the strongest and most thought out programme we have ever had.
We would also like to welcome our new second main sponsor, Seachange.
Want to join the conference?
BOOK HERE
RFI - Strait of Messina newbuild contract with Barreras cancelled
The newbuild is expected to be similar to the close sisterships MESSINA (photo) and IGINIA © Frank Lose
In December 2021, Italian railway infrastructure manager Rete Ferroviaria Italiana (RFI) awarded the Spanish Barreras shipyard an EUR 74 million contract to design and construct the new dual fuel hybrid rail ferry for the Strait of Messina. This contract has now been cancelled and a new procurement procedure has been issued for yards to bid for.
The new ship, which was hoped to be ready for delivery in about three years, will be 150 meters long, 19.5 meters wide and at a speed of 18 knots it will be used to transport passengers, railway carriages and wagons, dangerous goods and rail tankers in the Strait of Messina. It will also feature 400 square meters of solar panels to lower its emissions in port.
NYK Line took delivery of PLUMERIA LEADER
Delivery ceremony for PLUMERIA LEADER © NYK
NYK Line has taken delivery of LNG-powered PLUMERIA LEADER, a sistership to SAKURA LEADER, which was the first LNG-powered Japanese PCTC when delivered in October 2020. The 7,000 CEU capacity PCTCs have both been built at the Shin Kurushima Dockyard of Shin Kurushima Toyohashi Shipbuilding Co. Ltd.
Moby Group rescued by the Aponte family
1978-built MOBY CORSE © Marc Ottini
The ongoing financial saga at Italian ferry operator Moby Group, took a surprising turn last week when the Aponte family, owners of the Mediterranean Shipping Co (MSC) and the Onorato family, which owns Moby, announced that they had reached an agreement for MSC to make a capital investment in the ferry operator.
The Onorato family has been struggling for nearly two years to work out the terms of a recapitalisation of Moby and was facing an end of March deadline in the process of being supervised by an Italian court.
In a brief statement they said that the two families had reached an agreement for the capital increase in the Moby Group. The statement said the investment was aimed at payment of a debt due to Tirrenia di Navigazione in addition to allowing the prompt reorganisation of the Moby Group.
Terms were not revealed, but local insiders are suggesting that Aponte could have made in investment of 25% of Moby. MSC also controls another Italian ferry operator, Grandi Navi Veloci (GNV).
Reopening of Scandinavia's largest RoRo port
© Port of Trelleborg
After being a building and construction site for several years, Trelleborg's new port is finally ready. On April 5, this will be celebrated by inaugurating the port's four new ferry berths, together with Minister of Infrastructure Tomas Eneroth. Since the port expansion started, the Port of Trelleborg has extended Sweden by 550 meters south, built 3 km long new breakwaters, used 600,000 tons of stone taken by sea from Halmstad, dredged 1.7 million cubic meters, created 50 hectares of new land where there was previously sea and there are now 5,400 meters of quay in the harbor.
Yara Marine to equip three Finnlines vessels with shore power solutions
FINNLADY © Finnlines
Finnlines and Yara Marine Technologies have signed a contract to install Yara Marine’s shore power solution on board three vessels. The turnkey solution will allow these vessels to connect to the local power grid when in port, switching to electricity rather than using auxiliary engines running on fuel. The installations, which are scheduled for completion in 2022, will help Finnlines eliminate shipboard emissions in port and thus reduce its environmental footprint.
Japan’s first Sea Trial of Large Ferry with Renewable diesel fuel
SUNFLOWER SHIRETOKO © MOL
MOL, Euglena Co., Ltd., and MOL Ferry Co., Ltd. announced the completion of a sea trial of the MOL Ferry-owned/operated ferry SUNFLOWER SHIRETOKO using renewable diesel fuel marketed by Euglena. The sea trial took place in the Port of Oarai in Ibaraki Prefecture.
The renewable diesel fuel used for the sea trial is made from biomass, and can be used without changing the specifications of conventional diesel-powered marine engines.
ABB and PONANT enter 10-year MarineCare service agreement for increased vessel safety and uptime
LE COMMANDANT CHARCOT © Nicolas Dubruil
LE COMMANDANT CHARCOT, which recently became the first exploration cruise ship to reach the geographic North Pole, has signed up for ABB MarineCare services to ensure safe and sustainable operations. The comprehensive 10-year service agreement provides round-the-clock remote support, diagnostics and condition monitoring, as well as preventive and planned maintenance, and the critical spare parts to sustain the achieved operational efficiency. The service scope also includes warranty for the ship's energy storage system, supplied and integrated by ABB.
Connecting people on board La Méridionale's 39-hour journey
GIROLATA © Marc Ottini
La Méridionale passengers sailing between Marseille and Tanger-Med, previously cut off from communications with land and their loved ones, now have both wi-fi and mobile connections provided by Telenor Maritime.
Telenor Maritime has become the first provider to deliver connectivity services for passengers on board La Méridionale. The 5-year contract, signed December 2021, will provide passengers and crew with mobile and wi-fi services during their 39-hour long journey on board GIROLATA and PELAGOS. Both ships are fitted with the Telenor Maritime Connectivity Platform, a solution that combines multiple connectivity sources and distributes the signal to on-board services.
Bureau Veritas delivers AiP for ‘Solid Sail’ to help reduce large cruise ship emissions
Solid Sail © Chantiers de l’Atlantique
Bureau Veritas has delivered an Approval in Principle (AiP) to Chantiers de l’Atlantique for its innovative sailing propulsion system, Solid Sail, tailored for the large ships market.
Solid Sail is a 1,200 m² rigid sail made of composite panels assembled together, which was developed specifically for large vessels. The system overcomes the usual size limitations of standard fabric sails. Moreover, the rigidity of the sail panels induces less flapping and therefore increases the estimated life compared to a soft sail.
The UK Competition & Markets Authority (“CMA”) has blocked the merger between Cargotec and Konecranes. According to the CMA’s final report issued, the remedies - which would have removed all overlapping businesses of the two companies and were accepted by the European Commission (“EC”) - would not be effective in addressing the CMA’s concerns and thus the planned merger between Cargotec and Konecranes cannot be completed. The completion of the planned merger would have required approvals from all relevant competition authorities. Thus, Cargotec and Konecranes have today decided to cancel the planned merger.
Alfa Laval to acquire Desmet, a world leader in edible oil and biofuel processing
Alfa Laval has signed an agreement to acquire Desmet, part of the Desmet Ballestra Group, a world leader in engineering and supplying processing plants and technologies for edible oils and biofuel sectors. The acquisition will strengthen Alfa Laval’s position in the renewable energy arena and complement its offering within edible oils. Closing is expected during Q2 2022.
New shaft generator technology boosts marine energy efficiency
ABB permanent magnet shaft generator will enhance the efficiency, performance and reliability of ocean-going vessels.
Innovative design cuts fuel costs by up to 4 percent.
In-line generator is now up to 20 percent smaller and 30 percent lighter.
New Bureau Veritas rule note addresses safety of fuel cells on ships
Bureau Veritas (BV), has released a new rule note (NR 547) on fuel cell power systems on board ships. The rule note covers safety requirements for ships using any type of fuel cell technology, providing rules for the arrangement and installation of fuel cell power systems and the delivery of electrical energy.
Decarbonisation: RINA and Fincantieri join forces in research and development
RINA and Fincantieri have signed a memorandum of understanding to develop synergies in the field of decarbonisation, with a focus on alternative fuels, carbon capture and renewable energies in the shipping sector. The agreement sees the involvement of the two companies in initiatives related to technology scouting, the analysis, study and simulation of new fuels and energy vectors - in particular hydrogen and ammonia - and carbon capture. The collaboration will also include Approval in Principle (AiP) activities, a risk-based approach to classification that allows new designs and concepts to be validated on the basis of safety equivalence, and the qualification of innovative projects and technologies.
Baleària signs the first sustainable financing agreement in Spanish shipping sector with CaixaBank
CaixaBank acted as financing coordinator, insurer and sustainability agent leading the syndicated loan amounting to €80 million.
The price of financing will be calculated using two environmental indicators.
Shipping company Baleària acts as a global benchmark in sustainability as a result of its trailblazing commitment to projects related to gas and renewable energy.
Formula 1 announces MSC Cruises as a global partner for the 2022 season
Formula 1 is delighted to welcome MSC Cruises, as a Global Partner for the upcoming 2022 season. The multi-year deal, which began at the FORMULA 1 GULF AIR BAHRAIN GRAND PRIX 2022, will see Swiss-based MSC Cruises, one of the world’s largest and fastest growing cruise brands, become the Official Cruise Partner of Formula 1.
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