Shippax News Bulletin – 41
- In association with Interferry
Dear Subscriber,
We bring you the weekly news summary, short and easily digested. Enjoy!
Have a great weekend!
Rederi Ab Eckerö completed a successful EUR 62 million bond issuance
The process of securing long-term financing for the Eckerö Group has taken a step forward after the successful issuance of an inaugural EUR 62 million five-year Senior Secured Bond. The loan has an annual interest rate of three months EURIBOR + a credit margin of 7%. The agreed issue date is 28 October.
Fincantieri Palermo re-delivers STAR PRIDE to Windstar Cruises – bringing to an end the USD 250 million Star Plus Initiative
Sister ship STAR BREEZE after its completed lengthening in November 2020 © Fincantieri
Fincantieri’s Palermo Shipyard re-delivered the small luxury cruise vessel STAR PRIDE to Seattle-based cruise line Windstar on 13 October, bringing to and en the completion of the cruise line’s ambitious US USD 250 million Star Plus Initiative; a three-ship lengthening, re-engining and upgrading project, described as one of the most complex small cruise vessel conversion and upgrading projects yet undertaken.
Marella Cruises adds TUI Cruises’ MEIN SCHIFF HERZ to its fleet in 2023
© Kai Ortel
A fifth ship will be added to the Marella Cruises fleet in April 2023, the MEIN SCHIFF HERZ from TUI Cruises. Before joining Marella Cruises as MARELLA VOYAGER it will undergo major refurbishments.
SASSNITZ sold to Turkish breakers
© Marc Ottini
In June last year, Stena Line permanently closed the route between Trelleborg and Sassnitz, leaving SASSNITZ as surplus. The 1989-built ferry has now sealed its fate, having been sold to Turkish breakers and is already on its way to Aliaga for recycling.
Algérie Ferries (ENTMV) to restart international routes 21 October
BADJI MOKHTAR III, finally being introduced © GSI
Algérie Ferries announced that international ferry connections with Spain would restart as from 21 October and France 1 November.
The Spanish port of Alicante will be re-opened as from 21 October on a weekly basis alternately from Oran or Algiers.
As from 1 November, Marseille will also be connected to Algiers on a weekly basis.
The restart means that Algérie Ferries will finally be able to introduce its newest ship, BADJI MOKHTAR III, delivered to them in June from Guangzhou Shipyard International (GSI).
Scandlines repeats Rotor Sail installation also for BERLIN
COPENHAGEN have been using the Rotor Sail since May 2020 © Christian Costa
Scandlines have been satisfied with the Norsepower Rotor Sail installation on their COPENHAGEN hybrid ferry and therefore decided to repeat the installation also on the sister ship, BERLIN, both operating on the Rostock-Gedser route.
The 30-metre Rotor Sail was installed on COPENHAGEN in May 2020, and the data show that the favorable winds on the route provide a 4 - 5% CO2 reduction.
Norled wins 12-year high-speed ferry contract
Smiling faces at Norled after the announcement © Norled
Norled was nominated winner of a 12-year contract for high-speed ferry operations in the municipalities of Kinn, Bremanger, Stad, Vik, Høyanger, Sogndal and Lærdal in Norway from 2024 to 2036.
The contract has strict requirements to decrease CO2 emission with at least 52 percent and Norled will introduce a brand new charging technology to help reach this target.
Torghatten Nord awarded a major contract in Northern Norway
LØDINGEN © Statens vegvesen
Torghatten Nord has been awarded a license to operate the Bognes – Lødingen route as from 2024, which they already do using the 2012-built and LNG-powered BARØY and LØDINGEN. The new contract though for this 25km route requires zero-emission ships and will last 10 years to 31 December 2033.
CMI Jinling Weihai Shipyard cuts first steel of Finnlines’ second new Superstar ro-pax
Render © Finnlines
8 October marked the start of the first steel cutting of yard number W0277, FINNCANOPUS, the second of two identical Superstar Class ro-pax ferries for Finnlines’ Naantali-Långnäs-Kapellskär route.
Ship particulars, FINNCANOPUS
Type of vessel: Ro-ro passenger
Delivery: End of 2023, FINNSIRIUS mid 2023
Ice class: 1 A Super
Length, overall: 235.0 m
Gross tonnage: 68,460
Deadweight: 11,500
Lane metres: 5,200
Passengers: 1,100
Passenger cabins: 323
Route: Finland–Sweden (Naantali–Långnäs–Kapellskär)
BC Ferries' sixth Island Class ferry departs Romania bound for B.C.
BC Ferries' Island Class © BC Ferries
BC Ferries’ sixth Island Class ferry is now on its way to British Columbia after departing Damen Shipyards Galati in Romania at sunrise on October 11. ISLAND 6, as it is temporarily named, is the last in this series of newly built Island Class ferries to join BC Ferries’ fleet.
NASA’s webb space telescope arrived in French Guiana after sea voyage onboard MN COLIBRI
MN COLIBRI © NASA/Chris Gunn
NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope successfully arrived in French Guiana Tuesday, after a 16-day journey at sea onboard MN COLIBRI. The 5,800-mile voyage took Webb from California through the Panama Canal to Port de Pariacabo on the Kourou River in French Guiana, on the northeastern coast of South America.
CMAL and Strathclyde University secure GBP 30k grant for clean maritime fuel project
CATRIONA, one of three hybrid diesel-electric vessels in CMAL’s fleet and one of the 23 ferries included in this study. © Jeremy Sutton-Hibbert.
Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited (CMAL) and the University of Strathclyde have secured a £30,000 grant to fund a six-month research project to explore the technical, operational and commercial viability of using zero-carbon fuels to power ferries.
Interferry / Shippax study reveals ferry industry’s huge economic impact
A study commissioned by trade association Interferry with the help of statistics and data from Shippax, has revealed startling statistics on the far-reaching extent of the global ferry industry’s value to the world economy.
Research into the latest pre-Covid full-year figures found that, in 2019, ferries carried 4.27 billion passengers – on a par with aviation – and 373 million vehicles across a worldwide fleet of 15,400 vessels. Among other findings, the industry provided 1.1 million jobs, contributed $60 billion to the world GDP and represented approximately 20% of shipping’s economic value to the European Union.
ABS and Kongsberg Digital join forces to power maritime digitalization and decarbonization
Two of the maritime industry’s most advanced digital service providers have joined forces through the product integration of Kongsberg Digital’s Vessel Insight and the ABS My Digital Fleet™ platform. The alliance brings together data acquisition capabilities from Kongsberg Digital and ABS’ business intelligence capabilities to offer shipowners, ship managers and charterers seamless access to the industry’s most powerful analytics services.
Sembo secures $12m investment from Stena Line
As the travel industry continues to bounce back, the Swedish travel technology firm Sembo has just secured a $12m (approx €10.3m/104mSEK) investment from its parent company Stena Line. Sembo is now embarking on an ambitious expansion plan. The funds are to be used to support the recruitment of some of the sharpest software developers available in order to speed up the first phase of the company´s international expansion.
Portsmouth International Port sets course for shore power
Portsmouth City Council's cabinet have approved a strategy for shore power provision at Portsmouth International Port, which will allow visiting ships to switch their engines off whilst alongside.
The port has bold plans to tackle emissions and carbon, which will ultimately help them to become one of the UK’s first zero emission ports.
The Port of Turku ferry terminal architectural competition will start in mid-October
The Port of Turku is organizing an architectural competition to select a designer for a new passenger terminal. Perhaps the most interesting part of the Ferry Terminal project is the new passenger terminal, which will be shared by both shipping companies. The building will serve passengers for decades and its location in the harbor environment close to Turku Castle will make the site significant from a cityscape point of view. In addition to high architectural quality, a successful passenger experience is of paramount importance to us and will also be taken into account in the selection of a passenger terminal designer. By organizing a two-stage invitational competition, we want to contribute to the creation of a comfortable urban environment for the people of Turku.
DFDS: September volume report: continued freight growth offset by UK slowdown
Ferry – freight: Total volumes in September 2021 were 1.9% below 2020. Net adjustments for structural route changes reduced growth 1.7 ppt to -3.6%.
Ferry – passenger: The total number of passengers in September 2021 was 37.7% above 2020 as travel restrictions started to be eased during the month.
Carnival Corporation announced they successfully completed the syndication of its $2.3 billion first-priority senior secured term loan facility ("Term Loan Facility"), which the Company intends to use to redeem its 11.5% First Priority Senior Secured Notes due 2023 (the "2023 Notes"). The new Term Loan Facility will bear interest at a rate per annum equal to adjusted LIBOR with a 0.75% floor, plus a margin equal to 3.25% and will mature in 2028. The refinancing transaction will generate annual interest savings of over $135 million and extend maturities.
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