Disney Cruise Line announced the acquisition of former GLOBAL DREAM

Illustration of GLOBAL ONE © Disney Cruise Line

Disney announced the acquisition of the partially completed GLOBAL DREAM. Disney will work with the Meyer Werft shipbuilding company to complete the cruise ship. The ship will be renamed GLOBAL ONE and is expected to set sail in 2025.

The 208,000 gt ship is expected to be among the first in the cruise industry to be fueled by green methanol, one of the lowest emission fuels available. Disney Cruise Line expects the passenger capacity to be approximately 6,000 with around 2,300 crew members.

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Fincantieri delivered MSC SEASCAPE to MSC Cruises

© MSC Cruises

MSC Cruises officially took delivery from Fincantieri of its new 339-metre flagship MSC SEASCAPE. The vessel is the 21st to join the MSC Cruises fleet and MSC SEASCAPE is the fourth to have been built by Fincantieri as part of a EUR 7 billion investment package for 10 ships.

• Length/beam/height: 339m /41m/76m
• Gross tonnage: 170,400
• Guests: 5,632
• Cabins: 2,270
• Crew: 1,648
• Maximum speed: approx. 21.8 knots

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New EUR 100 million passenger terminal for the port of Valencia

The Port Authority of Valencia (PAV) and Spanish ferry giant Baleària have joined together to build a new modern, eco-friendly passenger terminal which will cater for both ferry passengers and cruise ship passengers. Not only will the new terminal be used by both ro-pax ferries and cruise ships, it will also be used by freight ro-ro’s.

Baleària will invest more than EUR 37 million in the new terminal, while VPA will invest the lion's share - EUR 63 million. The Spanish ferry operator will, initially, have the concession to operate the new passenger terminal for 35 years, although this can be extended to a maximum of 50 years.

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CTMA VACANCIER to miss 2023 cruise season as future of the 50-year-old ro-pax remains in doubt

1973-built CTMA VACANCIER © CTMA

For a fifth consecutive year Canada’s CTMA (Coopérative de Transport Maritime et Aérien) has cancelled the ro-pax ferry CTMA VACANCIER’s cruise season in 2023, which was scheduled to run between June and September to the Magdalene Islands. The latest setback brings into serious doubt the future of this 50-year old vessel.

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DFDS experienced higher earnings in all business units in Q3

Torben Carlsen, CEO of DFDS

Revenue for DFDS in Q3 increased 64% to DKK 7.2 billion driven by the continued recovery in passenger numbers and spending as well as price increases for freight services to cover rising energy and other costs. The acquisitions of HSF Logistics Group in September 2021 and ICT Logistics in January 2022 also affected positively. Total EBITDA before special items increased 88% to DKK 1.59 billion. The EBITDA for freight ferry and logistics activities increased 28% to DKK 1.04 billion driven by higher earnings in all business units except for Channel.

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New York City’s first zero emissions passenger ferry to enter service in 2024

The Beluga24 catamaran, developed by Green City Ferries

New York Cruise Lines has partnered with Stockholm-based Green City Ferries AB to build New York City’s first zero emissions passenger ferry, which is due in service in 2024. 

The new ferry will be operated by New Work Cruise Lines subsidiary New York Water Taxi on the Hudson River, between Brooklyn and Manhattan. The newbuilding ferry, a Beluga24 catamaran, developed by Green City Ferries, will have a capacity for 147 passengers and 27 bicycles and will be able to operate at speeds of up to 30 knots.

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Echandia to supply Danish Molslinjen with battery systems for two new fully electrified vessels

Echandia has been chosen to supply energy storage solutions for two new fully electrified vessels for Molslinjen. The two new ferries will operate Alslinjen and Samsølinjen starting in 2024. The battery systems will have a total capacity of around 7 MWh.

The two new ferries are designed by OSK-ShipTech for Molslinjen and will be built by Cemre Shipyard for delivery in 2024. 

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American Cruise Lines announces AMERICAN LIBERTY - third new coastal catamaran in Project Blue series

American Cruise Lines announced that construction has begun on AMERICAN LIBERTY, the third new Coastal Cat in the company’s Project Blue series. First announced in January 2022, the Project Blue series is a set of 12 small ships designed to cover almost any domestic cruise itinerary. The 105-guest AMERICAN LIBERTY is built for coastal operation and features a similar innovative hull design as the company’s previously announced Coastal Cats. All ships are being built by Chesapeake Shipbuilding in Salisbury, MD.

The first two ships in the series, AMERICAN EAGLE and AMERICAN GLORY are scheduled to begin sailing in 2023. AMERICAN LIBERTY is scheduled to begin cruising in May 2024.

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Viking Line to double its Helsinki-Mariehamn-Stockholm service in summer 2023

Viking Line will place the vessel VIKING CINDERELLA in service on its Helsinki-Mariehamn-Stockholm route during the period 30 June-6 Aug 2023. CINDERELLA will depart every other day in the afternoon from Helsinki and supplement regular service on the route with the vessel GABRIELLA. As a result, the company will offer daily departures between the two capitals during the 2023 peak season. Next summer, the number of passengers on the Tallinn route will likewise grow, so Viking Line will also add extra sailings between Helsinki and Tallinn. These new sailings will help to meet growing demand during the busiest season of the year.

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Kombardo Expressen in Bornholm ticket cooperation

Transit agency BAT and Molslinjen's bus concept, Kombardo Expressen, are now joining forces in a ticket collaboration. This means that travelers with the Kombardo Expressen to Bornholm can buy an additional ticket, which opens up travel on the entire island.

The collaboration between the public transport company and the private bus operator will provisionally run until the end of 2023.

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MISTRAL charter contract with Smyril Line extended

MISTRAL © Kai Ortel

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Carnival Corporation & plc Announces Changes to Boards of Directors

Carnival Corporation & plc announced that Sara Mathew, retired Chair, President, and Chief Executive Officer of Dun & Bradstreet Corp. (DNB), was appointed on 14 November 2022 to Carnival Corporation & plc's Boards of Directors, effective immediately.

Kongsberg Digital adds Propulsion Analytics’ performance tools to Kognifai Marketplace

Kongsberg Digital and Propulsion Analytics have signed a partnership that will add Propulsion Analytics’ Engine Hyper Cube® and VesselQUAD®applications to the Kognifai Marketplace, a secure platform offering the latest digital tools to vessel owners.

DFDS October volumes: mixed growth picture

Ferry – freight: Volumes were lower across northern Europe while Mediterranean volumes continued to grow. Total volumes in October 2022 were 9.0% below 2021.
Ferry – passenger: The number of passengers continued to recover and increased 172% to 332k equal to 84% of volumes in October 2019, the latest comparable month pre-Covid-19. The number of cars equalled 85% of volumes in 2019.

Stena Line Travel Group acquires Voigt Travel

Swedish travel company, Stena Line Travel Group AB, has announced that they have acquired Voigt Travel Holding, the leading winter holiday specialist for the Nordic region. The deal brings Voigt Travel, the well-known Dutch travel brand, as well as sister companies Scandinavian Wintersports, and Ruka Safaris, into the Stena Line Travel Group alongside the successful Dutch travel company Buro Scanbrit, which has been a part of the Swedish company since 1986.

Viking Line presents VIKING CINDERELLA’s destination cruises in summer 2023

Viking Line presented its next summer's cruise catalog. VIKING CINDERELLA will cruise to the High Coast, Visby, Ystad and Bornholm, but will also supplement the traffic between Stockholm, Mariehamn, Helsinki and Tallinn.

Joonas Maunula to become the new Creative Head Chef of Tallink’s fleet

Tallink Grupp has announced that Joonas Maunula has been appointed as the Creative Head Chef of Tallink Grupp’s fleet.
Joonas Maunula first joined Tallink Grupp’s Food and Beverage team in 2011. Over the years, he has worked as part of the culinary team of several Tallink Grupp cruise vessels, including SILJA EUROPA, BALTIC PRINCESS, SILJA SERENADE and and, until his new appointment, as Head Chef on board the company’s vessel GALAXY since 2018.

DFDS invests in green transport corridor in the Flemish-Dutch Delta

DFDS deploys its first electric truck (e-truck) into the DFDS fleet and makes the company one step closer to operating a green corridor in one of Europe’s central logistic hubs. The e-truck is the first of 125 that DFDS has ordered from Volvo Trucks for delivery through 2023 to become operational in the DFDS fleet. 

Study Finds Tallinn Old City Harbour’s Air Quality in Accordance with requirements

This summer, the Estonian Environmental Research Centre conducted ambient air quality measurements in Tallinn Old City Harbour, confirming that the Port of Tallinn has effectively mitigated the risks of air pollution from ships and cars. None of the measured pollutants exceeded the limit values. Analyses also showed that visits by cruise ships do not individually increase pollution levels.

Molslinjen invests in ground-breaking flywheel technology

The potential of completely new and ground-breaking technology has meant that Molslinjen has just bought into the Hvidovre company Wattsup Power A/S. The company produces so-called flywheels, which in theory can run a fast ferry entirely on green energy.

Bluestone was awarded the contract for Air Lubrication System retrofit works on two Princess Cruises ships

Bluestone Group was awarded by Princess Cruises with two orders of Silverstream Air Lubrication System (ALS) to be installed on its SKY PRINCESS and ENCHANTED PRINCESS vessels. The last two orders follow the successful installation of the ALS on board the REGAL PRINCESS and are to be completed within the first half of 2023.