Shippax News Bulletin – 47
Shippax News Bulletin – 46
- In association with Interferry
Dear Subscriber,
Enjoy this selection of free news bits.
Photo above: In the latest Shippax Info, sent to the printers yesterday, we report about that Tanzanian operator Ikraam Sealine bought the former Greek-ferry GEORGIOS K. Renamed IKRAAM I it will serve between Zanzibar’s main port and Mkoani and Wete ports.
Have a great weekend!
Irish Continental Group trading update, Year to date, 20 November 2021
W.B. YEATS © George Giannakis
Irish Continental Group issued its trading update for carryings and financials for the 1 January to 31 October period. Consolidated Group revenue in the period was EUR 279.7 million, an increase of 21.9% compared with last year. The Ferries Division had revenues of EUR 144.5m, up 24%.
On a like for like basis (excluding Dover-Calais) over the same period, compared with 2020:
- Fuel costs increased by EUR 17m (60%) versus 2020
- Ro-ro volumes were down 20% but ro-ro revenue remained flat as more customers used the Dublin-Cherbourg route where rates are higher given the longer journey time
- Car volumes up 16%
Irish Continental Group buys CIUDAD DE MAHON for Irish Ferries Dover-Calais service
CIUDAD DE MAHON joins Irish Ferries © Marc Ottini
Irish Continental Group’s (ICG) plans for a three ship Dover-Calais service for Irish Ferries are now complete with the acquisition of the 22,152 gt 2000-built ropax CIUDAD DE MAHON from Spain’s Trasmed GLE.
The 589-passenger capacity and 91 freight unit ferry will be taken over by ICG at the end of January 2022 and will enter service with Irish Ferries in the first quarter of 2022 after drydocking, rebranding in Irish Ferries colours and renaming.
Bridge plans between Scotland and Northern Ireland scrapped
© Leah-Anne Thompson
Ferry services between Scotland and Northern Ireland are safe for the time being after a proposal to build a fixed link (bridge or tunnel) have been scrapped for the time being.
Plans to build a bridge linking the two countries have been dropped on the grounds of costs and engineering challenges. One price for a new bridge linking Scotland and Northern Ireland was put at GBP 20 billion.
Corsica Linea’s next generation Visentini-class ropax named A GALEOTTA
A GALEOTTA at Visentini © Corsica Linea
The largest ropax newbuilding to date built by Italy’s ferry specialist Visentini, the next generation ropax for Corsica Linea was named A GALEOTTA on 23 of November.
Designed by NAOS Ship & Boat Design, the LNG-powered vessel will become Corsica Linea’s new flagship when she enters service on the company’s Marseille to Ajaccio/Bastia services after its July 2022 delivery. A GALEOTTA is also the first LNG-powered ferry to operate between France and Corsica.
Damen Yichang delivered the BERLIN-RAMELAU to Timor-Leste’s APORTIL
BERLIN-RAMELAU departing Shanghai © Damen Shipyards Group
Damen Shipyard Group’s Yichang Shipyard in China delivered the 67m long BERLIN-RAMELAU to the Port Authority of Timor-Leste (APORTIL). It will operate between Timor-Leste’s capital Dili, the Oecusse enclave and the island of Ataúro.
The ro-pax follows Damen’s RoPax Ferry 6716 design and has a 380-passenger and 32-car capacity. It is propelled by twin 837 kW Yanmar diesel engines, guaranteeing a 10-knot service speed. The vessel's single vehicle deck has a clear height of 4.8m and a 27-tonne axle load.
Norled launched an autonomous battery swap solution
Norled have launched the “Norled Autonomous Battery Swap” - a battery replacement solution for high-speed ferries that will ensure speed and regularity can be kept, in addition to being emission-free.
The battery replacement technology means that a robot in three minutes changes the vessel's battery when it gets to the quay, instead of charging, thereby saving time.
Finnlines’ third hybrid ro-ro vessel launched
FINNECO III launched in China Merchants Jinling Shipyard © Finnlines
FINNECO III, the third hybrid ro-ro vessel in a three-ship GG5G series adapted for Finnlines service series, was launched in China Merchants Jinling Shipyard (Jiangsu) in China on 22 November 2021.
The Finneco series vessels will be 238 metres long with a cargo capacity of 5,800 lane metres. Compared to the Company's largest ro-ro vessels today, cargo capacity increases by nearly 40%.
Brittany ferries restores the UK to France high-speed ferry services in 2022
The service will be operated by the 102m Austal-built trimaran CONDOR LIBERATION, delivered to Condor Ferries at the end of 2014 © Kai Ortel
The three-hour summer service, from Portsmouth to Cherbourg or Cherbourg to Poole, will run every weekend from 27 May-5 June & 15 July-4 Sept and will be operated on behalf by Condor Ferries' with CONDOR LIBERATION.
Operating to and from Cherbourg, sailings on CONDOR LIBERATION to France are available at weekends during May half term and the summer holidays.
Highest vehicle traffic levels ever for BC Ferries
On 11 October, the last of the BC Ferries' four new battery-electric hybrid Island Class vessels departed from Damen Shipyard Galati in Romania © BC Ferries
In the three months ended 30 September 2021, BC Ferries carried the highest number of vehicles ever (3.0 million), 3% over the same period in 2019. Passenger traffic was down 9% though (7.0 million), compared to the same period. Revenue for the quarter ended 30 September 2021, at CAD 316.8 million, was up CAD 69.2 million over the same period in the prior year.
Kyoudougumi Kaiun received its MISAKI II
MISAKI II © Kyodogumi Kaiun
Miura Shipbulding have delivered the 110.84m long ro-ro MISAKI II to Japanese Kyoudougumi Kaiun.
MISAKI II will replace the smaller 1994-built MISAKI and carry everyday commodities, building materials, agricultural products, etc, on the Kagoshima-Amami islands route alongside the 2013-built KYORAMUN.
Saga Cruises announces appointment of Fran Collins as new Non-Executive Director
Saga, the UK's specialist in products and services for people over 50, announced the appointment of Fran Collins as the newest member of Saga’s Cruise Board.
CruiseCopenhagen unveils new 2024 strategy
© Thomas Høyrup Christensen
CruiseCopenhagen aims to contribute to sustainable growth with new 2024 strategy. The framework of the strategy is the UN Sustainable Development Goals, ensuring that sustainability is a central factor of the strategy.
The framework of the strategy is the UN Sustainable Development Goals, ensuring that sustainability is a central factor of the strategy. The cruise industry's growth is challenged globally by factors such as sustainability and local community support, which is why the CruiseCopenhagen 2024 strategy revolves around these challenges.
HAROPA PORT and Brittany Ferries inaugurate the new Ireland-Le Havre freight service
COTENTIN © Brittany Ferries
In Le Havre, Brittany Ferries is launching a new freight service between Normandy and the town of Rosslare in Ireland. Underpinned by the dynamic generated by reorganisation of trade between Ireland and the European continent, this service provides one weekly return trip, beginning on 12 November.
The COTENTIN can carry 120 driver-accompanied freight units on each trip between Le Havre and Rosslare. The creation of this new service between Le Havre and Rosslare is the practical outcome of the efforts made by HAROPA PORT and Brittany Ferries in the wake of Brexit, working hand-in-hand with a range of Irish economic and institutional actors. The new service provides an additional solution for connecting Ireland with the EU Single Market via France - one long awaited by players in the logistics sector in France and Ireland.
CLdN And DFDS Enter Into A Space Charter Agreement (SCA) To Increase Frequency And Capacity On The Rotterdam - Humber Route
CLdN/C.RO Port's recently expanded (65ha) RoRo terminal in Rotterdam © CLdN
Reacting to customer demand to provide more capacity, higher frequency and earlier arrivals into the UK, CLdN announced the introduction of an additional six sailings per week each way on the Rotterdam - Humber service, increasing the offering to twelve sailings per week in each direction.
The increased capacity, catering for customer demand and made possible by a mutual SCA with DFDS, will provide for a 05:00 hrs arrival into C.Ro’s Killingholme port on the Humber. This will allow for a faster rotation of cargoes and equipment, with a design to keep goods flowing more efficiently post 1st January 2022, when more stringent customs procedures enter in full force.
Naming competition launched for newest member of CMAL ferry fleet
UTNE © CMAL
Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited (CMAL) has announced its shortlist of names for the recently purchased UTNE, which will be renamed before joining the fleet.
Members of the public will have the opportunity to vote for the vessel’s new name from a shortlist of names associated with Mull, which will give the ferry strong ties to the island.
The shortlisted names are:
- LOCH FRISA – The largest loch on the Isle of Mull, located four miles south of Tobermory.
- GLEN FORSA – A beautiful open glen in the heart of Mull, with the peak of Beinn Talaidh at its head.
- TOROSAY - Torosay Castle was built in 1858 by architect David Bryce and sits on the northwest side of Mull's Duart Bay.
MSC Cruises and Fincantieri mark float out of the line's next flagship MSC SEASCAPE
MSC SEASHORE follows MSC SEASCAPE, delivered in July this year © Fincantieri
MSC Cruises celebrated the float out of its next flagship MSC SEASCAPE at the Fincantieri shipyard in Monfalcone, Italy, a traditional event as the ship owner and the shipbuilder of a new vessel come together to witness a ship touch water for the first time.
MSC SEASCAPE will be delivered in November 2022, the second Seaside EVO class ship to enter the MSC Cruises’ fleet, and the fourth vessel in the line’s highly-innovative Seaside class.
Celebrity Cruises cuts steel on fourth edge series ship - CELEBRITY ASCENT
CELEBRITY ASCENT steel cut © Celebrity Cruises
Company executives signed the ceremonial first cut of steel for the fourth ship, CELEBRITY ASCENT, in Celebrity Cruises’ award-winning Edge Series at the Chantiers de l’Atlantique shipyard in Saint-Nazaire, France, the cruise line that took consumers to the Edge® and ApexSM of luxury travel.
CELEBRITY ASCENT is expected to make her debut in early 2023.
Wärtsilä completes major project with Fincantieri to renovate three Windstar Cruises vessels
STAR BREEZE was the first to undergo the USD 250 million Star Plus initiative © Fincantieri
The technology group Wärtsilä has successfully completed a major project to renovate three Windstar cruise ships.
The conversions were led by the Fincantieri yard starting in 2019 with the first of the three sister vessels, the STAR BREEZE, being completed in 2020. This was followed by the STAR LEGEND in mid- 2020, and finally the STAR PRIDE in October 2021. The renovation included the ships being extended in length from 135 metres (443 feet) to 160.6 metres (527 feet). The project was part of Windstar’s USD 250 million Star Plus initiative.
Hurtigruten Third Quarter 2021 Results
Hurtigruten reported the third quarter financial results as of 30th September 2021.
The Group’s bookings are at an all-time high compared to pre-pandemic levels. All seven ships in Hurtigruten Norway returned to full operation whilst two ships from Hurtigruten Expedition resumed the operation during the third quarter. Covid-19 continued to have a significant impact on the financial performance. However, a positive trend in revenue growth is observed. Adjusting for the Government compensation scheme, which ended in Q2 2021, the underlying revenue growth is 20.8 % quarter on quarter 2021 vs 2020. Operational cash flow in Q3 2021 showed significant improvement compared to Q3 2020. The Group is in a solid financial position with available liquidity of EUR 122m including a recent EUR 75m shareholder loan which is showing strong support from all the financial stakeholders.
Bachmann Group interested in running Channel Island ferry service
Following a request for Expressions of Interest from the Government of Alderney, Channel Islands to operate a inter-island ferry service, the Bachmann Group is pleased to announce that it has advised the Alderney Government that it is interested in supplying such a service.
A scalable and sustainable proposal with hydrogen as fuel to meet IMO2050 targets
Class society RINA, together with technology providers ABB, Helbio (subsidiary of Metacon AB), the Liberian Registry, Wärtsilä and an Energy Major have entered in a common effort to deliver a solution with hydrogen as fuel that would exceed IMO 2050 targets for 70% reduction of carbon intensity without the need for extensive infrastructure investment, offering the shipping industry a low-carbon pathway in shorter timescales.
Kongsberg Maritime and Norsepower MoU agreement facilitates Rotor Sail integration for shipowners
Kongsberg Maritime (KM) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the leading global provider of auxiliary wind propulsion systems, Norsepower Oy Ltd. The collaboration between these industry leaders will facilitate the addition of wind propulsion to KM’s integrated power and propulsion systems.
WinGD sets development timeframe for methanol and ammonia engines
Swiss engine designer WinGD has announced that its engines will be able to run on methanol and ammonia from 2024 and 2025 respectively.
WinGD’s multi-fuel solutions will be based on their well-established diesel-fueled X engines and dual-fuel X-DF engines. The ability to use zero-carbon or carbon-neutral fuels such as ammonia and methanol in both of its core engine types will give ship operators unprecedented flexibility in how they reduce emissions.
Wärtsilä Voyage has signed a landmark Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) to further strengthen their collaboration in smart port innovation and digitalisation. The main objectives of this strategic partnership are to initiate, develop and promote innovative solutions that accelerate digitalisation; foster interoperability in e-navigation and ship-to-shore secure data communications to enable port-to-port optimisation and establish reliable, cyber safe and cost-effective information exchange pathways between all ecosystem partners to increase operational efficacy.
To meet the growing market demand for a straightforward entry to digitalization, ABB has launched a new solution for collecting and recording vessel performance data onboard. ABB Ability™ OneBox – Marine Signals Monitoring transfers the signals from shipboard sensors to cloud infrastructure for access and analysis by the shipowner.
As a pioneer of pressure piping, GF Piping Systems (GF) announced today the introduction of bio-attributed materials to all of its market-leading polyvinyl chloride (PVC-U) metric pressure pipes, fittings and valves produced in Europe. The sustainable PVC resin, made using tall oil, a waste product from paper production will see up to 90% reduction in the CO2 emission during production versus conventional PVC while still maintaining the highest quality, durability, and recyclability.
Release from Viking Line’s extraordinary general meeting 22 November 2021
The general meeting decided in accordance with the Board of Directors’ proposal to authorize the Board to decide on a share issue of at most 6,480,000 new shares with pre-emption rights for shareholders (share issue with pre-emption rights) at a subscription price of EUR 8.00 per share. The Company’s shareholders shall be entitled to subscribe to three (3) new shares for every five (5) shares held at the subscription price.
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