Shippax News Bulletin – 7
Shippax News Bulletin – 7
- In association with Interferry
Dear Subscriber,
Please find below a selection of news bits from this past week.
Enjoy the reading and have a great weekend!
Fires broke out on Grimaldi Lines’ EUROFERRY OLYMPIA and Mitsui O.S.K Lines’ FELICITY ACE
© Italian Coast Guard
A major fire broke out on Grimaldi Lines’ EUROFERRY OLYMPIA tonight at 4:30 CET outside Corfu while enroute from Igoumenitsa to Brindisi. 288 people were onboard and are reportedly safe and rescued. The cause of the fire is not yet known.
A fire also broke out Mitsui O.S.K Lines FELICITY ACE yesterday, carrying 3,965 new cars. The PCTC was abandoned by the 22 crew members and is now adrift in the Atlantic Ocean still on fire.
GNV takes delivery of CAP FINISTERE– ro-pax renamed GNV SPIRIT
© GNV
Italian ferry operator Grand Navi Veloci (GNV) took delivery of its 25th vessel on 17 February in Le Havre, Brittany Ferries’ CAP FINISTERE, which has been renamed GNV SPIRIT. The 32,728 gt 2000-built vessel was to have sailed on the same day for Naples, but has been delayed by Storm Eunice, which has brought 160 kilometre per hour winds to the English Channel.
Viking Line’s financials improved in 2021
Viking Line sold MARIELLA in May last year to Corsica Ferries, which is now operating as MEGA REGINA © Frank Lose
Compared to 2020, Viking Line improved its financials and reported sales of EUR 258.2 million (EUR 188.8 million). Operating income totalled EUR 32.1 million (EUR -49.3 million).
The total number of passengers on Viking Line’s vessels during the report period was 2,315,137 (1,927,302). Cargo volumes reached 129,278 cargo units (125,693).
The EUR 19.6 million sale of MARIELLA had a EUR 13.1 million effect on income, and liquidity was strengthened by EUR 13.5 million.
MOL orders two LNG-fuelled ferries from Naikai Zosen
© MOL
Mitsui O.S.K. Lines have placed an order at Naikai Zosen shipyard for two 199.4m long LNG-fuelled ferries for their Ferry Sunflower brand. Once delivered in 2025 they will replace SUNFLOWER DAISETSU and SUNFLOWER SHIRETOKO on the Oarai-Tomakomai route and reduce CO2 emissions by about 35%.
Passenger capacity: 157
Vehicles (units): 50
Truck loading capacity (units) (converted to 13m): 155
LOA: 199.4m
Gross tonnage: About 15,600
Main engine: One low-speed engine
Main fuel: LNG (the vessel can also be operated on compliant fuel oil)
Sicily re-launches tender for the construction of a new ro-pax ferry for its Siremar operated Lampedusa-Pantelleria route
The new ferry will be slightly larger than Caronte & Tourist’s EOLIE, currently built at Sefine Shipyard © NAOS Ship and Boat Design
Following the failure of its first tender to build two new ro-pax ferries to be operated by Siremar on the route between the two islands of Lampedusa and Pantelleria, Italy’s Sicily Region has called for tenders to build one new, larger ferry, with an option on a second vessel.
The Sicily Region is proving EUR 100 million for the new ferry and tenders from interested shipyards have to be in by 22 March this year. The newbuilding is expected to be in service before May 2024.
Portsmouth International Port to undergo a GBP 90 million upgrade programme
© Portsmouth Port
Portsmouth City Council, owners of the UK’s second busiest ferry port and fast-growing cruise port, Portsmouth International Port (PIP) has announced a GBP 90 million redevelopment project over the next 20 years, although much of the work will take place during the next five years. The ports upgrade plans are expected to double the workforce to 10,000 people, as well as significantly improving facilities for cruise and ferry passengers, as well as freight drivers.
Solent Gateway Ltd gets the green light to develop new commercial ro-ro facility at Marchwood
© Solent Gateway Ltd
The UK south coast port of Southampton is in line to get a new deepwater commercial ro-ro facility in the coming years following the decision by New Forest District Council to approve the planning application submitted by Solent Gateway Ltd (SGL), to redevelop the current 289 acre Marchwood Sea Mounting Centre on Southampton Water.
Wärtsilä and Grimaldi unveil new filter system to tackle ocean microplastics
The technology group Wärtsilä, together with the shipping company Grimaldi Group, have unveiled a new system that uses exhaust gas scrubber washwater to tackle the amount of microplastics in the world’s oceans; a critical and growing global environmental challenge.
The new system requires very little changes to onboard procedure and uses the natural capabilities of an open loop scrubber to contribute to cleaning the oceans during each voyage. Currently, a 10-megawatt engine will require scrubbers to process approximately 450 m3 of water per hour, potentially resulting in a large amount of microplastics being captured from seawater. According to early test results, the microplastics filtration system is efficient in capturing particles smaller than 10µm and the captured concentration by volume equals around 76 particles/m3.
Boundary Layer Technologies partners with Danfoss’ Editron division to power its hydrofoiling electric ferry, ELECTRA
ELECTRA © Boundary Layer Technologies
Boundary Layer Technologies, a California-based marine technology startup has partnered with Danfoss’ Editron division and has signed a Letter of Intent for the supply the electrical drivetrain system required to power its hydrofoiling electric ferry, ELECTRA.
P&O Cruises celebrates build milestone for Britain’s most environmentally-friendly cruise ship AVRIA
© P&O Cruises
A key stage in the construction of Britain’s newest and most innovative cruise ship has been marked at the Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg.
The team building P&O Cruises 184,000 gt ship ARVIA, which, like its sister ship IONA, will be powered by liquefied natural gas, making them both among the world’s greenest ships, celebrated the milestone with the traditional coin-laying ceremony. This event is a long-held ship-building tradition which is to bring good luck to the ship and its crew through construction to the future at sea.
Wärtsilä solutions open route to decarbonisation for Poland’s first LNG-fuelled RoPax vessels
The new Polish RoPax vessels will operate on LNG fuel with Wärtsilä 31DF dual-fuel engines © Polsteam
The technology group Wärtsilä has been contracted by Remontowa shipyard in Poland to supply engines, fuel storage and supply systems for three new RoPax vessels, the first LNG-fuelled RoPax vessels to be built for the Polish maritime sector. The ships will be operated by ferry companies Unity Line and Polferries. The contract with Wärtsilä was signed in January 2022.
Viking Line survey: Passengers have found their sea journeys to be safe even during the pandemic
Viking Line's new VIKING GLORY © Viking Line
More than 90 per cent of the 4,500 people who responded to Viking Line’s passenger survey have found the company’s vessels to be safe throughout the pandemic. The health safety survey, introduced in the spring of 2020, also reveals that there is great interest in boat trips after Covid restrictions are eased.
CARNIVAL CELEBRATION floated out at Meyer Turku shipyard
CARNIVAL CELEBRATION float out © Jukka Huotari
The 185,000 gt cruise ship Carnival Celebration was floated out to the outfitting keel today at Meyer Turku shipyard, Finland. As indicated by her name, the LNG powered vessel will mark the culmination of Carnival Cruise Lines 50th birthday. The float-out started on Friday morning local time with the opening of the building dock valves and will culminate during the weekend.
SH VEGA, Swan Hellenic’s second bespoke expedition cruise ship, is now on the water
SH VEGA © Helsinki Shipyard
Swan Hellenic announced that Helsinki Shipyard had floated SH VEGA out of dry dock. SH VEGA is the twin ship of SH MINERVA, launched at the end of last year and now exploring Antarctica. Steelwork production for the third slightly larger vessel commissioned from Helsinki started last Summer, and about 50% of the blocks are now ready at the yard. The Swan Hellenic fleet is thus coming together smoothly to take adventurous and discerning voyagers on a wide range of distinctive cruises.
Red Funnel awarded RoSPA Order of Distinction Award
Red Funnel, the original Isle of Wight ferry operator, has been awarded an Order of Distinction (20 consecutive Golds) Award for health and safety performance by RoSPA, the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents.
Scandinavian Biogas defines long term target for 2030 – 3 TWh biogas production, mainly Bio-LNG
Scandinavian Biogas Fuels International AB (SBF) defines its long-term growth target. The European biogas market is experiencing a paradigm shift and developing very fast especially in the Bio-LNG (liquid biogas) market. Clear evidence has been already seen for fast demand growth in the heavy transportation market segment. Maritime and industrial usage expected to follow as well.
Costa Cruises restarts with the entire fleet in 2022
Costa Cruises continues its gradual restart plan for 2022. From 5 March, the date on which the new COSTA TOSCANA, star of the recent edition of the Sanremo Music Festival, will set sail for her first cruise, an increasing number of the company's ships will return to service, joining those already sailing. Next summer, the company's entire fleet will resume operations, with all four of the new ships delivered in recent months - COSTA TOSCANA, COSTA SMERALDA, COSTA FIRENZE and COSTA VENEZIA - deployed in the Mediterranean. Also, for the summer period, with the hope of favorable regulations, the company is planning to carry out again shore excursions in free mode, and, in light of the gradual relaxation of the measures in place, is working to be able to make them already available as early as this spring.
Scandlines CFO Per Johannesen Madsen has decided to leave the German-Danish ferry operator and will resign from his position by the end of August 2022 at the latest.
Per Johannesen Madsen has been CFO and part of Scandlines' Executive Management since 2012, responsible for the overall financial management of the group and its financial reporting. He has been in charge of a number of departments and projects – including the sale of Scandlines as a company and of the Helsingborg-Elsinore route. Now Per Johannesen Madsen has decided to continue his journey outside Scandlines.
Tallink Grupp and Port of Tallinn reached compromise agreement in a court dispute
Tallink Grupp and Port of Tallinn have reached a compromise agreement, which ends the court dispute between the two parties which started in March 2021 over the port dues offered to passenger ferries in the Old City Harbour. According to the compromise agreement, Tallink Grupp will waive all submitted claims against the Port of Tallinn in this case and the Port of Tallinn will change the port dues applied to passenger ferries operating regular routes to and visiting the Old City Harbour. New port dues will apply to all ferry operators operating regular routes to the port.
Royal Caribbean Group appoints Governor Michael O. Leavitt to Board of Directors
Royal Caribbean Group announced the appointment of Governor Michael O. Leavitt, three-time elected governor of Utah and former Secretary of Health and Human Services during President George W. Bush's administration, to its Board of Directors.
Most read
Stena Line to increase cargo capacity by 30% on STENA FORERUNNER and STENA FORETELLER
May 08 2024
A third Öresundslinjen ferry to become fully electric
May 07 2024
Finnlines adopts graphene-based hard foul release hull coating across its ro-ro and ro-pax fleet
May 07 2024
Finnlines’ financial review January–March 2024
May 10 2024
Shippax Guide 24 - out now!
May 06 2024
DFDS Q1 report and April volumes
May 10 2024
First shipment for Lakeway Link’s new Gdynia-Södertälje ro-ro service starts 21 May
May 06 2024
One of the world’s largest biofuel plants is planned in Malmö
May 17 2024
