Ferry news, cruise, ro-ro and high-speed

TRICA back in service for Netherlands MOD

aug 12 2026

Ro-roThe Spliethoff owned ConRo, the 28,289 GT 2,963 lane metres and 643 TEU TRICA, has entered service for the Netherlands Defensie Verkeers en Vervoerorganisatie (DVVO) following the retrofitting of a container jib crane, intended to serve the forward cellular hold and on-deck container slots.

Weidong Shipping starts construction on first of two RoPax newbuilds at CMS Weihai

aug 12 2026

FerryThe first of two RoPaxes for Weidong Shipping have begun construction at the China Merchants Shipbuilding Weihai shipyard. The vessel, which will replace the ageing 1997 Mitsubishi-built 29,554 GT NEW GOLDEN BRIDGE V on the 3x weekly Incheon – Weihai route, will have a capacity for 400 passengers and 318 TEU.

OPE 26 Southbound peak ends below 2025 record

aug 12 2026

FerryThe first phase of Operation Crossing the Strait 2026 has been completed with 3,897 roundtrips transporting 1.14m passengers and 287,225 passenger vehicles. Algeciras and Tarifa account for the lion’s share in the period from June 15th to August 10th, with Algeciras recording 2982 vessel rotations, 861,686 passengers and 238,116 vehicles. Compared with 2025, 6.3% fewer vessel departures have been made, transporting 3.1% fewer passengers and a reduction of 2.3% in passenger vehicles.

EU–Georgia routes expand with the return of the DIOSCURIA

aug 11 2026

FerryThe 17,790 GT RoPax DIOSCURIA, formerly the Polish BALTIVIA, which was built by Kalmar Varv in 1981, is back on the Black Sea connection between Constanta in Romania and Poti in Georgia. The 1,404 lane-metre RoPax, with a 238 passenger/driver capacity, has been off the route for many months after repair work was undertaken in Turkey.

Grimaldi takes delivery of the GRANDE PACIFICO

aug 11 2026

Ro-roThe GRANDE PACIFICO was delivered on 10 August 2026, becoming the 13th Ammonia Ready vessel in the Grimaldi Group fleet and the first of five sister PCTC vessels ordered from China Merchants Heavy Industries Jiangsu. An evolution of the design behind the first five 9,000 CEU vessels already delivered by the same yard, the new units offer greater cargo capacity while maintaining the high standards of energy efficiency, technological innovation and environmental sustainability that distinguish the class.

NAPA launches digital checklist tool for onboard operations

aug 11 2026

NAPA has launched NAPA Checklist, a new digital tool that replaces paper and static PDF checklists with a guided, step-by-step workflow for onboard operations.
The product was co-developed with HX Expeditions and is being rolled out across the operator's expedition cruise fleet. Three further operators are already using the system, with one having run it on board for over a year and another having deployed it across nearly its entire fleet.

Fred. Olsen Express transports more than one million tonnes of freight in two years

aug 11 2026

Ro-roFred. Olsen Cargo Express, the shipping company’s dedicated maritime freight division, has transported more than one million tonnes and 140,000 lane metres of freight since the service was launched in May 2024. This growth has been driven by the addition of BRENAS CARGO in July 2025.

NYK takes delivery of two more dual-fuel PCTCs

aug 11 2026

Ro-roJapanese major NYK Line has taken delivery of another two PCTCs, belonging to a series of 12 x 7,000 CEU car carriers ordered from Shin Kurushima Dockyard (SKD) and Imabari. The COSMOS LEADER is the latest delivery from SKD's Toyohashi shipyard, one of Japan's most productive builders of PCTCs in series, and is a sistership of the ELDER LEADER, which was delivered in March this year.

Corvus Energy secures major battery contract for BC Ferries' new Summit Class vessels

aug 11 2026

FerryCorvus Energy has been awarded a contract to supply battery energy storage systems for four new hybrid-electric double-ended ferries being built for British Columbia Ferry Services Inc. (BC Ferries). The vessels, part of the operator's new Summit Class, will be named SUMMIT ARBUTUS, SUMMIT CEDAR, SUMMIT MAPLE and SUMMIT SPRUCE. Corvus will deliver 40 MWh of installed battery capacity, 10 MWh per vessel, among the highest-capacity battery-powered ferries in the world.

Delcomar introduces FRANCO DG

aug 10 2026

FerryIn late July, Sardinian ferry operator Delcomar introduced the double-ended ferry FRANCO DG on its route between La Maddalena and Palau. The 2018-built, 93-metre-long and 17.6-metre-wide, 1,365 GT ferry was acquired from Greece’s Chrysovalandou Maritime Co. for EUR 10 million in August 2025.

Bornholmslinjen posts second-best July on record

aug 10 2026

FerryMolslinjen has recorded the second-best July in Bornholmslinjen's history, with passenger and vehicle numbers close to the 2023 record, though the strong result came with a cost in delay penalties.
A total of 373,043 passengers travelled to and from Bornholm in July 2026, up 4.4 per cent on last year's July figure of 357,232. Vehicle traffic also grew, with 99,811 cars carried across the route compared with 94,399 in July 2025, a rise of 5.7 per cent.

COSTANZA I DI SICILIA © Gruppo Caronte & Tourist

COSTANZA I DI SICILIA inaugurated, enters service on Pelagie Islands route

aug 10 2026

FerryCOSTANZA I DI SICILIA has been inaugurated, with the ferry completing its first commercial crossing on 9 August 2026 on the newly established route between Porto Empedocle and the Pelagie Islands, including Lampedusa. The vessel is owned by the Regione Siciliana and has been entrusted to Caronte & Tourist Isole Minori for its day-to-day operation and management.

MIMER fixed on time charter to Smyril Line

aug 07 2026

Ro-roGodby Shipping’s MIMER has been fixed on time charter to Smyril Line. The charter will commence on 20 August and continue until early October 2026, with the vessel trading between Rotterdam, Hirtshals and the Faroe Islands.

DFDS' Head of Ferry Division Mathieu Girardin to leave

aug 07 2026

Mathieu Girardin, EVP, Head of Ferry Division and member of the Executive Management Team will step down from his position on 14 August 2026. Mathieu Girardin joined DFDS in October 2022.

Carnival Corporation raises GHG intensity reduction target to 25% by 2029

aug 07 2026

CruiseCarnival Corporation, the world's largest cruise company, has announced a tightened greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions intensity reduction target, committing to a 25% cut by 2029 measured against its 2019 baseline on an available lower berth days basis. The new goal raises the company's previous target by five percentage points and brings the deadline forward by one year.

Brittany Ferries opens 2027 bookings on high-speed Poole route

aug 06 2026

High-speedBrittany Ferries has put its 2027 high-speed service between Poole, Guernsey and St Malo on sale, with sailings bookable up to 7th November 2027 ahead of the operator's full 2027 timetable, due to be published in November this year.

Greek ferry market faces EUR 5 billion green transition gap, XRTC warns

aug 06 2026

FerryGreek coastal shipping has entered the most demanding investment period in its history, with a funding gap for the green transition exceeding EUR 5 billion over a 25-year horizon and a fleet whose median age has reached 28 years. That is the central message of the 25th annual report on the Greek ferry market, published in July by Piraeus-based XRTC Business Consultants under the title "Greek Ferry Market 2026: A Time of Responsibility and Decisions".

First steel for new WSF ferries was cut while option on a third unit was exercised

aug 06 2026

FerryUS-based Eastern Shipbuilding Group Inc. (ESG) and Washington State Ferries marked the start of construction on three new 160-vehicle hybrid-electric ferries at a steel cutting ceremony in Florida on 5 August.

ASCO reports growth in their Asia-Europe corridors on the Caspian Sea

aug 06 2026

FerryIn the first half of 2026, ASCO (Azerbaijan Caspian Shipping Company), one of the companies within AZCON Holding, reported a 3.41% increase in passenger traffic across its ferry services, transporting a total of 13,219 passengers (the majority of whom are truck drivers) compared to 12,783 during the same period last year.

DFDS adds another Norwegian port to their Norway-Belgium-UK freight service

aug 06 2026

Ro-roDFDS expands its combined RoRo/LoLo Norway-Belgium-UK freight service with a new port of call in Drammen, Norway. Starting 17 August, DFDS will be calling the Port of Drammen every week.

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TRICA back in service for Netherlands MOD

Weidong Shipping starts construction on first of two RoPax newbuilds at CMS Weihai

OPE 26 Southbound peak ends below 2025 record

EU–Georgia routes expand with the return of the DIOSCURIA

Grimaldi takes delivery of the GRANDE PACIFICO

NAPA launches digital checklist tool for onboard operations

Fred. Olsen Express transports more than one million tonnes of freight in two years

NYK takes delivery of two more dual-fuel PCTCs

Corvus Energy secures major battery contract for BC Ferries' new Summit Class vessels

Delcomar introduces FRANCO DG

Bornholmslinjen posts second-best July on record

COSTANZA I DI SICILIA inaugurated, enters service on Pelagie Islands route

MIMER fixed on time charter to Smyril Line

DFDS' Head of Ferry Division Mathieu Girardin to leave

Carnival Corporation raises GHG intensity reduction target to 25% by 2029

Brittany Ferries opens 2027 bookings on high-speed Poole route

Greek ferry market faces EUR 5 billion green transition gap, XRTC warns

First steel for new WSF ferries was cut while option on a third unit was exercised

ASCO reports growth in their Asia-Europe corridors on the Caspian Sea

DFDS adds another Norwegian port to their Norway-Belgium-UK freight service

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