STENA SAGA put on the market as ‘COVID-19’ hospital ship

Stena RoRo confirmed to Shippax that STENA SAGA could emerge as a fully class-compliant hospital ship at fairly short notice with a conversion time of about two weeks. © Peter Therkildsen

Following the recent closure of Stena Line’s passenger-oriented Frederikshavn-Oslo route and the subsequent lay-up of the route’s single vessel, the 1981-built STENA SAGA, Stena hasn’t been resting on its laurels to find a new assignment for the 2,232-passenger capacity cruise ferry, a hospital ship being one of them.

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ANEK ferry in quarantine off Piraeus as 40 people test COVID-19 positive

EL. VENIZELOS' charter has been marred by COVID-19. © Philippe Holthof

At least 40 people on board the ANEK Lines ferry EL. VENIZELOS were on board in quarantine off Piraeus on 2 April after testing positive for COVID-19. Greek health ministry officials reported on 2 April that in all some 383 seafarers and shiprepair workers were on board the vessel as health authorities continued testing.

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Greek ferry operators seek aid as COVID-19 hits hard

SEEN has been calling for retroactive financial support in order to keep ferry companies afloat. © George Giannakis

Greece’s Shipping and Island Policy Ministry is considering a new package of measures to support shipping in the domestic ferry network as pressure for aid mounts as companies raise alarms over their ability to survive the present crisis and continue to serve the country’s vital transport needs.

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GABRIELLA replaces VIKING XPRS on Helsinki-Tallinn route

VIKING XPRS has been sidelined and replaced by GABRIELLA (pictured). © Marko Stampehl

The Finnish National Emergency Supply Agency (NESA) has added Viking Line’s GABRIELLA to the programme announced on 25 March according to which the agency is launching financial aid to support measures that safeguard the transport of supplies such as food and medicine to Finland.

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Tirrenia’s services suspended as its bank accounts seized

© Marc Ottini

The Italian ferry company Tirrenia CIN has been placed under the so-called ‘preventive seizure’ by the state authorities. The move inflamed Vincenzo Onorato, the chairman of its holding company, who has accused the receivers of being “truly negligent”.

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Route linking La Estaca with Los Cristianos put out as a PSC

VOLCAN DE TIRAJANA and VOLCAN DE TABUIENTE are two Naviera Armas vessels currently serving La Estaca. © Frank Lose

The Canary Island regional government has declared the route linking La Estaca on the island of El Hierro with Los Cristianos on the island of Tenerife to be of public interest. A Public Service Contract (PSC) has been issued for the route, to be valid from 1 July for two years.

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CIMC Raffles cuts first steel for largest Ice Class ro-ro

© CIMC Raffles

Following the first steel cutting on 30 March, construction of the first of two 5,800-lanemetre short-sea ro-ro vessels for the Wallenius SOL joint venture officially started at the Yantai CIMC Raffles shipyard.

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Wightlink suspends Lymington-Yarmouth service

WIGHT SUN is one of three sister ships operating the Lymington-Yarmouth route. © Frank Lose

The latest ferry service casualty due to the COVID-19 pandemic is cross-Solent operator Wightlink’s service between Lymington and Yarmouth on the Isle of Wight, which has been suspended from 31 March.

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Virtual hand-over of CELEBRITY EDGE

CELEBRITY APEX © Celebrity Cruises

In what is believed to be an industry-first, the 129,500gt CELEBRITY APEX – the second ship in Celebrity Cruises’ five-ship Edge series – was handed over by the Chantiers de l’Atlantique shipyard in Saint-Nazaire, France during a virtual ceremony via video conference on 27 March.

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Viking Line re-opens Mariehamn-Kapellskär route

After a brief period of lay-up, ROSELLA will be re-activated. © Philippe Holthof

As from tomorrow, 31 March, Viking Line will re-start its Mariehamn-Kapellskär route, operated by ROSELLA. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the route was suspended on 17 March but will now be resumed with ROSELLA operating in freight-only mode.

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FSG delivers LIEKUT

Finding a charterer for the just delivered LIEKUT will not be easy. © FSG

Despite having temporarily ceased operations due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Flensburger Schiffbau-Gesellschaft (FSG) handed over the 4,076-lanemetre or 283-trailer capacity ro-ro LIEKUT to Siem Europe on 26 March.

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Financials

Rederi AB Gotland published its 2019 full-year results

Rederi AB Gotland which – in addition to Destination Gotland AB, its ferry arm – also includes property management, hotel operations and Stockholms Reparationsvarv AB together with Nya Skärgårdsbolaget AB, has released its year end result for 2019. Turnover reached SEK 2,716 million (SEK 2,492 million), and profit after financial items amounted to SEK 403 million (SEK 270 million).

Press Releases

These press release news are published “as is”, i.e. this is how we get it from the senders. If you want to have your relevant news published, please send it to news@shippax.se

Viking Line’s service as of April 2 and beyond

Due to the Covid-19 coronavirus, Viking Line will continue to keep service on the Baltic Sea at a reduced level. Four of the Company’s seven vessels will sail primarily with cargo between Finland and Sweden, the Åland Islands and Estonia to ensure security of supply. Passenger traffic has virtually come to a standstill following the authorities’ restrictions. Demand for cargo transport remains high.

Kongsberg Maritime offer remote training, e-Learning and assessment, with vessel-specific software

Kongsberg Maritime is delighted to announce an integrated strategy to deliver remote, targeted training for its customers. Providing this service through digital platforms reduces travel, cost, time away from home and climate footprint. Three products – Remote Training, e-Learning and K-CAT (KONGSBERG Competence Assessment Tool) – combine to ensure that vessel crews can fully benefit from KONGSBERG’s expertise from the convenience and safety of their homes or offices.

DFDS wins new German paper contract

DFDS is to transport 50.000 tons of Paper from the German paper manufacturer Schoellershammer’s paper mill in Düren to the UK and Norway. The agreement includes both logistics and ferry as well as warehousing in Immingham.

DFDS donates food from PEARL SEAWAYS and CROWN SEAWAYS

With the Copenhagen – Oslo route temporarily suspended, PEARL SEAWAYS and CROWN SEAWAYS are now sitting empty at the terminal in Copenhagen. No ongoing ferry services unfortunately mean no guests to serve and as a result, no meals to prepare. Both ferries had a large volume of food on board that would not be used. Some of the food was due to expire within the coming weeks and throwing it away was naturally not an option. So, some of our colleagues in Copenhagen acted quickly and found an opportunity to make something good out of a bad situation.

Fincantieri-2019 consolidated financial statements and draft financial statements of the parent company

Record-high revenues at euro 5.8 billion, order intake at euro 8.7 billion and total backlog at almost euro 33 billion.

Tallink Grupp starts collective redundancies process in Tallink hotels

Tallink Grupp has notified the Estonian Unemployment Insurance Fund that it has commenced a collective redundancies process in one of its subsidiaries, TLG Hotellid (Tallink Hotels) and has notified employees of the start of the process.

GTDeploy cuts delays in pushing out urgent security patches

A new solution from GTMaritime counters a major cyber security weakness of ships at sea today by deploying critical software and security patches to protect shipboard systems before threats emerge. GTDeploy provides a software deployment platform to deliver security updates to ships wherever they are in the world ‘in the background’ without requiring intervention by IT staff or distracting crew.

Launch of DIMECC’s Sea for Value programme paves the way for remote pilotage and safer fairway navigation

The new DIMECC Sea for Value programme (S4V) provides blueprints for digitalisation, service innovation and information flows in maritime transport. Its longer-term mission is in preparing for advanced autonomous operations and navigation.

Linking of Cyprus’ Wärtsilä Vessel Traffic Service solution with other regional systems will deliver multiple benefits

The technology group Wärtsilä has been contracted to upgrade its 11-year old Vessel Traffic Monitoring and Information System (VTMIS) serving ports in Cyprus. The order was placed in November 2019 by the Shipping Deputy Ministry to the President of Cyprus, and includes a 5-year equipment maintenance agreement.The upgrading will enable the Cyprus VTMIS to become a central point of contact and exchange information with other such systems in the region. This broader coverage will improve safety, combat illegal immigration and smuggling, improve environmental protection services, facilitate coastal surveillance and traffic monitoring, support search and rescue operations, and improve the overall operational efficiency of the region’s ports.

PowerCell signs contract with leading European shipyard regarding fuel cell system worth MSEK 77

PowerCell Sweden AB has signed a contract with a leading European shipyard regarding the development and delivery of a megawatt marine fuel cell system. The system will be developed and delivered during three years and the total value of the contract for the period amounts to MSEK 77 (MEUR 6.9).

Third double-sided electric ferry for Norled was launched

Today in Remontowa Shipbuilding SA from the Remontowa Holding capital group launched the third double-sided electric ferry to the Norwegian ship owner Norled. This time it was a side launch.

The keel for the fourth ferry for BC Ferries

On 26 March this year, Remontowa Shipbuilding SA from Remontowa Holding capital group has laid the keel for the construction of the fourth “Salish” class ferry, powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG) for the BC Ferries shipowner. Due to the situation caused by coronavirus pandemic, the event was technical and took place without representatives from the shipowner.

Ferguson selects ICE for Design of Scottish RoPax Ferry

Ferguson Marine (Port Glasgow) Limited, whose Clyde shipyard came under Scottish Government ownership last year, has awarded ICE a contract to correct and complete the design of its Hull No 801, a dual-fuel RoPax ferry for Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited. Following a detailed investigation of status of the partly-constructed vessel – including performing a laser scanning survey of technical spaces – ICE, in close cooperation with Ferguson’s new management team, carefully mapped out the design work and deliverables to be revised, updated and completed.

Made-to-Measure Incat Crowther Ro-Pax Ferry for Bruny Island

Incat Crowther is pleased to announce the launch of NAIRANA, a double-ended ro-pax ferry for operation to Bruny Island in Tasmania. The Incat Crowther 44 was commissioned by Sealink Travel Group and built by Richardson Devine Marine in Hobart.

Carnival Maritime utilizes the potential of mathematical optimization in workforce planning and scheduling

Carnival Maritime, the Marine Service Unit of the Costa Group, and the Fraunhofer CML have set up a strategic partnership to implement the maritime research institute´s decision support system SCEDAS® on the 27 vessels of Costa Crociere, AIDA Cruises and Costa Asia.

Cavotec signs order to extend leadership in Norwegian e-charging market estimated to be worth EUR 60 million in the next five years

Cavotec has received a repeat order from Fjord1 in Norway – one of the world’s largest operators of e-ferries – to equip two new berths with its next generation Automatic Plug-in System (APS) for charging of e-ferries. The APS solution will charge three e-ferries on the Halsa and Kanestraum route.

Cavotec’s next generation e-ferry charging solution enters service in Norway

Cavotec’s next generation Automatic Plug-in System (APS) solution for charging electric ferries has entered service in Oslo, enabling safe, fast and clean vessel charging, and highlighting our role as a leading supplier of innovative automation and electrification technologies.

Wärtsilä Translink becomes first ever solution fully compliant with latest IEC and DNV GL Cyber Security rules

The technology group Wärtsilä has been awarded a DNV GL type-approval certificate and cyber security certification by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) for its Translink solution, part of the company’s connected ECDIS concept. The cyber security verification has been issued according to the updated DNV GL rules and the internationally recognised standard for cyber security for bridge and navigation systems, IEC61162-460.

Expert Consortium unites for green Power-to-Fuel project to convert carbon emissions into cost-effective carbon neutral fuel

The Power-to-Fuel project, led by Liquid Wind, will establish commercial-scale renewable fuel facilities. The Consortium (consisting of Axpo, COWI, Carbon Clean Solutions, Haldor Topsoe, Nel Hydrogen and Siemens) will combine their expertise and technology to produce liquid, carbon neutral fuel from captured carbon dioxide (CCU) and green hydrogen (from renewable electricity). The project is supported by a 1.7M Euro investment from EIT InnoEnergy and is a significant milestone in meeting growing demand for renewable fuels to enable more sustainable transportation.

Shipparts.com and partners in 3D metal printing project

ShipParts.com, an online procurement leader in marine equipment, has signed a research collaboration agreement with Singapore’s Nanyang Polytechnic (NYP), and the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS).

Inmarsat takes founding role in first Decarbonising Shipping programme for Asian start-ups

Inmarsat, the world leader in global mobile satellite communications, is a founding member of Asia’s first ‘Decarbonising Shipping’ initiative to harness the power of start-ups to meet UN targets on greenhouse gas emissions, which launched earlier this month.

ClassNK releases Guidelines for Non-destructive Inspection by Phased Array Ultrasonic Testing

Classification Society ClassNK has released its “Guidelines for Non-destructive Inspection by Phased Array Ultrasonic Testing”.
Phased array ultrasonic testing is an advanced non-destructive inspection technology that enables the visualizing of flaw detection results and the digitizing of the record-keeping process. It has higher detection performance for defects in materials and welded joints compared to conventional ultrasonic testing.

Wärtsilä signs agreement with Kuribayashi Steamship in Japan for deployment of innovative gate rudder technology

The technology group Wärtsilä, with the consent of all joint Japanese patent holders developing gate rudder technology, has announced the signing of a Licence and Co-operation Agreement with Kuribayashi Steamship Co for future development, sales and servicing of the gate rudders. In addition to Kuribayashi Steamship Co, the other patent holders are Kamome Propeller, the National Institute of Maritime, Port and Aviation Technology (NIMPAT, Japan), Yamanaka Shipbuilding, and Professor Noriyuki Sasaki. As an authorised license holder and partner, Wärtsilä intends to fully integrate gate rudders within its propulsion product designs and focus on global markets outside Japan. The agreement was signed on 28 February 2020.

Cavotec signs order to extend leadership in Norwegian e-charging market estimated to be worth EUR 60 million in the next five years

Cavotec has received a repeat order from Fjord1 in Norway – one of the world’s largest operators of e-ferries – to equip two new berths with its next generation Automatic Plug-in System (APS) for charging of e-ferries. The APS solution will charge three e-ferries on the Halsa and Kanestraum route.

Maritime transport of rubber-tyred vehicles secured with measures taken by the National Emergency Supply Agency

The National Emergency Supply Agency is quickly launching financial support measures to particularly secure the flows of goods that are important to the security of supply from Finland to Sweden and the Baltic countries and, through them, to Central Europe.

Drivers 'may' be able to stay in their vehicles on ferries in exceptional circumstances – latest from MCA

The Maritime and Coastguard Agency is to allow drivers on ferry routes to stay in their vehicles in exceptional circumstances to protect frontline services and to keep freight moving.