Bastø Fosen newbuild to be fitted with the largest ever battery package

BASTØ VI was delivered in November 2016 from Cemre Shipyard © Bastø Fosen

The double-ender ordered by Torghatten Group’s subsidiary Bastø Fosen in November last year to serve the busy Horten-Moss route in Norway, will be fitted with the largest battery package to date. The capacity of 7.2MWh is significantly higher than that of ELLEN, the current record holder with its 4.3 MWh capacity. With a length of 142.9m, it will also physically be the largest fully-electric ferry.

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BC Ferries’ Minor Class ferries take to the water

One of two Minor Class double-enders for BC Ferries ready to be launched at Damen Shipyards Galati © Damen Shipyards Group

In the space of just a few weeks, Damen Shipyards Galati has launched two Minor Class vessels under construction for BC Ferries. The 81.5m long and 17m beam double-enders – part of BC Ferries’ rejuvenation programme and standardization strategy to achieve operating cost savings and efficiencies – were ordered in June 2017 and are scheduled to go into service next year.

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Fred. Olsen Express’ second next-generation trimaran taking shape at Austal

© Austal

Austal’s Philippines yard has commenced construction with the first metal cutting for the second of two 118m trimarans Fred. Olsen Express ordered in fall 2017. When delivered in 2020, the two ships, named BAJAMAR EXPRESS and BAÑADEROS EXPRESS, will join the larger Austal-built trimaran BENCHIJIGUA EXPRESS in Fred. Olsen’s Canary Islands trade.

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ForSea released its Q1 2019 statistics

AURORA AF HELSINGBORG © Marko Stampehl

ForSea, the Helsingborg-Helsingør ferry operator, has published its Q1 2019 statistics. The company highlights the 50% reduction of CO2 emissions and harmful particles thanks to the full-electric ferries AURORA (AF HELSINGBORG) and TYCHO BRAHE. 227,000 cars were transported (239,000), a decline of around 5%. Passenger numbers declined by around 4% to 1.24 million (1.29 million). 

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Construction starts on first GG5G

Construction of the first GG5G has officially started now with the first steel cutting © Jingling Shipyard

Without much fanfare construction has started on the first of Grimaldi Group’s 12 GG5G Class hybrid freighters to be built by Jinling’s Yizheng shipyard, builders of the DFDS super freighters.

More about Grimaldi’s plans with this new state-of-the-art ship class can be read in the April edition of ShippaxInfo, together with a few scoops...

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Stena reveals name of its second E-Flexer

Representatives of Stena RoRo's site team and AVIC Weihai Shipyard prior to the float-out © AVIC Ship

STENA EDDA is the name given to the second E-Flexer that has been floated out by builders AVIC Weihai Shipyard today, 15 April.

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SunStone Ships signs contract for sixth Infinity Class expedition vessel

© SunStone Ships

Miami-based cruise ship owner SunStone Ships has put ink to paper for the construction of its sixth Infinity Class expedition vessel at China Merchants Heavy Industries shipyard in Haimen, near Shanghai.

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Further delay for LNG-powered GLEN SANNOX

The GLEN SANNOX delivery saga continues © Maritime Photographic

It comes as no surprise that the Scottish Government has confirmed that Scotland’s first LNG-powered ferry GLEN SANNOX will not meet her re-scheduled delivery date of June this year. No new delivery date has been announced.

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Greek domestic ferry fleet to become greener

© George Giannakis

Greece’s domestic ferry network is heading for a major overhaul as the government and the shipping industry’s Hellenic Chamber of Shipping explore the use of public-private partnerships to replace the country’s coastal shipping fleet with hybrid, LNG and electric alternatives, alternate Shipping and Island Policy minister, Nektarios Santorinios, has revealed.

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CroisiEurope acquires first deep-sea cruise ship

Under the Silversea banner SILVER DISCOVERER primarily cruised along the remote archipelagos of the Pacific © Silversea Cruises

Sources close to Shippax have confirmed that Strasbourg, France-based CroisiEurope has signed an MoA for the acquisition of the 1989-built, 5,218gt expedition cruise ship SILVER DISCOVERER.

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FRS upgrades Motril-Tangier Med route

FRS will introduce VOLCAN DE TAUCE on the Motril-Tangier Med route © Frank Lose

With the imminent arrival in May of the GOLDEN BRIDGE, which will operate the service linking Motril with Melilla on behalf of FRS, the replaced VOLCAN DE TAUCE will upgrade the until-now all-cargo service between Motril and Tangier Med.

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Finance

2GO Group ended 2018 in the red

2GO Group, the largest ferry and logistics operator in the Philippines, has just released its financial performance for 2018. Turnover from shipping activities went down by 6%, whilst group turnover slightly went up by 2% to PHP 21.99 billion or USD 425 million. The operating income plummeted from PHP 360 million in 2017 to a negative PHP 957 million last year. The group ended the year in the red with a net loss of PHP 1.35 billion or USD 26 million.

Press Releases

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Wärtsilä software will enable innovative new Simulation Centre to meet needs of cruise, ferry and superyacht clients

The technology group Wärtsilä is to supply and configure the software solutions for a new, state-of-the-art, purpose built simulation centre being constructed near Portsmouth, England. The centre is an expansion of the Maritime Skills Academy’s (MSA) training portfolio serving the Solent region, and is designed to meet the specific simulation training requirements of cruise, ferry and superyacht clients. MSA Solent is part of the Viking Maritime Group, headquartered in Dover, England. The software is developed by Transas, a Wärtsilä company, who will also provide technical and maintenance support to the project. The order with Wärtsilä was booked in March 2019.

Damen Shipyards Groups reports net loss for 2018

Damen Shipyards Group has posted a net loss of 17 million euro for 2018. This is the first time in 15 years that the Dutch shipbuilder has announced losses. Damen reports that its financial situation stems from a sustained period of difficulty in a number of maritime sectors and investments it has made in its future.

Viking And China Merchants Group To Join Forces In Expanding China's Cruise Industry

Viking and China Merchants Shekou, representing China Merchants Group, announced they have signed a memorandum of understanding to form a joint venture focused on building a cruise line with worldwide cruise offerings for the Chinese cruise market.

Equinor contracts Deltamarin for northern lights feed study

As part of the Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) project led by Equinor and partners Shell and Total, Deltamarin has signed a contract to support the energy majors in LCO2 vessel design and environmental optimisation. CCS will be an essential part of reducing carbon emissions and reaching global climate targets.

Developing the first ocean-going autonomous navigation system

LR announced a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with ST Engineering Electronics Ltd. (STEE), a leading Information Communications Technologies (ICT) provider and co-creater of Smart City Solutions, and Mitsui & Co., Ltd (Mitsui), the second largest trading house in Japan.

Climeon wins repeat order from Fincantieri

Climeon has received an additional order from the Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri of Heat Power modules worth EUR 1.5 million. The Heat Power modules will be installed in the fourth cruise ship that Fincantieri is building for Virgin Voyages.

Historic Public Services Agreement Signed as Iridium Continues Readying GMDSS Services for Launch

Iridium Communications Inc. (NASDAQ: IRDM) announced today the signing of their Public Services Agreement (PSA) with the International Mobile Satellite Organization (IMSO), which details the conditions for IMSO to act as regulator and maintain oversight of Iridium’s Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS) services.

Biggest European shipbuilders collaborate on vessel connectivity

The biggest European shipbuilders have announced a new cooperative initiative to develop and demonstrate a connected vessel platform. This project is named Code Kilo.

A higher focus on data means that Planned Maintenance is included in a newbuilding from Austal Ships

The Australian shipbuilder Austal Ships Pty Ltd. is implementing SERTICA maintenance to structure and optimize maintenance activities onboard the new construction.