Shippax News Bulletin – 43
- In association with Interferry
Dear Subscriber,
Please find herewith the headlines of the news added to the Shippax website during week 43.
Photo above: In the evening of 20 October, P&O Ferries’ PRIDE OF HULL suffered an engine room fire shortly after having left Hull for Europoort (Rotterdam). Nobody was injured in the incident, yet PRIDE OF HULL has been taken out of service for repairs, being temporarily replaced by the smaller Hull-Zeebrugge ro-pax PRIDE OF BRUGES (pictured). It is expected that PRIDE OF BRUGES will return to the Zeebrugge route, offering thrice weekly ro-pax sailings, before P&O Ferries drops the passenger element on this Belgian route at the end of this year. (Photo: Marc Ottini)
Have a nice weekend!
Up to 500 jobs at stake at Tallink Silja in Sweden
Staff of the Swedish-flagged SILJA SYMPHONY (pictured) and GALAXY have been notified about a possible redundancy. © Philippe Holthof
Tallink Silja AB, the Swedish subsidiary of Tallink Grupp AS, has notified the trade unions that 500 jobs may have to be shed in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis. It primarily concerns officers and seafarers who are member of the SEKO and SBF unions working on board of the Swedish-flagged SILJA SYMPHONY and GALAXY.
Swan Hellenic orders third, larger, expedition cruise vessel
SH MINERVA will be the first expedition cruise ship to join resurrected Swan Hellenic. © Helsinki Shipyard
New start-up expedition cruise line Swan Hellenic, the resurrected version of the famous former British cruise operator, has ordered a third, larger, expedition cruise vessel at Helsinki Shipyard, for delivery at the end of 2022.
Boluda enters the Canary Islands trade
© Boluda Lines
The Canary Islands are set to receive a drastic increase in connections with the Spanish mainland, with the news that for the first time, a line intends to commence a daily service linking the mainland – Cádiz – with the islands.
Grimaldi takes delivery of PCTC GRANDE FLORIDA
GRANDE FLORIDA is the fifth vessel in a seven-ship series Yangfan is building for the Grimaldi Group. © Grimaldi Group
The Grimaldi Group has further expanded its fleet of PCTCs by taking delivery of GRANDE FLORIDA on 19 October. The 199.9m, 65,255gt vessel is the fifth of seven sister ships on order for Grimaldi at China’s Yangfan shipyard in Zhoushan.
Color Line to reduce capacity on Oslo-Kiel route
On 4 November, COLOR FANTASY will be laid up until further notice. © Frank Behling
The increasing number of COVID-19 cases across Europe sees Color Line adapting supply to demand as it will reduce capacity on the Oslo-Kiel service, currently operated by the ro-pax cruise ferries COLOR FANTASY and COLOR MAGIC as well as the dedicated ro-ro freighter COLOR CARRIER.
GNV gets four more charters from Italian government for quarantine ships
GNV ALLEGRA is one of four GNV ferries chartered by the Italian government until late January 2021. © Frank Lose
The Italian Minister of the Interior, Luciana Lamorgese, decided to end the experiment of using so-called ‘quarantine ships’ to host immigrants rescued in the country’s territorial waters.
Marix Line orders a new ferry
Marix Line's newbuild will boast three freight decks that are accessed via starboard and portside quarter ramps. © Marix Line
Kagoshima-based Marix Line has ordered a new ro-pax at Naikai Zosen in Onomichi to replace its 1999-built, 4,945grt QUEEN CORAL 8.
Fjord Line puts STAVANGERFJORD in layup again
Due to dwindling passenger numbers, Fjord Line puts the ro-pax ferry STAVANGERFJORD in layup again. © Uwe Jakob
Due to increasing COVID-19 infection numbers, new travel restrictions imposed and consequentially falling passenger numbers between Norway and Denmark, Fjord Line is putting its ro-pax ferry STAVANGERFJORD in layup again as from 27 October until further notice.
Westcon inks contract for a battery-powered ferry for Norled
The new Ryfylke ferry will have the largest battery pack ever installed on a ferry of this size. © LMG Marin
Norway’s Westcon shipyard has secured a contract for a battery-powered for Norled. The 45m long and 12m beam double-ended ferry will have a capacity for 97 passengers and 27 cars.
Finance
Rederi AB Gotland published its 1 January-31 August 2020 results
Rederi AB Gotland, which – in addition to Destination Gotland AB, its ferry arm – also includes Gotland Tankers AB, property management, hotel operations and Stockholms Reparationsvarv AB together with Nya Skärgårdsbolaget AB, has released its 1 January-31 August 2020 results. Turnover reached SEK 1,393 million (SEK 1,926 million), and profit after financial items amounted to SEK 129 million (SEK 288 million).
Significant January-September losses for Viking Line
Viking Line released its results for the January-September 2020 period, which showed significant losses. Sales amounted to EUR 154.2 million (EUR 380.8 million), and operating income ended at EUR -35.2 million (EUR 17.5 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
DFDS’ outlook for 2020 raised by higher freight volumes
• EBITDA outlook raised from DKK 2.2-2.5bn to DKK 2.5-.2.7bn for 2020
• Uncertainty remains very high and significant changes to outlook assumptions may still occur in the rest of the year.
Outfitting starts at Ulstein Verft for next Lindblad Expedition’s cruise vessel
On 22 October 2020, the hull of the NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC RESOLUTION, a polar expedition cruise vessel for Lindblad Expeditions, arrived at the Ulstein Verft shipyard in Norway. Comprehensive outfitting work will now commence.
Paolo d’Amico appointed New Chairman of Registro Italiano Navale
The new Chairman and Board of Directors of Registro Italiano Navale will be in charge for 2020-2023. Among his priorities: a global approach to sustainability and digitalization to restart the economy after pandemic emergency.
A facility for the capture of CO2 will reduce emissions from the Amager Resource Center (ARC) by 500,000 tonnes of CO2 annually and can thus significantly contribute to the City of Copenhagen’s goal of becoming the world’s first capital city in the world to become carbon-neutral. Copenhagen Malmö Port (CMP) will become a central party in storing and distributing the captured CO2 to ships that sail the CO2 to storage in old oil fields in the North Sea.
Wärtsilä selected to power new ‘super ferries’ series
The technology group Wärtsilä has been selected by P&O Ferries (P&OF), the British ferry operator, to power their new series of ‘super ferries’. The contract is for two vessels, and the order was signed in Q1 2020.
STENA EMBLA Successfully Completes Sea Trials
Ferry company Stena Line has announced that STENA EMBLA, the last of its three new ferries destined for the Irish Sea, has successfully completed its sea trials in China’s Yellow Sea.
Fincantieri, in close cooperation with the virology lab of the International Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, ICGEB, has developed an innovative next-generation air sanitation system called "Safe Air", which will further significantly improve the quality and cleanliness of the air on board cruise ships. As part of its commitment to the health and safety of its guests and crew, MSC Cruises will be the first cruise operator which will install this new and advanced technology on MSC SEASHORE, the first of the two "Seaside Evo" class ships. MSC SEASHORE is currently under construction at Finacantieri’s Monfalcone shipyard and will be the largest and one of the most technologically advanced cruise ships ever built in Italy.
ABB delivers sustainable shore connection technology for Viking Line’s high-speed ferry
ABB Marine & Ports latest shore connection technology is ensuring that calls by the passenger ferry VIKING XPRS at Estonia’s Port of Tallinn are made quietly, efficiently and emissions-free.
Färjerederiet starts procurement for four new electric road ferries
The journey towards a fossil-free ferry fleet continues. Within a few years, four new electric ferries will operate on Ljusteröleden and Vaxholmsleden in the Stockholm archipelago. They should primarily run on electricity, but have backup in the form of ordinary engines that can run on HVO or diesel.
AURORA BOTNIA will be equipped with KONE elevators
The leading elevator and escalator company KONE will supply elevators for AURORA BOTNIA, a new passenger ferry being built at the Rauma Marine Constructions shipyard in Finland. With three eco-efficient KONE MonoSpace® elevators, KONE will ease the flow of passengers and goods on board.
WASA EXPRESS saves energy in an innovative way
Wasaline is making WASA EXPRESS more environmentally friendly and saves energy in different ways. The latest innovation is that batteries have been installed, which in a so-called Black out can supply energy to the most important pumps on board. This means that WASA EXPRESS now can sail with only one generator, instead of two. WASA EXPRESS is probably the first passenger ferry in the world where such a back-up solution for critical pumps has been installed. The solution designed by the innovation company eMarine Engineering Nordic Ab means that Wasa Express saves 25 tonnes of fuel (approx. 80 tonnes of CO2) per month.
Attica Holdings S.A - credit rating review
Attica Holdings S.A. (the “Company”), announces, in line with the provisions of the Common Bond Loan issued on 26.07.2019, that following its reassessment by the credit rating agency ICAP S.A., which considered the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Company’s financial figures and on its overall business activity, both in short and medium term, assigned it a B credit rating (one notch down), ranking the Company in the low credit risk zone.
Corvus Energy is proud to announce that the Company is a partner in the €9.4 million European Union (EU) battery research project HYDRA. HYDRA has been initiated through the Horizon 2020 innovation program with the aim of developing the next generation of sustainable, low-cost, energy-dense lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries for electric vehicle (EV) applications.
ALMACO was awarded the task to provide the two vessels of the “Vega project” with high-class crew and passenger cabins. The vessels, NB 516 (SH MINERVA) and NB 517, are built at Helsinki Shipyard during 2020-2022, and they are owned and operated by Swan Hellenic.
Pioneering LADAR system aims to revolutionize marine plastic detection
Anglo-Norwegian R&D company Ladar Ltd has developed a ground-breaking, compact LADARTM (laser detection and ranging) system that can supercharge plastic detection capabilities for end users involved in everything from environmental research and monitoring to marine clean-up campaigns and harvesting plastic for recycling.
American Cruise Lines Rolls Out AMERICAN MELODY
American Cruise Lines announced, that just two months after accepting delivery of the AMERICAN JAZZ, its next new ship is already being readied for launch. The forward hull section of AMERICAN MELODY was moved from a hull fabrication building to the launch ways earlier this week, where it will be joined to the aft section and launched into the Wicomico River.
Costa Group: German brand Aida Cruises chooses Italy for its restart
Aida Cruises, the German brand of the Costa Group, restarts from Italy for the resumption of its cruises. The AIDABLU ship will depart tomorrow from Civitavecchia for her first cruise after the pause for the Covid-19 emergency, with a seven-day itinerary visiting exclusively Italian ports, calling at Naples, Palermo, Catania, La Spezia and with an overnight in Civitavecchia/Rome. The first cruise is set to begin October 17, with voyages offered weekly until November 28.
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