Shippax News Bulletin – 50
- In association with Interferry
Dear Subscriber,
Please find herewith the headlines of the news added to the Shippax website during week 50.
Photo above: Fireworks welcomed the brand-new GALICIA in Portsmouth in the evening of 3 December. Stena’s E-Flexer Class ro-pax adapted for Brittany Ferries service had just completed her first commercial sailing from Santander which she will serve twice a week. Her schedule also includes one weekly Portsmouth-Cherbourg return trip. (Photo: Brittany Ferries)
Have a nice weekend!
‘COVID-19 and beyond’ webinar- now available on youtube
Shippax’s editor-in-chief discussed the COVID-19 situation and how the ‘big three’ ferry operators look at the future in a webinar held 30 Sep 2020.
Speakers:
Philippe Holthof, Editor-in-Chief Shippax
Torben Carlsen, CEO DFDS Group
Niclas Mårtenssons, CEO Stena Line
Achille Onorato, Vice chairman Moby S.p.A and CEO Moby S.p.A
Stena Line doubles frequency on direct France-Ireland route
Stena Line will more than double its capacity on the Cherbourg-Rosslare route when introducing STENA FORETELLER on 4 January. © Christian Costa
With the Brexit impasse continuing, Stena Line has announced that it will double its frequency on its direct France-Ireland route, adding the 3,000-lanemetre freight-only ro-ro STENA FORETELLER as from 4 January.
Sefine Shipyard delivered BASTØ ELECTRIC
BASTØ ELECTRIC © Sefine Shipyard
On 7 December, Sefine Shipyard in Turkey delivered Bastø Fosen’s BASTØ ELECTRIC. At 143m, the double-ender with its 4MWh battery pack, is the largest full-electric ferry by size to date.
Ownership change for Molslinjen
Nordic private equity fund Polaris has heavily invested in Moslinjen which recently opened a new terminal in Aarhus. © Molslinjen
Copenhagen-headquartered private equity fund Polaris will divest from Danish domestic ferry operator Molslinjen A/S with the ownership to be taken over by EQT Infrastructure. The transaction is subject to approval from the competition authorities and is expected to be completed in early 2021.
Málaga-Melilla public service contract awarded to Armas-Trasmediterránea
CIUDAD AUTÓNOMA MELILLA is scheduled to operate the Málaga-Melilla public service contract. © Frank Lose
Naviera Armas Trasmediterránea has announced via a press release details of the public service contract (PSC) awarded to them by the Spanish Merchant Marine Department.
Stena Line connects to local grid in Kiel
Green electricity and zero emissions for STENA SCANDINAVICA when alongside in Kiel. © Port of Kiel
Stena Line’s ro-pax ferries STENA GERMANICA and STENA SCANDINAVICA will no longer use their auxiliaries when alongside in Kiel following today’s (9 December) inauguration of a shore-to-ship connection that uses 100% green electricity.
Tianjin Xingang Shipbuilding delivers XIN XIANG XUE LAN
Naming ceremony of XIN XIANG XUE LAN on 9 December. © NSO
Following an official naming ceremony, Tianjin Xingang Shipbuilding, builders of the civilian hospital ship GLOBAL MERCY, have delivered the 2,000-lanemetre and 700-passenger capacity XIN XIANG XUE LAN to COSCO Shipping (Qingdao).
Debut for cold ironing on the island of La Gomera
VOLCAN DE TABURIENTE connected to the local grid in La Gomera. © Naviera Armas
The Naviera Armas ferry VOLCAN DE TABURIENTE was the first vessel to try out the port -to-ship electric connection, known as cold ironing, in the Port of San Sebastian in La Gomera, this last weekend.
Naviera Armas renegotiates with bondholders
© Philippe Holthof
The Spanish ferry group Naviera Armas has issued a press release confirming that talks with bondholders are advancing well. They have reached a “standstill” agreement with 72% of the bondholders, within the 30-day grace period which commenced when the ferry group announced it was unable to pay due interest on the bonds.
Financials
ANEK Lines expects impact of COVID-19 to linger into second quarter of 2021
Reporting the impact of the COVID-19 over the first nine months of the year, Crete ferry operator ANEK Lines expects to be battling to overcome the virus well into 2021. The group's turnover in the third quarter amounted to EUR 41.6 million compared to EUR 65.6 million in the 2019 third quarter, a decrease of 37%. EBITDA in the first nine months of 2020 amounted to EUR 7.7 million compared to EUR 26.6 million in the 2019 nine months, while in the third quarter it came in at EUR 10 million against EUR 23.4 million a year ago.
Norled released its Q3 results
Changes in Norled’s contract portfolio in combination with reduced tourist activity have impacted Q3 revenues which ended at NOK 524 million, a 17% drop compared to the same period last year. EBITDA increased by 12% though, reaching NOK 169 million due to changes in contract portfolio and net gain on the sale of fixed assets.
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: November volume report: Freight up 17% boosted by stockbuilding ahead of Brexit
Ferry – freight: Total volumes in November were 18% above 2019 adjusted for the closure of the Paldiski-Hanko route. The volume growth for routes calling the UK was 25%.
North Sea volumes were boosted by stockbuilding ahead of Brexit, especially on the routes between Netherlands and UK. Volumes on the English Channel were likewise boosted by the stockbuilding. Baltic Sea volumes were above 2019 adjusted for the closure of the Paldiski-Hanko route. Mediterranean volumes were up driven by the route between southern Turkey and Italy.
Ferry – passenger: Total number of passengers in November 2020 was 80% below 2019. The decrease reflects a continued negative impact from travel restrictions related to Covid-19, especially on the two cruise ferry routes. In the Baltic Sea, passenger numbers were considerably less impacted.
WFW advises CaixaBank on €35m Grimaldi Euromed financing
Watson Farley & Williams (“WFW”) has advised CaixaBank S.A. (“CaixaBank”) on a €35m loan facility to Grimaldi Euromed S.p.A. (“Grimaldi Euromed”) to finance the acquisition of a new Roll-on/Roll-off (Ro-Ro) vessel.
Saga has experienced a spike in interest from customers looking for once in a lifetime adventures.
In the week following the news of successful trials of the vaccine, there was a 78% increase in traffic to Saga’s Traveller’s World website pages and a 36% increase for the Traveller’s World online brochures compared to the week beforehand. The Traveller’s World is a collection that features expertly-curated, long-haul tours.
BIO-SEA ballast water treatment passes IMO G8 approval tests
BIO-UV Group’s ballast water treatment system BIO-SEA has successfully passed all land and shipboard testing and is now IMO G8 approved without any operational restrictions.
Cunard Extends Pause in Operations
Cunard, a part of Carnival Corporation & plc, the world's largest cruise company, announced it has extended its pause in operations due to the ongoing travel constraints in place across the world.
Voyages departing on board QUEEN MARY 2 up to and including May 28, 2021, and on board QUEEN ELIZABETH up to and including June 4, 2021, are now cancelled. Departures on QUEEN VICTORIA remain unaffected and are scheduled to resume May 17, 2021.
ABB reinforces clean hydrogen commitment with ECH2A membership
ABB has been granted membership into the European Clean Hydrogen Alliance (ECH2A), the official EU body focused on an ambitious deployment of hydrogen (H2) technologies by 2030, as a means to reduce carbon emissions and help achieve European carbon neutrality by 2050. Peter Terwiesch will be ABB’s executive sponsor in the Alliance and will be actively working with governments and other Alliance members to scale up the hydrogen value chain across Europe.
In mid-2021, transport and logistics provider, SeaRoad, will be the first to put the next generation Cavotec vacuum mooring technology, MoorMaster NxG, into commercial operation. The new NxG units will be integrated with SeaRoad’s original MoorMaster systems installed in 2003.
Stena Line calls for Brexit 'implementation phase'.
Request for the EU to take a pragmatic approach to customs after Brexit transition period ends.
While today’s news on the Withdrawal Agreement is positive, and we hope it helps ease the way to agreeing a Trade Deal. Clarity on Northern Ireland is only one part of Brexit and there remains many unanswered questions. The systems and infrastructure required for customs checks in Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK will also not be finalised in time for 1st January 2021. With many companies in the supply chain still not ready we believe a further ‘implementation phase’ is required by both the UK and the EU.
CNS introduces new digital Brexit solution to keep hauliers on the move from January
Hauliers transporting goods to and from the UK can look forward to fast and seamless post-Brexit border controls with BEEMS, a new purpose-built online tool unveiled this week by smart logistics provider CNS (Community Network Services).
Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Announces Partnership with AtmosAir Solutions
Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. announced a partnership with AtmosAir Solutions to install continuous disinfection air purification systems across its 28 ship fleet for its three brands, Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises. The new air filtration system technology will feature continuous active COVID disinfection through bi-polar ionization in the air and on surfaces, an all-natural solution with no harmful chemicals, radiations or by-products. One of the advantages of the bi-polar ionization process is that it allows air purification to occur within the desired space, treating a larger volume of air, instead of relying on contaminants passing through the air handler unit to be cleaned.
Hedda Felin named CEO of Hurtigruten Norway
Hurtigruten Group has appointed Hedda Felin CEO of Hurtigruten Norway – where she will take the helm of Hurtigruten’s iconic coastal Norway operations.
Volkswagen Group selects marine biofuel leader GoodFuels to run fossil-free car transport operations
GoodFuels, marine biofuels supplier for the global maritime industry, and car manufacturer Volkswagen Group have successfully started their partnership in supplying GoodFuels’ advanced Bio-Fuel Oil (MR1-100 or BFO) at Vlissingen, the Netherlands – another major step for sustainable shipping in the car carrier segment.
The Port of Helsinki will multiply the amount of solar energy it generates
The Port of Helsinki will increase its generation of renewable energy and considerably increase the number of solar panels at Vuosaari Harbour and West Terminal 2. The power plants will be put into service by the end of the year.
Best-in-its-class Wärtsilä 31DF engine gets even more power
The technology group Wärtsilä’s highly successful and super-efficient Wärtsilä 31DF dual-fuel engine is being upgraded to increase even further its power output. The higher power output will be available within the same dimensions as previously, thereby delivering greater performance within the same physical footprint. At the same time, the already low level of exhaust gas emissions is being improved to heighten even further the engine’s sustainability factor.The Wärtsilä 31 engine was introduced in 2015 and recognised by Guinness World Records as being the world’s most efficient 4-stroke diesel engine. Furthermore, its economic fuel consumption in turn results in lower levels of exhaust gas emissions. The fuel flexible DF version that is capable of burning natural gas, marine light fuel oil, as well as heavy fuel oil has proven to be increasingly popular for installation on a broad range of vessel types, including among others, cruise ships, ferries, tankers, and fishing vessels.
Ferry firms warn Brits are unprepared for EU travel in 2021
With just a few weeks to go before the end of the UK’s transition period for leaving the EU, research1 from Discover Ferries reveals that the vast majority of UK consumers are unaware of the changes that affect travel to the EU and the Republic of Ireland after 31 December 2020. To cut through confusion, the ferry industry has launched an EU travel check-list, so Brits are ready to take much-anticipated holidays in 2021. The guide also clarifies travel requirements for the Republic of Ireland. Although a member of the EU, the country is part of the Common Travel Area, which allows freedom of movement between the Republic of Ireland and the UK and offers reciprocal emergency health benefits.
All time high in cargo in November for Wasaline
November was the best month for cargo at Wasaline since the start of the traffic in 2013.
Wasaline increased the number of cargo units in November by 26%. Cumulatively, the increase has been 6% of the total volume.
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