Brittany Ferries to launch intermodal rail service between Cherbourg and Bayonne

© George Giannakis

In April 2021, Brittany Ferries will start a daily ‘Atlantic corridor’ intermodal rail service connecting Cherbourg with Bayonne/Mougerre, close to the border between France and Spain.

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AURORA BOTNIA taking shape in RMC building dock

The first block of AURORA BOTNIA seen being lowered in RMC's building dock on 13 February. © Wasaline

Construction of Wasaline’s EUR 120 million AURORA BOTNIA at the Rauma Marine Constructions (RMC) shipyard has shifted into higher gear following the keel laying of the ro-pax ferry on 13 February.

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Havila Kystruten orders two more coastal express ships from Tersan Shipyard

Havila Kystruten © Havila

Due to the dire financial situation of the Spanish Barreras shipyard, which led to the construction of its two ships being stopped, Havila Kystruten has decided to build the third and fourth coastal express ship at the Turkish Tersan Shipyard.

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SILVER QUEEN heading for Yokohama

SILVER QUEEN left Miyako for Yokohama on 12 February. © Tsuyoshi Ishiyama

Tokyo-based K Line Kinkai (Kawasaki Kinkai Kisen, Silver Ferry) has suspended its services on the Muroran-Hachinohe-Miyako route, starting 12 February to 29 February as SILVER QUEEN will be used by Japan’s Self-Defence Forces to prevent the spread of the Coronavirus.

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Coin ceremony for COSTA TOSCANA at Meyer Turku

COSTA TOSCANA's coin ceremony comes 6.5 months after the first steel cutting. © Costa Cruises

Costa Cruises and Meyer Turku have celebrated the start of the hull assembly of COSTA TOSCANA with the traditional keel laying and coin ceremony. The 183,731gt, LNG-powered COSTA TOSCANA is a sister ship of COSTA SMERELDA, delivered by the Finnish builders in early December.

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Fjord FSTR. launched at Austal’s shipyard in the Philippines

The 109m long Fjord FSTR. was launched on 7 February. © Austal

Fjord Line’s new high-speed ro-pax ferry Fjord FSTR. was launched at Austal’s shipyard in Balamban, Cebu, the Philippines on Friday 7 February.

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Minoan Lines to increase freight capacity on Piraeus-Heraklion artery

In conjuction with FESTOS PALACE's renaming to KYDON PALACE, Minoan Lines confirmed to Shippax a major vessel swap on its Piraeus-Crete routes. © George Giannakis

Grimaldi Group subsidiary Minoan Lines will further fuel competition on the Piraeus-Heraklion corridor with the purpose-built 1,560-lanemetre and 2,190-passenger capacity FESTOS PALACE and KNOSSOS PALACE to be replaced by namesake ro-pax ferries with a higher freight capacity.

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Hapag-Lloyd Cruises to become part of TUI Cruises

© Philippe Holthof

TUI AG-controlled Hapag-Lloyd Cruises, a leading provider of luxury and expedition cruises in German-speaking markets, will become part of TUI Cruises, the 50:50 joint venture between TUI AG and Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (RCL).

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Finance

Viking Line increased its earnings in 2019

Viking Line released its year-end report for 2019, which showed rather flat sales amounting to EUR 496.4 million (EUR 497.8 million), while operating income increased and totalled at EUR 17.4 million (EUR 9.3 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

Don't forget the fire-fighting requirement with a scrubber retrofit, advises Survitec

Shipowners looking to retrofit marine exhaust gas cleaning systems as a way of complying with new sulphur emissions rules should verify the capacity of their fixed fire-fighting systems before undertaking any retrofit projects.

Stena Line Propeller Prize 2020 open for nominations

Nominations are open for the Stena Line Propeller Prize 2020. Two young growth companies within the areas Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and Maritime technology wins 100 000 SEK each. The prize is announced on May 7 in Karlskrona, Sweden during Innovation Day 20.

Northern Isles ferry services

The next contract to operate the Northern Isles Ferry Services will be awarded to Serco NorthLink Ferries by the end of March.

Boosting innovation in Digital Design and Advanced Manufacturing: Sembcorp Marine and A*STAR deepen R&D collaboration

Sembcorp Marine and the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) have signed a Master Research Collaboration Agreement (MRCA) to jointly pursue innovation in Digital Design and Advanced Manufacturing. With this agreement, the partners aim to shorten the development cycle and time-to-market of new offshore, marine and clean energy solutions achieved through their research efforts.

Viking Line brings Korean cuisine to the Baltic Sea

Customer wishes have been answered – M/S Gabriella’s passengers will get a taste of Korean cuisine thanks to the new menu offered by the Bistrotek Pop-up restaurant as of February 2020.

Dani Lindberg new sustainability manager at Viking Line

The Åland-based shipping company Viking Line is a pioneer in developing climate-smart maritime transport on the Baltic Sea based on the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. To drive and quality-assure this sustainability work, Dani Lindberg has now been named the Group’s new sustainability manager.

PowerCell delivers fuel cell system to the Italian ship building company Fincantieri S.p.A

PowerCell has delivered a MS-30 fuel cell system to the Italian ship building company Fincantieri S.p.A. The MS-30 will be used for tests of electrification of drive and power generating systems using fuel cells.

Keel laying ceremony held at Holland Shipyards Group for Brevik Fergeselskap’s new electric ferry

After signing an agreement to build a new electric ferry for Brevik Fergeselskap on August 14, 2019, the keel laying ceremony has taken place on Wednesday February 12, 2020 at Holland Shipyards Group. The event was attended by both the board of Brevik Fergeselskap and Holland Shipyards Group. Mr. Bjørge Fredheim from Brevik Fergeselskap had the honor of welding a part of the section.

Miros Introduces Radar-Based Wave Monitoring Solutions to Seatronics Global Rental Fleet

Miros, trusted provider of wave and current data to the maritime industry, have established a new distribution agreement with Seatronics, global leaders in the rental and sale of marine electronic equipment, to introduce their range of radar-based solutions to the Seatronics global rental pool.

Type Approved Wärtsilä SceneScan pushes DP capability envelope

The technology group Wärtsilä has received type approval for its SceneScan position reference system by the DNV GL classification society. As the world’s first laser-based targetless relative dynamic positioning (DP) reference system, SceneScan represents a paradigm shift from conventional DP reference systems. It can work without the need for pre-placed positioning targets, thus providing significantly greater operational flexibility than with conventional systems. Furthermore, since it doesn’t require reflector targets, costs are reduced.

Charles A. Robertson, American Cruise Lines Founder, Passes Away. Charles B. Robertson Named New CEO

The Board of Directors of American Cruise Lines, Inc. announced that Charles B. Robertson will be appointed as the company’s new Chief Executive Officer, effective immediately. This appointment follows the recent death of Mr. Robertson’s father, Charles A. Robertson, who was the company’s founder, Chairman, and Chief Executive.

TT Club Advises Transport Operators on their Liabilities as a Consequence of the Coronavirus

The ongoing disruption to freight transport services and global supply chains resulting from the coronavirus are significant and will continue to evolve on a daily basis. In addition to the heightening challenges transport operators are facing in moving their customers goods to and from China, insurance provider, TT Club is advising on the potential unforeseen exposures that may also accrue.

Introducing The Band – Virgin Voyages’ Smart Wearable Technology Made with Ocean Plastic

Virgin Voyages, the new lifestyle and travel brand delivering irresistible vacations, today revealed The Band – a sleek wearable technology made from recycled ocean plastic that will unlock voyage adventures for future Sailors upon the debut of SCARLET LADY on April 1, 2020.

Irish Ferries chooses Hogia Ferry Systems

Irish Ferries have been looking to replace their current passenger and freight reservation systems and have signed an agreement with Hogia Ferry Systems to deliver their standard booking system BOOKIT. Irish Ferries is part of the Irish Continental Group and has four RoPax vessels and one Fastcraft currently operating on two routes across the Irish Sea as well as direct route between Ireland and France.

Wärtsilä & DNV GL agree to collaborate in promoting and accelerating marine sector’s digital transformation

The technology group Wärtsilä and classification society DNV GL have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in which they agree to work together to contribute to the marine industry’s ongoing digital transformation. In particular, the two companies wish to further explore the potential use of digital technologies, collaborative data sharing, and standardisation to enhance existing products and services, and to develop new ones. The agreement was signed by Roger Holm, President, Wärtsilä Marine and Knut Ørbeck-Nilssen, CEO, DNV GL – Maritime on 6th February.

EU shipping wants to see the current seamless European shipping centre maintained after Brexit

ECSA insists that the only and most economically sensible future is for the EU and the UK to remain an integrated and seamless shipping centre.
Brexit discussions have brought to the forefront how interrelated EU-UK supply and logistics chains are. Maintaining the fluidity of EU-UK trade must therefore be a priority. Shipping companies are part and parcel of this smooth-running business reality. In addition, mutual market access to provide maritime services, in areas such as the offshore supply sector and regular domestic trades, is imperative in sustaining those close relations going forward.

Report: LNG as marine fuel is worse than business as usual for the climate

A new report from the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) has found that the most popular Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) ship engine, particularly for cruise ships, emits between 70% and 82% more life-cycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions over the short-term compared to clean distillate fuels. The shocking new report comes as the shipping sector grapples with its enormous climate footprint, and more ship operators are turning to LNG as a purported climate solution.

Record number of cruise guests in the Baltic Sea in 2019

The cruise industry in the Baltic Sea continues to grow according to the latest Cruise Baltic Market Review. The review shows a record-breaking number of cruise guests visiting the region as well as an increase in the number of calls.
The newly published 2020 edition of the Cruise Baltic Market Review reveals a record number of cruise guests in 2019. A total of 5,909,784 guests visited the ports in the Baltic Sea in 2019, which is an increase of 9.1% since 2018 and 16.9% since 2017. Moreover, the region has experienced growth in the number of calls despite the fact that the cruise vessels are getting bigger.