Shippax Newsletter– week 35
Nova Shipyard to build 52-metre HSC for Navigazione Libera del Golfo
© Nova Shipyard
The Turkish Nova Shipyard has signed a contract with Italy's Navigazione Libera del Golfo (NLG) for the construction of a new 52-metre aluminium High Speed Craft passenger vessel.
The newbuilding will accommodate 655 passengers and will be built in compliance with HSC Category B requirements. The design comes from Italian naval architecture firm M2Engineers.
Freight lifts Color Group, EU ETS drags it back down
© Jonas Persson
Key points
- Operating revenues close to NOK 3.0 billion, up from NOK 2.9 billion in H1 2025
- EBITDA down to NOK 153 million from NOK 255 million
- 1.52 million passengers carried, against 1.56 million a year earlier
- 78,000 freight units (12-metre equivalents), up from 76,000
- EU ETS costs of some NOK 140 million, up from NOK 83 million — scheme now covers 100 per cent of relevant emissions, against 70 per cent in 2025
Fjord1 to begin operations on busy E39 corridor without its four new ferries
Illustration of the four ferries, currently being built with delays at the Turkish Tersan Shipyard
When Norwegian ferry operator Fjord1 takes over the concession for the busy Lavik–Oppedal route from Norled on 1 September, just over 100 kilometres north of Bergen on the E39 trunk road, it will do so without the four potentially autonomous newbuildings ordered from Tersan Shipyard in Türkiye in February 2024. The four fully electric, 120-metre double-ended ferries, which are being built ready for automated docking and crossings, will not be delivered from the Turkish Tersan Shipyard in time for the start of the contract. Fjord1 says the four newbuildings are expected to be delivered during the autumn.
Car volumes up 17 per cent at the Port of Gothenburg
© Port of Gothenburg
The Port of Gothenburg handled strong cargo flows across its rolling cargo segments during the first half of 2026, with new car volumes rising sharply and intra-European RoRo traffic continuing to grow, according to the port's volume report for the period. Handling of new cars increased by 17 per cent to 144,000 vehicles between January and June.
Havila Kystruten delivers strong earnings growth in the second quarter of 2026
HAVILA CAPELLA © Søren Lund Hviid
Key points:
- EBITDA NOK 98 million, up 24% y/y; margin 21% (19% in Q2 2025)
- Revenue NOK 479 million, +15%
- Ticket revenue NOK 287 million (+10%); onboard NOK 85 million (+32%, +6% per passenger night); contract revenue NOK 103 million (+22%)
- Occupancy 83% (from 74%); cabin factor 1.86 (from 1.88); passenger nights 99,800 (+17%)
- 100% operational uptime across the fleet
- CO2 emissions down 36% vs the coastal route's 2017 baseline
Summer 2026 brought solid growth on Fjord Line's routes
BERGENSFJORD © Søren Lund Hviid
Fjord Line has recorded its best summer ever. Never have so many passengers travelled between Norway and Denmark aboard the company's vessels. Traffic increased significantly compared with last year on both the Bergen–Stavanger–Hirtshals and Kristiansand–Hirtshals routes.
Fjord Line has also recorded growth in the number of international tourists, who now outnumber Norwegian passengers on board. So far this year, almost 60% of passengers travelling aboard Fjord Line's ferries to Bergen, Stavanger and Kristiansand have come from countries other than Norway.
Iceland’s Government working group on ferry plan sets off
BALDUR © Iceland's Ministry of Infrastructure
A working group tasked with developing a new ferry plan, appointed by Iceland's Minister of Infrastructure Eyjólfur Ármannsson in late summer, has now begun its work. The group is expected to complete its assignment by 1 December.
The group has been tasked with analysing the current state of ferry services and developing a comprehensive strategy and action plan for safe and reliable ferry transport in Iceland. The action plan is expected to include an implementation schedule and cost estimate for renewing the ferry fleet. The working group was appointed in accordance with Action 1.11 of the parliamentary resolution on Iceland's transport plan for 2026–2040.
DG Sea Connect reports traffic figures for Gulf of Khambhat service
VOYAGE EXPRESS © DG Sea Connect
Indian RoPax operator DG Sea Connect has published preliminary traffic figures on Instagram after just over five years of operating its route between Hazira, the port of Surat, and Ghogha, the port of Bhavnagar, across the Gulf of Khambhat in north-western India, facing the Arabian Sea.
During this period, DG Sea Connect's only RoPax ferry, the 1999-built, 6,118 GT VOYAGE EXPRESS, which has capacity for 450 passengers and 670 lane metres, has carried 1.7 million passengers, 230,000 cars and 220,000 trucks.
Fincantieri launches OCEANIA SONATA in Marghera
Fincantieri and Oceania Cruises, a brand of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd., have launched OCEANIA SONATA at the Marghera shipyard. Delivery of the new-generation luxury cruise ship is scheduled for 2027.
At approximately 86,000 GT, OCEANIA SONATA will accommodate 1,390 passengers and will feature extensive public areas, high standards of comfort and a design conceived to offer an exclusive travel experience.
Marine Atlantic officially welcomes the ILE ROUGE
ILE ROUGE © Frank Lose
Named after a small island located off the Port au Port peninsula of Newfoundland, the ILE ROUGE reflects Marine Atlantic's deep connection to the people and places it serves. The name honours both the history and vibrant community of Franco-Newfoundlanders in the province, says Marine Atlantic in a press release published 26 August.
As reported by Shippax, ILE ROUGE, which has been long-term chartered from Stena RoRo, left Perama, Greece 19 August. Once in North Sydney, the ILE ROUGE, will undergo final preparations, crew training and familiarization activities before entering service later this Fall.
New man at the helm of Go Nordic Cruiseline
Peter Hove Hildebrandt will take up the position of Route Director at Go Nordic Cruiseline on 1 September. The company operates the two cruise ferries NORDIC PEARL and NORDIC CROWN between Copenhagen and Oslo. He succeeds Kim Heiberg, who has worked on the route for almost 30 years. DFDS sold the service to Gotlandsbolaget in 2024.
End of Common Travel Area affects ferry passengers crossing the Irish Sea
From Monday 28 September, all ferry passengers travelling between Ireland and the UK will be required to present a valid passport when crossing the Irish Sea between the two countries and thus passing through a national border. In practice, this includes both Stena Line's and Irish Ferries' routes between the two countries. Previously, other forms of valid photo identification were sufficient.
Increased ferry-based volumes through Stockholm’s five ferry ports
STENA FLAVIA in Norvik © Ports of Stockholm
During the first half of the year, ferry-borne freight volumes increased at Ports of Stockholm by just over 3% to approximately 3.1 million tonnes. Container traffic increased by 14% compared with the corresponding period in the previous year.
NFI’s Norwegian ferry operator posted a loss in 2025
Torghatten AS, the major Norwegian domestic ferry operator owned by NFI (Nordic Ferry Infrastructure) together with its Danish counterpart Molslinjen A/S, recorded a decline in its net result in 2025. The company, which has more than 1,600 employees and operates a mixed fleet of 74 conventional and high-speed ferries across 47 routes, posted a net loss of NOK 89.9 million, compared with a profit of NOK 20.2 million the previous year.
Molslinjen finds new CEO in the Netherlands
Molslinjen has looked beyond Denmark to find a successor to Kristian Durhuus, who stepped down from his position at the ferry operator in February this year. Its new CEO will be 48-year-old Rolf Nielsen, who will leave his position as COO of Hanseatic Global Terminals in Rotterdam.
Before that, he served as Vice President, Head of Hub Terminals, at APM Terminals in The Hague, having previously held several senior positions at Mærsk.
AURORA BOTNIA celebrates five years on the Vaasa–Umeå route
AURORA BOTNIA © Wasaline
Wasaline is marking the fifth anniversary of AURORA BOTNIA's entry into service on the Vaasa–Umeå route. Since entering service in August 2021, AURORA BOTNIA has completed 5,700 departures and carried more than 1.3 million passengers. The vessel has transported nearly two million freight lane metres and approximately 300,000 passenger vehicles.
Gotlandsbolaget's operating result holds steady as FuelEU Maritime credits offset weaker passenger volumes
Key points
- Revenue for Q2 2026 rose to SEK 1,003.4 million (961.1)
- Adjusted operating result was SEK -17.2 million (-17.7)
- Net financial items came to SEK 67.3 million (-13.4)
- Profit after tax was SEK 23.5 million (-53.6), equivalent to SEK 9.4 per share
- Destination Gotland passenger volumes fell 5.9 per cent in the quarter, mainly due to a weak June
- Go Nordic Cruiseline carried 169,358 guests across weeks 25–33, down 4.8 per cent, with revenue per passenger up slightly
- The acquisition of a 30 per cent stake in Nordic Ferry Infrastructure (NFI), via NP HoldCo AS, received regulatory approval in early July and has been completed
- A new credit facility of up to SEK 1,200 million was signed during the quarter
- Construction of the new catamaran GOTLAND HORIZON X has reached a major milestone, with its first hull section lifted into place
- Destination Gotland's Trafikverket agreement is confirmed to move home to Gotland from Denmark
- Gotlandsbolaget has begun examining a possible move from Nasdaq First North to Nasdaq Stockholm's main list
Höegh Autoliners orders six more Aurora-class car carriers, extending programme to 18 ships
HÖEGH SUNRISE © Höegh Autoliners
Höegh Autoliners announced that it has ordered six additional Aurora-class vessels, extending its newbuilding programme to a total of 18 ships. The order was placed with China Merchants Heavy Industry (Jiangsu) Co., Ltd. (CMHI), with the new ships scheduled for delivery between 2029 and 2031. Alongside the firm order, Höegh Autoliners secured an option to build four further vessels on the same terms, exercisable within six months, plus slot reservations for another four ships, with notice due by 31 December 2027.
New RoRo vessel SKIPANES delivered to Smyril Line
SKIPANES © CIMC Raffles
Smyril Line has taken delivery of its new RoRo freight vessel SKIPANES from the CIMC Raffles shipyard in Yantai, China. SKIPANES and her sister ship AKRANES are Smyril Line's first purpose-built RoRo newbuildings, designed together with Danish naval architects Knud E. Hansen specifically for the route linking Europe, the Faroe Islands and Iceland, with an emphasis on year-round North Atlantic performance as well as crew comfort and well-being.
HAMANASU to enter service on 1 September
KEYAKI © Tsuyoshi Ishiyama
Shin Nihonkai Ferry, one of the largest ferry operators in Japan, has announced that its latest RoPax, HAMANASU, will enter service on the Otaru–Maizuru route on 1 September 2026. HAMANASU is being built at Mitsubishi Heavy Industries' Shimonoseki shipyard, but an issue was confirmed during construction, and the delivery was significantly delayed. She was originally set to enter service on 29 June 2026.
YAIMA MARU to reduce services to once a week from October 2026
Shosen Yaima/Yaima Line's YAIMA MARU will reduce services to once a week from October 2026, according to local media. The 21,535 GT YAIMA MARU started operation between Ishigaki (Japan) and Keelung (Taiwan) on 28 May 2026, sailing twice a week on the eight-hour route.
Currently, YAIMA MARU carries passengers only. Shosen Yaima/Yaima Line intends to also carry cargo, but cargo transport is not yet in sight as of now, according to local media.
Three US-based RoRo operators awarded new Joint Global Sealift Charter contracts
U.S. Transportation Command (USTRANSCOM) awarded the Joint Global Sealift Charter contract to seven commercial shipping companies. This contract provides global, short-term dry cargo time and voyage charters using RoRo, multi-purpose, or vehicle carrier vessels (among others PCTCs) to support USTRANSCOM's strategic sealift missions. Companies receiving the contract include the RoRo/PCTC-operators American Roll-On Roll-Off Carrier LLC, Farrell Lines Inc, and Liberty Global Logistics LLC. The non-RoRo operators receiving the contract are Federated Maritime LLC, Patriot Shipping LLC, Schuyler Line Navigation Company LLC, and Waterman Transport Inc.
Huge public investment in Alaska Marine Highway System
The U.S. Federal Government has awarded over USD 410 million in grant funding across six applications to support the Alaska Marine Highway System (AMHS) in rural Southeast Alaska. The funds allocate USD 161.2 million for ongoing vessel operations, crew, fuel, and maintenance across 20+ communities in line with the AMHS 2045 Long Range Plan, USD 153.4 million to design and build a replacement for the 1974-built ferry LeConte, USD 37.6 million for the Cascade Point Ferry Terminal to shorten Juneau–Haines–Skagway sailings by roughly one-third, USD 33.4 million to modernize the Kake Ferry Terminal for larger fleet vessels, USD 20.6 million to expand the Saxman Seaport freight capacity, and USD 4 million to upgrade reservation and customer operations systems.
Strategic Marine delivers first of three new catamaran ferries for Bintan Resort Ferries
Strategic Marine has delivered PUTRI MAYANG SARI, the first of three new 43-metre catamaran ferries it is building for Bintan Resort Ferries (BRF), at a naming ceremony at its Singapore shipyard. The vessel, which had its keel laid in September 2025, can carry up to 293 passengers across two decks, including 57 Emerald Class seats, and will serve the Singapore–Bintan route as part of BRF's fleet renewal programme.
New Bass Strait ferry attracts considerable attention during Devonport trial call
More than 2,000 locals gathered along the banks of the Mersey River at the entrance to Devonport, Tasmania, at around 07:00 local time on 23 August as Spirit of Tasmania's SPIRIT OF TASMANIA IV called at its home port for the first time. The two-day trial call took place ahead of the vessel's planned entry into service across the Bass Strait between Devonport and Geelong, near Melbourne, in October.
Scandlines continues plug-in hybrid upgrade on the Rødby–Puttgarden route
Scandlines has sent the second of its two German-owned Rødby–Puttgarden ferries for the planned conversion from hybrid to plug-in hybrid operation, which the company announced in June 2025. SCHLESWIG-HOLSTEIN left the route across the Fehmarn Belt on 23 August, sailing for BLRT Group's Western Shipyard in Klaipeda, Lithuania.
Fincantieri and Viking sign contracts for two new cruise ships
Fincantieri has signed contracts with Viking for the construction of two new ocean ships, The deal exercises options the two companies agreed in April 2025 and extends a partnership that now spans 28 vessels.
The new ships will be built at Fincantieri's shipyard in Ancona, Italy, with delivery scheduled for 2032. Classified as small cruise ships, each vessel will have a gross tonnage of approximately 54,300 GT, accommodate 998 passengers across 499 cabins, and be built to the latest environmental and navigational regulations, incorporating modern safety systems.
Höegh Autoliners Q2 impacted by higher bunker costs
Höegh Autoliners' Q2 figures were somewhat disappointing despite a 4% increase in revenue to USD 376m. EBITDA was down by 16%, compared with Q1, to USD 122m and net profit before tax also slumped by 16% to USD 85m. This was on the back of a 39% hike in bunker expenditure, costing an additional USD 21m.
SUPERFAST VI launched
The largest vessel yet in the Superfast fleet, the 47,062 GT SUPERFAST VI, has been launched from its building berth at the China Merchants Shipbuilding (CMS) Weihai shipyard. At 239.7m long with a 27.8m beam, she is the 14th and largest vessel built to Stena RoRo's E-Flexer design. Due for delivery in spring 2027, the vessel will carry 1,500 passengers with 850 beds across 254 cabins, while her three freight decks offer 3,320 lane metres for trucks and trailers.
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