STENA NORDICA to temporarily serve Europoort-Killingholme route

According to the latest information STENA NORDICA will serve the Europoort-Killingholme route until the 22 January introduction of HATCHE. © Sebastian Ziehl

Stena Line will temporarily bring in the 1,949-lanemetre ro-pax ferry STENA NORDICA alongside the 3,000-lanemetre STENA FORERUNNER on the freight-only Europoort (Rotterdam)-Killingholme route, starting on Monday 13 January.

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Tender for Corsica’s secondary ports cancelled once again

La Méridionale's PIANA is currently chartered by Corsica Linea, serving the Porto-Vecchio route. © Frank Lose

The tender process to operate the public service contract connecting the French mainland port of Marseille with Corsica’s secondary ports of Porto-Vecchio and Propriano between February and December 2020, has been cancelled by the Corsican Assembly today, 9 January.

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BLUE LUMINOUS touches the water

BLUE LUMINOUS will replace BLUE DOLPHIN 2 in spring this year. © Naikai Zosen Setoda Shipyard

In the morning of 9 January Naikai Zosen Corporation’s Setoda shipyard in Hiroshima prefecture launched the 8,800grt BLUE LUMINOUS which it is building for Tsugaru Kaikyo Ferry.

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PONT-AVEN arrives in Gdansk for 10-week refit, which includes fitting of new MaK main engine

Full house at Remontowa Shiprepair Yard in Gdansk with PONT-AVEN berthed in front of Transfennica's GENCA. PONT-AVEN has meanwhile shifted to the floating dock earlier occupied by TT-Line's HUCKLEBERRY FINN. © Remontowa Shiprepair Yard

Brittany Ferries’ flagship PONT-AVEN arrived at the Remontowa Shiprepair Yard in Gdansk on 7 January to begin a major 10-week refit, with a large part of the scope of work being the fitting of a new MaK main engine.

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DFDS takes delivery of fourth 6,695-lanemetre mega-freighter

The Chinese flag is lowered, the Danish one is hoisted - DFDS took delivery of its fourth mega-freighter built by Jinling. © DFDS

On 7 January at 15:08 local time (eight is a lucky number in China), DFDS took delivery of its fourth 6,695-lanemetre/449 13.6m-trailer capacity mega-freighter built by Jinling’s Yizheng shipyard. Two more ships in the series will follow this year.

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Molslinjen/Fanølinjen orders full-electric ferry at Hvide Sande Shipyard

MENJA © Fanølinjen

Molslinjen/Fanølinjen has decided to replace the diminutive 1962-built passenger-only Esbjerg-Fanø ferry SØNDERHO by a full-electric ferry to be built at Hvide Sande Shipyard with delivery scheduled in 2021. For redundancy’s sake, the ferry will also boast a diesel-powered engine.

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Lower passenger volumes, but more cargo in 2019 for Viking Line

© Philippe Holthof

Viking Line released its 2019 statistics which showed records on several of its routes and sectors. However, the total passenger number decreased from 6,411,537 in 2018 to 6,300,480 in 2019. This decrease was primarily related to longer special cruises during the summer season, which primarily affected the cruise traffic between Stockholm and Mariehamn. Fewer departures due to drydocking also affected the figure. On a more positive note, the number of cargo units reached an all-time record of 133,940 (128,549).

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FRS replaces GOLDEN BRIDGE with VRONSKIY

FRS will not renew the charter of GOLDEN BRIDGE which will be replaced by VRONSKIY © Bruno Jonathan

FRS Iberia, the Spanish subsidiary of German Förde Reederei Seetouristik (FRS), has decided not to renew the time charter of GOLDEN BRIDGE, brought in six months ago to operate its service between Motril and Melilla.

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Finnlines confirms double order of Superstar Class at CMI Jinling Weihai Shipyard

Artist's impression of the Superstar Class with jacuzzis on Deck 12 aft. © Finnlines-Grimaldi Group

As reported shortly before Christmas, CMI Jinling Weihai Shipyard – formerly known as AVIC Weihai Shipyard and builders of Stena’s E-Flexer series – has inked a contract for the construction of two Superstar Class ro-pax ferries earmarked for Finnlines’ twice daily Kapellskär-Långnäs-Naantali service. This news has now officially been confirmed to Shippax by Finnlines/Grimaldi Group.

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Strong results for Wasaline despite setbacks

Keel laying for the newbuild AURORA BOTNIA is already in February © Wasaline

Wasaline ended 2019 with a EUR 19.6 million turnover, the same as the prior year. Carryings were down on 2018 with 3.5% less passengers (total 204,704), 1.4% less passenger vehicles (total 46,312) and 4.3% less freight units (total 15,194).

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TT-Line to increase frequency on Trelleborg-Klaipeda route

BARBARA KRAHULIK has been renamed MARCO POLO and is being coverted for her new role with TT-Line. © Peter Starenczak

TT-Line’s recent acquisition of the Viamare Class MARCO POLO, the former BARBARA KRAHULIK of Onorato Armatori, has paved the way to increase the frequency on the Trelleborg-Klaipeda service from weekly to five times weekly sailings.

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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

ScanMarine AB was awarded a contract by Stena Line considering refits of SKÅNE and MECKLENBURG-VORPOMMERN

Project includes refit of nearly all public spaces and all PAX cabins&corridors. In total ScanMarine will involve around 50 fitters, supervisors and subcontractors in the project.

New DNV GL joint industry report offers recommendations for enhanced battery safety on vessels

In collaboration with the Norwegian, Danish and US maritime authorities, battery manufacturers, system integrators, suppliers of fire extinguishing systems, shipyards and shipowners, DNV GL has released a new report on battery safety in ships. The report assesses explosion and fire risks in maritime battery installations and the effectiveness of fire extinguishing systems in the event of a battery fire.

FinCo Fuel Group and GoodFuels join forces to accelerate renewable fuels

FinCo Fuel Group, active in the downstream energy market with a broad portfolio of fuel products, has expanded its network with the acquisition of a majority stake in GoodNRG, holding company of renewable fuels pioneer GoodFuels.

New bridgelink smart maintenance service optimises remote support and intervention for critical bridge equipment

Telemar, the Marlink Group company dedicated to Bridge Electronics, on-board services and maintenance, has significantly enhanced its remote support capabilities within the recently launched BridgeLink solution. Telemar engineers will use the BridgeLink Smart Maintenance Application to provide pro-active support to reduce potential down-time and increase efficiency of Bridge Electronics hardware as well as associated software maintenance and repair.

Automar completes the acquisition of AutoTerminal Gioia Tauro

Automar S.p.A. has recently completed the acquisition of AutoTerminal Gioia Tauro (ATGT) S.p.A., taking over the remaining 50% of its corporate capital from the German group BLG Logistics. The acquired company, renamed AutoMar Gioia Tauro S.p.A., will subsequently be incorporated into Automar S.p.A.

Emanuele Grimaldi praises the contribution of ICS to the establishment of the International Maritime Research Fund

It is an unprecedented landmark decision, the one made by world shipping to fight global warming.
In fact, the main players have recently decided to take concrete action on the environmental issue by announcing that they have presented their proposal to create an International Maritime Research Fund - IMRF to the IMO (International Maritime Organization).

Wallem adds expertise to Hong Kong cruise industry Advisory

Wallem Group Managing Director for Ship Agency Services, Dickson Chin, has joined Hong Kong’s highly influential Advisory Committee on Cruise Industry (ACCI), where his extensive logistical support expertise will help ensure that the number of cruise ships calling at the territory continue to flourish.

Aurora Expeditions renews its commitment to responsible expedition cruising with the launch of its new ship SYLVIA EARLE

Aurora Expeditions, Australian expedition cruise company, will name its second purpose built expedition ship after the acclaimed marine biologist and oceanographer, Dr. Sylvia Earle.

Wärtsilä Exhaust Gas Cleaning system gets CCS Type Approval

The technology group Wärtsilä’s Exhaust Gas Cleaning (EGC) system has been Type Approved in China by the China Classification Society (CCS). This follows the order for the system from Dalian Shipbuilding Industry for installation onboard the NEW TREASURE, a new Very Large Crude Carrier (VLCC). The ship is being built for Associated Maritime of Hong Kong, part of the China Merchants Energy Shipping group, the largest VLCC owner in China and a world leading crude oil tanker operator.