Damen to build two additional LNG-battery hybrid ro-ros for Seaspan

The ships to be built by Damen Shipyards Mangalia will follow the design of SEASPAN SWIFT and RELIANT © Seaspan Ferries

Seaspan Ferries has signed a newbuilding contract with Damen Shipyards Group to construct two additional 1,034-lanemetre freight ro-ros based on the design of SEASPAN SWIFT and SEASPAN RELIANT, built by the Turkish Sedef shipyard in 2016 and 2017, respectively.

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CMHI signs cruise ship order with Shanghai Style Cruise Industry Development

© CMHI

China Merchants Heavy Industry (CMHI) has signed a newbuilding contract for a pair of 37,000gt cruise ships with Shanghai Style Cruise Industry Development for its Style Cruise brand. The order includes an option for two more units.

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CLdN cancels second newbuilding contract at Uljanik

Is the end near for the Uljanik Group? © Uljanik Group

Hardly surprising, Uljanik shipyard’s bankruptcy (bankruptcy proceedings were launched on 13 May) has led to the cancellation of CLdN’s second 5,450-lanemetre ro-ro freighter ordered at the Croatian yard group in March 2016.

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SUPERCAT starts Cyclades service from Piraeus

SUPERCAT was acquired in late 2017 and missed the 2018 season due to technical issues © George Giannakis

Golden Star Ferries’ Oceanfast 45m passenger-only catamaran SUPERCAT – the former KAROLIN of Linda Line – is set to debut for Golden Star Ferries at last, serving Sifnos, Milos, Folegandros, Santorini, Ios, Naxos and Mykonos from Piraeus.

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TS Laevad charters MERCANDIA VIII as backup vessel

MERCANDIA VIII was recently activated on the Sound but will head for Estonia next month. © Christian Costa

Just like last year, ForSea’s reserve vessel MERCANDIA VIII will head for Estonia to take up a summer charter with TS Laevad/Praamid, replacing REGULA as the backup vessel.

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Stena confirms name of third E-Flexer for Stena Line service

STENA EMBLA is taking shape at AVIC Weihai Shipyard © Stena Line

As expected, the third E-Flexer for Stena Line service will be named STENA EMBLA, meaning the “the first female, created by gods” according to Norse mythology.

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Fast Ferries to live up to its name

HELLENIC HIGHSPEED is ready to start operations from Rafina later this week © George Giannakis

For the first time in its history, Fast Ferries – operators of three conventional ferries out of Rafina to the Northern and Central Cyclades – will effectively operate high-speed ro-pax tonnage in the form of HELLENIC HIGHSPEED, a Fincantieri-built MDV 1200 Class monohull which has been taken on charter from Hellenic Seaways for the summer season.

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Bornholmslinjen starts upgrade work on POVL ANKER

POVL ANKER will obtain its original 'pebble grey' hull colour © Steen Friis Design

One of Denmark’s much-loved vintage ro-pax ferries, Bornholmslinjen’s 1978-built POVL ANKER, is to undergo an upgrade which will echo the vessel’s historic past and continue its future.

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Change of Norled ownership

The family-owned Det Stavangerske Dampskibsselskab (DSD) has sold all its shares in the Norwegian operator Norled to a 50/50 consortium consisting of the Nordic infrastructure investment company CapMan Infra and Canadian Caledon Capital Management.

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Incat 130m wave piercing catamaran ordered by Buquebus

Like FRANCISCO, Buquebus's yet unnamed newbuild will be LNG-powered © Incat

South American operator Buquebus has awarded Incat a contract for what will be the largest aluminium ro-pax built to date powered by diesel engines. The 130m long wave piercing catamaran will be 32m wide and carry over 2,100 passengers and 220 cars.

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Gozo Channel to add fourth ship for the 2019 summer season

NIKOLAOS will see a summer stint for Gozo Channel © Frank Heine

To tackle capacity constraints on the Cirkewwa (Malta) – Mgarr (Gozo) route, Gozo Channel has chartered the Superflex Class double-ender NIKOLAOS for the upcoming summer season.

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Virtu Ferries time charters ro-pax to Trinidad and Tobago

Still in Cadiz, but heading for Trinidad and Tobago soon; the Austal-built JEAN DE LA VALETTE © Austal

It’s official; Austal Auto Express 107m catamaran JEAN DE LA VALETTE has been time chartered by Virtu Ferries to the Trinidad and Tobago Government’s National Infrastructure Development Company (NIDCO).

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Finance

Irish Continental Group, Q1 2019 trading update

Irish Continental Group Q1 2019 trading update, including volumes and financials. Consolidated Group revenue in the period was EUR 102.3 million, an increase of 6.1% compared with last year. Net debt at the end of April was EUR 88.4 million compared with EUR 80.3 million at 31 December 2018. Ferries Division: Total revenues recorded in the period to 30 April amounted to EUR 51.7 million (including intra-division charter income), a 1.1% decrease on the prior year. 

Press Releases

Hurtigruten partners with Biokraft in record-breaking biogas deal: Will power ships with dead fish

Expedition cruise line Hurtigruten signs a multi-year deal with Norway-based Biokraft to supply climate-neutral liquified biogas (LBG) – and power ships with fuel made from dead fish and other organic waste.

Jotun creates new standard for predictable, long-term antifouling protection with SeaForce and HydractiveTM technology

Jotun has unveiled the next generation of its popular SeaForce biocidal antifouling range, with three new products featuring breakthrough HydractiveTM technology. Developed in-house at the global leader in marine protective coatings, the new solution provides predictable, long-term performance for diverse vessel needs.

Virgin Voyages Dover calling official!

Virgin Voyages has announced that Dover will be the first ever port of call for its epic SCARLET LADY cruise ship, in February 2020.

New digital solution from Rolls-Royce and ZF improves availability and CO2 emissions of ships

Rolls-Royce is developing a new electronic monitoring system together with ZF to achieve maximum availability for ships, while keeping fuel consumption and CO2 emissions to a minimum. It will be tested by the Förde Reederei Seetouristik (FRS). The Equipment Health Management System (EHMS) collects and analyses data from the MTU engines, ZF transmission systems and other key components on a vessel, taking into account additional factors, such as wind, waves and currents.

Wärtsilä simulator software selected to teach modern navigational skills at three Netherlands training locations

Software solutions from the technology group Wärtsilä have been selected for installation in three maritime training centres. The turnkey systems will allow training to commence immediately following the site acceptance. The systems have been ordered by the Rotterdam based STC Group, an international maritime transport and logistics education provider. The order with Wärtsilä was booked in April 2019.

MAN and AKA collaborate on the propulsion package for Baltic RoPax operator TT-Line

Canadian, Prince Edward Island based engineering firm Aspin Kemp and Associates Inc. (AKA) and German based MAN Energy Solutions (MAN) are working together on the delivery of the propulsion package for 1+1 230-meter-long RoPax vessel for TT-Line, a German ferry operator. The vessel is to be built at Jiangsu Jingling shipyard in China. The MAN/AKA power and propulsion package includes eight MAN 51/60DF dual fuel engines, propellers and gearboxes, a fuel-gas supply system and HyProp ECO – an innovative, fuel-saving, hybrid propulsion system.

ABB to enable world’s first hydrogen-powered river vessel

ABB will provide a power and propulsion solution for a newbuild vessel operating along the Rhône river in France to run entirely on hydrogen fuel cells.

ChartCo signs deal to provide entire Carnival Cruise Line fleet with its Regs4ships service

ChartCo, the global leader in digital navigation services and voyage compliance solutions, is pleased to announce that it will now be supplying the entire Carnival Cruise Line fleet with its benchmark regulation management solution, Regs4ships.

In the first quarter of 2019 the revenue of Port of Tallinn Group amounted to EUR 28.5 million and profit to 11.0 million

In the first quarter of 2019, the revenue of Port of Tallinn and subsidiaries amounted to EUR 28.5 million, declining by 3% compared to the same period last year. The Group's adjusted EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization) was EUR 16.9 million in the first quarter, declining by 4.2% year-on-year. Net profit decreased by EUR 0.8 million to EUR 11.0 million in the first quarter.

Tallink updated its beer and wine selection

In the upcoming weeks, Tallink changes its current beer and wine selection and launches a special anniversary craft beer to celebrate company’s thirty years in business. Tallink 30 anniversary beers are brewed in Purtse, Estonia.

Finnlines’ Tapani Voionmaa elected to the BIMCO Board of Directors

Tapani Voionmaa, Group General Counsel at Finnlines Plc, has been elected to the BIMCO Board of Directors. The election was made at BIMCO’s General Meeting in Athens on Tuesday 14 May 2019.

RINA DOLPHIN for quieter ships

Ships make a lot of noise. Much of the noise is emitted underwater, so passengers and the wider public are often unaware of this. Marine mammals, on the other hand, are very much aware. Although the long-term impacts of noise on marine mammals are not yet known with certainty, it is clear that increased noise interferes with an animal’s ability to hear. This has serious implications for reproduction and survival.