Shippax News Bulletin – 23
- In association with Interferry
Dear Subscriber,
Please find the headlines of the news added to the Shippax website during week 23.
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Unity Line increases capacity on the Trelleborg to Swinoujscie route
During July, Unity Line will increase its capacity on the Trelleborg to Swinoujscie route by adding six departures a week by the newly acquired 1,780-lanemetre COPERNICUS, the former PUGLIA of Moby.
Fincantieri hands over VIKING ORION to Viking Ocean
The fifth Star Class ship built by Fincantieri for Viking Ocean has been delivered today, 7 June, by the Italian shipbuilding group’s Ancona shipyard. Named VIKING ORION, the 47,800gt cruise ship can accommodate 930 in 465 cabins.
DFDS gets the go-ahead from the respective competition authorities for U.N. Ro-Ro takeover
Less than two months after first announcing the acquisition of 98.8% of Turkish ro-ro specialist U.N. Ro-Ro, DFDS received the green light from the respective competition authorities. The takeover is now a done deal with the integration of U.N. Ro-Ro to start immediately and expected to be completed by the end of the year.
Wight Shipyard floats out Red Funnel’s new RED JET 7
Wight Shipyard floated out Red Funnel’s new high-speed passenger ferry RED JET 7 on 6 June. Work on the new GBP 7 million vessel is well on track for sea trials to take place towards the end of June, with the 41.12m fast ferry scheduled to enter service between Southampton and West Cowes on 24 July, just in time for the busy Cowes Week yachting festival in the first week of August.
SunStone Ships firms up on third Infinity Class vessel in China
Miami-based SunStone Ships Inc., today, 6 June, announced that it had firmed up a third Infinity Class expedition cruise vessel to be built by China Merchants Industry Holdings Co. Ltd. To be named OCEAN VICTORY, the 104.4m vessel will have a passenger capacity for 200 passengers in 93 suites: 68 with balconies, nine with French balconies and 16 with panoramic windows, and will be delivered in March 2021.
Gestas gets new flagship GELIBOLU and starts building a new terminal
Turkish ferry operator Gestas has taken delivery of its new flagship GELIBOLU built at the local Gelibolu Shipyard to an ARTI Engineering design. The new 1,650gt double-ended ferry has a capacity for 110 cars or 15 trucks and 646 passengers.
Fourth Eco Class vessel launched for Baleària
The ECO AIRE, the fourth and last Eco Class ferry destined for Baleària, was launched in Ribadeo on 31 May. The vessel, together with the third unit, ECO TERRA, is expected to join the fleet in the next few months.
MARINER OF THE SEAS nears completion of USD 120 million upgrade
Royal Caribbean International’s 2003-built MARINER OF THE SEAS is nearing completion of her 33-day USD 120 million upgrade project at the Cadiz shipyard of Spain’s Navantia. The cruise vessel is due back in service on 11 June following the largest single refit yet undertaken on a RCI vessel.
Upgraded and LNG-powered SPIRIT OF BRITISH COLUMBIA back in service
As Shippax reported in last month's edition of ShippaxInfo, BC Ferries’1992-built SPIRIT OF BRITISH COLUMBIA successfully underwent her mid-life upgrade and LNG retrofit at Remontowa in Poland, sailing back for Canada, through the Panama Canal, on the last day of March. The ship arrived in Vancouver in early May and has been reintroduced on the Tsawassan-Swartz Bay route today, 6 June.
Megatechnica Shipyards launches Bluferries’ OKEANOS 1
On 4 June Perama-based Megatechnica Shipyards launched OKEANOS 1 for Italian shipowner Bluferries, part of Ferrovie dello Stato – the state-owned Italian railways group. The cross-Messina Strait double-ender will be introduced later this year.
Southern Spain updates
As previously announced, Naviera Armas will charter its VOLCAN DE TINAMAR to Trasmediterranea, to operate between Barcelona and Mahon, scheduled to start from 8 June.
Corsica Linea’s VIZZAVONA handed over after drydocking and refit in Marseille
The seventh ferry to join the fleet of Corsica Linea, the 30,144gt, 1999-built VIZZAVONA, was handed over on 5 June, in Ajaccio, in a ceremony attended by the French Economy and Finance Minister, Bruno Le Maire, following a drydocking and refit at Chantier Naval de Marseille.
Fincantieri hands over MSC Cruises’ new flagship MSC SEAVIEW
The largest cruise ship yet built in Italy, the 153,516gt MSC SEAVIEW, was handed over on 4 June, at the Monfalcone shipyard of Fincantieri to MSC Cruises. The 5,331- passenger capacity vessel will be named in Genoa on 7 June by actress Sophia Loren before undertaking her maiden cruise on 10 June.
TT-Line starts weekly Trelleborg-Klaipeda service
German ferry operator TT-Line, which took delivery of its lengthened PETER PAN last week, will inaugurate a weekly Trelleborg, Sweden to Klaipeda, Lithuania ro-pax service starting on Saturday 9 June and operated by the freight-orientated ro-paxes TOM SAWYER and ROBIN HOOD.
P&O Ferries charters STENA CARRIER for Rotterdam-Teesport service and moves ESTRADEN to Zeebrugge-Teesport service
P&O Ferries has reshuffled its North Sea freight fleet to increase capacity on its Zeebrugge-Teesport and Europoort-Teesport services. As of the first week of June it has moved the Bore Line-chartered 2,270-lanemetre ESTRADEN from its Europoort-Teesport service to its Zeebrugge-Teesport run, replacing the Godby Shipping-owned 1,625 lanemetre MISTRAL. The latter vessel will be relet by P&O Ferries to Stena Line between 2 June and 21 August to deputize on the Irish Sea while ships are being drydocked.
Improved first quarter results for Attica Group
Revenue stood at EUR 49.43 million compared to EUR 44.83 million in first quarter 2017 (an increase of 10.3%) resulting in losses before interest, taxes, , depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) of EUR 1.33 million compared to losses of EUR 4.00 million for the same period in 2017. During the period January- March 2018, the Group’s vessels carried 603,000 passengers compared to 535,000 in the same period in 2017, 92,000 private vehicles against 79,000 in the same period in 2017 and 73,000 freight units against 68,000 in the same period in 2017, with 1.1% less sailings compared to the same period in 2017.
New MEIN SCHIFF 2 floated out
The new 111,500gt and 315-metre long MEIN SCHIFF 2 was floated out on 1 June at the Meyer Turku shipyard, one month after the delivery of her sister, the MEIN SCHIFF 1.
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