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Shippax News Bulletin – 30

- In association with Interferry 

Dear Subscriber,

Please find the headlines of the news added to the Shippax website during week 30, 29 and 28.

Also note that further news might be added to the website during the course of the day.

Have a nice weekend!


Greek ferry sector comes to the rescue

The staggering death toll in Greece’s wildfires this week could have been much higher if the country’s ferry sector had not rushed to rescue scores of people forced into the sea by massive forest fires raging behind them.

READ THE FULL STORY


Red Funnel’s RED JET 7 enters service after being named by HRH The Duchess of Cornwall

Red Funnel’s new high-speed passenger ferry RED JET 7 received the royal treatment when it was officially named in Cowes on 24 July by HRH The Duchess of Cornwall and entered service later that day.

READ THE FULL STORY


Steel cutting for second Celebrity Edge Class

Construction has officially commenced on CELEBRITY APEX, the second ship in Celebrity Cruises’ revolutionary Edge Class that will be delivered by builders Chantiers de l’Atlantique (formerly STX France) in Saint-Nazaire in spring 2020.

READ THE FULL STORY



Gozo Channel posts record carryings during H1 2018

Gozo Channel, the state-owned ferry operator that operates three double-enders on the 25-minute Cirkewwa (Malta) - Mgarr (Gozo) route, carried a record 2,656,415 passengers during the first half of 2018, an 8.2% or 200,901-passenger increase on H1 2017.

READ THE FULL STORY


Start of a new era for Romania’s Mangalia shipyard – Damen poised to build large ferries

Damen has successfully completed the transaction with Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME) to assume operational control of the Mangalia shipyard, formerly known as Daewoo Mangalia Heavy Industries (DMHI). The yard will be operated as a joint venture with the Romanian Government and will be appropriately renamed Damen Shipyards Mangalia.

READ THE FULL STORY


Crowley Maritime Corp takes delivery of first of two LNG-powered con-ros

The world’s first LNG-powered container/ro-ro (con-ro) vessel, the 26,500dwt EL COQUI has been delivered by US shipbuilder VT Halter Marine Inc. to domestic operator Crowley Maritime Corp.

READ THE FULL STORY



DFDS’s first behemoth floated out

Jinling yard number 408 was floated out into the Yangtze River on 16 July. Understood to be named GOTHIA SEAWAYS, the 6,700-lanemetre, five-deck ro-ro freighter is expected to be delivered to DFDS during Q1 2019.

READ THE FULL STORY


Davie Shipbuilding delivers first North American-built LNG-powered ferry

Canada’s Davie Shipbuilding, the country’s largest shipbuilder, has successfully achieved a technical milestone by delivery of the first North American-built LNG-powered ferry, ARMAND-IMBEAU II to local ferry operator Société des Traversiers du Québec (STQ).

READ THE FULL STORY


Fincantieri to build two 175,000gt LNG-powered cruise ships for Princess Cruises

Cruise ship contracts continue to flood into Fincantieri, with the Italian giant signing a memorandum of agreement (MoA) with Princess Cruises for the construction of two 175,000gt LNG-powered vessels for delivery towards the end of 2023 and the spring of 2025.

READ THE FULL STORY



Norled orders two unique double-enders from Poland’s Remontowa Shipbuilding

Norwegian ferry operator Norled AS signed a contract on 11 July with Remontowa Shipbuilding in Gdansk to build two unique, diesel-electric hybrid double-ender passenger/vehicle ferries for delivery in the fourth quarter of 2019.

READ THE FULL STORY


No bidders for laid up AEOLOS KENTERIS I

When delivered in 2000 the 6,177gt high-speed monohull AEOLOS KENTERIS I, was hailed as one of the vessels that would transform ferry travel in the Greek archipelago. But an electronic auction attempt in Piraeus on 18 July attracted no bidders at the asking price of EUR 5.4 million (USD 6.35 million).

READ THE FULL STORY


Keel laid for second Virgin Voyages newbuilding while name of first vessel revealed

The keel was laid for the second of Virgin Voyages three 110,000gt cruise vessels building at the Sestri Ponente shipyard of Italy’s Fincantieri on 20 July. At the same time the name was revealed for the lead ship – SCARLET LADY.

READ THE FULL STORY


Fincantieri bags four more cruise ships orders – two from NCL and two from TUI Cruises

July has been an extremely successful month for leading Italian cruise ship builder Fincantieri, with the company securing contracts to build four new vessels – two 140,000gt Leonardo Class vessels for Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) and two 161,000gt LNG-powered vessels for new customer TUI Cruises. The latter will be the largest cruise ships yet built in Italy.

READ THE FULL STORY


VICTORIA OF WIGHT on her way to the Solent

Wightlink took delivery of its new GBP 30 million flagship VICTORIA OF WIGHT at Turkish shipbuilder Cemre Shipyard in Yalova on 11 July. The vessel departed for her 3,019-nautical mile and 17-day voyage to Portsmouth on 16 July, being towed by the specialist tug AMBER II.

READ THE FULL STORY


Stena signs double order for a lengthened version of its E-Flexer Class

Stena E-Flexer Vessel

Stena E-Flexer Vessel

Stena has decided to exercise its option to build a seventh and eighth E-Flexer vessel. The two vessels will be a lengthened version of the six other ships in the series and will be deployed within Stena Line’s own route network with a planned delivery in 2022. Additionally, Stena RoRo has taken an option on the construction of a further four E-Flexer vessels also to be built at Avic Weihai Shipyard, China.

READ THE FULL STORY


Color Line to introduce dedicated freighter on the Oslo-Kiel service

Color Line, Norway's largest international ferry operator, is taking a bold step to signifcantly add freight capacity on the Oslo-Kiel route through the purchase of the 1998-built ro-ro vessel FINNCARRIER. According to the current planning, the vessel will join COLOR MAGIC and COLOR FANTASY on the only direct line between Norway and Germany as from 1 January 2019, operating three roundtrips per week. If its capacity of 1,775 lanemetres is fully used, FINNCARRIER will carry up to 120 trailers at a time. Color Line has not disclosed information about a renaming yet, but it appears most likely that the vessel will join its future service under a new name after takeover by Color Line.

READ THE FULL STORY


New ferry for Vaasa-Umeå getting closer to realization

Kvarken Link AB, jointly owned by the cities of Vaasa, Finland and Umeå, Sweden, has invited four shipyards for offers for a new ferry. Three shipyards are European and one Asian. According to a press release issued 12 July, the offers have to be handed in by 31 August 2018. The delivery date for the new ferry is 30 April 2021.

READ THE FULL STORY


Emergency repairs to Irish Ferries’ flagship ULYSSES take longer than originally anticipated

ULYSSES reported technical difficulties with its starboard cp propeller on 24 June, with the 50,938-gross-ton ro-pax entering drydock in Belfast on 28 June. Investigation and repair of the ferry (replacement of the starboard propeller shaft) were expected to be completed within five days, allowing ULYSSES to return to service on the Dublin-Holyhead service on 4 July.

READ THE FULL STORY


BC Ferries to order five major ro-pax vessels to replace its ageing C Class fleet

Shipyards in Canada and Europe will soon be battling it out to win a lucrative newbuilding contract from Canadian west coast ferry operator British Columbia Ferries (BC Ferries) for five ro-paxs to replace its ageing fleet of C Class double-enders.

READ THE FULL STORY


Mitsubishi Shipbuilding launches a new KITAKAMI for Taiheiyo Ferry

On 4 June Mitsubishi Shipbuilding’s Shimonoseki yard launched a new KITAKAMI. As of 25 January she will replace the 1989-built namesake vessel between Sendai and Tomakomai.

READ THE FULL STORY


Press releases

Automated mooring substantially cuts vessel emissions: report

A new report demonstrates how automated mooring system (AMS) makes substantial reductions in CO2 emissions from ferries during mooring operations.

Tallink installs innovative wireless trackers on vessels to provide passengers with best network coverage on the Baltic sea

Tallink Grupp, the largest maritime passenger and cargo transport provider on the Baltic Sea, in partnership with Swedish company Nowhere Networks have recently installed a cutting-edge Wireless Antenna Tracking Sytem (WATS) on board the company’s newest fleet member MEGASTAR. The tracker provides the ship, operating on the Tallinn-Helsinki route, with a 400M/bit internet connection on board – the fastest and most stable internet connection currently available on the Baltic Sea.

Wärtsilä to provide comprehensive optimised maintenance for Virgin Voyages

Virgin Voyages has assigned Wärtsilä the responsibility of the maintenance of Virgin Voyages’ three cruise ships. Wärtsilä will ensure that vessels are powered and operated reliably, efficiently and sustainably, enabling Virgin Voyages to focus on providing its cruise passengers with a unique holiday experience.

NorthLink Ferries introduces new sign language service

NorthLink Ferries has teamed up with a sign language interpreting agency to improve access and user experience for its customers with hearing difficulties.

STI Marine Firestop Names Elpro Group AS its Norway Distributor

STI Marine Firestop, a Division of Specified Technologies, Inc., the specialist in firestop and passive fire protection innovation, has announced that the Elpro Group AS has been named its distributor for Norway. Established in 2002 and headquartered in Agdenes, mid-Norway, Elpro provides electro technical services and solutions to maritime, offshore and onshore installations.

Damen supporting European shipbuilding with NAVAIS coordination

EC-funded programme to improve sustainability in shipbuilding and maintain Europe’s leading role in complex vessel construction.

Corvus Energy to expand production in response to high demand for energy storage

Canadian-Norwegian energy storage solutions provider Corvus Energy expands battery production facilities in Vancouver, Canada and announces intentions to build a factory in Bergen, Norway.

Wärtsilä 34DF engine awarded EPA Tier III certification in diesel mode

The technology group Wärtsilä announces another milestone achievement with regard to its Wärtsilä 34DF dual-fuel engine. The 34DF engine has been awarded the USA Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Tier III certification for diesel mode operation when installed together with the Wärtsilä NOx Reducer (NOR) system. The Wärtsilä NOR is a selective catalytic reduction (SCR) system that converts nitrogen oxides (NOx) with the aid of a catalyst into diatomic nitrogen (N2) and water. Wärtsilä is the first engine manufacturer to be awarded this certification.

Change in AS Tallink Grupp’s loan obligations

AS Tallink Grupp signed a loan agreement in the amount of EUR 110 million. The financing is arranged by Nordea Bank AB (publ), Finnish Branch, Danske Bank A/S, Finland Branch and HSH Nordbank AG. The payment- and security agent is Nordea Bank AB (publ), Finnish Branch. The final maturity of the floating interest rate euribor based loan is six years.

I-Tech sets its sights on large-scale Selektope® production in Europe

To satisfy increasing customer demand for antifouling coatings including Selektope® in the marine market, Swedish bio-technology innovator I-Tech AB plans to evaluate an advanced European manufacturer of active pharmaceutical ingredients and intermediates as its large-scale production partner in Europe.

Emanuele Grimaldi awarded as Commander of the Order of the Lion of Finland

During a short ceremony held on Wednesday the 4th of July in Rome, Emanuele Grimaldi, Managing Director of the Grimaldi Group and President and CEO of the subsidiary company Finnlines, received the honor of Commander of the Order of the Lion of the Republic of Finland.

Cavotec supports sustainable development of China’s cruise sector

As ports, shipping lines, and authorities in China strive to reduce emissions from shipping, our innovative shore power technologies are playing a key role in delivering substantive change.


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