Grimaldi Lines to start new ro-pax service between Naples and Palermo on 19 October

CRUISE AUSONIA © Kai Ortel

Italy’s Grimaldi Lines is increasing its services between southern Italy and Sicily with the start of a new ro-pax ferry service between Naples and Palermo on Monday 19 October. The new service will operate three times a week and will be maintained by the ferry CRUISE AUSONIA.

READ THE FULL STORY

Atlas Ocean Voyages takes delivery of expedition vessel WORLD TRAVELLER from Portugal’s West Sea Viana Shipyard

WORLD TRAVELLER © Atlas Ocean Voyages

Expedition cruise line Atlas Ocean Voyages, owned by the Mystic Invest Group, took delivery of the 200 passenger capacity WORLD TRAVELLER on 10 October from Portugal’s West Sea Viana Shipyard, in Viana do Castelo.

READ THE FULL STORY

Grimaldi Group embarks on another Chinese newbuilding spree – as well as ports and logistics acquisitions

Two more GG5Gs will be built © Grimaldi Group

Italy’s Grimaldi Group, celebrating its 75th anniversary this year, has embarked on its latest newbuilding spree in China, order of two further GG5G-class 7,800 lanemetre capacity ro-ro’s at Nanjing Jinling Shipyard, at a cost of USD 100 million for the pair, bringing to 14 the number of this class of vessels ordered in China, and will put pen-to-paper by the end of October for 10 PCTCs to be built at a yet to be named shipyard, with each vessel being able to carry 9,000 CEU’s.

Aside from its ambitious fleet expansion plans, the Grimaldi Group is working on a programme of acquisitions involving port terminals and logistics operations.

READ THE FULL STORY

Grimaldi Group acquires controlling stake in the Port of Igoumenitsa

A consortium led by Italy’s Grimaldi Group has been declared the winning bidder for the management and operation of the Greek port of Igoumenitsa. The news was announced on 7 October by the Board of Directors of Greece’s Hellenic Republic Asset Development Fund – the body in charge of the management of the privatisation of ports and other public assets in Greece.

The consortium, led by the Grimaldi Group, has acquired a 67 per cent stake in the share capital of the Igoumenitsa Port Authority for EUR 84.17 million. The concession relating to the Port of Igoumenitsa, owned by the Igoumenitsa Port Authority, includes the rights to the exclusive use and management of the assets of the port areas of Igoumenitsa, including the fishing harbours of Sagiada and Plataria, and the marina of Syvota.

READ THE FULL STORY

Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts enters the ultra-luxury cruise vessel market and orders first newbuilding from Fincantieri

The secret is out. The unnamed company that ordered an ultra-luxury yacht-type cruise vessel from Italy’s Fincantieri in July this year is Toronto-based Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts, which is moving into the ultra-luxury end of the cruise market with its newly established Four Seasons Yachts, based in Miami.

READ THE FULL STORY

Wasaline improves the fire safety at sea with an EVFS pool

For the past six months, Wasaline has co-operated with Finnish fire safety companies Firesea Equipment Oy and Rescue Team Scandinavia in finding new solutions to fight vehicle fires at sea. Together with other shipping companies Wasaline has participated in a joint project in order to develop an innovative extinguishing pool. Now, Wasaline is the first shipping company to order the product on board its ferry AURORA BOTNIA.

READ THE FULL STORY

Berg Propulsion propeller blade upgrade yields significant cut in fuel consumption for STENA DANICA

STENA DANICA © Kai Ortel

Precision engineering from Berg Propulsion has secured a substantial reduction in fuel consumption for the long-serving STENA DANICA, after a propeller blade replacement the supplier says can fit with “any hub” which also met requirements to cut machinery vibrations.

STENA DANICA entered service in 1983 but, having been fully renewed in 2005, remains a familiar feature of shortsea links Sweden and Denmark, connecting the ports of Gothenburg and Frederikshavn in just three hours and 30 minutes.

READ THE FULL STORY

Danfoss Power Solutions’ hybrid drivetrains selected for Hamburg public ferries

Danfoss Power Solutions’ Editron division has been chosen to provide drivetrain systems for three hybrid passenger ferries that will operate on the Elbe River in Hamburg, Germany. German shipyard Schiffbau. Entwicklungsgesellschaft Tangermünde mbH (SET) will build the vessels for Hamburg transportation company HADAG, expanding its fleet to 29 ships.

READ THE FULL STORY

1,000 jobs to be created as DP World's £350m new fourth berth at London Gateway starts on site

DP World announced that work has started on site to build a new fourth berth at its London Gateway smart logistics hub.
The resilience of the UK supply chain will be strengthened by the £350m project, which builds on DP World’s £2bn investment in Britain over the last decade. On completion in 2024 it will lift London Gateway’s capacity by a third, giving it more room to handle the world’s largest vessels than any other port in the country.

READ THE FULL STORY

Scandlines completes investment project in low-noise thrusters

As the last of the four hybrid ferries operating between Puttgarden (Germany) and Rødby (Denmark), the double-ended ferry PRINSESSE BENEDIKTE has just had four new thrusters installed. The new thrusters are far more efficient and thus energy-saving than the previous push thrusters. Accordingly, Scandlines completes a EUR 13 million investment project in upgrading the Fehmarn ferries and at the same time significantly reduces its environmental impact.

READ THE FULL STORY

Baleària replaces the grounding of the AVEMAR DOS with CECILIA PAYNE in the connections with Ceuta

CECILIA PAYNE © Baleària

Baleària incorporates the high-speed ferry CECILIA PAYNE in the connections between Ceuta and Algeciras to cover the grounding of the AVEMAR DOS, which will take place at the Gibdock shipyards until the end of the month. In this way, the shipping company maintains the five daily rotations of the fast service between the autonomous city and the Peninsula.

READ THE FULL STORY

Baleària improves its schedules on the routes with Melilla

NAPOLES © Kai Ortel

Baleària has opted to adjust the schedules in some of its connections between Melilla and the south of the Peninsula to adapt to the needs of the residents and the rest of the passengers. The shipping company, which is awarded the routes of public interest, will maintain the two ships NAPOLES and SICILIA for their reliability, comfort and speed.

READ THE FULL STORY

DFDS and Ekol Logistics in strategic dialogue

DFDS has since 2018 operated a freight ferry route network in the Mediterranean facilitating trade between Turkey and multiple European markets via routes calling Italy, France, and Spain. In view of geopolitical developments and supply chain security and stability, DFDS expect Turkey’s manufacturing capabilities and trade with Europe to continue to grow in the coming years.

Royal Caribbean Group to open the world's first zero-energy cruise terminal

Royal Caribbean Group's (NYSE: RCL) new Galveston terminal, which is opening Nov. 9, will be the first cruise terminal to generate 100% of its needed energy through on-site solar panels. This makes the terminal, which will be used by the company's Royal Caribbean International brand, the first LEED Zero Energy facility in the world.

Hansa Destinations opens for more sustainable and cost-efficient transportation with two new intermodal opportunities

With two new regular train-connections to and from the gateway of Rostock, an essential connection with Duisburg and Kaldenkirchen (DE), Italy and south France are now available, connected with middle Sweden. Hansa Destinations are also expanding its services with cargo transport departures directly from Rostock to Visby on the island of Gotland.

Cruise industry welcomes a new level of real-time collaboration on safety data as Lloyd’s Register approves NAPA Stability

NAPA Stability, NAPA’s new stability management software for passenger vessels, has been approved by the classification society Lloyd’s Register (LR). This marks a milestone for the platform as it has now received type approval from both Lloyd's Register and DNV who are the only class societies that provide this certification for cruise ships.

DFDS September volumes: Freight continues growth in Mediterranean and North Sea

Ferry – freight: Due to lower volumes on the Dover Strait and on the Baltic Sea, total volumes in September 2022 were 7.5% below 2021. Freight volumes were above 2021 in all other regions.
Ferry – passenger: The number of passengers increased more than three times to 371k equal to 82% of volumes in September 2019, the latest comparable month pre-Covid-19.

Hurtigruten Norway ready to embark on the next stage of innovative zero-emission ship project

After announcing plans to build their first zero emission ship by 2030, Hurtigruten Norway has now secured leading tech partnerships and applied for funds to embark on a research project to develop their groundbreaking zero-emission ships.

New test area for Hydrogen Fuel cells can revolutionize the global maritime industry

On October 6th Corvus Energy, the world's leading producer of battery systems for the ocean space, opened a brand-new test area for hydrogen fuel cells at their production site in Bergen, Norway.

Yoga, spa experiences and their own cabin with a window – people now want wellness and comfort on their conference cruises

There is a long tradition of shipboard conferences and company cruises on the Baltic Sea. However, expectations about conferences at sea have changed. Instead of hitting the nightclub, people want to strengthen team spirit, for example, through group exercise or relaxing spa treatments. If they are spending the night on board, they prefer to have their own cabin.