Molslinjen returns to Austal for its biggest ever ro-pax catamaran

EXPRESS 5 will be a further evolution of EXPRESS 4 with a higher car and passenger intake as well as two passenger decks © Molslinjen

Molslinjen has ordered an Austal 115m ro-pax catamaran that will enter service in the spring of 2022 on its Bornholmslinjen division’s Rønne-Ystad route. The contract price is EUR 83.65 million (AUD 136 million).

READ THE FULL STORY

WSF receives funding for conversion of first of three Jumbo Mk II Class double-enders to hybrid-electric propulsion

© Washington State Department of Transportation

Washington State Ferries’ (WSF) plan to move towards a near zero-emission fleet is moving forward at pace with funding secured for the conversion of the first of three Jumbo Mk II Class vessels – the largest vessels in its fleet. At the same time, WSF has awarded the contract for the propulsion system upgrade to Siemens.

READ THE FULL STORY

BC Ferries’ SKEENA QUEEN to undergo mid-life upgrade

SKEENA QUEEN has a capacity of 441 passengers and 92 Automobile Equivalent © Philippe Holthof

BC Ferries’ 1996-built open deck double-ender SKEENA QUEEN, which currently operates the Swartz Bay-Salt Spring Island service, is to undergo a major mid-life upgrade between 28 October and mid-March 2020.

READ THE FULL STORY

Current Northern Isles Ferry Services contract extended to the end of January 2020

HAMNAVOE operates between Scrabster and Sromness, competing with Pentland Ferries' PENTALINA, soon to be replaced by the new ALFRED © Frank Lose

The current contract to operate Scotland’s Northern Isles ferry services, due to expire on 31 October this year, has been extended until the end of January 2020. This follows further engagement with the European Commission over ongoing complaints from Scottish operator Pentland Ferries on unfair state subsidies to a competitor – Serco NorthLink Ferries Ltd (SNLFL).

READ THE FULL STORY

CalMac’s Lochaline-Fishnish service passenger-only until 1 December

The Fishnish-Lochaline service is operated by the double-ended LOCHINVAR © Maritime Photographic

Residents on the Scottish island of Mull are up in arms after being informed that their most reliable ferry service to the mainland, the Fishnish to Lochaline route, will be passenger-only from 21 October through to 1 December due to much needed maintenance work being carried out at the slipway at Lochaline Pier. There are also growing fears about the regularity of the winter service on the Oban-Craignure run.

READ THE FULL STORY

Fifth E-Flexer taking shape in building dock

Keel laying ceremony of CÔTE D'OPALE with Senior Charterer’s Representative Anders B. Thomsen, Staffan Stenfelt, Stena RoRo's Newbuilding Manager and a shipyard representative © DFDS

On 15 October Stena RoRo, DFDS and builders AVIC Weihai Shipyard – now part of China Merchants – celebrated the keel laying of the fifth E-Flexer which will be long-term chartered by DFDS for Calais-Dover service.

READ THE FULL STORY

Moby starts dialogue with its bondholders

Ever since Moby announced the tonnage swap deal with DFDS, whereby Moby will dispose of its two flagships MOBY AKI and MOBY WONDER, the Italian ferry operator has been caught in rough seas following a clash with its bondholders. The Civil Court of Milan recently rejected the request for insolvency of the Moby Group presented by a group of bondholder hedge funds. In the wake of these recent events, Moby and the funds have now set up a roundtable aimed at following up on the company's business plan, safeguarding both the bondholders' rights and those of Moby. Moby highlighted it remains fully operational, continuing its important work of turning its business round with investment to be provided in accordance with its business plan. The company also underlined the positive results of the first half of 2019.

READ THE FULL STORY

W.D.R. disposes of laid-up RUNGHOLT

RUNGHOLT will be converted from a ferry to a day excursion ship © Frank Lose

German Wadden Sea ferry operator Wyker Dampfschiffs-Reederei Föhr-Amrum GmbH (W.D.R.) has sold RUNGHOLT to Greek interests. The 1992-built ferry became surplus to requirements following the May 2018 introduction of NORDERAUE, the company’s third double-ender.

READ THE FULL STORY

Oma Baatbyggeri delivers the first of three 39m catamarans to Norled

© Oma Baatbyggeri

FJORDDRONNINGEN, the first of three 39m high-speed catamarans built by Oma Baatbyggeri, has been handed over to Norled. The catamaran, which has a capacity of 296 passengers, will service the Tromsø, Finnsnes and Harstad route as of 1 January 2020.

READ THE FULL STORY

Finance

Improved January - September figures for Viking Line

Viking Line released its results for the January-September 2019 period. Sales amounted to EUR 380.8 million (EUR 378.1 million), and operating income ended at EUR 17.5 million (EUR 7.7 million).

Rederi AB Gotland published its 1 January-31 August 2019 results

Rederi AB Gotland, which – in addition to Destination Gotland AB, its ferry arm – also includes Gotland Tankers AB, property management, hotel operations and Stockholms Reparationsvarv AB together with Nya Skärgårdsbolaget AB, has released its 1 January-31 August 2019 results. Turnover reached SEK 1,926 million (SEK 1,737 million), and profit after financial items amounted to SEK 288 million (SEK 277 million).

Wärtsilä's interim financial report January-September 2019

Order intake decreased 29% to EUR 979 million (1,372). Net sales decreased 16% to EUR 1,118 million (1,330). Book-to-bill amounted to 0.88 (1.03). Comparable operating result decreased to EUR 39 million (141), which represents 3.5% of net sales (10.6).

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

Elisabeth Grieg new chair of the board of Norled

Elisabeth Grieg will take over as new chair of the board of the Norwegian ferry and express boat company Norled AS. Grieg represents extensive experience from the maritime industry and will strengthen the company's strategic leadership in a phase of strong growth and significant investments in new environmental technology.

TEISTIN, the first ship in the world with retractable bow foils

Since September 25, 2019, TEISTIN has been partly powered by the waves of the North Atlantic Ocean, transporting thousands of passengers between Gamlarætt, Skopun and Hestur in the Faroe Islands with retractable bow foils from Wavefoil.

Record cruise passenger numbers for Ports of Stockholm in 2019

The number of cruise passengers travelling via Ports of Stockholm is continually rising, and has set a new record again this year. During the 2019 season Ports of Stockholm welcomed 281 cruise liners. The cruise passengers are an important part of Stockholm’s tourist industry and generate large amounts of revenue for the region.

ALUMINOX selected as preferable Galley supplier for the four new RoPax ferries of DFDS in Guangzhou Shipyard

ALUMINOX SA is selected from another elite shipowner as preferable Galley supplier for this upcoming newbuilding project.
ALUMINOX will supply the complete scope of Galley equipment for the four new RoPax ferries of DFDS in Guangzhou Shipyard Int. (18121009/10/11/12).

Marioff delivers HI-FOG® high pressure water mist fire suppression system to Wasaline’s new Kvarken Link ferry

Marioff will be delivering its HI-FOG® high pressure water mist fire suppression system to Wasaline’s new Kvarken Link ferry, scheduled to start operating on the route between Vaasa, Finland and Umeå, Sweden in the spring of 2021.

The Waterborne Technology Platform is committed to contribute to the European Green Deal by means of zero-emission waterborne transport

The Green Deal for Europe will be the top priority of the new European Commission. Within this deal, the transformation of waterborne transport (i.e. shipping and inland navigation) into a zero-emission mode of transport will have a crucial place. This transformation will be urgent, not only to meet the political and societal expectations but also to avoid a further increase of emissions if nothing is done.

Yxney Maritime and Grieg Connect team up with the NOx Fund to build digital emissions infrastructure

The data analytics duo Yxney Maritime and Grieg Connect are partnering with the Norwegian NOx Fund to develop a data-driven digital solution for automated NOx emissions reporting. Solstad Offshore and ferry operator Fjord1 will participate in the pilot phase of the project.

Atlas Ocean Voyages Selects Rescompany Systems for New Adventure Cruise Company’s Booking Platform

Rescompany Systems Ltd. (Resco) is pleased to announce a partnership with Atlas Ocean Voyages to supply the new adventure cruise company’s booking platform. The agreement includes Resco’s Central Reservations (CRS) Customer Relationship Management (CRM), Agency Web & Manifest Portals and Business Intelligence modules.

SELANDIA breaks record in running hours

The Fincantieri vessels: SUECIA, SELANDIA and BRITANNIA all have two engines of the same type on board, and passing 100,000 running hours on this type of engine is a world record, as we are the only ship owner in the world to have these engines installed.

Wärtsilä retrofit will reduce environmental impact of ferry operating in ecologically sensitive waters

The technology group Wärtsilä will carry out an important retrofitting project aimed at lessening the environmental footprint of a ferry operating on the Wadden Sea, a UNESCO World Heritage listed area in the south eastern end of the North Sea.
The area features high biological diversity and is important for breeding and migrating birds. The retrofit will enable the MÜNSTERLAND, a RoPax ferry owned by German operator Aktien-Gesellschaft ‘Ems’ (AG Ems), to utilise liquefied natural gas (LNG) as fuel, thereby completely eliminating its emissions of sulphur oxides (SOx) and particulates, while significantly reducing its nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions.

Port of Helsingborg signs Innovation Partnership with Einride

The Port of Helsingborg enters into an innovation partnership with Einride, a Swedish tech company developing an autonomous, electric transport system that is sustainable, efficient and safe. The project starts October 1 and the first step will be to analyze the transport flow in the port area.

MSC Cruises Returns to Thordon to Keep the SEASHORE Clean

Thordon Bearings has received an order to supply a water-lubricated propeller shaft bearing solution to Fincantieri’s Monfalcone shipyard for installation to MSC SEASHORE, the third Seaside Class cruiseship to which Thordon’s COMPAC system has been specified.

Carnival Corporation Launches Remote Global Learning and Development Information System for Employees

Carnival Corporation, the world's largest leisure travel company, announced it has launched the Global Learning and Development Information System (GLADIS), providing employees convenient access to the latest technology in training resources for continuous learning and professional development. Part of the company's commitment to achieve and sustain excellence in environmental compliance and overall operations, GLADIS is a single remote learning system capable of operating without internet access to deliver the company's more than 100,000 shipboard employees a consistent experience, real-time tracking of training requirement completion and greater efficiency in records management and reporting.

Inmarsat releases field guide to ICT best practice at sea

Inmarsat, provider of global mobile satellite communications, has published a new and authoritative guide to the information and communication technology that plays an increasingly critical role in the safety, efficiency and environmental performance of ships.

Interferry innovation conference highlights zero-emissions quest

Acknowledging the need to be a leader in the transition to a lower carbon future and eventually net zero emissions, global trade association Interferry convened its 44th annual conference on the theme of innovation - exploring the potential to transform every aspect of the ferry industry.

A double-edged discipline: Interior Design and Engineering

Adding to its list of existing naval architectural and maritime engineering services, C-Job recently expanded its scope of expertise to include Interior Design and Engineering.

DNV GL - Energy Transition Outlook 2019

DNV GL’s Energy Transition Outlook – a global and regional forecast to 2050, which has been downloaded more than 200,000 times.
Since first publishing our Outlook in 2017, it has rapidly become a widely-referenced and authoritative forecast on the developments in the energy landscape and their impact on industry and society.

NORTHERN SEA WOLF Wraps Up Successful First Season of Direct Service Between Port Hardy and Bella Coola

BC Ferries is celebrating the NORTHERN SEA WOLF's Wraps Up Successful First Season of Direct Service Between Port Hardy and Bella Coola successful first season of direct service between Bella Coola and Port Hardy. The Northern Sea Wolf travelled 14,286 nautical miles and made 130 trips between the two communities from June 3 to October 10, 2019. The ship will continue to provide connector service in the Mid-Coast from Bella Bella to Shearwater, Ocean Falls and Bella Coola in the off-season.

“K” LINE, MOL, & NYK Share Data with ONE through the Common Data Platform “IoS-OP”

Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha, Ltd. (”K” LINE), Mitsui O.S.K Lines, Ltd. (MOL), and Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha (NYK) have begun sharing of operational data acquired from the monitoring system installed in their container ships with their charter, Ocean Network Express Pte. Ltd. (ONE), through the IoS-Open Platform (IoS-OP) promoted by Ship Data Center Ltd. (ShipDC).

Deltamarin signs design contracts with Merima

Deltamarin has signed two design contracts with Merima Oy, a Finland-based company providing turnkey interior solutions for passenger vessels. The contracts cover HVAC and interior design for Merima’s turnkey areas aboard the ferry newbuildings for Tallink and Kvarken Link. The ships are to be built at Rauma Marine Constructions (RMC) shipyard in Finland.

Shell Marine White paper offers critical cylinder oil guidance to support customer preparedness for IMO 2020

Shell Marine has published a new White Paper that offers ship owners and operators the critical guidance they need on cylinder oils and engine care to transition successfully through the IMO global cap on fuel sulphur content from January 1, 2020.