Stena RoRo’s CONNEMARA reportedly off to a new life with New Zealand’s StraitNZ’s Bluebridge Cook Strait Ferries

CONNEMARA while chartered to Brittany Ferries © Marc Ottini

Industry reports from Europe and New Zealand suggest that Stena RoRo has either sold or long-term chartered its ro-pax CONNEMARA to New Zealand’s StraitNZ, for operation by its subsidiary Bluebridge Cook Strait Ferries between Picton and Wellington.

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Molslinjen acquires ForSea

ForSea’s TYCHO BRAHE is now upgraded with the world's largest battery pack © Jukka Huotari

As the only ferry operator between Helsingør and Helsingborg, ForSea provides a ferry connection via a ferry line strategically located at the point with the shortest distance between the two countries (approx. 4 km). ForSea will continue its long-term growth and sustainability journey in the Nordics under new ownership and in collaboration with Molslinjen.

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Uber Boats by Thames Clippers buys Gravesend’s historic Town Pier to spearhead its new high-speed commuter link to central London

Deputy chief executive Gravesham council Nick Brown, leader of the council Cllr John Burden, and chief executive of Uber Boats by Thames Clippers Sean Collins © Thames Clippers

River Thames high-speed commuter and tourist ferry operator Uber Boats by Thames Clippers (Thames Clippers) has bought the historic Grade II-listed Gravesend Town Pier from Gravesham Borough Council for an undisclosed fee. The 39m long pier, built in 1834, is the world’s oldest cast iron pier.

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Fincantieri delivered VIKING NEPTUNE-ninth of this class

VIKING NEPTUNE is the latest in the so far ordered 16 ship series © Viking

VIKING NEPTUNE, the newest ocean cruise ship which Fincantieri has built for the shipowner Viking, has been delivered at Fincantieri’s shipyard in Ancona. The vessel is placed in the small cruise ship segment, and just as its sister ships she has a length of about 228m, together with 465 cabins to accommodate up to 930 passengers.

The two companies keep on cooperating for developing pioneering applications based on hydrogen fuel cells, aiming to achieve an increasing reduction of GHG emissions.
VIKING NEPTUNE embodies the first result of such cooperation, as a hydrogen fuel cell module, with a nominal power of 100 kW, has been fitted on board as a test.

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Brittany region awarded seven-years public ferry contracts for South Brittany islands

The 43m and 2018-built BREIZH NEVEZ 1 operates for Compagnie Océane © Compagnie Océane

Brittany region just awarded seven-years public ferry contracts for its main archipelagoes, starting as of 1 January 2023. Penn Ar Bed (a subsidiary of Keolis transportation group) made the winning bid for Ushant, Sein and Molène islands. Compagnie Océane (a subsidiary of Transdev transportation group) made the winning bid for Groix, Belle-ïle, Houat and Hoëdic islands.

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Port Authority of Las Palmas pulls the plug on its plans for a new, dedicated ro-ro terminal for services to Africa, goes ahead with new cruise terminal

New sustainable cruise terminal to be built at Las Palmas

Plans to build a new, dedicated ro-ro terminal in the port of Las Palmas, Grand Canarias, for services to Africa have been shelved, due to the on-going war in the Ukraine, announced the president of the Port Authority of Las Palmas, Luis Ibarro, who said: “the opportunity to promote new traffic with the continent of Africa has deflated.”

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First new car ferry in 22 years for Seikan Ferry has been launched

HAYABUSA II © Seikan Ferry

A new ro-pax for Hakodate-based Seikan Ferry, operating the Hakodate-Aomori route, was launched at Hakodate Dock in Hakodate, Japan. The new ferry was named HAYABUSA II, meaning falcon.

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SeaLink’s retention of Gladstone contracts a ferry good deal

CAPRICORNIAN SUNRISE © SeaLink

Following competitive tender processes, SeaLink will continue providing ferry connections to the QCLNG, GLNG and APLNG projects on Curtis Island on behalf of Shell, Santos and ConocoPhillips, under new 10-year marine services contracts.

Each year, SeaLink moves nearly half-a-million passengers to Curtis Island, and over 3,500 semi-trailer and rigid body truck trips.

The signing of the new 10-year contract with ConocoPhillips follows SeaLink Gladstone being awarded the 2020 Supplier Recognition Award by ConocoPhillips in recognition of exemplary contribution towards ConocoPhillips’s success in managing COVID-19 risks in 2020, and continuous support and excellent performance.

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Aurora Expeditions Launches New Ship – SYLVIA EARLE

SYLVIA EARLE © Aurora Expeditions

Australia’s travel adventure company Aurora Expeditions has launched its second purpose-built small ship, SYLVIA EARLE, which will embark on her inaugural voyage from Ushuaia, Argentina to Antarctica on 10 December 2022.
Named after the renowned marine biologist, oceanographer, explorer and conservationist Dr. Sylvia Earle, this state-of-the-art expedition ship will be a floating ambassador for the conservation of the planet.

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Retrofit with SCHOTTEL EcoPellers results in 25 per cent drop in energy consumption

2002-built TORGHATTEN © Uwe Jakob

Norwegian ferry operator Torghatten Trafikkselskap recently upgraded one of its ferries' propulsion systems, which involved the installation of two SCHOTTEL EcoPellers (SRE). This move allowed the vessel’s energy consumption, and thus its environmental impact, to be reduced by up to 25 per cent. In an effort to further increase environmental safety, the SRE now also features the DNV type-approved SCHOTTEL LeaCon sealing monitoring system.

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Celebrity Cruises' CELEBRITY BEYOND sets sail on its inaugural U.S sailing: officially named by its godmother Simone Biles

CELEBRITY BEYOND © Chantiers de l’Atlantique

Excitement and anticipation hung in the air as Celebrity Cruises' G.O.A.T., and newest and most luxurious ship, CELEBRITY BEYOND, set sail from Fort Lauderdale this past weekend, kicking off its inaugural Caribbean season. Headlining the sailing's highly-anticipated festivities was the ship's official naming ceremony, led by her lauded Godmother and inspirational female powerhouse, Simone Biles – a G.O.A.T. in her own right – a 19-time World Champion, seven-time Olympic Medalist and most decorated American gymnast in history.

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CARNIVAL CELEBRATION joins Bahamian registry

CARNIVAL CELEBRATION and ICON OF THE SEAS behind © Jukka Huotari

Carnival Cruise Line’s newest ship, CARNIVAL CELEBRATION, will fly the Bahamian flag as she arrives to her homeport of PortMiami on 20 Nov. The ship’s new Bahamian flag was raised during a ceremony while the ship was in port in A Coruña, Spain.

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ABB and Royal Caribbean Group collaborate to make emergency stops safer and more efficient

WONDER OF THE SEAS © Royal Caribbean

As cruise ship WONDER OF THE SEAS departed on her maiden voyage in the beginning of March 2022, she was the first in the world to feature the new ABB Ability™ Marine Braking Assistance. Designed for safe and smooth emergency stops, the automatic braking system is the result of collaboration between supplier and owner, initiated at Royal Caribbean Group’s request.

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MSC Cruises posts in October best month ever with record 400,000 bookings

MSC Cruises has reached a new milestone with more bookings in October 2022 than it has ever had for one month in its entire history. Nearly 400,000 passenger bookings were taken last month for winter 2022/23 and summer 2023 itineraries across its global fleet.

RED III: EU shipowners call for fuel supply requirements to align with FuelEU

As the trilogue negotiations on the revision of the Renewable Energy Directive (RED III) are progressing, ECSA calls on the Parliament and the Council to ensure that the requirements on fuel suppliers in RED III match the requirements placed on shipowners by FuelEU Maritime. This is crucial to ensure that sufficient quantities of alternative marine fuels are made available on the market at an affordable price.

Fincantieri honors Giuseppe Bono

Giuseppe Bono has passed away. At the helm of Fincantieri for twenty years, Giuseppe Bono has contributed significantly to the relaunch of Italian shipbuilding and what Fincantieri is today.

Fincantieri 9M 2022 results

Revenues stand at EUR 5,315 million, up by 17% vs 9M 2021 (EUR 4,536 million) and in line with the expected trend of the current backlog.
EBITDA at EUR 172 million (EUR 330 million as at 30 September 2021) and EBITDA margin at 3.2% excluding pass-through activities (vs. 7.3% as at 30 September 2021).

Norwegian maritime partners join forces to find the fastest way to zero emissions

In response to the Green Shipping Challenge formulated jointly by the Governments of Norway and the United States, Norwegian maritime cluster organisations, shipping-industry associations, shipowners, business organisations, classification societies and finance actors together commit to far-sighted cooperation to achieve zero emissions for the maritime sector.