Norway appoints Norled to operate the world’s first ‘large’ hydrogen ferry

The 1993-built HJELMELAND will be replaced by a hydrogen-powered double-ender © Statens vegvesen

The Norwegian Public Roads Administration (Statens vegvesen) has appointed Norled to operate the Hjelmeland-Skipavik-Nesvik route for a period of nine years, starting on 15 April 2021 until 28 February 2030.

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Baleària charters DUBA BRIDGE again

DUBA BRIDGE is on her way back to the Alboran Sea © Mike Barker

The ongoing engine repairs to the POETA LOPEZ ANGLADA and a need to replace her urgently has led to the DUBA BRIDGE being chartered again. This vessel had been used on the Almeria-Melilla route this past summer but had been off-hired at the end of the season.

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SOL adds Jakobstad to its route network

TUNDRALAND © Sebastian Ziehl

As of 2019, Swedish Orient Line (SOL), will include Jakobstad in its route network, supporting the region’s export activities of paper products as well the import and export of other commodities.

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Cemre Shipyard launches ROVDEHORN

© Cemre

The hull of the 111m and 3,000gt ROVDEHORN (yard number 139) has been launched by Cemre Shipyard in Turkey and will now be towed to Havyard in Norway for final outfitting.

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Moby pulls the plug on Nice-Bastia route

The Nice-Bastia route is operated by MOBY ZAZA © Jean-Pierre Fabre

According to our colleagues of Le Marin, Moby will stop its Nice-Bastia route as from January 2019.

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Star names for Havila Kystruten newbuilds

Four 'stars' for Havila Kystruten © Havila Kystruten

Havila Kystruten, the new Norwegian operator that will introduce four ‘coastal express passenger ships’ between Bergen and Kirkenes come 2021, has revealed the names of the four ships ordered at Tersan Shipyard and Barreras Shipyard respectively.

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Visentini floats out the second of Baleària’s new LNG-powered ferries

MARIE CURIE being floated out at the Visentini yard in Donada © Baleària

The MARIE CURIE, sister ship of HYPATIA DE ALEJANDRIA, has been floated out at the Visentini shipyard. More than 50% of the total work has now been completed, including the installation of the LNG-fuelled engines and LNG tanks. Work is progressing on the passenger and crew areas.

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Ex- SUNFLOWER KIRISHIMA back in service on Shibushi-Osaka route

SUNFLOWER KIRISHIMA 1 is back in service on the Shibushi-Osaka route © Yoshiho Ikeda

Sunflower has temporarily re-introduced SUNFLOWER KIRISHIMA 1 – built in 1993 as SUNFLOWER KIRISHIMA – on the Shibushi-Osaka route.

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Kefalonian Lines suspends its Ionian Sea services

NISSOS KEFALONIA has been sold to Levante Ferries © Frank Heine

Lykoudis-controlled Kefalonian Lines has ceased its ferry operations on the Ionian Sea with almost immediate effect.

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Fincantieri starts building first Seaside EVO Class for MSC Cruises

MSC SEASHORE © MSC Cruises

MSC SEASHORE is the name chosen for the first 169,380gt Seaside EVO Class ship of MSC Cruises. This was announced today, 26 November, at the occasion of the first steel cut at Fincantieri’s Monfalcone shipyard.

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Stena sells two more ro-ro ships

STENA FORETELLER and sister STENA FORECASTER have been sold to unknown buyers © Christian Costa

Stena RoRo has sold two Swedish-flagged Stena 4-Runner Mk II Class ro-ro vessels, the STENA FORETELLER and STENA FORECASTER, to unknown buyers.

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Flensburger slots in two more ro-ro orders

Following the launching of HONFLEUR, FSG will build two more 4,076 lanemetre ro-ros © FSG

With the imminent delivery of the 4,076-lanemetre ALF POLLAK, Siem, the owners of Flensburger Schiffbau-Gesellschaft (FSG), have slotted in two more ro-ros of the same design which will be delivered already in August and October 2019.

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First steel cut for Algérie Ferries’ newbuild

© OSK-ShipTech AS

Construction of Algérie Ferries’ (ENTMV) 1,800-passenger and 600-car ro-pax has now started at Guangzhou Shipyard International (GSI) with the first steel cutting.

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DFDS’s third mega ro-ro taking shape in building dock

© DFDS

The keel of DFDS’s third 6,700-lanemetre (or 450-trailer capacity) mega ro-ro was laid at the Jinling shipyard on 22 November.

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Financials

Stena AB financial results for the 1 January-30 September 2018 period

Ferry Operations

- Revenue increased from SEK 9,858 million for the period in 2017 to SEK 10,769 million for the same period in 2018.

- EBITDA, excluding net gain on sale of assets, increased compared to last year due to continued increased volumes for cars (+3%), freight (+3%) and passengers (+2%). EBITDA for the period reached SEK 2,490 million (SEK 2,469 million in 2017).

Roll-on/Roll-off vessels

Revenue from the company’s ro-ro activities reached SEK 400 million for the period, with EBITDA falling from SEK 533 million in 2017 to SEK 373 million in 2018.

ICG year to date financial results

Consolidated Group revenue in the period was EUR 285.3 million, a decrease of EUR 3.6 million or 1.3% compared with last year, attributable to sailing disruptions and schedule changes in the Ferries Division offset by revenue growth in the Container and Terminal Division. The ferries division had total revenues recorded in the period to 31 October amounted to EUR 172.1 million (including intra-division charter income), a EUR 12.3 million or a 6.7% decrease on the prior year. 

Press Releases

Stena Line and its customers “Round Up for Charity”

During the month-long, fleet-wide donation campaign, Round Up for Charity, Stena Line and its customers raised an impressive 200,000 SEK for the charity organisation Mercy Ships. The funds will enable Mercy Ship to help 133 people to get their sight back on board the hospital ship AFRICA MERCY.

Elomatic collaborates with NYK Group to create emission-free cargo ship

Elomatic has partnered with Japanese shipping company NYK Group and NYK’s technology arm MTI to create the concept design for a futuristic emission-free pure car and truck carrier (PCTC), – the “NYK SUPER ECO SHIP 2050”. Compared to current vessels, the NYK SUPER ECO SHIP 2050 will reduce CO2 emissions by 100%. The energy-efficient vessel will also reduce energy derived from bunker fuels by approx. 70%.

Rolls-Royce wins propulsion contract for nine ro-ro vessels

Rolls-Royce Commercial Marine has won a significant contract to deliver the propulsion system to nine vessels to be built by Nanjing Jinling Shipyard Co in China for the Italian Grimaldi Group. 

Wärtsilä broadens its Smart Marine portfolio with addition of high-speed, compact engine: The Wärtsilä 14

The technology group Wärtsilä strengthens its position as a global leader in the maritime markets by introducing the first Wärtsilä-branded high-speed engine. The International Workboat Show in New Orleans, USA, was the venue of the official unveiling of the Wärtsilä 14: a high-speed, compact engine designed to fit requirements for limited space and weight, lower capital expense, to meet current and future global emissions regulations, and to provide customers with improved efficiency, safety, and environmental sustainability.

Thailand's first all-electric passenger ferry is powered by Torqeedo

Thailand’s first all-electric commuter ferry was recently placed into service by the Bangkok Metropolitan Authority (BMA), powered by Torqeedo. Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha celebrated the launch, giving his symbolic approval to the city’s efforts to ease congestion and improve air quality through investments in green transportation. The Prime Minister commuted by skytrain, subway and foot through Bangkok’s crowded streets, before ending his mixed-mode commute with a trip aboard the emission-free passenger ferry.

Wärtsilä achieves notable advances in automated shipping with latest successful tests

The technology group Wärtsilä has successfully completed a further round of test procedures of its automated dock-to-dock solution. In an unprecedented operation, in the presence of the Norwegian Maritime Authority (NMA), the system was further tested on the ferry FOLGEFONN, this time for full dock-to-dock capability, with the autonomous operation being utilised uninterrupted for the entire route, visiting all three ports serviced by the ship.

Foundation stone ceremony for second Ostseekai cruise terminal building

The building construction of the second Ostseekai terminal building for cruise passengers is about to start. Kiel’s Lord Mayor Dr Ulf Kämpfer, Town Councillor for Urban Development Doris Grondke, PORT OF KIEL Managing Director Dr Dirk Claus as well as the architects Christoph Roselius and Ralf Dieter Ladwig jointly laid the foundation for the new building on 27th November.

GTMaritime signs VAR agreement with Marinesat

GTMaritime has signed Marinesat as a value-added reseller to deliver its maritime-optimised communication solutions to vessels in China and other markets. The agreement with Marinesat is GTMaritime’s first partnership within the Chinese market.

Cavotec automated mooring selected for Great Lakes e-ferry berths

Cavotec is to supply its innovative MoorMaster™ automated mooring technology for use with two new-build, fully electrically powered ferries at five berths in Canada’s Great Lakes – the country’s first fully electrical non-cable vessels – highlighting how MoorMaster™ is a key technology for expanding the use of e-vessels.

SCHOTTEL strengthens presence in Nordic region

As of November 2018, SCHOTTEL Norway AS and Frydenbø SCHOTTEL Nordic AS have been merged under SCHOTTEL Nordic AS.

Global Eagle Wins Luxury Cruise Contract Ensuring Ponant Customers Have Great Onboard Experience

Global Eagle Entertainment Inc. announced that it has been selected by PONANT, the only French-owned luxury cruise line, to provide new technology, entertainment and television for the existing fleet and for six new-build ships to come.

Viking Line: New Senior Vice President, Finance appointed

Master of Science in Business Administration, Mats Engblom has been appointed the new Senior Vice President, Finance, for the Viking Line Group. Engblom worked most recently as head of Viking Line’s Business Control function. He will begin his new position on November 26, 2018 and will be a member of the Group's Management Board.