Latest Ferry News

INCAT 112 METRE WAVE PIERCING CATAMARAN ON THE WAY DENMARK

26 March 2013

Incat’s latest 112 metre Wave Piercing Catamaran KatExpress 2 has been delivered to Mols Linien, an experienced Danish high speed ferry operator who provide high speed car ferry links between Eastern and Western Denmark. KatExpress 2 is the fourth 112 metre to be built by Incat and it can carry up to 1000 persons and 415 cars (or 210 cars and 567 truck lane metres). Characterised by high payload capability, efficient slender hull lines, wide beam and the absence of drag inducing underwater appendages, the 112 metre offers industry leading transport efficiency, economies of scale, speed and seakeeping.

For KatExpress 2 Mols Linien specified a modern, high quality yet functional dual class interior that maximised comfort and on board revenue. Notable features include a business class with luxury leather seating and panoramic views, a bistro restaurant, a large Baresso™ café bar outlet, two cinemas, a children' s play area, a protected promenade deck and a large outdoor aft deck. Access to the passenger lounges are through a passenger lift, ramps or stairwells, all designed to minimise embarkation and disembarkation times. The main vehicle deck has hydraulically operated stern gates. The upper car deck can be accessed by either a two lane ramp on the main deck or notably from innovative dual tier shore ramps already installed by Mols Linien in Odden port.

KatExpress 2 achieved a speed of 42.1 knots at 671.5 tonnes deadweight during sea trials. The vessel has embarked on a 12500 nautical mile delivery voyage from Hobart, Tasmania via the Panama Canal to Aarhus, Denmark. In early May 2013 KatExpress 2 will enter commercial service on the 39 nautical mile Danish domestic route between Aarhus and Odden alongside her Incat built sistership, KatExpress 1 which entered service in May 2012. The two vessels are scheduled to operate at 37-38 knots with fast 20-30 minute turnarounds. Each vessel will operate eight crossings per day and steam up to 109,000 nautical miles per year! Max Mols, an Incat 91 metre, delivered to Denmark in 1998 will be transferred to the Ebeltoft to Odden route operating between 4 and 8 sailings per day.

Mols Linien CEO, Soren Jespersen commented: "In 2011 we concluded a strategic business review which redefined our tonnage strategy to a focus on solely operating high speed car passenger ferry services. The entry into service of the 112 metre KatExpress 1 in May 2012 has directly resulted in a year on year traffic increase of 8.2% to 751,635 cars, a 28% reduction in fuel consumption, a 33% reduction in CO2 emissions, significantly lower operating costs per car carried, higher revenue per sailing and most importantly, a second half operating profit of DKK21 million before depreciation and amortisation." "I am am very pleased to have taken delivery of our second 112 metre, KatExpress 2, it offers a fantastic on board experience tailored to our client base, it continues our business transformation, expands our route capacity by 65% and it will ensure good full year profitability for Mols Linien in 2013." Incat Chairman, Robert Clifford commented: "I am delighted that Mols Linien has chosen to operate a fleet that is entirely comprised of Incat built vessels, including two of our 112 metre flagships customised for the European market.

"The Mols Linien vision is not about speed at any cost, rather about incorporating efficiency and best practice in every aspect of their operation, both onboard or onshore. The collaborative efforts of Mols Linien and Incat specialists on KatExpress 1 and in particular, KatExpress 2, have challenged conventional operating wisdom to deliver not only an unrivalled passenger experience but a profitable high speed ferry operation in difficult economic times. I take this opportunity to congratulate Mols Linien on taking delivery of KatExpress 2 and also in taking the initiative to design and install a dual tier linkspan which ensures full load turnarounds can be achieved in only 28 minutes and the capabilities of the 112 metre are fully exploited."

TALLINK`S PASSENGER VOLUMES INCREASED TO 9.3 MILLION IN 2012

3 February 2013

Tallink Group announced that company’s passenger volumes increased by 1.3 percent up to 9 264 561 passengers in 2012 financial year. The volumes of passenger vehicles increased 5.3 percent to 1 118 838 vehicles at the same time. The number of transported cargo units increased 0.2 percent to 283 973 units. In fourth quarter of 2012 Tallink Group’s passenger volumes increased by 1 percent to 2 133 163 passengers and the volumes of passenger vehicles by 7 percent to 247 922 vehicles. The number of transported cargo units decreased by 0.4 percent to 70 457 units. The largest growth was seen on Latvia-Sweden route with 4 percent increase to 152 944 passengers, followed by Estonia-Finland route with 3.2 percent increase and 1 075 627 passengers. Estonia-Sweden route volumes increased by 2.1 percent to 211 190 passengers and Sweden-Finland route volumes decreased by 3 percent to 693 402 passengers during the last quarter of financial year 2012. The passenger volumes decreased by 0.4 percent to 708 170 passengers in December. The number of passenger vehicles increased by 6.8 percent to 81 570 vehicles and the number of transported cargo units decreased by 6.3 percent to 19 694 units during last month.

The founder of ShipPax Klas Brogren dies

3 February 2013

Klas Brogren the founder of ShipPax passed away after a period of illness on 30th January 2013. Klas has, since his illness was diagnosed in 2009, been fiercely fighting this and has shown a remarkable spirit, good and positive mood and a determination that also was significant for his professional life. He has spent over 40 years of his 57 year long life following the shipping industry all over the world. Klas had two children, Ejje and Cecilia.

Viking Grace enters service

21 January 2013

M/S Viking Grace was handed over to Viking Line on 10th January 2013 by STX Finland Oy shipyard. The vessel was ordered in December 2010.. It begins service on Tuesday, January 15. The price of the vessel was approximately EUR 240 million. The Viking Grace represents a totally new generation of modern design, future concepts, high standard of services and an overall environmental consciousness characterize the whole project. The passengers will be offered innovative experiences regarding the product and service concepts.

The vessel is an environmental pioneer in the cruise industry. Viking Line has systematically planned the construction of the Viking Grace in a ways that will enable the use of cuttingedge technology to achieve a cleaner environment, in accordance with sustainable development principles. The Company has endeavoured to find optimal environmental solutions in all areas. The M/S Viking Grace will be the world’s first large passenger vessel to be powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG). The cleanest fossil fuel available today, LNG provides major environmental advantages. By using natural gas the hazardous emissions will decrease to a minimum. Nitrogen emissions and particulates are reduced by 85 per cent and greenhouse gases by 15 per cent. Sulphur emissions are practically zero. The vessel has a hydrodynamically optimized hull shape and highly effective propulsion machinery that saves energy. Extensive development work has been devoted to the hull shape, which minimizes swell waves. In day-to-day operations on board the vessel, recycling and resource optimization will be guiding principles.

Summer celebrations lift Stena Line’s Q3 traffic to Holland

18 November 2012

Stena Line continued its North Sea business growth and increased both numbers of cars and overall passengers on its Harwich-Hook of Holland route in the third quarter of 2012. In the three months to September, when Stena Line celebrated its 50th anniversary, the ferry company grew numbers of cars on its Harwich route by 7.1 per cent and total passenger numbers by 0.8 per cent, compared to the same period in 2011. The operator achieved the summer upsurge during a quarter where air passenger traffic from the UK to the Netherlands fell by 0.8 per cent, according to the CAA. Stena Line’s growth equated to 3,000 additional cars (42,000 in total) and an additional 2,000 passengers (176,000 in total) to the Netherlands. The quarter’s strongest monthly growth came in September, the month of Stena Line’s anniversary celebrations. Buoyed by promotional activity, the operator carried 11,000 cars to Holland during the month (a 17.2 per cent year-on-year increase) and 46,000 passengers in total (an 11.4 per cent year-on-year increase). Stena Line also realised year-on-year growth across the North Sea for the year-to-date. During the first nine months of the year, numbers of cars on the Harwich-Hook of Holland route rose by 4.2 per cent over the prior-year period and total passenger numbers climbed by 1.4 per cent. Lars Olsson, Stena Line’s general manager for travel on the North Sea, said: “The summer was challenging for the UK outbound travel in general, with the Olympic Games dampening demand. Market conditions have remained testing and so Stena Line’s ongoing North Sea growth has bucked industry trends and the promotional work we carried out around our 50th anniversary in September has helped boost this further. “During the golden anniversary month we grew our car traffic more than any other month in 2012, so we hope that the positive impact will continue and will assist in our full-year targets” Lars added.

Le Tanit maiden call at Marseilles Fos

26 June 2012

The Mediterranean’s largest ferry made her maiden call at Marseilles Fos on Friday 22nd June on her entering service between the French port and Tunisia. The Compagnie Tunisienne de Navigation (CTN) newbuild Le Tanit is 212 metres long and has room for 3,200 passengers and more than 1,000 vehicles. Because of her exceptional length, the vessel will be operating from the Marseilles eastern harbour’s Cap Janet quay rather than La Joliette - the normal handling area for international ferry services – which has a 200-metre limit. Le Tanit will call at Marseilles two to three times a week during the summer season.

EuroTransmanche

26 June 2012

Ferry firms have hit out at Channel Tunnel operator Eurotunnel after it was given permission to set sail into the highly competitive Dover-Calais market. It follows Eurotunnel’s successful €65m bid for three ships from the defunct SeaFrance – The Berlioz, The Rodin and The Nord Pas-de-Calais, paving the way to launch a ferry service on the Dover Strait in the late summer. It will mean the they will be the operator holding the lion’s share of cross-Channel travel and increased rivalry on what is already a competitive route. P&O Ferries and DFDS – which both run Dover-Calais crossings – have called for the matter to go to the Competitions Commission. They argue that the latest move by Eurotunnel will disrupt the level playing field and give the company too much control. Eurotunnel bosses, however, say they are creating 560 jobs – 100 of which will be located in Dover. But a P&O spokesman stressed the ferry firm wanted competitions authorities to look into the matter. “It could disrupt the level playing field and destroy competition in the area,” he said. “If P&O Ferries had taken over SeaFrance assets, that would have been the number two player taking over the number three player and we would have expected that to go to the competitions authorities." “With the number one player, Eurotunnel, taking over the assets it’s inconceivable that it won’t go there. We’re going to have to watch what happens.” DFDS, which launched a new Dover-Calais service in a joint partnership with operator LD Lines earlier this year, also called for action. “Eurotunnel’s stated intention of deploying SeaFrance’s ferries between Dover and Calais has prompted DFDS to voice its concern to relevant national competition authorities,” said Carsten Jensen, senior vice president, head of DFDS Channel Routes. He said Eurotunnel’s current market share on the Dover Strait exceeded 40 per cent while DFDS’ total market share was just 18 per cent. MP for Dover Charlie Elphicke warned the deal could damage other operators and risk jobs at P&O and DFDS. Dover District Council said it welcomed the bid, as long as it operated a stable service without unfair pricing or subsidy. But Eurotunnel shrugged off the concerns, stating that other operators had the chance to bid for the three SeaFrance ferries and that the launch would create 100 Kent jobs. A total of three bids were submitted earlier this year, including Eurotunnel’s, one by Stena Line and another by DFDS. A spokesman said the company would introduce a high quality service. It will be run by Eurotransmanche, a firm made up of former SeaFrance employees who will use their redundancy money to finance the company under a deal put into place by unions and the French government. Eurotunnel will lease the ships to the new company, who will run the operation, but the Channel Tunnel operator will remain involved in the overall management. The Eurotunnel spokesman said: “Any operator coming in to this competitive market needs to provide a high quality of service. A company that comes in and crashes prices won’t succeed. We are introducing a premium service to this route. We will differentiate from the others.” He added “The first advantage of this move is that is will create 100 jobs in Dover, but also it shows this is a growing market with opportunities for growth in the future.” The three former SeaFrance ships, which have been out of action for eight months, will require restoration and overhauling to bring them back into operation. The launch is expected to be late summer

Paris commercial court postpone decision on the bids for the vessels of SeaFrance

7 June 2012

Wednesday, 06 June 2012 A Paris commercial court has postponed its decision on the bids for the vessels of SNCF's collapsed cross-Channel ferry operator SeaFrance until 11 June. It had been due to deliver its verdict on 4 June following two previous postponements at the end of last month. Eurotunnel, DFDS and Stena have submitted bids for the vessels. "The court is looking for a solution which will allow it to accept Eurotunnel's offer and requires more time to do so, thus the fresh postponement," a source close to the negotiations told Lloyds Loading List.com. Eurotunnel's bid of €65 million for SeaFrance's three vessels – Berlioz, Rodin and the freighter Nord Pas de Calais – and other assets - falls well short of SeaFrance 's total liabilities estimated at more than €200 million of which around €160 million is due to the French state railway. Other creditors include a pool of banks and a shipyard. "The problem is Eurotunnel's bid was relatively low in monetary value and does not provide scope to reimburse SeaFrance's lower-tier shareholders. If Eurotunnel, had put say €80 million on the table then the matter would very likely have been settled by now," he said. "A solution depends on SNCF foregoing part or all of the debts it is owed by SeaFrance and this is the subject of current negotiations. Failing an agreement, the bankruptcy judge could order a second round of bidding or hold an auction for the vessels," the source added. Eurotunnel's offer makes provision to hire more than 500 ex-SeaFrance workers to operate its planned ferry service between Calais and Dover.

The Eurovoyager arrives to be scrapped.

2 May 2012

The Eurovoyager (ex Prins Albert) arrived at Aliaga in Turkey on 30th April for scrapping. The ship had latterly been on charter on the Algeciras - Tangier route but has been laid up at Messina (Sicily) all winter. Her delivery name was shortened to Voyager and the vessel had been re-registered in Lome (Togo).

Possible larger tonnage by DFDS for Ghent

10 January 2012

DFDS have conducted trials of the Freesia Seaways, a lengthened flower-class vessel in the Belgian port of Ghent to determine if there are any issues concerning the vessel’s overall length and manoeuvrability.

New Ferries for Gedser-Rostock

10 January 2012

The first of the two new Scandlines Ferries for the Gedser-Rostock route, the Berlin, left the building-hall during December. The Berlin is due to enter service in March 2012, replacing the Prins Joachim.