Adriatic Lines launches new freight-only ferry service between Italy and Greece

What is claimed to be the first dedicated freight-only ferry service linking Italy and Greece has been launched by newly established Adriatic Lines between the ports of Ravenna and Corinth.

The new service, providing up to six sailings a week, is being maintained by the two recently refurbished ro-ros Ropax 1 and Ropax 2, each of which can carry 165 freight units and 200 drivers in 120 cabins

The innovative route allows hauliers to save many kms and consequently time, avoiding high density traffic routes and congested ports. The crossing time is approximately one and a half days, with departure and arrival times designed around the needs of freight transportation.

Commenting on the new ferry line and service, Simon Taylor, managing director of Adriatic Lines said: ‘This is not only a new line but a new way of thinking about freight on the Adriatic Sea. It ensures significant cost savings for transport companies and a better onboard accommodation for drivers. We are in partnership with shipowners and have been working on this for more than one year; deciding to start in these difficult times is a further evidence that we are here to stay.’

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Euroferries delays start-up of Ramsgate-Boulogne service again!

The ‘will they won’t they’ saga of the start-up of new UK fast ferry operator Euroferries Ramsgate (UK)-Boulogne (France) continues with the operator delaying once again.  Euroferries was to have begun operations with Fred Olsen’s wave-piercing catamaran Bonanza Express on 14 November, but for the third time this year has had to cancel the service. 

In another of the company’s bland statements it says: ‘Euroferries has regrettably had to delay its high speed cross-channel service launch scheduled for 14^th November due to hampered final stage operations. Euroferries apologies for any inconvenience caused to its customers and assures them that it is their foremost intention to resolve this matter swiftly allowing the service to commence.

‘All Euroferries bookings affected by this matter have the option of either receiving a full refund or alternatively receiving first class upgrades for an alternative date of travel.’

‘Off Radar’ understands that the vessel to be used on the new service, Bonanza Express, remains in the Canary Islands.    

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Euroferries set for mid November start-up

Newcomer to the UK-France cross-channel ferry scene, Euroferries, is now saying that it will start operations between the UK port of Ramsgate and Boulogne, France on 13 November, using the chartered Incat 86m wave-piercing catamaran Bonanza Express.

The UK operator now has a website up and running, although online bookings can’t be made until sailings from 15 November.  However, both port authorities on either side of the channel still say that they are awaiting final confirmation of the service start up.  Euroferries has been saying for over five years now that it was to start a high speed linking between the UK and France ‘anytime now.’

Initially Euroferries will be offering four return sailings a day, rising to six in the summer months.  Prices are believed to be comparable with those of P&O Ferries on its conventional services between Dover and Calais, with a two-day return for a car and two people costing £65.00. 

Bonanza Express will sail from the existing ferry port in Ramsgate and use the Gare Maritime terminal in Boulogne.  Competitor LD Lines is currently operating its high speed ferry, Norman Arrow, from the new Boulogne Port Hub.

 

Bonanza Express will be able to carry more than 700 passengers and 230 cars, or 330 truck lane metres and 80 cars.  Passengers will be carried on two decks divided into four lounges.  Passenger facilities comprise three bars, and a boutique, while those wishing will be able to upgrade to Gold First Class, which provides an exclusive, quiet area at the stern of the vessel, offering complementary refreshments and preference in embarking and disembarking by car.  

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Speedy Exit for Irish Ferries passengers

Speedy Exit is the name given by Irish Ferries to a new customer service being offered on its Ireland-France routes. With the payment of an additional €10 per car per journey, motorists travelling on the company’s cruise ferry Oscar Wilde can avail themselves of priority boarding and a get-underway-fast-discharge.

The Speedy Exit facility, exclusive to the fact that only a limited number of car spaces can be set aside for the service, is available at each of the company’s three ports: Rosslare, Cherbourg and Roscoff, where special marshalling lanes have been assigned to the service.

Bookings can be made online at www.irishferries.com or by calling 0818 300 400.  

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Comment: All change at LD Lines!

Observers of the cross-channel ferry scene between the UK and France will have been somewhat confused of late by major changes to the fleet and service patterns of relative newcomer LD Lines. A few weeks ago the French operator said that it would be transferring its conventional passenger freight ferry Norman Voyager from its Portsmouth-Le Havre service to a new service linking Cherbourg with Rosslare in Ireland. Almost immediately LD Lines then announced that it was chartering the vessel to rival operator Celtic Link Ferries for its new service between Portsmouth and Cherbourg during the week, and Cherbourg-Rosslare at weekends! But that’s not all. The French ferry operator’s conventional ferry Norman Spirit will switch from her regular Portsmouth-Le Havre run this November to operate between Dover and Boulogne because the brand new fast ferry Norman Arrow on the run can’t offer enough freight capacity. Norman Arrow, meanwhile, is to lay-up before starting a new six month seasonal service (Easter-September) between Portsmouth and Le Havre. All understood?

Meanwhile, still on the cross-channel ferry scene, UK operator Euroferries, which has been saying that it is to start a high speed passenger/vehicle ferry service across the Dover Straits for the past five years or so, claims that its new Ramsgate (UK)-Boulogne (France) service begins on 19 October. Don’t hold your breath! Sphere: Related Content

Irish Ferries launches twice daily autumn/winter fast ferry service

Irish Sea ferry operator Irish Ferries has taken the decision to continue operation of its twice daily return fast ferry service on its Dublin-Holyhead route throughout the autumn and into the New Year.

The extended fast ferry service, maintained by the 800 passenger, 200 car capacity Austal Auto-Express 86 Jonathan Swift, will operate in conjunction with the scheduled twice-daily sailings of the cruise ferry Ulysses to provide a four-times daily round trip service on the route. Sphere: Related Content

Austal completes 14 vessel Hong Kong fast ferry order

Australian fast ferry specialist Austal has completed a 14 vessel fast ferry order for a Hong Kong-based customer, following the successfully delivery of the last four vessels.

Each of the 47.5m aluminium Cotaijets have been built by Venetian Marketing Services Ltd for operation between Hong Kong and Macau, servicing the entertainment, gaming, convention and hotel facilities on The Cotai Strip.

Combing speed, comfort and outstanding interior finishes, each vessel has the capacity to carry 413 passengers at a speed of 42 knots. Currently performing more than 60 sailings each day, the vessels provide a first-class along what is now the world’s largest route in terms of passenger numbers.

Since construction began in 2007, the speed of the project has demonstrated the advantages of Austal’s newly introduced Advanced Shipbuilding (ASB) design and construction techniques. The Coati Strip vessels represent the most extensive use of these techniques to date. Sphere: Related Content

New Boulogne Hub Port starts ferry operations

The French port of Boulogne’s new Hub Port terminal has started ferry operations. Representing an initial investment of €45m, the massive development covers 20 hectares of land and the first of two new linkspans – each costing €10.5m – is now operational.

The new linkspan is unique in that it can be mechanically moved sideways along the quayside to accommodate conventional ro-ro vessels as well as fast ferries, It is planned to add a second linkspan in 2010.

The new terminal site is owned by the Region Nord-Pas-de-Calais, with Boulogne Chamber of Commerce (the Boulogne Port Authority) managing operations at the new port and responsible for ongoing development.

The first ferry to transfer to the new port from the Gare Maritime was LD Lines’ fast ferry Norman Arrow, which runs between Boulogne and Dover. Sphere: Related Content

LD Lines in major fleet shake-up

French cross-channel ferry operator LD Lines is currently involved in a major fleet/route shake up programme involving its services between the UK and France and France and Ireland. Following LD Lines announcement that it was to use its Norman Voyager full time on its new service between Cherbourg (France) and Rosslare (Republic of Ireland), quickly came the news that this wasn’t to be and that the 2008-built Norman Voyager had been chartered to rival ferry operator Celtic Link Ferries which will use the vessel on its new daily service during the week linking the south coast UK port of Portsmouth with Cherbourg, and using the vessel on the company’s existing Cherbourg-Rosslare run at weekends.

The new service between Portsmouth and Cherbourg was to have started on 29 September, but Norman Voyager sustained a mysterious hole in her hull while berthed in Rosslare and had to undertake an emergency drydocking at A&P Falmouth to rectify this problems. The new service is expected to start the week beginning 5 October.

Meanwhile, LD Lines has announced major fleet changes for 2010 including the introduction of a conventional ferry on its Dover-Boulogne service.

From early November 2009 the conventional ferry Norman Spirit will transfer from its current Portsmouth-Le Havre route to commence operations on the French operators’ Dover-Boulogne service, considerably increasing freight and tourist traffic capacity. The high speed Incat wave-piercing catamaran Norman Arrow, which began operating Dover-Boulogne in June this year, will switch to the Portsmouth-Le Havre route in 2010, starting a six month seasonal operation between Easter and September and offering a crossing time of just three hours and 15 minutes. Norman Arrow will operate alongside the year-round conventional ferry Cote d’Albatre.

Norman Spirit will operate four return sailings daily between Dover and Boulogne and is capable of carrying 1,850 passengers, 700 cars and 110 freight vehicles. The conventional ferry is being introduced on the Dover-Boulogne service because the fast ferry Norman Arrow cannot provide sufficient freight capacity.

LD Lines managing director Christophe Santoni said: ‘We remain convinced that the freight and tourist traffic high speed ferry concept can ultimately work across the Dover Straits and we will be continuing a dialogue with the shipbuilders regarding the next generation of fast ferries, incorporating improvements that we see as vital.’ These include not only offering a fast crossing time, but also fast berthing and the loading and discharge of vehicles. Sphere: Related Content

19 October start-up for Euroferries?

New UK cross-channel fast ferry operator Euroferries says that its new Ramsgate (UK)-Boulogne (France) service, suing the Fred Olsen passenger vehicle catamaran Bonanza Express, will start on 19 October. Don’t hold your breath! Sphere: Related Content

Trinidad & Tobago orders fleet of fast ferries from Austal

Australian fast ferry builder Austal has secured a four vessel order from Trinidad & Tobago’s National Infrastructure Development Co Ltd (NIDCO).  All four 41m craft are each designed to carry 405 passengers at a service speed of 37 knots and will operate a new water taxi service between San Fernando and Port of Spain in southwest Trinidad, reducing travel time between north and south Trinidad by almost two thirds.

Delivery of the Caribbean quartet is set for late 2010.

The new water taxi service is part of the Government of Trinidad & Tobago’s ‘Vision 2020’ strategy which aims for an efficient, integrated, multi-modal public transport system. When fully operation the water taxi service is expected to carry between 8,000 and 12,000 passengers in a normal working day and will be integrated with other public transport systems.

All four ferries will be built by Austal’s shipyards in Tasmanian and Western Australia. Passenger seating will be slit over two levels, with the main passenger deck featuring four passenger entry points, a central kiosk and dedicated baggage compartment and bike racks. The vessels will be powered by four MTU 16V2000 M72 diesel engines driving KaMeWa waterjets and will be fitted with Austal Ride Control to ensure passenger comfort.

A well as performing an important water taxi service, the ferries will also provide emergency backup for the existing inter-island service between Trinidad and Tobago. To meet this secondary function, Austal has configured all four vessels with the capability to retrofit and forward-mounted T-foil ride control system at short notice, allowing the vessels to operate in open, unprotected seas.

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Scandlines and TT join forces

Declines in cargo volume and passenger numbers have forced two German ferry operators, Rostock’s Scandlines and Lubeck’s TT-Line, to join forces a offer a joint service from the German port of Rostock to Trelleborg, Sweden, during the day.

Under the new agreement in the morning one TT-Line ferry will leave Rostock for Trelleborg, while the afternoon ferry to Trelleborg will be provided by Scandlines. However, the companies will continue to operate separate services over night.

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Interferry conference to chart course through challenging times

Solutions to the ferry industry’s latest round of political, financial and technical demands will be explored by more than 200 high-ranking delegates at next month’s Interferry conference in Istanbul, Turkey, 14-17 October. The trade association’s 34^th annual event, the first in Turkey, aims to plot a pro-active course through challenges ranging from world recession to sweeping regulatory changes.

A key session on surviving financial meltdown will feature a ferry operator’s perspective from Interferry board member Pim de Lange, North Sea Area Director, Stena Line, whose next phase of expansion in an ultra-competitive market includes delivery of the world’s two biggest ro-pax vessels.

‘The ferry business in Northern Europe has been very tough for the past decade or more,’ said Mr. de Lange. ‘We fought and lost the battle against the abolition of duty-free sales and faced the major challenge of competing with the Channel Tunnel. Low cost airlines took a big bite out of our passenger traffic and the spike in fuel prices caused havoc to our balance sheets.

‘After surviving all of that we deserved a reprieve but instead we got a global financial crisis. Despite that we remain optimistic for the future. The operators that survive this crisis should be positioned for a strong recovery when it comes.’

More of the industry’s major concerns will be addressed in a session on new safety and environmental requirements.

Johan Roos, director of sustainability at Sweden’s Stena Rederi, warns that there is no room for complacency over air emissions regulations, despite dramatic improvements in energy efficiency driven by economies of scale in ship size. A regular member of Interferry’s IMO consultative status delegation, he points out: ‘CO₂ emissions from shipping are estimated at 3.3% of global emissions compared to 1.9% from international aviation and 21.3% from road transport.

‘The benefits to society are enormous as shipping carries more than 80% of world trade. Since shipping is doing such an efficient job, it should be off the radar of the environmental regulators. Wrong. The maritime industry in general – and ship operators in particular – are under intense scrutiny by both national and international regulators. Despite obvious improvements in efficiency, we have not kept pace with the improvements that many land-based industries have experienced the past decades.’

Oskar Levander, head of conceptual design at Finland’s Wärtsilä Ship Design, suggests that ferries and ro-ro vessels compare unfavourably with other modes of shipping according to the IMO Energy Efficiency Design Index (EEDI). He will argue that even a relatively easy 30% improvement in CO₂ emissions will not be enough, so the industry needs to develop wind, solar, waste and other renewable energy designs.

The session ends with a case study from Johan Snellman, vice president, STX Europe Cruise & Ferries, and P&O Ferries fleet director John Garner, who is overseeing the new building programme for two giant Dover-Calais ferries ordered from the Finnish shipbuilder.  They will discuss the application of revised MARPOL Annex VI requirements for NO_x, SO_x and CO₂ emissions as well as safety challenges such as SOLAS 2009, probabilistic stability calculations and Safe Return to Port regulations.

Critical new legal issues facing ferry operators will be outlined by maritime lawyer Oliver Weiss, a partner at international law firm Ince & Co, during a session on managing risk. His survey will cover UK  legislation on corporate manslaughter, obligations under the ISM Code, limitation of liability under the Athens Convention and implementation of EU Directive 2005/35 on pollution.

The session also features Fritz Stabinger, secretary general of the International Union of Marine Insurance (IUMI), with an examination of the ‘oftentimes stormy, challenging, difficult and everything but peaceful’ relationship between shipowners and underwriters, and Ben Harris, deputy claims manager at the Shipowners P&I Club, with a review of loss prevention initiatives instigated in co-operation with members operating more than 3,000 ferries worldwide.

Various other sessions will further underline the ferry industry’s ongoing attempts to survive and prosper in challenging times.

In a forum on practical IT applications for making money, seven leading providers will explain new and emerging technologies relating to booking, ticketing and sales systems; distribution strategies; automating port processes; pricing, inventory control, marketing and contactless payment.

Urban innovations will be illustrated by case studies of a water taxi service in Istanbul, the Thames Clippers river ferry service in London, and the introduction of high speed ferries in Hong Kong powered by Solar Sailor’s hybrid diesel and electric drive system.

In addition, a review of emerging markets in the Middle East and the Black Sea will include developments in Oman, where the National Ferries Co has recently unveiled the world’s fastest diesel-powered passenger ferries – Austal built vessels capable of more than 50 knots. The session will also cover the growth of religious, labour and tourism markets on services between Saudi Arabia and Egypt, Sudan and Yemen; and the vast potential for trade on the Black Sea. 

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Can $400m grant for new Quebec ferries

The Government of the Provence of Quebec, Canada, has given a grant of Can $400m to local ferry operator Societe des traversiers du Quebec (STQ) for the construction of three new vessels.

The new vessels will be used to modernise the operators existing fleet of 11 ferries serving various routes on the St. Lawrence river in eastern Canada.

STQ carries over 5m passengers and 2m vehicles annually.

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Engines installed in next generation Austal trimaran

Australian fast ferry builder Austal’s next generation 102m high speed trimaran has had its unique three-engine layout successfully installed ahead of the vessel’s launch in October.

The passenger/vehicle ferry, which is being built at Austal’s Western Australian facility and is currently available for purchase, is scheduled for completion by February 2010,

Unique to the vessel is a patented three-engine layout that combines with the trimaran’s hydrodynamic hull form to deliver fuel efficiency across a range of operating conditions. Each of the three MTU 20V 8000 M71L diesel engines produces 9,100kW at less than 1,200 rev/min, and offers the world’s highest power-to-weight ratio in their power range.

Austal’s latest trimaran ferry builds on the company’s landmark trimaran Benchijiqua Express, delivered to Spanish operator Fred Olsen SA in 2005.

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Delay in new Wightlink catamarans entering service

UK cross-Solent ferry operator Wightlink’s new passenger catamarans for its Portsmouth Harbour-Ryde service are now expected to enter service on 29 September following delays in carrying out a passenger evacuation exercise to gain them their passenger certification from the UK’s MCA, 

Wight Ryder I and Wight Ryder II were built in the Philippines to replace the two ageing FastCats on the run.  It is believed that FastCat Shanklin and FastCat Ryde have been sold to a new UK operator who is to start a high speed passenger service across the Bristol Channel.

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Hellenic Seaways buys monohull fast ferry

Greece’s Hellenic Seaways has bought the 1998-built monohulls fast ferry Viking and will use the vessel on its Aegean services. Originally built for Sea Containers as the SuperSeaCat Two, the vessel has recently been operated by the UK’s Isle of Man Steam Packet Co on the Irish Sea service linking Douglas and Liverpool and is currently completing a charter in Portugal before joining her new Greek owners. Sphere: Related Content

Wightlink’s new passenger catamarans set to enter service

UK cross-Solent ferry operator Wightlink is expecting to place into service its two new 250 passenger capacity catamaran’s Wight Ryder I and Wight Ryder II during the week beginning 21 September.

Both 20 knots vessels were built in the Philippines and have been specially designed for the Portsmouth Harbour-Ryde Pier Head service, replacing the existing two FastCats currently on the run. Sphere: Related Content

TEAM in new ferry terminal expansion in Mexico and Morocco

The world’s leading designer and manufacturer of sophisticated passenger boarding bridges (PBBs) for cruise and ferry terminals, Barcelona-based TEAM, has secured new contracts for ferry terminals in Mexico and Morocco.

Under a contract from Mexico’s Port Authority of Quintana Roo SA de C.V. TEAM is to supply in early 2010 two of its Pegasus-range of PBBs to the modernised ferry terminal at San Miguel on the Mexican island of Cozumel. The contract also includes the option for another set of PBBs to be installed in late 2010.  

The ferry service linking the island of Cozumel with the Mexican mainland at Playa del Carmen, on the Yucatan Peninsular, a 45 min trip, carried 1.4m passengers in 2007, with the service growing. In 2008 the Port Authority of Quintana Roo started an upgrading process of the ferry terminal, which is located at the centre of downtown San Miguel de Cozumel, next to the Punta Langosta Cruise Ship Pier. When work is completed in early 2010, the Cozumel ferry terminal will be the first of its kind in Mexico and the Caribbean to be equipped with modern passenger access systems.

Tangier Med Port is Morocco’s new passenger and cargo port located on the Straits of Gibraltar, 40km east of Tangier and just 15km from Spain at the shortest distance between the continents of Africa and Europe. TEAM has been contracted by the Moroccan government agency Tangier Mediterranean Special Agency (TMSA) to design and manufacture four PBBs of the SEDNA design to facilitate safe and secure boarding and disembarkation for the 2m ferry passengers expected to transit the passenger terminal each year. The four PBBs will be delivered in the first quarter of 2010. Sphere: Related Content

Celtic Link to start new Portsmouth (UK)-Cherbourg (France) ferry service

Irish budget ferry operator Celtic Link Ferries (Ireland) Ltd has announced that it is to start a new daily, year-round passenger/freight service linking the south coast UK port of Portsmouth with Cherbourg in northern France from October this year.

The Irish operator says that it has acquired a new, as yet unnamed, vessel for the service, capable of carrying 1,000 passengers, 500 cars or 130 trucks. The new ferry will be British flagged and British crewed and will operate between Portsmouth and Cherbourg during the week and will replace Celtic Link’s current vessel Diplomat on the week-end sailing between Cherbourg and Rosslare, southern Ireland, sailing from France on Fridays and returning from Ireland on Saturdays. With a service speed of 24 knots, the crossing time between France and Ireland will be just 16 hours.

The passenger/freight ferry Diplomat will maintain the Tuesdays and Thursdays sailings from Rosslare to Cherbourg and the Wednesdays and Sundays sailings from Cherbourg to Rosslare. Diplomat will be used on the Portsmouth-Cherbourg during the week-end while the new ferry operates the France-Ireland service, giving passengers and freight customers the guarantee of a daily departure from either Cherbourg or Portsmouth.

Celtic Link tried to start a Portsmouth-Cherbourg service in October 2006 using the former DFDS train ferry Klaipeda, which was converted in Greece for the new service as the Celtic Mist. However, the vessel fell foul of the UK’s Maritime & Coastguard agency (MCA) when she arrived in Portsmouth and was not allowed to sail with passengers.

The new service is claimed to be the cheapest of all operators on the Western Channel and Irish continental routes and will see Celtic Link going head to head with Brittany Ferries and LD Lines. Brittany Ferries already has well established services from Portsmouth to Caen and St. Malo in France, as well as a seasonal fast ferry service to Cherbourg, while low cost operator LD Lines currently operates a two ship service between Portsmouth and Le Havre, and is about to switch its Le Havre-Rosslare service to Cherbourg. Sphere: Related Content