2019 Newsletter week 31

Corsica Linea Ordered A new LNG Ro-Pax

On 25 July, Corsica Linea signed the contract with the Visentini shipyard for a new ro-pax ferry powered by LNG.

Some particulars:

• LNG as fuel to power the engines and generate onboard electricity.
• Length: 206m (the longest ferry in the actual fleet is JEAN NICOLI, with a length of almost 201m).
• Lane metres: 2.560m (VIZZAVONA and PAGLIA ORBA have 2,500m) with extra deck for 150 cars.
• Passengers: 650
• Speed: 23 knots
• Delivery is planned for 2022.
• Financing is done by the investment bank of Groupe Crédit Agricole. Essential for the project was the leadership of the Corsican branch of the bank (Crédit Agricole de la Corse). The French bank has a specific program for “green investments”.
• Scolaro Shipbrokers have been acting as agents of the Italian shipyard.
• Designed by NAOS.
• The plan is to order a second ship within 18 months.

Pierre-Antoine VILLANOVA is a proud CEO: “only three years after its creation, Corsica Linea has followed a strategy where the quality of service, local employment and an environmental transition were the key elements. By choosing LNG as a fuel, we will be part of a movement towards a more sustainable maritime transportation in the Med.”

Corsica Linea also participated at the G7 (see below) and signed the SAILS charter with the other French ferry companies.

Corsica Ferries: 4 LNG/Methanol Conversions And 1 LNG Newbuilding

On 23 July, a group of nine French ship owners have signed a charter, named SAILS. The word stands for ‘Sustainable Actions For Innovative and Low-Impact Shipping’. All major French ferry companies, such as Brittany Ferries, Corsica Linea and Corsica Ferries signed this document which aims at improving the energy efficiency.

In its communication about this agreement, Corsica Ferries said it has set the goal to reduce the emissions by 8%.

To compensate for its emissions, Corsica Ferries supports two green initiatives: a reforestation project in Peru, and the planting of 80,000 tress on Corsica.

By the end of 2020 one ro-pax should benefit from cold ironing in Toulon. By 2021, half of the fleet will be equipped for shore power. The plan is to connect the whole fleet.

Four ferries will be converted to run on LNG/methanol. This is expected to be done by 2024.

One newbuilding, powered by LNG (dual-fuel), is foreseen in 2023.

The New Appeal Of La Méridionale Dismissed By The Administrative Court Of Bastia

The judge of the administrative court of Bastia rejected on July 25 the new appeal filed by the company La Méridionale.

Last June, La Méridionale was officially excluded from the public service contracts for the routes to Ajaccio, Bastia and L’Ile-Rousse.

The vessel that the company presented during the tendering process was not available and had to be changed. The renewed offer did not respect the requirements of the contract, said the judge.

In Case Of A No Deal Brexit… Part 2

The British Department of Transport issued the new ‘No-Deal-Brexit-Freight-Lifeline contract’.

Invitation to tender for the freight capacity framework procurement:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/freight-capacity-framework-procurement-invitation-to-tender?fbclid=IwAR22em3VhFRdVoID8QnqhGWD4B4gzCBarQmZ8VqDgXgom0qKk0RCXKSLFHY

Caronte & Tourist Attacks Croatian Authorities As New Link From Rijeka Is Still Pending

Italian company Caronte & Tourist Isole Minori found some difficulties at launching a new maritime link between the ports of Rijeka and Porozina after filing a request with Croatia’s Agency for Coastal Passenger Traffic to establish a ferry line from mid-July to mid-September.

Few weeks ago, Paola Vidovic, the agency’s director, was quoted by local media as saying that the Italian company had still not collected most of the required permits. The company will need to collect all the required documents before a contract is signed, she added.

Few days ago, Sergio La Cava, one of Caronte & Tourist’s top managers, publicly stated that local authorities in Rijeka are putting hurdles in order not to make the new line sailing. The company was also asked to embark a Croatian master on the Italy-flagged double-ended ferry GIUSEPPE FRANZA but the green light did not arrive yet.

La Cava said that “Caronte & Tourist do not leave the port of Rijeka until the European competition rules on short sea shipping will be respected also with the support of the Italian government if needed”.

Rømø-Sylt Line Gets A Second Ferry

FRS (Flensburger Reederei Group) is buying another car ferry for its ferry connection to Sylt (Rømø-Sylt Line).

It will be the Norwegian ferry TRESFJORD, entering service in November 2019.

With the second ferry, the Rømø-Sylt line is significantly expanding its ferry service, in time for the construction works on the Hindenburgdamm. The Hindenburgdamm is an 11 km-long train-only causeway joining the North Frisian island of Sylt to mainland Schleswig-Holstein. Because of the planned works, rail capacity (such as with car wagons) will starkly be reduced.

Currently, the ship is still in Norway, where it is being rebuilt for its new task.

The TRESFJORD can carry up to 127 cars, just over one and a half times as much as the actual ferry SYLTEXPRESS, which used to operate alone on the line.

AF CLAUDIA Chartered Out To Grimaldi Group For The Civitavecchia – Olbia Route

Until next autumn, Grimaldi Group charters the ro-pax AF CLAUDIA (ex CALIFORNIA STAR), which has been purchased by, and recently delivered to Adria Ferries from Baja Ferries.

Grimaldi announced the ship will be operating for all the summer season on the Civitavecchia – Olbia routes, thus doubling frequency and capacity of the maritime link.

This same vessel was earmarked to enter service for Grandi Navi Veloci on the Genoa – Olbia link but finally did not.

In September the ro-pax AF MICHELA (ex STENA EGERIA) will be returned from Adria Ferries to Stena RoRo, and then chartered out to Brittany Ferries from November 2019 until November 2020. This is to deliver additional flexibility to the Brittany Ferries route network that connects France, the UK, Spain and Ireland.

Baleària’s New LNG-Fuelled Ferry MARIE CURIE Already Deployed On The Valencia – Ibiza – Palma Route

At the end of July, Baleària incorporated MARIE CURIE into its fleet. She is Balearia’s fourth LNG-fuelled ship. She was delivered by Italian shipyard Cantiere Navale Visentini and is a sistership of the HYPATIA DE ALEJANDRÍA.

HYPATIA DE ALEJANDRÍA has been sailing on the Barcelona-Alcúdia-Ciutadella route as from early 2019, while MARIE CURIE has just entered into service on the Valencia-Ibiza-Palma link.

The price for both units is around EUR 200 million.

MARIE CURIE can reach 25 knots of speed, has 186.5 meters in length and a capacity for 880 people, 2,194 linear meters of cargo and 166 vehicles.

She has different passenger accommodations: three lounges of reclining seats (two standards and one superior) and 120 cabins with capacity for up to four people and offering full bathroom, air conditioning, Wi-Fi and smart TV with the digital entertainment system included.

With the aim of improving the customer experience, Baleària has put a lot of energy in digital innovation, such as the digitalization of the entire signage, the camera system installed in the kennel (which allows passengers to see their pets at all times through their smart phone), the self-service totems in cafeteria and self-service , and the free Whatsapp messaging service during the entire voyage.

Ferry TÕLL To Become A Hybrid Ship

The subsidiary of Tallinna Sadam, TS Laevad OÜ has signed an agreement with the Estonian shipbuilding company Baltic Workboats AS to rebuild the ferry TÕLL, which operates the on the Virtsu-Kuivastu line, into an environmentally friendly hybrid ship.

During the reconstruction, a battery bank will be installed on the vessel to reduce the consumption of diesel fuel and reduce the resulting exhaust gas by replacing fossil fuel with electricity stored in battery banks.

The construction works are carried out by the main contractor Baltic Workboats, the battery banks are supplied by Corvus Energy, the automation equipment is supplied by Norwegian Electric Systems and the peak-shaving hybrid solution is designed by LMG Marin.

The total cost of the investment is EUR 1.6 million.

The reconstruction works will start in mid-October this year, mainly during the ship’s voyages. The ship will be off the line for up to two weeks for the final transfer to battery power. According to the agreement, the ferry will run on the power supply of the battery banks the latest by 29 February 2020.

If the project is successful, the technology will be deployed on all four new ships.

Aegean Seaways Suddenly Suspended All KAUNAS Sailings On The Lavrion-Cesme Run

Sudden end for the much expected ro-pax KAUNAS (25.606gt/1989) of the Turkish Aegean Seaways on the Cesme-Lavrion line. It seems that the ambitious project was a short-lived one and the ship returned back to the Black Sea.

She was chartered by the Ukrainian UKR Ferry and introduced on the specific line on July 2, 2019. On July 19, after an official announcement she suspended all her sailings and returned back to her owners and the Chornomorsk (Odessa) – Batumi (Georgia) run.