UK Coronavirus Support Package for Vital Routes

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Vital routes for supplies and people have been protected through a coronavirus support package to keep the flow of goods and services running smoothly in and out of the UK, and around the country, throughout the pandemic.

A multimillion government support package for essential freight services includes:

IN THE MEDIA

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Freestyle translation by Ferry Shipping News

  • 4 ferries in operation, 9 stopped. Two thirds of people in partial unemployment.
  • Only a few dozen ‘essential’ passengers travel. Freight is now king, something unusual for Corsica Ferries. The company has listened to Corsica transport companies and adapted the offer. Sometimes changes were skillfully implemented overnight, to react as quick as possible.
  • We are awaiting what the government says about the relief of travel restrictions. We can only adapt once we know. But we are preparing and we can assure the tourism industry that if travel allows people will have enough ferries to get to the island.
  • Although the company is already experiencing the economic consequences of this crisis, Pierre Mattei is happy about the quick reaction time of his company. “It is in our DNA to be agile and versatile.”
  • Corsica Ferries suffered a fake news campaign. It was accused of transporting tourists. It all started with pictures from before the lockdown. They were re-released by some politicians, who did not even check.

Interview with Pierre-Antoine Villanova, Corsica Linea

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Freestyle translation by Ferry Shipping News

  • Corsica Linea went from 7 to 4 ships: 2 on Bastia, 2 on Ajaccio.
  • No link to North-Africa
  • Only a few passengers, majority is freight. In the middle of the crisis freight went down. Then we carried only 70% of the normal capacity. Now we transport 80% of the goods that arrive on the island.
  • Very difficult to predict summer. I don’t know if we will carry passengers this summer. We need to carry people without putting them at risk.
  • We’re going to lose lots of money, but I am not afraid for my company. I am more afraid for the economic earthquake on the island.
  • We have a social ambition. We want to develop the local economy. That’s why we employ French seafarers, not Italians (as Corsica Ferries does, note from editor). They are costing us three times more. We have also decided to only work with food from Corsica.

PHOTOS OF THE WEEK

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Progress on the SUPERFAST XI Scrubber Conversion

Conversion works on Attica Group’s ropax SUPERFAST XI is in progress.

The large ferry is at Keratsini dock since March 29, 2020 in order to undergo her scrubber conversion (open loop type), which will be the first to be performed on a ropax ferry in Greece.

Corsica Linea’s A. NEPITA (ex-Superfast X) is getting a scrubber too, in Perama.

HOLLANDIA SEAWAYS Is Now on the Zeebrugge-Göteborg Route

The mega freight ferry was photographed last Sunday in Zeebrugge.

THREE SHIPS DOWN MEMORY LANE

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This week we go back 20 years: 2001

Place: Travemünde, at a moment when TT Line started to operate the new NILS HOLGERSSON and PETER PAN, still in service.

TRANSFINLANDIA (built 1981)

The first ship is TRANSFINLANDIA. She was eventually scrapped in 2012.

TRANSEUROPA (built 1995)

Another Finncarriers fleetmate was the sturdy TRANSEUROPA. In 2013 she let the Baltic Sea for a second life in the Meditterranean, as EUROFERRY OLYMPIA. She is still in service between Salerno and Catania.

LÜBECK LINK (built as FINNROSE in 1980)

Last but not least is the ship that would probably never win a beauty contest. LÜBECK LINK is photographed when she was operating for Nordö Link on the Travemünde-Malmö route. In 2017 she was broken up in India.