FährNews Aktuell – Issue April 2024

Hello and welcome to the April issue of FährNews Aktuell in 2024. The top topics of this episode are presented by ferry-guide.com, where you can easily book Ferries online:

• Finnlines opens new route – where you can go in the future
• World’s largest hydrogen ferries – a particularly challenging project in northern Europe
• And: DFDS plans to use battery-powered ships – what the future holds for the Danish shipping company

The top topics of the April issue of FährNews Aktuell were presented by ferry-guide.com, the simple online booking platform for your ferry crossing. But here we go with the April issue of FährNews Aktuell. Be sure to stay tuned until the end so you don’t miss any news!

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And here is the entire April issue of FährNews Aktuell for you to read again:

1 Molslinjen sold MAX

[1] With the MAX, Molslinjen has sold its smallest and oldest fast ferry. The Ferry is now to be deployed in the Mediterranean. The reason for the sale is the high CO2 taxes imposed by both the EU and Denmark, which are forcing the shipping company to reduce the number of Ferries ferries in the Kattegat. Molslinjen’s plans to operate four high-speed Ferries in the Kattegat are not feasible if the company is burdened with high taxes from the EU and Denmark and at the same time labor costs are rising rapidly, explains Kristian Durhuus, CEO of Molslinjen.

The MAX was built at the Australian Incat shipyard in Tasmania and delivered in the summer of 1998. In addition to the Kattegat and the connection to the island of Bornholm, the MAX has operated on various charter deployments, including the routes between North Sydney and Port Aux Basques in Canada, between Riga and Stockholm and in the English Channel between Portsmouth and Caen. Since 2018, the MAX has been operating as a high-speed ferry on the Bornholm route between Rønne and Ystad, but was recently replaced by the EXPRESS 1.

The MAX is now moored in the port of Ebeltoft, where it is being kept ready as a replacement ferry for use in the Kattegat in the event of technical problems on one of the other Ferries ferries.

MAX will be taken over by the new owners at the end of 2024.

2 Polferries newbuild sets sail for Sea Trials

[2] The new VARSOVIA from Polferries is about to be delivered and has already set sail for its first sea trials. [3] At 216m long and 28m wide [2], the VARSOVIA is the largest ship ever built at the Italian Visentini shipyard and will serve the Świnoujście-Ystad route between Poland and Sweden for Polferries.

[3] The NAOS-designed VARSOVIA, together with the approximately 10m shorter A GALEOTTA from Corsica Linea, which entered service last year, is the latest variant of the well-known Visentini class and comes with a [2] capacity of 920 passengers and 2,940 loading meters. Delivery is expected in June and entry into service in July.

3 Finnlines opens new route

[4] On April 10, 2024, the shipping company Finnlines launched a new connection between Malmö in Sweden and Świnoujście in Poland. This expands Finnlines ‘s network and now connects over 20 ports throughout Europe.

[5] The route is served by the 188-meter-long Ro-Pax Ferry FINNFELLOW, which has been in service with Finnlines for over 20 years and most recently operated between Travemünde and Malmö.

[4] The FINNFELLOW offers space for a maximum of 440 passengers and has a capacity of 3,099 loading meters. It will operate the route daily in both directions, in the morning from Malmö and in the evening from Świnoujście, with each crossing taking around 9 hours.

If you would like to use the new route between Malmö and Świnoujście or in the opposite direction, then book your ticket for Ferry with our partner ferry-guide.com. Here you can also see all the alternative crossing options directly when you make your booking if, for example, a departure does not fit into your schedule. You will also receive a price overview of the individual shipping companies during the booking process. At ferry-guide.com you can easily book online at Ferries. You can also find the link to ferry-guide.com at the top of the video description.

4 Electric ferry launched for Alslinjen

[6] An electric ferry is currently being built at the Cemre shipyard in Turkey for the route between Bøjden on Als and Fynshav on Funen. At the beginning of April, the zero-emission Ferry, which goes by the name of NERTHUS, demonstrated its buoyancy for the first time when it was launched. The new electric ferry was ordered from the Turkish shipyard by Molslinjen for its subsidiary Alslinjen and will be joined by a sister ship, TYRFING, which will operate the service between Kalundborg and Ballen for Samsølinjen, which also belongs to Molslinjen.

The NERTHUS and its sister ship TYRFING are making an important contribution to the transition to environmentally friendly mobility in inner-Danish ferry traffic. The two electric ferries will replace the older diesel ferries at Alslinjen and Samsølinjen.

The NERTHUS is due to be delivered to Alslinjen at the end of the year, while the TYRFING will enter service with Samsølinjen at the beginning of 2025.

5 World’s largest hydrogen ferries are being built in Norway

[7] Torghatten Nord has commissioned the Norwegian company Myklebust Verft in Gursken, south of Ålesund, to build two hydrogen ferries. The two newbuilds will be able to carry up to 120 cars on Norway’s longest ferry service between Bodø and the Lofoten Islands. The Ferries were designed by The Norwegian Ship Design Company and will be the largest hydrogen ships in the world. The two Ferries will be powered by hydrogen produced directly in Bodø.

The two 117 m long Ferries each offer space for up to 120 cars, twelve trucks and 599 passengers. As the Ferries will operate in the outer Vestfjord to Lofoten, one of Norway’s longest and most challenging ferry routes, the two Ferries have been designed with enclosed car decks and a special hull construction for operation in exposed waters. The ships are equipped with new technologies that ensure safety and comfort for passengers and crew without making any compromises.

According to the shipping company, the Ferries will be the largest hydrogen-powered ships in the world and will have the largest hydrogen system ever installed on a ship. Each ship will have fuel cells with an output of 6400 kW and the associated auxiliary systems. The hydrogen on board will be stored in compressed form.

[8] The Ferries are 100% emission-free and have a multi-hybrid drive system with hydrogen-electric drive as the primary mode and diesel-electric drive as the secondary mode.

[9] According to the route operator, the new ships will have a major positive impact on the climate. CO2 emissions on the Vestfjord route are to be reduced by 26,500 tons per year. According to government regulations, at least 85 percent of the new Ferries must be powered by hydrogen and a maximum of 15 percent by biofuel.

6 DFDS plans to deploy battery-electric ships

[10] DFDS will put two battery-powered ships into service in the Eastern Channel by 2030. This is part of a new-build program to invest in six environmentally friendly vessels – two methanol, two ammonia and two electric vessels – at a total cost of around DKK 7.3 billion, which is roughly equivalent to EUR 1 billion. In the long term, up to six fully electric ships are to be deployed on the canal, which would then be the largest electric ferries in the world.

Due to the relatively short distance between the United Kingdom and mainland Europe, the routes on the Channel are ideal for electric ferry traffic. The English Channel is one of the busiest shipping corridors in the world. It connects two of the world’s largest economies and accounts for 33% of trade between the EU and the UK.

The environmentally friendly conversion of maritime transport on the English Channel does not only depend on the ships at sea. A sufficient power supply on land and an infrastructure for charging batteries in the ports are just as important for completing the electrification of the fleet.

Shipping companies and governments will have to work closely together to enable environmentally friendly ferry traffic.

7 First draft for new canal ferries

Let’s stay with DFDS for a moment.

[11] DFDS has commissioned the Australian shipbuilding company Incat to carry out a design study for a hybrid electric ferry to be used on services to the islands in the English Channel. This is of particular interest in view of the upcoming tender for future ferry services to the islands, should DFDS be able to win this.

[12] The planned 72-meter-long Ferry, which can optionally be converted to all-electric operation, is suitable for a number of ferry routes throughout Europe, Incat said in a press release.

[11] The design study will examine various characteristics such as passenger and freight capacity, propulsion, layout of the passenger areas and other aspects. In terms of propulsion, DFDS will probably focus on a hybrid solution until sufficient charging infrastructure is available in the relevant ports.

The tender for ferry services to the Channel Islands has not yet been published, although it was expected in April. In January, the Governments of Guernsey and Jersey announced that they were seeking expressions of interest for ferry companies to provide ferry services to the islands. The current operator is Condor Ferries. Condor Ferries has an agreement with Jersey and a Memorandum of Understanding with Guernsey to provide ferry services until 2025.

Condor Ferries has a shareholder in Brittany Ferries, and the CEO of Brittany Ferries, Christophe Mathieu, is also the interim CEO of Condor Ferries. Last year, the ro-ro ship FINLANDIA SEAWAYS berthed in Saint Peter Port on Guernsey and Saint Helier on Jersey on a trial basis. In April, the BARFLEUR from Brittany Ferries made similar calls.

It remains to be seen whether DFDS wins the tender at all. Otherwise, it may well be that the design study remains what it is: a study.
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8 Launch for GLEN ROSA

[13] After years of delay, the GLEN ROSA [14], the last of two new sister ships for Caledonian MacBrayne, has been christened and launched. Like her sister ship GLEN SANNOX, the new 102-meter GLEN ROSA, which can run on both marine diesel and LNG, was built at the Ferguson Marine shipyard in Port Glasgow, Scotland.

[15] It is to serve the route between Ardrossan on the west coast of Scotland and Brodick on the Isle of Arran.

[14] The GLEN ROSA is designed to carry 127 cars, 16 trucks and up to 852 passengers. She is scheduled for delivery to CalMac in 2025. In contrast to her sister ship, [16] which was launched in 2017, [14] at around 3,000 tons she is significantly heavier than her sister ship GLEN SANNOX was when it was launched and set a new record for the shipyard in terms of stacking weight.

9 Africa Morocco Link sold

[17] Stena Line has acquired 49% of the shares in Africa Morocco Link. Africa Morocco Link, or AML for short, is a Moroccan ferry shipping company based in Tangier and operates on the route between Tangier Med in Morocco and Algeciras in Spain.

[18] The shipping company, which most recently belonged to the Attica Group, will be setting up another route this summer between Morocco and Spain, more precisely between Tangier Ville and Tarifa, in the form of a high-speed connection. The MOROCCO EXPRESS 1 and the HSC CALDERA VISTA chartered by Sea Jets will be used for this.

[17] According to Niclas Mårtensson, CEO of Stena Line, the acquisition of shares in Africa Morocco Link should make Stena Line more resilient. He expects freight volumes between Morocco and Spain to increase further in the future due to positive economic growth and international trade.

10 EXPRESS SKIATHOS sold

[19] The EXPRESS SKIATHOS was sold by the Attica Group for a total price of EUR 9 million to 4Naver Shipholding Ltd, a company registered in Cyprus and owned by Seajets.

[20] The EXPRESS SKIATHOS, which entered service in 1996 as the SUPERCAT HAROULA, was last in service for Hellenic Seaways [21] on the Volos – Skiathos – Glossa – Skopelos – Alonissos route [20] and, with its length of 77m, has a capacity for 1410 passengers and 250 cars. Her special catamaran design is striking.

11 Ferry-guide.com and FährNews intensify cooperation

Finally, a message on our own behalf: As you will have noticed, we have a sponsor on board for the first time in this issue. Ferry-guide.com and FährNews have been working together for almost a year now, in that our scripts can be read as news articles on ferry-guide.com. In return, we mention ferry-guide.com promotions in our videos from time to time. Now the partnership goes one step further. In the future, ferry-guide.com will act as a sponsor. On the one hand, this will take the form of the top topics presented by Faehren.net, and on the other hand, short advertising blocks will refer to the booking option of Ferries at Faehren.net. In turn, FährNews will publish individual news articles on ferry-guide.com during the course of the month. In this way, you can find out about new developments in the ferry sector even before the monthly issue of FährNews Aktuell is published.

For you as a viewer, however, the quality and scope of the reporting here at FährNews will not change. As usual, you will receive all the information about new ferries, changes to routes or innovations in ferry ports here once a month. In between, there are always other exciting videos on ships or special technologies alternating with FährNews Aktuell.

So it’s best to subscribe directly to the channel to be informed immediately when there is a new video from FährNews.

But that’s it for the April issue of FährNews Aktuell in 2024. Did you like the issue? Then please leave a Like. If you have any other comments or requests, please write us a comment. We look forward to your feedback!

If you haven’t had enough FährNews yet, we can recommend the latest issue of FährNews Aktuell. Among other things, it dealt with the sale of the URD, the departure of the EUROPALINK from the Baltic Sea and the dissolution of Tirrenia. Have fun and see you soon!

Sources

• [1] “30.04.2024 Afgifter fører til salg af hurtigfærge”, MOLSLINJEN. Accessed: May 2, 2024 [Online]. Available at: https://www.molslinjen.dk/kontakt/presse/pressemeddelelser/30042024-afgifter-foerer-til-salg-af-hurtigfaerge
• [2] “Polferries’ VARSOVIA left the yard for sea trials”, Shippax. Accessed April 30, 2024 [Online]. Available at: https://www.shippax.com/en/news/polferries-varsovia-left-the-yard-for-sea-trials.aspx
• [3] “M/S VARSOVIA (2024)”. Accessed: April 30, 2024 [Online]. Available at: https://www.faktaomfartyg.se/varsovia_2024.htm
• [4] “Finnlines has set sail from Malmö on its new route to Świnoujście”, Finnlines. Accessed: April 30, 2024 [Online]. Available at: https://www.finnlines.com/news-and-press-releases/finnlines-has-set-sail-from-malmo-on-its-new-route-to-swinoujscie/
• [5] “M/S STENA BRITANNICA (2000)”. Accessed April 30, 2024 [Online]. Available at: https://www.faktaomfartyg.se/stena_britannica_2000.htm
• [6] “08.04.2024 Alslinjens elfærge søsat”, MOLSLINJEN. Accessed: May 2, 2024 [Online]. Available at: https://www.molslinjen.dk/kontakt/presse/pressemeddelelser/08042024-alslinjens-elfaerge-soesat
• [7] “The worlds two largest hydrogen fueled ships to be built in Norway”, The Norwegian Ship Design Company. Accessed: May 2, 2024 [Online]. Available at: https://www.norwegianshipdesign.no/archive/p1906contractsigning-bbj3r
• [8] “Torghatten Nord chooses Norwegian technology for the world’s first large-scale hydrogen-ferry project. – SEAM”. Accessed: May 2, 2024 [Online]. Available at: https://www.seam.no/insights/torghatten-nord-chooses-norwegian-technology-for-large-scale-hydrogen-ferry-project
• [9] “PowerCell signs agreement for deliveries to Norwegian state ferries valued at EUR 19.2 million – PowerCell Group”, Powercellgroup. Accessed: May 2, 2024 [Online]. Available at: https://powercellgroup.com/press-releases/powercell-signs-agreement-for-deliveries-to-norwegian-state-ferries-valued-at-eur-19-2-million/
• [10] “DFDS to deploy fleet of battery electric vessels on the English Channel”, Shippax. Accessed: May 2, 2024 [Online]. Available at: https://www.shippax.com/en/news/dfds-to-deploy-fleet-of-battery-electric-vessels-on-the-english-channel.aspx
• [11] sandra, “The future of the Channel Islands ferry services might look different”, Ferry Shipping News. Accessed: May 2, 2024 [Online]. Available at: https://ferryshippingnews.com/the-future-of-the-channel-islands-ferry-services-might-look-different/
• [12] Joel, “Incat to Commence Design Study for New Electric-Hybrid Ferry in Partnership with DFDS”, INCAT. Accessed: May 2, 2024 [Online]. Available at: https://incat.com.au/incat-to-commence-design-study-for-new-electric-hybrid-ferry-in-partnership-with-dfds/
• [13] “Delivery delay confirmed for CalMac Glen Sannox ferry”. Accessed: May 1, 2024 [Online]. Available at: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c4n1ejjge68o
• [14] “GLEN ROSA launched and officially named | Shippax”. Accessed: May 1, 2024 [Online]. Available at: https://www.shippax.com/en/news/glen-rosa-launched-and-officially-named.aspx
• [15] “MV Glen Rosa”, Wikipedia. April 13, 2024 Accessed: May 1, 2024 [Online]. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=MV_Glen_Rosa&oldid=1218698949
• [16] “Glen Sannox”, Wikipedia. April 7, 2024 Accessed: May 1, 2024 [Online]. Available at: https://de.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Glen_Sannox&oldid=243847513
• [17] “Stena Line acquires shares in Africa Morocco Link and expands outside Europe”, News Powered by Cision. Accessed: May 2, 2024 [Online]. Available at: https://news.cision.com/de/stena-line-deutschland/r/stena-line-erwirbt-anteile-an-africa-morocco-link-und-expandiert-ausserhalb-von-europa,c3947047
• [18] sandra, “AML with two highspeed crafts on the Spain-Morocco routes”, Ferry Shipping News. Accessed: May 2, 2024 [Online]. Available at: https://ferryshippingnews.com/aml-with-two-highspeed-crafts-on-the-spain-morocco-routes/
• [19] “Attica Group sells EXPRESS SKIATHOS to Seajets”, Shippax. Accessed: May 2, 2024 [Online]. Available at: https://www.shippax.com/en/news/attica-group-sells-express-skiathos-to-cyprus-based-4naver-shipholding-ltd.aspx
• [20] “M/S HAROULA (1996)”. Accessed May 2, 2024 [Online]. Available at: http://www.faktaomfartyg.se/haroula_1996.htm
• [21] W. Voyage, “F/B Express Skiathos – Hellenic Seaways & Online Ferry Tickets”, Ferries.gr – Paleologos SA. Accessed: May 2, 2024 [Online]. Available at: https://www.ferries.gr/de/ferry-companies/hellenic-seaways/fleet/expressskiathos/

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