FährNews Aktuell – Issue May 2025

PolSca Ferries founded, sale of Naviera Armas imminent and much more. | FährNews Current

Hello and welcome to the May issue of FährNews Aktuell in 2025. The top topics of this episode are presented by ferry-guide.com, where you can easily book Ferries online:

• PolSca Ferries founded – what the Polish joint venture is up to
• AURORA BOTNIA receives the world’s largest battery – how many megawatt hours the Ferry will bring across the Baltic Sea in future
• And: Sale of Naviera Armas imminent – who the interested parties are

The top topics of the May issue of FährNews Aktuell were presented by ferry-guide.com, the easy online booking platform for your ferry crossing. But here we go with this issue of FährNews Aktuell.

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

1 PolSca Ferries founded

[1] A new joint venture between the three leading Polish shipping companies behind the Polferries and Unity Line brands is set to strengthen ferry traffic between Poland and Scandinavia in the future and promote Poland’s maritime sector. Under the brand name PolSca Baltic Ferries, Unity Line and Polferries will in future operate jointly on the existing route network between Poland and Sweden with a fleet of ten ships, formed from the current ship fleets of both brands. In addition, the three newbuildings currently under construction at the Remontowa shipyard for Unity Line and Polferries will complement the jointly managed fleet.

[2] The first of the three approx. 196m long newbuildings, the JANTAR UNITY, is to be delivered this year.

[3] According to current information, it will also be put into service under the new colors and logo of PolSca Baltic Ferries.

[1] The new brand, which is to be based in Świnoujście as a public limited company, also promises new routes and destinations, as well as increased efficiency, flexibility and improved service. All three shipping companies involved are to benefit from PolSca Baltic Ferries as equal shareholders.

[2] The name PolSca is a deliberate play on words and is made up of the words Polska and Scandinavia and is intended to emphasize the connection between Poland and Scandinavia, while at the same time underlining the Polish identity of the brand. The establishment of PolSca Baltic Ferries is also part of an ongoing investment programme by the Polish government in the modernization and expansion of Polish shipping. Arkadiusz Marchewka, Polish State Secretary at the Ministry of Infrastructure, announces: “The goal is clear: to give Polish shipping real influence on the Baltic market. The Baltic Sea will be Polish.”

2 AURORA BOTNIA receives the world’s largest battery

[4] The Finnish shipping company Wasaline will equip its hybrid ferry AURORA BOTNIA with a new battery system. The previous capacity of 2.2 MWh will be increased to 12.6 MWh, making it the largest battery unit ever installed on board a ship. This means that Wasaline is also overtaking Brittany Ferries, whose newbuilds SAINT-MALO and GUILLAUME DE NORMANDIE are both equipped with 12 MWh.

The supplier of the new lithium iron phosphate batteries is the company AYK Energy. The new plant is scheduled to go into operation in January 2026.

Wasaline expects the expansion to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by a further 23%. The shipping company is already saving around 77% of emissions per crossing compared to its operations with its predecessor, the WASA EXPRESS, and therefore already meets the EU climate targets for 2030.

The AURORA BOTNIA, built in 2021, was designed for sustainability from the outset: Dual-fuel engines, electrically powered azimuth thrusters and the use of LNG and biogas are part of the basic equipment. The new battery is also set to replace around 10,000 MWh of fossil energy per year.

Wasaline is pursuing the goal of making operations on the Vaasa-Umeå route completely climate-neutral by 2030 and sees the expansion of battery capacity as a central step on this path.

If you would like to experience the AURORA BOTNIA on the Umeå-Vaasa route for yourself, then book your ticket for the Ferry with our partner ferry-guide.com. Here you can also see all the alternative crossing options directly when you make your booking, should a departure not fit into your schedule, for example. 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 or at the end of this video in the endcard.

3 Sale of Naviera Armas imminent

[5] As part of the ongoing sales process for the Spanish shipping company Naviera Armas, the two Spanish shipping companies Baleària and Boluda Corporación Marítima have submitted non-binding offers. The sales negotiations are being conducted by several investment funds that took control of Naviera Armas following a debt restructuring.

Baleària is aiming to acquire two key business areas: the ferry connections between the Spanish mainland and the Canary Islands and the Alboran routes in the western Mediterranean. An expansion to the strategically important Strait of Gibraltar is also being considered.

Boluda is pursuing a different concept: together with Canary Islands investors, the aim is to focus on and strengthen intra-Canary Islands sea connections.

In addition, the Spanish press reports that DFDS is showing interest in parts of Naviera Armas’ route network – particularly the routes through the Strait of Gibraltar. Also Stena Line and MSC are also mentioned as possible interested parties, albeit in a less concrete context.

The enterprise value of Naviera Armas is currently estimated at around 200 million euros. The former Balearic Islands division, known as Trasmediterránea, was sold to the Grimaldi Group back in 2021 and has been trading as Grimaldi Trasmed ever since.

There are also the following newsflashes this month:

4 Fleet growth for Molslinjen this summer

[6] The new, electrically powered double-ended ferry NERTHUS is currently on its way from Cemre Shipyard in Turkey to Denmark to be deployed by Molslinjen between Ballen on Samsø and Kalundborg on Zealand from June 16, 2025. This means that the Ferry will be deployed on Samsølinjen this summer, although it was actually built for Alslinjen. A total of two Ferries of this type are to be built for the Molslinjen brands Als- and Samsølinjen. However, there were delays due to earthquakes in Turkey and a fluctuating local economic situation. However, the first of the two innovative newbuilds, the NERTHUS, is now on its way to Denmark. While it will be powered by diesel on the delivery voyage thanks to a secondary drive system, its deployment in Denmark will be fully electric thanks to specially installed charging stations at the jetties and batteries installed on board. The 117m long Ferry offers space for 600 passengers and approx. 188 cars, and is also equipped with autonomous systems for the crossing and docking procedures.

5 Different fates for two Moby veterans

[7] The ferry company Moby Lines, managed by Vincenzo Onorato, recently disposed of two old German-built ships: MOBY ZAZA and MOBY DREA.

The MOBY ZAZA, now flying the flag of the San Marino Ship Registry, has been sold to an Asia-based operator and will serve as a floating hotel in the Ferries. The new technical manager is Venture Ship Management Europe, part of the Hong Kong-based Wah Kwong Group.

The 40-year-old RoPax ship was built in 1982 by the A.G. Weser Seebeck shipyard and offers space for 1,500 passengers and over 1,500 loading meters.

The MOBY DREA, on the other hand, is destined for scrapping. The ship has been delivered to its new owner and is on its way to a shipbreaking yard in Aliağa, Turkey. Built in 1975 at Flenderwerke in Germany, the ship offers space for 1,700 passengers and has almost 1,000 loading meters.

6 SUPERSTAR IIs deployed in the Eastern Aegean

[8] Seajets will deploy the SUPERSTAR II, the former COLOR VIKING, on the Piraeus-Mykonos-Ikaria-Samos route in the 2025 summer season. The service will be extended to Kalymnos via Patmos and Leros twice a week. The service will start on June 14 and, according to Seajets’ plans, will run until October 30, 2025.

The SUPERSTAR II was purchased at the end of November 2022 by Color Line and delivered to Seajets in February 2023.

7 ARIADNE on a new route

[9] The Attica Group expects to deploy the ARIADNE instead of the NISSOS RODOS on the Piraeus-Chios-Mytilene route in the 2025 summer season. The ship is expected to enter service at the end of May and will offer passengers additional cabin capacity during the high season. Attica will also introduce a new Saturday sailing on this route.

The ARIADNE will be replaced on the Patras-Ancona route by the completely renovated SUPERFAST IV.

But that’s it for the May issue of FährNews Aktuell in 2025. 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!

To book your ferry crossing, you can now click on the link to ferry-guide.com. Otherwise, feel free to subscribe! If you haven’t had enough FährNews yet, we can recommend the last issue of FährNews Aktuell. Among other things, it dealt with the procurement of nine new Ferries for Grimaldi and the return of the SUPERFAST IX to Tallink Grupp’s service. Enjoy and see you soon!

Sources

• [1] “POLSCA Baltic Ferries – English”. Accessed: May 27, 2025 [Online]. Available at: https://polsca.com/
• [2] “The ferry site”. Accessed May 27, 2025 [Online]. Available at: https://www.ferry-site.dk/ferry.php?id=9989895&lang=en
• [3] “PolSca Baltic Ferries mixes up Baltic Sea traffic”. Accessed: May 27, 2025 [Online]. Available at: https://www.thb.info/rubriken/faehrschifffahrt/detail/news/polsca-baltic-ferries-mischt-ostsee-verkehr-auf.html
• [4] “Aurora Botnia to receive the largest marine battery installation to date”, Shippax. Accessed: May 27, 2025 [Online]. Available at: https://www.shippax.com/en/news/aurora-botnia-to-receive-the-largest-marine-battery-installation-to-date.aspx
• [5] sandra, “Baleària and Boluda Submit Bids for Naviera Armas”, Ferry Shipping News. Accessed May 29, 2025 [Online]. Available at: https://ferryshippingnews.com/balearia-and-boluda-submit-bids-for-naviera-armas/
• [6] “Cemre Shipyard Delivers NERTHUS, First of Two New Electric Ferries for Molslinjen”, Shippax. Accessed: May 29, 2025 [Online]. Available at: https://www.shippax.com/en/news/cemre-shipyard-delivers-nerthus-first-of-two-new-electric-ferries-for-molslinjen.aspx
• [7] sandra, “Two ‘Made-in-Germany’ Ferries Find Very Different Fates”, Ferry Shipping News. Accessed: May 29, 2025 [Online]. Available at: https://ferryshippingnews.com/two-made-in-germany-ferries-find-very-different-fates/
• [8] “SUPERSTAR II on the Piraeus – Eastern Aegean Run”, Ferry Shipping News. Accessed: May 29, 2025 [Online]. Available at: https://ferryshippingnews.com/superstar-ii-on-the-piraeus-eastern-aegean-run-for-the-2025-summer-season/
• [9] sandra, “ARIADNE Reassigned to the North Aegean Route”, Ferry Shipping News. Accessed: May 29, 2025 [Online]. Available at: https://ferryshippingnews.com/ariadne-reassigned-to-the-north-aegean-route/

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