FährNews Aktuell – Issue September 2024

SKÅNE JET ceases operations, STENA VISION ends its mission and much more. | FährNews Current

Hello and welcome to the September 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:

• SKÅNE JET ceases operations – the final end of the former royal line?
• FUTURA on the home straight – when the new zero-emission building is expected to go into service
• And: – why Stena Line is withdrawing Ferry from the Ireland route

The top topics of the September issue of FährNews Aktuell were presented by ferry-guide.com, the simple online booking platform for your ferry crossing. FährNews is also looking for reinforcements. Find out how you can become part of the crew in the course of the video. But now let’s get started with this issue of FährNews Aktuell.

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

1 New Finnlines connection started

[1] Finnlines has added an additional stop in Rostock to its successful service between the Finnish ports of Turku and Uusikaupunki and Travemünde in Germany. The route is served by the FINNPULP: it departs from Travemünde at 13:00 on Sundays and from Rostock at 23:00 before arriving in Turku at 9:00 on Tuesdays and in Uusikaupunki in western Finland at 18:00. The return journey is on Fridays at 10:00 a.m. from Uusikaupunki, at 8:00 p.m. from Turku, with arrival in Travemünde on Sunday at 7:00 a.m. and in Rostock at 5:00 p.m. The first departure to the new schedule took place at the end of August. This gives Rostock’s overseas port its third fixed connection to Finland after the routes to Helsinki and Turku, which are also operated by Finnlines.

2 SKÅNE JET ceases operations

[2] The shipping company FRS Baltic will cease operations on the route between Sassnitz-Mukran on the island of Rügen and Trelleborg in southern Sweden on October 2, 2024. The fast ferry SKÅNE JET, which operates on the route and offers space for 670 passengers and 200 cars, is now to be sold. The SKÅNE JET connected Rügen with southern Sweden in two and a half hours. The company’s 60 employees are to be offered new jobs at other locations or in other areas of the shipping company.

[3] If you are affected by the discontinuation of the route, your trip booked between October 3 and November 3 will now be canceled. You will be refunded the full amount of the canceled trip. For alternative connections, we recommend you take a look at the route planner of our partner ferry-guide.com. For example, you could use the route Rostock-Trelleborg or Travemünde-Malmö.

[2] The reason for the discontinuation of ferry operations on the former Königslinie was a massive increase in operating costs, which could not have been passed on to the ticket prices. In addition to significantly higher fuel costs, the shipping company also cites increased CO2 and fairway dues in the port of Sassnitz as the reason for the cost increase.

Since September 2020, FRS Baltic has operated the fast ferry connection between Rügen and southern Sweden. The Sassnitz-Mukran ferry port regrets the loss of the connection, which has been an important link for the region and Baltic Sea traffic for many years, according to a port spokesperson. The port still sees great potential for the connection between Rügen and southern Sweden.

3 FUTURA on the home straight

[4] The construction of Scandlines ‘s first zero-emission Ferry, the FUTURA, is entering its final phase. The ship, which is being built at the Cemre shipyard in Turkey, was recently in a floating dock for two weeks, where it underwent extensive work. This included cleaning and painting the hull and fitting the forward thruster. The aft thruster, which has been in the water since November 2023, was also overhauled. These thrusters propel the ship underwater and are part of the innovative propulsion system.

The new Ferry was launched again after docking and is currently at the outfitting quay. The final system tests are now being carried out here before the ship undertakes a sea trial. During this test, all systems will be put through their paces together with the Danish Maritime Authority and Lloyd’s Register.

A special feature of the FUTURA is its innovative propulsion system. Thanks to this and the use of silicone paint on the hull, the Ferry is designed to glide through the water in a particularly energy-efficient manner.

From 2025, the ship’s powerful battery system will be able to be recharged in just 12 minutes in the ports of Puttgarden and Rødby. The Ferry will operate without direct emissions on the route across the Fehmarnbelt and is an important step towards Scandlines ‘s goal of ensuring ferry traffic without direct emissions on the Fehmarnbelt by 2030.

After completing the sea trials, the FUTURA will call at its home port of Rødbyhavn, where it will be prepared for regular operations. Some of the new crew will already be on board during the long transfer voyage. The ship will be officially christened at a ceremony in 2024 and will transport up to 66 cargo units and 140 passengers from 2025. With this investment of 80 million euros, Scandlines wants to send a strong signal for sustainable maritime transport.

4 New terminal opened in Gothenburg

[5] The Swedish port of Gothenburg has inaugurated a new 144,000 square meter port terminal. This is the largest expansion of the port in 40 years and will increase capacity to meet the increasing freight volumes of Swedish industry.

The new terminal, Arendal 2, was built over the past six years and cost around 66 million US dollars. It is part of the Port of Gothenburg’s strategy to concentrate its terminal operations in the outer port area, further away from the city center.

The expansion in Arendal is in line with the planned relocation of Stena Line ‘s operations from the city center to the outer port area. Parts of the new terminal will be used by Stena Line, and there are plans for a future ferry terminal at this location. Arendal 2 has also been developed to support Stena Line ‘s plans to gradually introduce new sustainable fuels in its fleet. This will require additional infrastructure and well-functioning supply chains, which Arendal 2 can help with.

If you would like to travel with Stena Line from Kiel to Gothenburg, for example, or return from there, 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, 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.

The port of Gothenburg is the largest port in Scandinavia. Around 20 % of Sweden’s foreign trade and over 50 % of all container traffic is handled in the Port of Gothenburg. The port handles energy products, vehicles, ro-ro units, containers and passengers. 22,000 people are employed at the port.

5 STENA VISION withdrawn from Ireland route

[6] Stena Line has announced that it will be withdrawing the STENA VISION from the route between Rosslare in Ireland and Cherbourg in France from October 27, 2024. With the STENA HORIZON, Stena Line will continue to operate the route three times a week in each direction, enabling the transportation of both freight and passengers. Additional ships will be deployed to support the service when freight and passenger demand increases.

It is currently not known what the future holds for the STENA VISION, which entered service in 1987. Stena Line is currently reviewing options for use on another route.

[7] With a length of 175 meters, the STENA VISION offers space for 1700 passengers and 1628 loading meters of space for cargo and cars.

6 GNV POLARIS set sail for testing

[8] The first ship in the series of four newbuildings for Grandi Navi Veloci, GNV for short, the GNV POLARIS, has left the Guangzhou shipyard in China and started sea trials. The GNV POLARIS is 218 meters long, has a capacity for 1,500 passengers in 303 cabins and offers 3,100 lane meters of space for cargo and cars. The ship will connect Valencia on the Spanish mainland with Palma de Mallorca on the Balearic island of Majorca.

[9] The handover to GNV is scheduled to take place before the end of the year.

[8] The following three ships are to be structurally similar, but will have differences, especially the last two newbuildings, which will also be able to run on LNG.

7 MOBY CORSE sold

[10] Moby is pushing ahead with its fleet renewal plan with the sale of the ageing RoPaxFerry MOBY CORSE. Sources familiar with the matter told Ferry Shipping News that the Onorato family-controlled company recently signed a letter of intent to sell the 1978-built vessel to a Croatian-owned company.

It is expected that the ship will be chartered to a third company, possibly Nouris Elbahr Ferries, which could deploy the ship on a regular route between Spain and Algeria. However, this information has not yet been confirmed.

The sale price is estimated at less than 8 million euros.

Built by the Danish company Aalborg Værft A/S and delivered in 1978, the MOBY CORSE was purchased by Vincenzo Onorato in 2009 for around 7 million euros to enter the Corsican market on the Toulon-Bastia route. The Ferry is 153 meters long and can carry 400 cars and 1,120 passengers.

8 Update on Attica Group ferry operations

[11] Since September 12, 2024, the ASTERION II of ANEK Lines has been operating on the Piraeus – Heraklion route again, after having operated between Piraeus, Samos and the Dodecanese archipelago as well as between Piraeus, Chios and Mytilene since June 3, 2024. The ASTERION II replaces the ARIADNE from Superfast Ferries, which is now back in service in the Adriatic.

In addition, the fast ferry HSC HELLENIC HIGHSPEED returned to Piraeus on September 10 after completing its summer charter in the western Mediterranean. The ship had last been on charter for Africa Morocco Link since the end of June to strengthen the Algeciras – Tangier Med route between Spain and Morocco.

9 FährNews is looking for reinforcement

We at FährNews are looking for an additional editor for our videos as soon as possible. If you already have experience in video editing, that would be great. But even if you are new to the subject, we are sure to find a good solution for you. You can test yourself within the framework of our guidelines and gain new knowledge and experience. Although we cannot pay you a salary, you will be given early access to all new developments in ferry shipping, you can actively participate in the development of this channel and, if you wish, you can also contribute your own topics, work on them and produce corresponding videos.

Have we piqued your interest? If so, please send us an email to bewerbung@faehrnews.de, briefly describing your background and experience in video editing and, if available, attaching some references in the form of videos you have edited. We look forward to getting to know you!

But that’s it for the September 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!

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 delivery of the VARSOVIA and the changes to the newbuildings for GNV. Have fun and see you soon!

Sources

• [1] “Re-arranging service Germany – West Finland”, Finnlines. Accessed September 24, 2024 [Online]. Available at: https://www.finnlines.com/news-and-press-releases/re-arranging-service-germany-west-finland/
• [2] NDR, “After four years: Ferry connection between Rügen and Sweden to be discontinued”. Accessed: September 26, 2024 [Online]. Available at: https://www.ndr.de/nachrichten/mecklenburg-vorpommern/Ruegen-Faehre-von-Mukran-nach-Trelleborg-wird-eingestellt,koenigslinie120.html
• [3] C. Ferry, “FRS Baltic discontinues Ferry Sassnitz – Trelleborg ››› ferry-guide.com”, ferry-guide.com. Accessed: September 26, 2024 [Online]. Available at: https://ferry-guide.com/news/frs-baltic-stellstellt-faehrverbindung-zwischen-sassnitz-und-trelleborg-ein/
• [4] “The construction of the emission-free Ferry from Scandlines’ enters the final phase | Scandlines”. Accessed September 24, 2024 [Online]. Available at: https://www.mynewsdesk.com/de/scandlines/pressreleases/der-bau-der-emissionsfreien-ferry-of-scandlines-goes-into-the-last-phase-3337678
• [5] “The Largest Port Expansion in 40 Years Opens at the Port of Gothenburg”, Mynewsdesk. Accessed September 24, 2024 [Online]. Available at: https://goteborgs-hamn-com.mynewsdesk.com/pressreleases/the-largest-port-expansion-in-40-years-opens-at-the-port-of-gothenburg-3339457
• [6] “Change to our Rosslare-Cherbourg service. – Stena Line Freight”. Accessed September 24, 2024 [Online]. Available at: https://stenalinefreight.com/news/change-to-our-rosslare-cherbourg-service/
• [7] “M/S STENA GERMANICA (1987)”. Accessed September 24, 2024 [Online]. Available at: https://www.faktaomfartyg.se/stena_germanica_1987.htm
• [8] “GNV POLARIS out on sea trials (UPDATED WITH VIDEO)”, Shippax. Accessed September 24, 2024 [Online]. Available at: https://www.shippax.com/en/news/gnv-polaris-out-on-sea-trials.aspx
• [9] sandra, “IMAGE CARDS week 36-2024”, Ferry Shipping News. Accessed September 24, 2024 [Online]. Available at: https://ferryshippingnews.com/image-cards-week-36-2024/
• [10] sandra, “MOBY CORSE sold and expected to be deployed on the Spain – Algeria routes”, Ferry Shipping News. Accessed: September 25, 2024 [Online]. Available at: https://ferryshippingnews.com/moby-corse-sold-and-expected-to-be-deployed-on-the-spain-algeria-routes/
• [11] sandra, “IMAGE CARDS week 37-2024”, Ferry Shipping News. Accessed September 24, 2024 [Online]. Available at: https://ferryshippingnews.com/image-cards-week-37-2024/

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