Industry News
P&O Ferries to scrap Spanish Service
Jan 15, 2010
From Lloyd’s List
P&O Ferries has decided to scrap its unprofitable Portsmouth-Bilbao route at the end of September this year, when the charter of ro-ro Pride of Bilbao expires. Chief executive Helen Deeble said: “We have examined every option very carefully and have been trying for more than three years to find a suitable replacement ship in order to continue the service profitably. Pride of Bilbao has served us well but is now an old ship nearing the end of her commercial life and needs to be replaced. However, we have reached the sad conclusion that such a replacement vessel is not currently available and as this loss-making route is unable to fund the cost of a new purpose-built ship we have no alternative other than to close it.”
Pride of Bilbao is owned by Irish Continental Group ferry division Irish Ferries. The vessel was built in 1986 at the Wärtsilä shipyard in Turku, Finland for Rederi AB Slite, under the original name Olympia. A major refit took place in 2002.
Denmark-Sweden Service Closes
Jan 8, 2010
From ShipPax Information
Despite all efforts to save ACE Link and its passenger vessels between Helsingborg - Helsingör, no more could be done. The company is now in bankruptcy and sailings will cease. The new yacht like vessels SIMARA ACE and SILUNA ACE on top of a rate of exchange between the Swedish and Danish krona was simply too much; the border traffic across Öresund could no longer prosper. Only commuters were left to the new Polish-built vessels, which more than anything had cruise style amenities - for passengers not requiring such service. ACE Link is owned by A C Eitzen. It previously operated as Sundsbusserne, then owned by another Norwegian shipping family, Moltzau. That leaves the market to the two car ferry operators, Scandlines and H-H Ferries.
New Ferry Safety Laws for Philippines
Jan 7, 2010
From Lloyd’s List
Tougher regulations are being planned by the Philippines government following two ferry accidents that are believed to have killed approximately 85 people at Christmas. The measures include the installation of global positioning system equipment onboard vessels and the introduction of new standards for passenger life jackets.
In addition, a presidential order is being drafted that would require graduates from the Philippine Merchant Marine Academy to spend two years working onboard domestic vessels before working abroad. It was hoped this would improve the number of qualified and experienced staff working onboard the Philippines domestic fleet.
Moves are still under way to create a National Maritime Authority that would become “the sole authority to regulate the maritime industry of the country”.
Ferry Sinks in India
Jan 4, 2010
From Straits Times
At least 18 people died after an overcrowded ferry capsized in a river in the eastern Indian state of West Bengal. The small vessel, with 38 passengers on board, sank on Sunday while crossing the Runarayan river in Kolaghat, about 50 kilometres southwest of the state capital Kolkata. 'The ferry was overcrowded and leaking, and it overturned in the middle of the river,' said the West Bengal police inspector general. ‘The vessel hit a bridge before it capsized’, he added.
A Second Deadly Accident in Philippines
Dec 27, 2009
From Inquirer.Net
The MV Baleno 9 sank near Calapan City, the second sea tragedy in less than three days in the Philippines . At least six people were confirmed dead while 36 others were missing. Sixty-nine passengers had been rescued as of late yesterday afternoon. Baleno 9 was carrying at least 88 people. The 199-ton vessel, which had a maximum passenger capacity of 284, carried nine motor vehicles at the time of the sinking, including a 10-wheel truck, a six-wheel truck, four cargo jeeps and a car. Transportation Secretary Leandro Mendoza ordered the suspension of the operations of Besta Shipping Lines, which has five roll on, roll off vessels serving Oriental Mindoro and Batangas routes.
Ed. Note: Ferry safety in developing countries is still a depressing story. 2009 has seen over 1,100 fatalities. Although this was below the recent average of about 1,300 deaths per year, the accidents are still happening in familiar territory. Indonesia reported five fatal accidents, Bangladesh four, Philippines four, while Nepal, Vietnam, Haiti, Tonga, Sierre Leone, China and Myanmar reported one each.
Ferry Accident in Philippines
Dec 24, 2009
From BBC News
Four people have died and another 23 are missing after a ferry collided with a fishing boat in the Philippines. The 13m wooden-hulled passenger Catalyn B and the boat were carrying at least 73 people between them when they collided in Manila Bay in the early hours. The cause of the collision is not clear as there were no reports of poor weather conditions. Overloading was not thought to be an issue because the Catalyn B was carrying 73 passengers and crew while it was authorised to carry 128 people. The incident came as thousands of people in the Philippines travelled home for the Christmas period.
Bay Ferries Cancels Nova Scotia-Maine Service
Dec 19, 2009
From CBC News
Bay Ferries Ltd. announced Friday that it is ending the Canada-US seasonal service because it didn't get extra funding from the provincial government for the 2010 season. Mark MacDonald, president and CEO of Bay Ferries, called it "very sad news," but said he understood the province's position given the tough economic times. "It's an inherently difficult service in that it operates only about 4½ months a year [and has] expensive assets," he said. The company wanted at least $6 million to keep the Cat ferry going between Yarmouth and Bar Harbor and Portland, sources said. The Nova Scotia government has put $18.9 million into the ferry service since the fall of 2007.
The ferry run between Yarmouth and Maine began in 1997. The Cat, a high speed INCAT catamaran which can carry 900 passengers and 240 vehicles, has run every day in the summer, and five days a week in the spring and fall shoulder seasons. Traffic has plummeted since the early years, MacDonald said, citing a number of factors such as a high Canadian dollar, new U.S. passport rules and high fuel costs.
SeaFrance Recovery Plan
Dec 18, 2009
From Lloyd's List
The majority union at French ferry operator SeaFrance has reluctantly accepted a financial recovery plan involving close to 500 redundancies among the 1,580-strong workforce, bringing to an end a 10-month stalemate over the plan between management and unions. The CFDT, which was the only union not to have accepted the plan, decided to drop its opposition despite a split vote on the plan in the employee referendum. Employees voted 562-560 in favour of accepting the plan. The union’s acceptance of the recovery plan should open the way to a recapitalisation of the heavily loss-making company by its owner, French national rail company SNCF.
Brittany Ferries Buys Superfast V
Dec 17, 2009
From Lloyd's List
Greece’s Attica Group has sold its ro-pax ferry Superfast V to French ferry operator Brittany Ferries for €81.5m ($116.7m). Delivery of the vessel, which is operating on Superfast Ferries’ service between Patras and Ancona in the Adriatic Sea, is due in February 2010. Industry sources said that Brittany was contemplating using the eight-year-old ro-pax to boost its growing services between the UK and the Spanish port of Santander.
Superfast V was built at German yard HDW in Kiel in 2001 for a contract price of about $112m. It can accommodate 1,595 passengers and has garage capacity for 200 private cars and 140 trucks in combination. The vessel has a speed of 28.9 knots.
The majority of the original fleet of 12 Superfast ferries built for Attica in the late 1990s and early 2000s have now been sold but Attica, now controlled by Marfin Investment Group, has begun reinvesting in the fleet with the recent acquisition of two passenger-freight ferry newbuildings from the Grimaldi Group of Genoa.
DFDS Snaps Up Norfolkline
Dec 17, 2009
From Lloyd’s List
AP Moller-Maersk is selling its European ro-pax ferry subsidiary Norfolkline to DFDS in a €347m ($496.3m) share and cash deal that sees Maersk take a 31% strategic stake in the Baltic and North Sea ferry operator. Talks between the two Copenhagen-based groups has been underway for more than six months, and the new venture will create a pro forma €1.5bn turnover ferry business stretching from Russia to Ireland, with 6,200 employees and a fleet of 73 vessels, half of which are owned.