Interferry newsletter
EU Boasts that Passengers will have Better Rights on Ferries than Planes
Ferry passengers will have better rights than airline passengers, the European Parliament boasted as it approved a wide-ranging European Union regulation due to come into force in 2012. Maritime passengers will be compensated when sailings are delayed, not only when they are cancelled, Parliament pointed out. “Boat passengers (sic) will have more rights than currently stipulated under EU law for air passengers, as in the latter case there is no compensation for flight delays (only for cancellations)” the Parliament said after the bill was approved in the Strasbourg plenary. Compensation will kick in following a departure delay of 90 minutes or more unless the delay is caused by bad weather or other factors beyond the operator’s control.
Bangladesh Ferry Sinks
Divers searching a river in Bangladesh found seven dead bodies on Tuesday, two days after a packed ferry hit a barge and sank near the capital Dhaka, police said. Police inspector Fazlul Haq said nine more people were still missing after the ferry, which was overloaded with about 80 passengers, collided with a sand barge in the Shitalakkhya river on Sunday night. "The divers have found seven dead bodies. We don't think the missing persons have survived," Haq said, adding the search would continue. Police initially put 11 people in the list of missing but raised the number to 16 based on information from relatives.
New Ferries – Northern Europe
Denmark
Hamburg-based Sietas Werft will construct two new ferries for the Danish domestic Spodsbjerg-Tårs route, when the Nordic Ferry Services simultaneously signs a traffic contract for the route to be extended until 2018. It was originally intended to build the ferries in Greece following the prototype Kanhave, however, Nordic Ferries decided differently due to serious delays with the prototype. The two new ferries will have a capacity of 600 passengers and 120 cars. The Sietas contract is reported to be worth DKK 150 mill (EUR 20.1 mill) per ship. The yard has just completed and delivered on time its first ferry in several years, the German domestic ferry Uthlande for Wyker Dampfschiffs.
Sen. John McCain Pushes to Repeal Jones Act
“Today I am pleased to introduce legislation that would fully repeal the Jones Act, a 1920s law that hinders free trade and favors labor unions over consumers. Specifically, the Jones Act requires that all goods shipped between waterborne ports of the United States be carried by vessels built in the United States and owned and operated by Americans. This restriction only serves to raise shipping costs, thereby making U.S. farmers less competitive and increasing costs for American consumers.
“This was highlighted by a 1999 U.S. International Trade Commission economic study, which suggested that a repeal of the Jones Act would lower shipping costs by approximately 22 percent. Also, a 2002 economic study from the same Commission found that repealing the Jones Act would have an annual positive welfare effect of $656 million on the overall U.S. economy. These statistics demonstrate that a repeal of the Jones Act could prove to be a true stimulus to our economy in the midst of such difficult economic times.
Change at New York Water Taxi
Helena Durst was named president of New York Water Taxi, the nine-year-old firm that her real estate mogul father, Douglas Durst, owns. She succeeds Water Taxi's founder, Tom Fox, who remains an adviser to the firm. The timing of her appointment, Ms. Durst said, has to do with her father “taking a step back from the Durst Organization and giving me more responsibility. It is a generational switch.” Ms. Durst is 33. In July, Mr. Durst plans to step down as co-president of the Durst Organization.
Among Ms. Durst's first initiatives is forging a relationship with German international ferry operation Forde Reederei Seetouristik that would allow the New York-based company to expand. She plans to increase New York Water Taxi's commuter service, currently limited to the East River. The ferry routes connect parts of Queens and Brooklyn to Manhattan. New York Water Taxi's fleet includes ten yellow Water Taxis, a luxury yacht called Zephyr and a speedboat thrill ride called the Shark. The company also operates three waterfront beaches at South Street Seaport, Long Island City and Governors Island.
Ferry Operators' Fury over Dover Snub
Dover Strait ferry operators have launched a stinging attack on Dover Harbour Board (DHB) in a row over privatisation plans. Norfolkline, SeaFrance and P&O hit out DHB’s consolations with them over plans to privatise the port, describing them as a “meaningless waste of time” that had not made “one iota of difference”.
DHB launched a consultation process after it announced plans to privatise in January. In March, the three operators criticised DHB for misleading them over the reasons behind hikes in port charges over the last three years and plans to increase charges by 33%, compared to 2009, by 2012. DHB said it needed to increase prices to raise funds for a new terminal because its trust port status meant it could not borrow the money from other sources. However, the operators said they later found out that funds raised by price hikes, which came to around £60 million (US$88.6 million), would be spent on DHB’s pension fund deficit to smooth the path to privatisation. They also said they had learnt that there would be no obligation to develop the terminal under the terms of privatisation.