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Latest Ferry NewsThe latest ferry news for September 2006 is below:Snag delays new Grandi Navi Veloci serviceDate: 28 Sep 2006Source: Lloyds List Genoa based ferry operator Grandi Navi Veloci has postponed the launch of its much-trumpeted new service linking Genoa, Barcelona and Tangier. The company cited "scarcely comprehensible" delays in securing approval for the routing from the Moroccan authorities as a reason. In a sternly worded statement, GNV headed by venerable shipping magnate Aldo Grimaldi said "everything is ready, but the new line cannot yet set sail." The delay comes at a delicate time for GNV, with rival Moby announcing plans to go head-to-head with it on the already competitive Genoa-Porto Torres route and speculation mounting that private equity fund Permira is close to selling its 80% stake in the company to one of several suitors. GNV said the Tangier project, announced a month ago after a year of study and included in the Marco Polo programme, "has not yet received the assent of Morocco’s ministry of transport." Though the ministry had authorised the direct link between Genoa and Tangier, it had not yet sanctioned the call in Barcelona, the company said, "this despite official visits from GNV representatives, the interest of the Italian embassy in Rabat, and the positive response to the project of the Italian and Spanish transport ministries." GNV described it as “scarcely comprehensible that Morocco should not accord Italian shipowners the same accomodations accorded Moroccan shipowners by the Italian authorities, in the spirit of the bilateral accord signed by the two countries in Rabat in 1982." Arguing that both Italy and Spain put their infrastructure, ports and services at Morocco’s disposal in order to promote the exchange of passengers and trade, GNV also pointedly expressed the hope that the problem could be solved "quickly, positively and peacefully." Grandi Navi Veloci planned to launch the new weekly service from September 30, utilising the 28,000-gt Victory on the new route, with capacity for 1,200 passengers, 1,800 linear metres of vehicle space, and a cruising speed of 23 knots. Ferries halt passenger declineDate: 27 Sep 2006Source: Fairplay Ferry companies have halted a five-year period of decline prompted by no-frills airline competition, new figures show. More than 24 million passenger journeys were taken in the year to the end of August between UK ports and the Continent, Ireland and British islands - the same level as 2005, according to the Passenger Shipping Association. The industry body for cruise and ferry companies expects more than 35 million passenger journeys will be made in 2006, matching last year's levels PSA director Bill Gibbons said: "The growth of no-frills airlines has meant fewer people travelling by sea in the past five years but the industry has responded to this by investing heavily. "In the past five years ferry companies have spent more than a thousand million pounds building new cruise-style ships and we do believe we are now firmly set for a revival in ferry travel as people look to the sea as a refreshing alternative to flying." Journeys from Dover - the main cross channel port - were up by more than six per cent to the end of August and three per cent up in the month. Car bookings to Ireland in August showed a 2.6% increase on the same month last year. SpeedFerries looking for partner to explore new routesDate: 21 Sep 2006Source: Lloyds List Cross Channel low-cost ferry pioneer SpeedFerries is considering a joint venture with another shipping company with the aim of taking its low-cost ferry model on to other routes. Founder and chief executive Curt Stavis told Lloyd’s List the company was preparing a £10m ($18.9m) capital investment programme with the banks on its own account but was also in contact with other shipping companies and ferry operators that had expressed an interest in investing in the company. He declined to say who the company’s potential partners were, indicating only that it was in contact with three identified parties, including ferry operators on other routes and shipping companies interested in breaking into the ferry sector as well as other as yet unidentified parties. “It is open, and my guess is there will be five to 10 interested parties within a month,” he said. He stressed that the company was not in difficulty, saying that it was on target to reach break-even this year for the first time since its launch in May, 2004. The objective was to try to accelerate the company’s development through an association with a strong partner. He indicated that if a partnership were agreed it would need to be so before the end of the year, but insisted: “There is a 50% probability that we will go on without co-operation.” Mr Stavis said the company could envisage giving up a 51% majority stake to a partner which shared its “mentality”, but not more than 49% otherwise. Whatever the case, SpeedFerries would not be sold for a knock-down price and was perfectly well able to continue activity on its own account. It was a “friends and family” company, he said, referring to SpeedFerries’ existing capital structure, and could continue as such. The disadvantage to doing so was that existing shareholders would not be able to finance a more ambitious development programme which would allow the company to take its business model on to other routes as it had always hoped to do. “The interest being shown is based on SpeedFerries being pretty attractive at the moment,” he said. “We are not selling SpeedFerries cheap.” The company is set to increase its attractiveness through the introduction of a long-awaited second catamaran on its service between Dover and Boulogne- sur-Mer. Mr Stavis said that it would bring its new vessel, Speed Two, into service early next year and, following an overhaul of its existing Speed One, would be running a two-vessel service from Easter next year. He said that it had completed the fully financed acquisition of a 91 m Incat catamaran with capacity for 200 cars, 20 more than the 86 m Speed One. “This is exactly the kind of boat we have been looking for,” he said. He was not at liberty to reveal the identity of the vessel or its existing owner immediately but indicated that it was one of only four of its type on the market. These are the Max Molsoperated by Mols-Linien of Denmark, the Incat 046 operated by Canadian company Bay Ferries, the Master Catof Norway-Denmark operator Master Ferries and P&O Irish Sea’s Express. The company expects to announce its plans formally in “a few weeks” but, meanwhile, is in talks with the port of Dover about berthing facilities for its future enlarged operation. It is at present operating from the port’s eastern docks with other Dover Strait operators but says that a switch to the western docks, formerly used by Hoverspeed, is a possibility. DFDS Seaways Ferries to Bergen, Stavanger and Haugesund now bookable onlineDate: 20 Sep 2006Source: Directferries.co.uk Following on from a previous news posting, the DFDS Seaways run services from Newcastle to Bergen, Stavanger and Haugesund are now available to book online for sailings from 14th November onwards. For more information and booking, please click on the following links: Newcastle to Bergen Newcastle to Haugesund Newcastle to Stavanger Magnificent 7 Mini Cruises are here!Date: 18 Sep 2006Source: Directferries.co.uk Our Magnificent 7 Mini Cruise service for short breaks to some of the most attractive and historic cities on the Continent is now live and online! The magnificent 7 Mini Cruise service features the Mini Cruise breaks of leading ferry operators P&O Ferries (Bilbao, Bruges and Rotterdam), DFDS Seaways (Gothenburg and Amsterdam), Brittany Ferries (Santander) and AT Ferries (Bilbao). The luxury cruise ferries provide comfortable en-suite cabin accommodation for overnight return Mini Cruises to with up to a day ashore to sample culture, shopping and local cuisine. The modern ships offer excellent à la carte and buffet restaurants, bars and live entertainment, some have casinos, cinemas and swimming pools. Fares start from just £66 per person* including a cabin and local transfers where applicable. A Magnificent 7 Mini Cruise is the ideal way to enjoy an autumn or Spring break without breaking the bank. For a small supplement on some routes you can even take the car and stock up with shopping treats, wine, beer, spirits and local delicacies. For a full list of destinations, prices, and itineraries please visit our Mini Cruises section. *Conditions apply, see Mini Cruise page for details. Moby Lines strengthens Sardinia presenceDate: 18 Sep 2006Source: Fairplay Italian ferry operator Moby has acquired five-ship operator Lloyd Sardegna for a rumoured euro50M ($63M). The vessels trade under the Linea dei Golfi banner and link Leghorn/Piombino with the Sardinian ports of Olbia and Cagliari. Lloyd Sardegna was set up in the 1970s by the Marsano family but came fully into Carlo Andrea Marsano?s hands when he acquired his brothers 50% stake for euro25M in 1996. Moby currently operates 15 ferries connecting Genoa, Leghorn, Piombino and Civitavecchia with Sardinia, Corsica and Elba. The line already has a 35% share of the Sardinia service. Last week it emerged that Moby had agreed to purchase DFDS 22,500-gt/1,500-passenger-capacity Princess of Scandinavia. The ship is a sister to the former Prince of Scandinavia, which was bought by Moby two years ago and now trades as Moby Drea on the Leghorn-Olbia run. Moby has rejected speculation that the new vessel will be placed onto the Naples-Olbia or Cagliari service, but suggested it could run on the highly-competitive Genoa-Porto Torres (northwest Sardinia) service, going head-to-head with Grimaldi/Grandi Navi Veloci's Excelsior and Splendid and Tirenia's Bithia and Janas. The Prince of Scandinavia was deployed by DFDS between Newcastle, Kristiansand and Gothenburg. Newcastle to Kristiansand - Gothenburg final sailingsDate: 13 Sep 2006Source: Directferries.co.uk The final DFDS Seaways sailings between Newcastle and Kristiansand/Gothenburg will be 30th October 2006, with the final sailing to the UK on 29th October 2006. This follows the recent announcement of DFDS Seaways acquisition of Fjord Line’s m.s. Fjord Norway. Although this has resulted in the closure of DFDS Seaways Newcastle to Kristiansand/Gothenburg ferry services, DFDS Seaways is continuing to operate the Fjord Line route from Newcastle to Stavanger, Haugesund and Bergen. The design and concepts onboard will follow the successful format recently introduced across the route network and the intention is to increase the number of sailings to Norway across the year. The new DFDS run services are expected to commence in November. Sailing schedules and opportunity to book tickets will be available shortly. To book a ferry crossing before the route closure, please visit our Newcastle to Kristiansand or Newcastle to Gothenburg ferry pages. For other services please visit our Ferries to Sweden or Ferries to Norway pages. Corsica Ferries buys Phoenix ExpressDate: 12 Sep 2006Source: Lloyds List French ferry operator Corsica Ferries has again added to its conventional ferry capacity through the acquisition of the 1993-built Phoenix Express from Japanese operator JRTT. The company said that the vessel, which has capacity for 1,800 passengers and 600 vehicles and a service speed of 26 knots, is comparable to the Spirit of Tasmania III, which it acquired last month from Australia’s TT Lines for €65m ($82.5m). The vessel, to be renamed Mega Express V, is due to be delivered at the end of this month and brought into service early next year after refitting for its new role. Corsica Ferries said the vessel has not been allocated to a particular line but its acquisition, like that of the Spirit of Tasmania III, was partly to support the company’s bid for the subsidised public service ferry concession between the island of Corsica and the French mainland and partly for the general development of its fleet. The spokesman added that it was likely that the company would shortly add another vessel to its fleet, which currently numbers 13 vessels. The result of the call for tenders for the Corsica ferry concession, which is due to come into effect for five years from January 1, is due to be announced by the Corsican transport office at the end of next month. Corsica Ferries, currently leader on the French Corsican ferry market, claims to have increased its share of the passenger market from 53.4% to 54.73% and the French and Italian Corsican ferry markets combined from 56.62% to 56.96% during the three months ended August 31. It said it has carried 75,000 more passengers during the period to take its Corsica passenger total to 1.26m. Its passenger total overall reached a record 1.9m. To book Ferries to Corsica or Sardinia, please visit our Corsica Ferries page. Grandi Navi Veloci makes Moroccan movesDate: 11 Sep 2006Source: Lloyds List Italy's Grimaldi group is launching a new ro-ro service between Italy and Morocco via Spain at the end of the month. Grandi Navi Veloci, the group's cruise-ferry division, has won EU funding under the Marco Polo programme for the Genoa - Barcelona - Tangiers service. Initially the route will be operated weekly, with departures from Genoa every Saturday evening and from Tangiers every Tuesday morning. It will remove about 60,000 vehicles from the road every year, Grimaldi said, and could be about 50% cheaper than all-land services. Anek lines targets $127m share offeringDate: 8 Sep 2006Source: Lloyds List Crete based ferry operator Anek Lines has notified the Athens Stock Exchange that it plans to raise E100m ($127m) in a share capital increase. Management will seek the support of shareholders for the move at a stockholders’ meeting to be held “within the next two months”, Anek chief executive Ioannis Vardinoyiannis told Lloyd’s List. The company, which currently owns and operates a fleet of 10 ro-ro passenger ferries in the Aegean and the Adriatic, has not raised equity on the stock market for more than five years, partly due to a long depressed spell endured by the Greek bourse. Mr Vardonoyiannis said that if the plan is approved the new capital will be for “growth” in the shipping field, but he said he would not offer further details of plans until next week at the earliest. The funds “will not just be for cash flow or general purposes”, however, he said. Anek has just reported a 17.6% increase in revenues to E102.8m during the first half of 2006. But it managed to reduce group losses only slightly – to E6.7m compared with E6.9m in the first half of 2005. Freight focus for tunnel talksDate: 7 Sep 2006Source: Fairplay Managers of Eurotunnel are locked in talks to reach agreement on freight train subsidies. The issue needs to be resolved by the end of November if freight trains are to continuing passing through the tunnel between France and the UK. The current level of governmental support is £52M a year, or £13,000 for each of the 4,000 freight trains. EWS, the leading UK freight train operator, has been in meetings with the UK’s Department for Transport and Eurotunnel to try and negotiate “a viable rate” for freight transits after November. An EWS spokesman stated that “such a rate we estimate to be around £300 per train. There is a big opportunity to grow the current 1.5M tonnes a year freight to some 8M tonnes by 2010.” EWS says such a rate is competitive with ferries, short-sea shipping and trucks. It is understood that ferry operators are closely watching this situation in the hope that they might have a chance to take traffic from Eurotunnel. Eurotunnel is also attempting to sort out debt of £6.3Bn. Norway - UK ferry rationalisationDate: 7 Sep 2006Source: Fairplay A rationalisation of ferry services between the UK and Norway is taking place in a two-pronged action involving DFDS and Fjord Line. For an undisclosed sum, DFDS has purchased Fjord Line’s 31,356-gt, 1986-built Fjord Norway, which operates on the Bergen/Haugesund/Stavanger-Newcastle route. The 298 crew of the ship have been laid off as part of the deal and DFDS will in future operate this route. For its part, DFDS is closing its Newcastle-Kristiansand/Gothenburg from late October, having sold its Princess of Scandinavia earlier this year. DFDS will take over the Fjord Norway on 15 October and it will commence service after a refurbishment and renaming. The company says it intends to increase the number of sailings during the year from the current one a week in winter and two in summer. This change will leave Fjord Line to its Bergen/Haugesund/Stavanger-Hanstholm (Denmark) service. DFDS Seaways boosts capacity on UK Norway servicesDate: 6 Sep 2006Source: DFDS Seaways DFDS Seaways, the leading cruise ferry operator to Scandinavia and Northern Europe, has acquired Fjord Line’s m.s. Fjord Norway and will continue to operate the service between Newcastle and Western Norway. The acquisition, which has been made for an undisclosed sum, will see DFDS Seaways continuing to operate the Fjord Line route from Newcastle to Stavanger, Haugesund and Bergen, and follows DFDS’ commercial strategy of acquiring attractive tonnage and routes as they become available. DFDS Seaways will take over the ship from 15 October and following a refurbishment and naming ceremony in Bergen during early November, will commence service. The design and concepts onboard will follow the successful format recently introduced across the route network. The intention is to increase the number of sailings across the year. The company has sold its ship m.s. Princess of Scandinavia and will be closing its existing Newcastle-Kristiansand-Gothenburg route from late October/November this year. These developments mean that DFDS Seaways volumes going out of the UK and coming in from Norway will grow significantly with increased focus on motoring holidays and year round short breaks. Søren Jespersen, Chief Operating Officer for DFDS A/S, based in Copenhagen, states: “We are confident that passengers and freight on both sides of the North Sea will experience a large and increasing market potential. We have the vital competence that is required in order to develop operations with improved profit margins on this long established route. “The route is expected to attract considerable numbers of passengers from both Britain and Scandinavia. Research shows that Norway is the most attractive Scandinavian country for UK tourists, and the UK provides a year-round destination for sporting, cultural, entertainment and shopping attractions. “The closure of our Gothenburg route will mean we do not have a direct passenger route to Sweden, but we will be continuing to encourage passengers to travel to Sweden via our Newcastle-Stavanger or Harwich-Esbjerg routes.” Fjord Norway to be sold - UK - Norway services strengthenedDate: 6 Sep 2006Source: Fjord Line M S Fjord Norway, operated by Fjord Line, is being sold to the Danish Company, DFDS Seaways. They will operate the traditional route between England and Western Norway with an extended schedule. Fjord Line has for a long time worked on making the company more effective and reduce costs. As part of this work it has been decided to sell Fjord Norway to DFDS Seaways, who, with this ship, will continue to operate the route. Fjord Line is satisfied, that by the sale to DFDS, the 125 year old tradition with the route between Western Norway and Newcastle will continue. In today’s strained market Fjord Line has not got the economical capacity and possibility to continue the activity. With DFDS as a new company in Western Norway, the area will gain a strong and well known operator, and at the same time, ensure that the competition in the Norwegian market continues. This will always be to the customer’s advantage, says Peter Frølich, Director of the Board in Fjord Line. After the sale to DFDS, Fjord Line will act as an agent for the company for their operations in the West of Norway. This includes reservations and services for the arrivals and departures. Due to the sale of Fjord Norway, Fjord Line will no longer have employment for the 248 crew working on board the vessel nor for the shore based staff in Newcastle. Fjord Line are sincerely sorry that they have to end the employment of such highly qualified and loyal co-workers. In today’s employment market they are an attractive workforce, and the company will assist in making contact with other shipping and travel companies. For the employees ashore it has already been announced that a reduction of 20 labour years will have to be enforced, and this is going ahead as planned. DFDS Seaways will take over Fjord Norway on 16th October 2006. After upgrading the ship they will extend to 2 weekly sailings in Winter and 3 weekly sailings in the Summer. This will commence the beginning of November 2006. Fjord Line Managing Director, Ove Solem, has at his own request left the company. He has taken an active part in the reconstruction of Fjord Line and the preparation of this alternative. He will however be available for a period for Fjord Line business whenever the company may need assistance. Director and Terminal Manager, Odd Erik Hovde, will from today be acting as Managing Director of Fjord Line. Tallink transfers flag to neighbourDate: 4 Sep 2006Source: Fairplay The apparent failure of the Estonian government to agree support measures for the country’s shipping industry have resulted in the Tallink ferry Regina Baltica being transferred from Estonian to Latvian flag, in the view of finance minister Edgar Savisaar. In a Baltic Times report, Savisaar’s ministry has twice put forward proposals for subsidy support but on both occasions the plans were rejected by the government. He believes that Tallink changed the flag of the vessel, which runs between Riga and Stockholm, to benefit from incentives provided by the Latvians under their regulations. Tallink indicated that Latvia’s laws “were more favourable and economically more advantageous for shipping.” The ferry operator claims it will save euro130,000 ($166M) by operating under the Latvian flag. Grimaldi adds to Finnlines stakeDate: 1 Sep 2006Source: Lloyds List Grimaldi Group supremo Emanuele Grimaldi has increased his company’s stake in Finnlines to more than 35%, vowing at the same time that this would be his last acquisition of shares in the Finnish shortsea specialist on the public market. Mr Grimaldi said his latest purchase of an additional 4.9% of Finnlines takes his total stake to 35.4% or 14.4m shares. He has paid €217m ($278m) in the process for an average price per share of € 15.07. He said this would be his last public share purchase, however, noting that under stock exchange and European Union rules he now has a three-year grace period in which to launch a public tender offer for the remaining shares. He added that, as of now, it is likely that Naples-based Grimaldi will go ahead with a public offering for the remaining shares. “With the shareholding we have now, I don’t think our position is challengeable,” he said. “Now we have three years in which to analyse the company and the state of the market and decide whether or not to make a public offering. If I continued buying shares, it would only make it more difficult to go back.” Grimaldi described its growing participation in Finnlines as “based on a project of industrial co-operation, commercial development and strategic alliance.” It said the companies have “similar features and the co-operation between them will generate new logistics opportunities for their international clientele, linking Moscow with New York, Helsinki with Rio de Janeiro, Riga with Rome, always with a single bill of lading and consequently with one carrier responsible for the carriage of goods.” Mr Grimaldi added that Finnlines “has made some important strategic decisions over recent years. The five ships it has ordered are perhaps the best in the Baltic. Operationally it is doing well, but it must do better financially. “We now have a lot of time to see what can be done, with management, to improve results.” The expansion of Grimaldi’s stake in Finnlines comes at a time when consolidation in this crowded market is, finally, proceeding apace. |
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