MADELINE ISLAND FERRY LINE

Minoan Flying Dolphins Acquires Five Used Ferries

Minoan Flying Dolphins, a subsidiary of Minoan Lines, has five used ferries to service routes linking the port of Piraeus with islands in the Saronic Gulf. The ferries are F/B Nefeli, F/B Georgios, F/B Saronikos, F/B Eftyhia and F/B Express Danae. The five ferries transport about 800,000 passengers and 100,000 cars. The cost of the transaction was not disclosed. Minoan Lines plans to list Minoan Flying Dolphins on the Athens bourse in 2000.

Miller Boat Contract to Great Lakes Group

Great Lakes Shipyard, a division of The Great Lakes Group, has been awarded a contract by Miller Boat Line, Put-in-Bay, Ohio, to fabricate and install a new 40-ft mid-body extension in the passenger/vehicle ferry Put-in-Bay.   The contract was awarded on August 17, 2009, and all work is underway at Great Lakes Shipyard's state-of-the-art facilities on the South Bank of the Old River Channel, on Cleveland's Cuyahoga River. The project is slated for completion by year end.  

Flender Werft Books Three More Contracts

Three shipbuilding contracts exceeding 400 million DM became effective last week at Lübeck, Germany based Flender Werft. The contracts include a RoRo passenger ferry for Smyril Line of the Faroe Islands, which will be built in accordance with the plans and documents of Flensburger Schiffbau-Gesellschaft. In addition, a pair of 3,600-TEU containerships will be built for Hamburg-based shipowner Claus-Peter Offen. These newbuildings will be initiated directly following the Superfast Ferries

Flender Werft Books Three More Contracts

Three shipbuilding contracts exceeding 400 million DM became effective last week at Lübeck, Germany based Flender Werft. The contracts include a RoRo passenger ferry for Smyril Line of the Faroe Islands, which will be built in accordance with the plans and documents of Flensburger Schiffbau-Gesellschaft. In addition, a pair of 3,600-TEU containerships will be built for Hamburg-based shipowner Claus-Peter Offen. These newbuildings will be initiated directly following the Superfast Ferries

Greek Ministry Lifts Ban On 61 Ferries

The Greek Merchant Marine Ministry has lifted a ban on 61 passenger ferries ordered into port for failing to meet safety requirements after the sinking of the Express Samina last month, Reuters reported. The ferries, confined to harbor since October 1, completed security refitting mainly involving fire safety. Sixty-five ferries were initially banned from sailing until they met the safety requirements. A total of 47 island ferries

Gladding-Hearn Delivers New Ferry for Fire Island, NY

Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding, Duclos Corporation, has delivered a new high-speed ferry to Fire Island Ferries, Inc., on the south shore of Long Island in New York.  The new 387-passenger, all-aluminum, mono-hull ferry is a further refinement of a vessel design concept optimized by Fire Island Ferries since the early 1970s to operate on the 20-minute crossing on the shallow Great South Bay. With an emphasis on economy, efficiency, and quick turn-around

New Irish Fast Ferry Using Caterpillar Engines

A new 272-passenger high-speed monohull ferry, for Island Ferries of Galway, Ireland, has been delviered, and is currently making 10-nautical-mile commuter and tourist crossings between Galway and Aran Island. Draiocht Na Farriage (Magic of the Sea), a 123-ft. aluminum vessel, was designed and built by WaveMaster International, Henderson, West Australia. The design incorporates a substantial keel, fine entry lines and steep deadrise

Another Greek Ferry Runs Into Trouble

A Greek ferry with 1,081 passengers aboard ran aground as it was about to dock in an Aegean island port early on Friday but there were no injuries, the merchant marine ministry said. The incident in Naxos port occurred less than three days after another ferry with the same owner hit rocks and sank off a nearby island, Paros, killing at least 65 people - Greece's worst maritime tragedy since the mid-1960s. A merchant marine spokesman said the Express Artemis, a vehicle and passenger ferry

Greek Ferries: The New Business Model

The ultra competitive Greek ferry market has not only proven to be a fertile breeding ground for advanced marine technology, it has served as a role model for the direction of shipping services in both the region and the world. The Greek market has provided the collective builders and suppliers of advanced fast and conventional ferries a rich environment for business over the past few months, a trend that seems likely to continue

Ferry Experts and Legislators to Discuss Steel Electric Ferries

Washington State Ferries will hold meetings regarding the status of the Steel Electric class vessels and Port Townsend/Keystone ferry service. Legislators and staff from affected ferry communities, Secretary of Transportation Paula Hammond and Washington State Ferries Executive Director Mike Anderson will review current ferry status and discuss future vessel and service options. John Boylston, Naval Architect, Legislative Joint Transportation Committee consultants and WSF engineers will