North Sea Ferries

Aker Finnyards Delivers Largest Vessel In Bore Fleet

Aker Finnyards' most recent newbuild, the 11,000-dwt RoRo carrier for the Dutch company, Bore Sky BV, was christened as Norsky by Mrs. Marianne Barnabo, spouse of Mr. John Steele, non Executive Board member of P&O SN Co. The vessel, which was delivered by Aker to Bore Sky before the ceremony, will begin regular service between Continental Europe and the U.K. on the route Zeebrugge - Teesport, operated by British P&O North Sea Ferries. Designed for transporting trailers, trucks and containers, Norsky provides fast loading and unloading and is equipped with two stern ramps.

UK Ferries Among Least Safe In Europe, Survey Finds

A safety survey has found that three of the four worst performing ferries in Europe sail from British ports. The survey of 26 ferries by European motoring organizations gave the lowest rating to P&O European Ferries' "Pride of Rathlin", which sails from Cairnryan in Scotland to Larne in Northern Ireland. P&O Portsmouth's "Pride of Hampshire", which connects Portsmouth and Cherbourg, and SeaFrance's "SeaFrance Monet", which sails from Dover to Calais

AKER FINNYARDS

Based in Rauma, Aker Finnyards recent history is indicative of the changes, which continue to sweep the Finnish maritime scene. Finnyards is owned 100 percent by Norwegian interests, part of Aker Yards, an international shipbuilding group comprising Aker Finnyards together with a German and two Norwegian shipyard groups. Aker Yards is owned by Aker RGI. Aker Finnyards' main activities are construction of specialized ships, vessels for oil and gas production and heavy offshore structures

Seatruck supports Mersey shiprepair

Heysham-based Seatruck Ferries has drydocked its freight ferry MV Moondance with newly formed North Western Ship Repairers, using Birkenhead's Bidston dock. The dock is not far from the Camell Lairds facility, and North Western is led by John Syvret (ex-MD of Camell Lairds. Seatruck is the first company to use North West for a full drydocking. Kevin Hobbs MD of Seatruck, says, "We are delighted that North Western has stepped in to offer the quality service that we require

Transas Chosen for Ferry Newbuilds

Transas signed a contract with Uljanik shipyard, Croatia, to equip four ferry new buildings with its onboard navigation systems. The contract will be implemented before the 2006 and the first ferry is scheduled for commissioning at the beginning of 2005. Each ferry will be fitted out with GMDSS equipment, ARPA/Radar system, Automatic Identification System, autopilot, gyro- and magnetic compasses, log, echo sounder, Global Positioning System (GPS) and Ship Security Alert System (SSAS).

Damen, Doeksen Environmentally Friendly Ferry

Damen has been tasked with developing the first environmentally friendly ferry design for the Dutch shipping company Rederij Doeksen. Based in Harlingen, Rederij Doeksen operates passenger and car ferries between Harlingen and the Dutch Wadden islands of Vlieland and Terschelling. This will be the first time Gorinchem-based Damen has specifically designed a ferry aiming at a sustainable solution and this is the first ferry of this type for Doeksen.

State Unveils Future for Ferries

Washington State Ferries officials presented their idea of what the future holds for the Kingston ferry terminal. Ridership on the Kingston-Edmonds route is expected to increase by 70 percent in the next 25 years. Although vehicles will play a role in that increase, passenger-only service will likely see an even greater boost, the North Kitsap Herald reported. A third boat will be added to the Kingston-Edmonds route in the summer of 2010 and year-round in 2012

B.C. to replace 3 Ferries

The B.C. Treasury Board on March 22 approved an agreement that will allow the long-awaited purchase of replacements for the vessels on northern routes. The Treasury Board meeting was previously scheduled, and it was a coincidence that it was on the day that the passenger ferry struck a rock and sank off the north coast of the province. The terms of the agreement, under which the province will pay increased service fees to B.C. Ferries, have not been made public

Interferry: low-sulphur timetable ‘mission impossible’

Trade association Interferry says that ferry operators in northern Europe face a near-impossible choice in trying to meet the 2015 deadline for ultra-low sulphur emissions from bunker fuel.   The association also warns that the low-sulphur legislation will prompt an environmentally damaging modal shift from short-sea to overland transport and pose severe financial implications for the overall European economy. Under pending IMO and soon to be agreed European Union (EU) environmental

North Island Princess Undergoes Modifications

The MV Nimpkish will be brought on to the Texada – Westview route today as the temporary replacement vessel while BC Ferries’ North Island Princess undergoes modifications to its propulsion control system. The North Island Princess, which has recently been fitted with new engines and a new propulsion control system, suffered an engine stall and a hard docking at Westview terminal on Sunday, Nov. 2. Detroit Diesel Allison, the manufacturer and installer of the new engines inspected the