Ferry Travel News

Findings from a survey suggesting that ferries are poised to lead post-pandemic travel demand will underline an upbeat agenda when global trade association Interferry stages its 45th annual conference in October.Taking place in Santander, Spain, the latest edition of the ferry community’s longest-established conference is themed The Future is Ferries – marking it as a showcase for positive solutions and prospects in response to COVID-19, climate change and other major challenges.The survey results will feature in a presentation by London-based transport and logistics specialist L.E.K.

The head of global trade association Interferry reflects on the unprecedented challenges of 2020 and those ahead—but makes a case for cautious optimism.What a difference a year makes…In this column last January, I was hailing the worldwide ferry industry’s exceptional growth in 2019—marked by soaring tourist traffic and a host of newbuild orders—and eagerly anticipating further advances in 2020. None of us could have known that within a matter of weeks, all expectations were to…

Shipbuilder Austal said its Austal Australia arm has delivered a new high-speed trimaran ferry to JR Kyushu Jet Ferry at a ceremony held at the company’s shipyard in Henderson, Western Australia.The 83-meter Queen Beetle is the first of its kind to be delivered to Japan and has been custom-designed to provide an enhanced passenger ferry service between Fukuoka, Japan and Busan, South Korea, Austal said.Speaking at the delivery ceremony, Austal Chief Executive Officer David Singleton…

The Worldwide Ferry Safety Association (WFSA) said it is adding new requirements for its 8th Annual International Student Design Competition for a Safe Affordable Ferry, in an action reflecting the unprecedented developments of 2020. This year, students have been tasked with designing a RoPax ferry for the Amazon River, between Manaus and Tefé, some 200 miles further inland.Due to the widespread impacts of COVID-19, the Worldwide Ferry Safety Association is asking registered and…

The next generation of ferry travel went into service Monday as Stena Line reaffirmed its commitment to freight and travel operations on the Irish Sea.Stena Edda, the biggest ferry ever to sail on the Belfast to Liverpool route, embarked on its maiden voyage on Monday evening as it left Merseyside.With 40% more deck capacity, 40% more cabins and 30% more fuel efficiency than current vessels on the route, Edda accommodates up to 1,000 passengers, 120 cars in its dedicated garage deck and 3…

Stena Line's latest RoPax ferry sailed into Belfast Harbor on Wednesday, undertaking final trials before it welcomes passengers on the Belfast to Liverpool route in the coming weeks.Welcomed by a flotilla of boats, the Chinese-built Stena Edda arrived at dawn after a four-week voyage and more than six years’ in planning and construction, including design development in Sweden.The new vessel took part in successful berthing trials at Belfast Harbor's VT2 Terminal. A new access ramp has been specially built to accommodate the multimillion-dollar ferry in Belfast.With 40% more deck capacity…

So many cities are built on rivers for obvious reasons of transport up and down but also as ports for foreign trade. But not all of a port city’s trade is up and down the river. People and vehicles must also cross the river. Bridges are great and most cities have one or more, but they are expensive and they lack flexibility.In Kuching, Sarawak this cross-river traffic created the niche for a ferry. Located on the broad, flat, estuary lands of the Sarawak River the city’s single bridge is some kilometers up from the sea.

The number of cars taken by ferry has increased from 8.6 million in 2015 to nearly 8.8 million in 2016, a 1.7% increase. This is the fourth successive year of growth according to the annual results of the ferry industry. 2016 Ferrystat figures released today by Discover Ferries, the industry body for ferry operators, reports that growth for car travel by sea is up by 473,000 in the past four years; up from just 8.3 million car crossings by sea in 2012. Discover Ferries member ferry operators include Brittany Ferries, Caledonian MacBrayne, Condor Ferries, DFDS, Irish Ferries, Isle of Man Steam Packet Company, Isles of Scilly Steamship Group, Northlink, P&O Ferries, Red Funnel, StenaLine and Wightlink.

Despite of some of the lowest fuel prices experienced in the last eight years, demand for ferry construction is at a seemingly all time high. The focus on building new ferries kicked off in early 2013 and the sustained interest is the continued result of an unleashing of pent up demand. Fleets have been aging and infrastructure needs to be built up in order to accommodate the future demand for commuter ferry travel once fuel prices return to and surpass their once familiar norms.

Friday’s preseason game against the Denver Broncos marks the start of football fans’ ferry travel season. To manage the influx of people, Washington State Ferries will provide additional ferry sailings leaving Bremerton at 10:15 p.m. and leaving Seattle at 11:30 p.m. Each home game, thousands of fans take ferries on their way to CenturyLink Field. The 12th Man isn’t alone in making for busy ferries this weekend: Hempfest and a Sounders game will also to add to rider counts. Join WSF and the U.S. Coast Guard at Colman Dock Thursday, Aug. 13, to learn how they ensure fans and commuters get where they are going safely and on time during large events. When:     2 :30–3 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 13. Where:    Information booth inside the Colman Dock terminal building in downtown Seattle.

DFDS Seaways was named “Europe’s Leading Ferry Operator” at the European leg of the 2013 World Travel Awards in Antalya, Turkey, the seventh consecutive year that the ferry company has been recognised for its outstanding service at the World Travel Awards. The 2013 World Travel Awards are recognised worldwide as the ‘Oscars’ of the travel industry and the premier industry awards programme, with the winners decided by votes from travel industry professionals and consumers. The cruise and passenger ferry firm fought off competition from rival firms Brittany Ferries, Color Line and P&O Ferries.

Student teams from seven maritime universities have submitted proposals for the designcompetition for Safe Affordable Ferries sponsored by the Worldwide Ferry Safety Association (WFSA). A panel of six judges will review the submissions and will announce the winners by early Fall 2013. The top prize is $5,000 with second and third prizes also to be awarded. The student teams were from (by alphabetic order), Istanbul Technical University, Maine MaritimeAcademy, National Technical University of Athens, Tolani Maritime Institute, India, University of Applied Sciences in Bremen, University of British Columbia and Webb Institute in New York. Dr.

Lloyd’s Register significantly helped the vessel’s owners & builders work through the complexities of 'Viking Grace's' novel design features. Finland’s Viking Line recently notched up a world first when it launched Viking Grace, the most environmentally friendly large passenger ship, at STX Finland Turku shipyard. The 56,000 gt vessel is powered by LNG and generates no marine emissions and very few air emissions. The vessel has been designed to operate in the delicate and environmentally sensitive waters of the Baltic Sea where she will operate between Turku and Stockholm from January, 2013.

Stena Line has announced the refurbishment of two giant ships that the company will be introducing on the Irish Sea later this year. The identical 'sister' ships 'Stena Superfast VII' and 'Superfast VIII' will be the biggest ferries ever to sail between Northern Ireland and Scotland and will undergo a refit programme at the Remotova shipyard in Poland which the company claims will ensure that they are the most modern, comfortable and best designed ferries ever to ply the Irish Sea. Stena Line has appointed specialist marine outfitters MJM Marine from Newry, a company with considerable experience in the global cruise ship industry, to ensure that the new ships are fitted out to the highest standards in order to provide customers with a unique top quality ferry travel experience.

Stena Line has reported its highest number of North Sea passengers for three years in its figures for 2010. For the first time since changing its Harwich to Hook of Holland operations to a twice-daily service in 2007, the ferry giant carried over half a million passengers in a year. Stena Line is attributing part of the 8.7% annual growth in North Sea passengers to reinvigorated interest in ferry travel, fuelled both by the two new-build Superferry vessels it launched on the route in May and October and by difficulties affecting the UK aviation industry. Growth during the final quarter of the year, which saw the launch of the second of the two new Superferries, was particularly strong, with 10,000 more passengers travelling than during the same period in 2009 (a 10.3% increase).

British Columbia Ferry Services Inc. quarter results for fiscal 2007/08. last year. Net earnings before extraordinary gain for the nine-month period ended December 30, 2007 were $67.7 million, down from $82.0 million for the same period in the previous year. of its fiscal year. maintenance and refits and to undertake mandatory inspections on the majority of its vessels. compared to the same period last year. $53.0 million to $448.8 million, compared to the nine months ended December 31, 2006. $172.0 million and $251.9 million in the nine months ended December 31, 2007. Super C-class vessels, the Coastal Renaissance, Coastal Inspiration and Coastal Celebration. BC Ferries’ President & CEO David L. Hahn. summer and fall of 2008, respectively.

WaveMaster International has won a contract for ten 118 ft. (36 m) high-speed aluminum monohull ferries for delivery to Singapore. With firm contracts for the initial six vessel order already placed, financing has been arranged through Singapore-based Caterpillar Credit Services Asia, a subsidiary of Caterpillar Financial Services. Both the shipyard and purchaser have signed options for the remaining four vessels included in this innovative project. The WaveMaster design team developed this monohull directly in sync with stringent safety requirements of the High Speed Craft Code, as set out by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and Singapore Marine Authorities. Estimated design and build time is nine months for the initial six vessel order.

WaveMaster International has won a contract for ten 118 ft. (36 m) high-speed aluminum monohull ferries for delivery to Singapore. With firm contracts for the initial six vessel order already placed, financing has been arranged through Singapore-based Caterpillar Credit Services Asia, a subsidiary of Caterpillar Financial Services. Both the shipyard and purchaser have signed options for the remaining four vessels included in this innovative project. The WaveMaster design team developed this 118 ft. (36 m) monohull directly in sync with stringent safety requirements of the High Speed Craft Code, as set out by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and Singapore Marine Authorities. Estimated design and build time is nine months for the initial six vessel order.

The wife of Alaska’s senior senator Ted Stevens, is scheduled to christen Alaska's latest fast ferry at the Derecktor Shipyard in Bridgeport, Conn. The ship -- M/V Chenega -- is scheduled to begin service in Alaska’s Prince William Sound in late spring. Designed by Nigel Gee and built by Derecktor Shipyard, the vessel is the second aluminum passenger and vehicle carrying catamaran built for the state. Once it is put into service, it will provide daily service between its homeport of Cordova and the surface highway accessible communities of Valdez and Whittier -- at travel times of almost half those of most Alaska Marine Highway vessels.

The wife of Alaska’s senior senator Ted Stevens, christened Alaska’s second fast ferry at the Derecktor Shipyard in Bridgeport, Conn. The ship -- M/V Chenega -- is scheduled to begin service in Alaska’s Prince William Sound in late spring. Designed by Nigel Gee and built by Derecktor Shipyard, the vessel is the second aluminum passenger and vehicle carrying catamaran built for the state. Once it is put into service, it will provide daily service between its homeport of Cordova and the surface highway accessible communities of Valdez and Whittier -- at travel times of almost half those of most Alaska Marine Highway vessels. The name Chenega was nominated by sixth grader Emily Oskolkoff of Ninilchik School in the Kenai School District who won a Statewide Essay contest to name the new ferry.

The latest catamaran to pierce the waves from Incat Tasmania is Milenium, which was delivered to Transmediterranea for operation in the Mediterranean. Launched this past April from Incat's Coverdales shipbuilding facility at Hobart's Prince of Wales Bay, the 315 ft. (96 m) vessel entered service this past May. Milenium offers a total of 330 truck lane meters at 3.1 x 4.3 m clear height, making it suitable for heavy road transport vehicles, and 370 car lane meters at 2.3 x 2.1 m. The vessel's control station is equipped with the most innovative electronic, navigation and communication equipment to comply with High Speed Craft Code Sea Area 2…

British Columbia Ferry Services Inc. (BC Ferries) announced its third quarter results for fiscal 2006/07 with a net loss of $1.8 million for the three months ended December 31, 2006, compared to a net loss of $0.9 million in the same quarter last year. Due to the seasonality of ferry travel, BC Ferries typically generates higher net earnings in the first and second quarters, which are subsequently reduced by net losses in the last two quarters of its fiscal year. Due to a gain of $61.3 million reported in the first quarter of fiscal 2007, which resulted from insurance proceeds following the loss of the Queen of the North, net earnings for the nine-month period ended December 31, 2006 were $143.3 million, compared to $74.7 million over the same nine-month period last year.

The Natchan Rera is a breath of fresh air in Japanese sea travel, the new Incat-built high speed ferry’s entry into service on 1st September bringing a completely new concept in ferry travel to those crossing Tsugaru Strait between the islands of Hokkaido and Honshu. The 61-nautical mile run across the Strait takes just 95 minutes, approximately half the time currently taken by conventional ships. While passengers are reaching their destination twice as quickly, Higashi Nihon Ferry is also changing the quality of time passengers spend on board from one of simple transportation to that of a high-class comfortable hospitality-focused experience.