Ferry Port News

Trade unions protested at British ferry ports on Friday after Dubai-owned P&O Ferries abruptly sacked 800 workers via a video message, drawing widespread condemnation and raising the prospect of disruption to key tourist and goods routes.P&O, which is owned by Dubai ports firm DP World, is recovering from a difficult two years when COVID-19 prevented tourists from travelling on its routes between Britain, France, Ireland and elsewhere in northern Europe.P&O said on Thursday it had lost 100 million pounds ($131 million) in the last year and that without changes its business was not sustainable.

Norway's Kongsberg has announced "a world first" by testing and verifying a full-scale, full-size, zero-emissions drivetrain powered by hydrogen fuel cells designed for ships and ferries. The project demonstrates that the technology is now mature for using hydrogen (H2) as an energy carrier, Kongsberg said.“With a verified and tested hydrogen-based propulsion system, we take the next step in zero-emission solutions at sea. This project is another example of our world-leading Norwegian maritime cluster succeeding when we face the most demanding technological challenges…

CMR Group delivered an alarm monitoring and engine control system for use onboard the tug DHB Doughty. Built in 2000, Doughty is part of the fleet of Dover Harbor Board, which administers and maintains the Port of Dover UK, the busiest ferry port in Europe.The engine control system of the two engines of the 19-year-old, 304-gt tug needed to be retro-fitted, and CMR was specified to deliver its E-Pulse system, an engine control system based around a touch-screen local operating…

The sustainability of cruise activity in Europe is currently under pressure, says the European Sea Ports Organization (ESPO). European ports take the concerns expressed very seriously, it said.The vicinity to Europe’s cultural heritage and main must-sees makes many European port cities attractive tourist destinations. Their ports are or have become much demanded cruise ports.European port managing bodies are happy to be an access gate to Europe’s cultural heritage, but understand that they must do whatever is possible within their remit to keep this activity sustainable and acceptable for the local population.Over the last months, ESPO’s Cruise and Ferry Port Network has been reflecting on the way forward.

Cambridge Pixel, a developer of radar display, tracking and recording sub-systems, has supplied its radar video trackers and display technology to Marico Marine as part of a major investment by the Port of Dover into safety systems at Europe’s busiest ferry port.Engineers at Marico Marine (Southampton, England) needed a low cost, open, softwarebased radar tracker for integration with its new vessel traffic service (VTS) system in Dover.It was important that the tracker worked…

The cargo handling solutions and services provider, Kalmar has concluded an agreement with Dublin Ferryport Terminals (DFT) to extend the Kalmar AutoRTG system at the terminal with two new AutoRTG cranes.The order was booked in Cargotec's 2019 Q2 order intake, with delivery of the machines scheduled to be completed during Q2 of 2020, Kalmar, part of Cargotec, said. Part of the container and terminal division of Irish Continental Group, DFT operates the most modern container terminal at Dublin Port, with an annual throughput of approximately 380,000 TEU. The order forms part of DFT's ongoing investment programme focused on ensuring the terminal is equipped with the latest technologies to support future growth.

Norway's leading cargo and ferry port, the Port of Oslo has placed an order to build one of the world’s most environmental efficient working boats possible, with Grovfjord Ship Yard.The boat is especially designed for efficient collection of waste at the water surface. The contract sum is NOK 23 million. Expected delivery is December 2019.Norway's shipbuilding and maintenance services has previously built the world's first full-electric fish farming boat."Today the boat "Pelikan" keeps our harbor area clean and tidy. The new environmental boat replaces the old port environmental boat, which during the course of 30 years has picked up about 1…

The European Sea Ports Organisation (ESPO) said that it has been monitoring the gender balance through the effective attendance of port professionals to the different meetings of the organisation over the past year."The outcome of this monitoring reveals that, all technical committees together, overall 31,76% of port professionals attending the meetings were women, 68,24% men," announced the industry body.Looking in more detail into the different committees, the results of this monitoring reveals that the Port Governance committee, the Trade Facilitation, Customs and Security committee, the Sustainable Development committee and the Cruise…

Over almost half a century, the cruise industry has experienced dynamic growth, initially driven by the demand for cruise travels in North America and the recent demand in Europe and rest of the world, especially China and Australia.The demand for cruise ships in regions of the world has increased from 23.34 million passengers in 2014 to 26.76 million passengers in 2017. Market trends suggest that the number of cruise passengers world-wide may increase by another third by 2030, revealing more and more new tourist routes and market niches."The development of the cruise sector is also set in the development vision of the Freeport of Riga for the upcoming decade as one of the crucial directions.

Norwegian container operator Yilport Oslo set an all time high record in a single month with 21 363 TEUS in October 2018, registering an increase of 28 % compared to October last year.Maiken Solemdal, Commercial Manager at Yilport Oslo explained the growth as a result of the terminal's Short Sea focus:“In the first 10 months we have a growth of 10,4 % compared to 2017. Increased volume is mainly Intra European cargo that previous was transported from Europe to Norway by trucks."By changing the dynamics in the supply chain with flexible solutions, such as extended opening hours both at vessel operation and in the gate that can compete with trucks we are not only growing as a terminal…

Following the publication of the UK Government’s advice on contingency planning for a ‘no deal’ Brexit outcome, the British Ports Association (BPA) has suggested that negotiators have it in their power to agree a deal that would end months of uncertainty regarding the future arrangements at UK and EU borders.Highlighting the merits of the UK Government’s proposal agreed at Chequers and subsequently set out in the Brexit White Paper in July, the BPA is urging both sides to rally and agree. Chief Executive of the BPA, Richard Ballantyne said:“Today’s papers underlines the implications of a ‘no deal’, in terms of trading arrangements at ports.

Commenting on the publication of the Government’s Brexit negotiating position paper on customs, the British Ports Association (BPA)’s Chief Executive, Richard Ballantyne today welcomed the focus on continuity but suggested that further reassurances were needed on future customs arrangements at the border. Commenting Ballantyne said: “We welcome the Government’s priorities to ensure a smooth transition in the immediate period after the UK leaves the EU but more focus is needed on the likely impacts such as delays at ports.

The Port of Calais had to be temporarily closed after dozens of refugees and migrants stormed on to a ship in the hope of reaching the UK. About 50 people made their way on to a P&O-operated vessel called Spirit of Britain. British anarchists were among some 35 people under arrest in Calais on Sunday after leading a 'scandalous' invasion of the ferry port by some 500 migrants. Police attended the incident, which was resolved later in the evening and the port reopened. Services to and from Calais had been severely disrupted while it was dealt with. The BBC quoted Calais mayor Natacha Bouchart as saying 50 asylum-seekers had boarded a P&O ferry while it was unloading. It said the police were on the scene.

The Port of Dover is turning to a raft of futuristic traffic sensors to keep billions of pounds of trade and millions of passengers on the move. Equipment known as BlipTrack, developed by Denmark-based BLIP Systems, is helping controllers at Europe’s busiest ferry port to reduce bottlenecks and improve vehicle movements by predicting potential traffic congestion on Dover’s coast bound A20. The technology, installed at key locations within the port, feeds officers with live data throughout the boarding process…

The National Transportation Safety Board determined that the probable cause of a fire aboard a New York City commuter ferry was the operator's inadequate inspection and maintenance of the vessel's electrical system. Contributing to the extent of the damage were the absence of fixed fire detection and suppression systems and the crew's lack of knowledge of proper marine firefighting techniques. The fire occurred on the evening of November 17, 2000, as the commuter ferry Port Imperial Manhattan, with three crewmembers and eight passengers aboard, was en route from Manhattan to Weehawken, NJ. Beginning in the engine room, the fire soon burned out of control, causing the vessel to lose power and forcing passengers and crew to abandon the interior spaces.

The National Transportation Safety Board determined that the probable cause of a fire aboard a New York City commuter ferry was the operator’s inadequate inspection and maintenance of the vessel’s electrical system. Contributing to the extent of the damage were the absence of fixed fire detection and suppression systems and the crew’s lack of knowledge of proper marine firefighting techniques. The fire occurred on the evening of November 17, 2000, as the commuter ferry Port Imperial Manhattan, with three crewmembers and eight passengers aboard, was en route from Manhattan to Weehawken, NJ. Beginning in the engine room, the fire soon burned out of control, causing the vessel to lose power and forcing passengers and crew to abandon the interior spaces.

Lloyd’s Register (LR) is working with British port to develop operational procedures and technical standards required for safe LNG bunkering operations. LR has commenced a project to identify the technical specifications and develop operating procedures for safe LNG bunkering in Portsmouth International Port. The project will position Portsmouth to develop its ambitions to become an LNG bunkering facility and hub – the first in the United Kingdom. Leonidas Karistios, Global Gas Technology Manager…

A record number of freight vehicles departed on services through the Port of Dover yesterday, reaching numbers not seen since before the recession. The port said 5,337 freight vehicles departed for Calais and Dunkirk from Europe’s busiest ferry port, beating the previous record of 5,322 set in 2008. It was also the third busiest day ever for total numbers, with 10,134 freight vehicles handled. The busiest day was in 2008 when the port handled 10,584 freight vehicles following the Eurotunnel fire in September of that year.

weekly service linking Rotterdam and Dublin. Dublin. trade. TEU. service She will make her first sailing from Rotterdam on 15 August. 14 August. departure from Rotterdam with a Sunday afternoon arrival in Dublin. service. Rotterdam on Thursday, so deliveries can still take place the same week. it has gone from strength to strength. Maersk Westland and they are simply way too big for Drogheda. Ferryport Terminals (DFT) for the handling of its service.

Lockheed Martin will provide an extension to the Greek National Vessel Traffic Management Information System (VTMIS) under a $1 million sub-contract from the Hellenic Telecommunications & Electronics industry, INTRACOM. The extension will support the country’s port security infrastructure for the 2004 Olympic Games. The Games are expected to bring 16,000 athletes and more than four million spectators to Greece. Numerous spectators are expected to move daily through the ferry ports of Rafina and Lavrio, located on the east coast of the Greek peninsula, which will be equipped with new regional Vessel Traffic Services (VTS) monitoring centers. Lockheed Martin will provide two radar systems to help monitor the waterway during the Olympic Games.

President Nursultan Nazarbayev has formally opened the Borzhakty – Ersai railway. The 13·9 km branch from the Aktau - Uzen line will serve a port which is being developed on the Caspian Sea near Kuryk. Construction of the line including the laying of 22·3 km of track was undertaken by Kamkor, with work starting in October 1 2014. Bombardier has supplied EBI Lock 950 interlockings. The initial traffic on the railway will include materials for the construction of the port facilities. The line is expected to boost freight shipped to the country’s sea ports by rail. The volume of freight transhipped via Kazakh ports reached 10.3mn tonnes in 2014, 2% up from 2013. Of this the volume of freight shipped by rail was 6.2mn tonnes, a 10% increase y/y.

The EU-subsidized logistics project Amber Coast Logistics (ACL) has made its first appearance at Belarusian Transport Week, which was held just recently in Minsk. ACL had a stand of its own and offered a coaching workshop, concentrating on learning from Best Practice examples. Around 70 logistics players from Belarus attended the English-language coaching seminar, given under the title ‘Logistics companies: quality requirements for logistics services and logistics service providers in Belarus.’ Experts from established logistics companies and institutions featured as speakers. Speakers on the subject of ‘Challenges and requirements: logistics services in regions difficult to access’ included Adina Cailliaux, Project Manager at ACL lead partner Hafen Hamburg Marketing e.V.

Moscow stocks fall 10 pct, rouble down 2.5 pct over war jitters. Ukraine border guards say build-up of Russian armoured vehicles near Crimea. EU ministers meet but no immediate sanctions expected. Russia took a financial hit over its military intervention in neighbouring Ukraine, with its markets and currency plunging on Monday as President Vladimir Putin's forces tightened their grip on the Russian-speaking Crimea region. The Moscow stock market fell by 10 percent and the central bank spent $10 billion of its reserves to prop up the rouble as investors took fright at escalating tensions with the West over the former Soviet republic.