Superfast Vii News

Northrop Grumman Corporation has completed an integrated bridge system retrofit for several RoPax ferries operated by Stena Line. Northrop Grumman's Sperry Marine business unit provided a fully networked suite of scalable navigation products  from the VisionMaster FT  series, used to form the core of a ship's integrated bridge. The Stena Superfast VII and Stena Superfast VIII vessels were upgraded with VisionMaster FT navigation radars, a voyage data recorder, and an electronic chart display and information system (ECDIS) that provides full control on both bridge wings.

Northrop Grumman Corporation's Sperry Marine business unit provided a fully networked suite of scalable navigation products from the VisionMaster FT™ series, to form the core of ship's integrated bridge on several Stena Line RoPax ferries. The Stena Superfast VII and Stena Superfast VIII vessels were upgraded with VisionMaster FT™ navigation radars, a voyage data recorder, and an electronic chart display and information system (ECDIS) that provides full control on both bridge wings. Meanwhile, the Stena Europe and Stena Adventurer were outfitted with the VisionMaster FT™ ECDIS, which meets the International Maritime Organization's (IMO) regulations for paperless navigation while providing a separate…

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.

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. Specifically, Greek owners and operators have been at the forefront of an international buying binge for large, fast passenger, vehicle and cargo carrying craft. Driven by the need for speed, many owners are turning to advances in marine electronic and propulsion systems to ensure that the multi-million dollar investments are kept running safe and efficient.

The Board of Directors of Attica Holdings S.A. announced that it has concluded the sale and delivery of Superfast VII and Superfast VIII to AS Tallink Grupp. The sale and delivery of Superfast IX to her new owners AS Tallink Grupp is scheduled to take place on April 12. The sale price of Superfast VII and Superfast VIII stands at about $249m and the sale price of Superfast IX at 125.9m. Out of the total sale proceeds of $375m, Attica’s cash balances will increase by approximately $123m after repayment of the ships’ debt of $237m and payment of various expenses related to the transaction of approximately $13m. Attica Group will book capital gains of approximately $13m, which will appear in the Group’s second quarter 2006 results.

Attica Holdings S.A. announces that it has contracted to sell to AS Tallink Grupp its ice-class Ro-Pax vessels Superfast VII, Superfast VIII and Superfast IX for a total cash consideration of $371 million. Pending legal and regulatory procedures, the transaction will close within April 2006. Attica will maintain its presence in the Baltic Sea with the operation of its two Ro-Ro vessels that are trading between Rostock, Germany and Uusikaupunki, Finland.

According to reports, Attica Holdings announced that, on March 21, 2006, it has contracted to sell to AS Tallink Grupp its ice-class Ro-Pax vessels Superfast VII, Superfast VIII and Superfast IX for a total cash consideration of Euro 310 million. source: Reporter.gr Pending legal and regulatory procedures, the transaction will close within April 2006. Attica will maintain its presence in the Baltic Sea with the operation of its two RoRo vessels that are trading between Rostock, Germany and Uusikaupunki, Finland.

Greek ferry operator Attica Enterprises took delivery of its new Superfast VII ferry, the first of four sister ships, from Howaldtswerke Werft (HDW) shipyards in Kiel, Germany. Attica's new ferries will be deployed in the Baltic Sea, serving routes between Germany and Finland and Germany and Sweden. Superfast VII will start commercial operations linking the German port of Rostock with Hanko in Finland on May 17, with Superfast VIII joining it in about six months. Attica Enterprises said its new Baltic cruise-class ferries have a capacity for 626 passengers, 85 cars and 110 trucks each. - (Reuters)

Despite a marked drop in shipbuilding volume during the past decade to lower cost competitors in the East, Germany's marine market has maintained it adherence to the highest technical standard while carving its niche in the world of constructing complex, high-value vessels. In many ways, the saying "the more things change, the more they stay the same" could be aptly applied to the current status of the German marine market. While the world, and certainly the business of constructing commercial ships for the world fleet, has changed dramatically in the past decade, Germany's role in this market has stayed remarkably on course. Facing steady market erosion to competitors in Japan…

Greek ferry operator Attica Enterprises will deploy four new car-passenger ferries in the Baltic Sea in 2001, according to company officials. The 29,800-grt Superfast ferries will offer overnight crossings between Germany and Finland and Germany and Sweden from January through September. Superfast VII, VIII, IX and X, currently under construction at Howaldtswerke Deutsche Werft AG in Kiel, Germany will have the capacity to carry 604 passengers in 172 cabins, and 125 trucks and 110 cars. The ferries will be able to develop speeds of up to 29.2 knots. They will connect the Stockholm and Helsinki greater metropolitan areas to northern Germany in about 17 and 21 hours respectively.