Car Ferry News

Meyer Turku has outlined some of the highlights of its environmental policy developments, noting that it has used only certified carbon neutral electricity since 2018. Starting from 2023, also all district heating used the shipyard has been carbon neutral.“We are lucky to partner with Turku Energia who is able to supply up-to-date electricity and heating solutions. The impact we make together is big and encourages us further with our sustainability ambitions. This decision showcases our deep-rooted values and our forward-thinking approach and commitment to embracing cleaner energy solutions.

Fatigue and complacency led to a Washington State Ferries passenger and car ferry striking a mooring structure, or dolphin, at a Seattle ferry terminal last year, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said Thursday. The contact resulted in $10.3 million in damages to the vessel and $300,000 in damages to the dolphin.The Cathlamet had crossed the Puget Sound with 94 people on board and was approaching the Fauntleroy Ferry Terminal on July 28, 2022, when it struck the ferry terminal dolphin.

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MARAD) awarded nearly $12 million in grants to eight marine highway projects across the nation under the United States Marine Highway Program (USMHP). The funding will improve the movement of goods along our navigable waterways and expand existing waterborne freight services in Alaska, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Texas, Washington, and Wisconsin, which will strengthen supply chains and ultimately cut costs for consumers.“Our country has always relied on American waterways to get vital goods where they need to go,” said U.S.

A historic Great Lakes car and passenger ferry will be sidelined the rest of the season due to damages it suffered in July. Lake Michigan Carferry said Tuesday that the SS Badger's daily crossings between Ludington, Mich., and Manitowoc, Wis., have been suspended indefinitely.“We have made the difficult, and unfortunately unavoidable, decision to suspend our daily crossings for the remainder of the season,” said Mark W. Barker, president of Ohio-based Interlake Maritime Services, parent company of the Lake Michigan Carferry.

A new, first-of-its-kind ferry that runs on liquid hydrogen has entered service for Norwegian operator Norled, breaking new ground for cleaner vessel operations.The 80-car ferry MF Hydra in recent weeks has been undergoing tests and sea trials, officially entering service with approval from the Norwegian Maritime Authority on March 31. The vessel services a triangular route between Hjelmeland, Skipavik and Nesvik in Norway, using 4 tonnes of liquid hydrogen, two 200 kW fuel cells, a 1.36—1.5 MWh battery, and two 440 kW diesel generators.

The Portuguese shipyard Navaltagus, a part of the industrial ETE group, is building the first electrical car and passenger ferry in Portugal, and the yard awarded Zinus the contract to supply the autonomous connection enabling the ferry to charge its batteries while berthed.With a capacity of 260 passengers and 19 cars, the ferry is scheduled to enter service in the summer of 2023 – replacing the existing diesel-powered ferry operating between Forte da Barra in Ilhavo and São Jacinto in the municipality of Aveiro.

Heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems keep you cool in the summer and warm in the winter. That’s the simple explanation. It does not encompass the complexities of what needs to be done to assure the all-important continued conditioning of the air in your vessel.The systems installed in vessels today can run the gamut from static vent scoops that force air into an area to a raw water chiller system whose workings take up the same amount of space as a 40-foot cargo container. The equipment is there to meet the need of the end user.

A fire has broken out on board a car ferry carrying 300 people off Sweden's coast, Swedish authorities said.The ferry is the 222-meter RoPax Stena Scandica, which operates on the Baltic Sea between Nynäshamn, Sweden and Ventspils, Latvia, with a capacity of 970 passengers.The fire reportedly started in a container on the car deck while the ferry was traveling from Latvia to Sweden.The blaze has been contained, though some smoke can still be seen rising from the vessel, according to local media. The extent of the damage is unknown, and no injuries have been reported.Stena Scandica is said to be sailing under its own power, and there are no plans to evacuate the ship, the Swedish Maritime Administration said.

The U.S. Navy needs more ships. And that means the Navy has to build more ships than it is decommissioning.The sea service has a stated a goal of 355 ships, and as many as 500 and more when unmanned platforms are counted. There are 298 ships in the fleet today. For surface ships, this number includes a high-low mix of highly capable large surface combatants, and smaller ships such as littoral combat ships LCS).The Navy’s smallest combatants are the 330-ton, 197-foot coastal patrol boats (PCs). Up until recently, ten of them have been serving in the Middle East with the U.S.

North Kingstown, R.I. shipyard Senesco Marine said it has been selected by the Maine Department of Transportation to build a new hybrid-electric passenger vessel for the Maine State Ferry Service (MSFS).The 154-foot passenger-vehicle ferry, designed by Gilbert Associates, will be equipped with BAE Systems’ electric hybrid propulsion solution to deliver reduced and zero-emission operations capability for the Rockland-based ferry service that serves nearly 500,000 riders and 190…

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MARAD) announced the designation of a new Marine Highway Route, two new Marine Highway Projects, and one Project Designation Extension as part of the America’s Marine Highway Program (AMHP). While focusing on supply chain efficiency will have nationwide effects, the states of Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, Alaska, Hawaii, Washington, California, and Oregon will receive new routes, designations, or extensions.The…

An improperly tightened fastener led to a diesel engine failure on the passenger and car ferry Wenatchee near Bainbridge Island, Wash., resulting in nearly $3.8 million in damages, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said Tuesday.On April 22, 2021, the catastrophic failure of the no. 3 main engine aboard the Wenatchee during a sea trial in Puget Sound led to the ejection of components from the engine and resulted in a fire in the no. 2 engine room. No injuries or pollution were reported.In November 2020…

Two people are trapped on a ferry that was engulfed in a blaze as it sailed from Greece to Italy early on Friday, the coastguard said, after scores of others passengers and crew members were rescued.A total of 239 passengers and 51 crew were onboard the Italian-flagged Euroferry Olympia when the fire broke out and rescue vessels had taken most of them to the island of Corfu where ambulances were waiting, the Greek coastguard added."We were woken up around 4:20 a.m. Within an hour we had left the ship ...

The Nippon Foundation, Mitsubishi Shipbuilding, and Shin Nihonkai Ferry Co., Ltd. have informed they've completed a demonstration test of what the companies say is the world’s first fully autonomous ship navigation systems on a large car ferry, conducted on the Iyonada Sea from Shinmoji, Kitakyushu City, on January 17.The demonstration was part of MEGURI 2040, a project promoting the development of fully autonomous vessels supported by The Nippon Foundation. "This test demonstrated the world’s first fully autonomous navigation system…

A ferry ran aground off the Spanish island of Ibiza on Saturday night, an incident the emergency services told local media had left 25 people injured, two seriously, including a 10-year-old boy.The San Gwann ferry, operated by German shipping company FRS, runs between Ibiza and Formentera, the smallest of Spain's Balearic islands.It was leaving Ibiza's port at 9.30 p.m. on Saturday night when it ran aground on the islet of Es Malvins, FRS said in a statement.It said the ferry…

ABB’s shore connection solution will allow Tallink shuttle vessel Megastar to plug into the local grid for quiet and emission-free overnight layovers in the Port of Tallinn.Fueled by low-emission liquefied natural gas (LNG), passenger and car ferry Megastar makes three return journeys between the Estonian and Finnish capitals per day, with an overnight stay in Tallinn where it needs to keep generators running to ensure energy availability for onboard systems. With ABB’s shore connection solution…

Shipbuilder Nichols Brothers Boat Builders (NBBB) said it has delivered the second of two 255-passenger-only ferries to Kitsap Transit of Bremerton, Wash. Like the first-in-class-vessel the Enetai, the Commander outperformed design expectations during vessel trials, delivering to Kitsap Transit a lighter, faster, and smoother riding vessel, the builder said. Kitsap Transit awarded a design and construction contract to Nichols Brothers Boat Builders for two new ferries in December 2018.

Havyard said its shipyard in Leirvik won a contract with Fjord1 for modification of the car ferry MF Lote, a ferry that will operate the route Skarberget–Bognes over the Tysfjord in Nordland county.The conversion contract is seen as strategically important by the shipyard, particularly as it nears completion of a large-scale newbuild program and shifts its focus towards the modification and repair market. In recent years, the yard has been working on building and delivering ferries, wellboats and SOV vessels.

A suspect has been taken into custody following a bomb scare aboard a passenger car ferry in Juneau, Alaska, Wednesday morning.At 6:49 a.m., U.S. Coast Guard watchstanders received a call from the captain of the LeConte, reporting a bomb threat aboard the ferry scheduled to depart Juneau. Coast Guard law enforcement personnel conducted a security sweep of the vessel and found no credible threats.The suspect, who reportedly drove a vehicle onto the ferry and made the threats, has been apprehended by Juneau Police Department (JPD) and the vehicle was impounded without incident.The Coast Guard, which worked alongside Alaska Marine Highway System (AMHS) and JPD to ensure passenger safety and restore service…

The past decade has seen tight restrictions on emissions from vessels, notably with a 2015 move to a .10% sulfur maximum in Emission Control Areas (ECA) in North America and in northern Europe. As the International Maritime Organization (IMO) now shapes shipping’s decarbonization future, shipowners are looking at transitions away from fossil fuels. Among the myriad of alternatives are lithium ion batteries and some early forays into hydrogen fuel cells.To date, large batteries are used on short runs…

Testing, inspection and certification body Bureau Veritas (BV) said it has completed the proof of concept project for underwater remote surveys using the Seasam remotely operated underwater vehicle (ROV technology eco-system from Notilo Plus on a Corsica Linea car ferry Mediterranée. Efficient underwater inspection of shipping vessels is important for the industry as a substitute for docking surveys at agreed intervals or to inspect hull damage. BV has been evaluating opportunities…

Estonian ferry operator Tallink will tap sustainability and efficiency gains enabled by ABB Ability Marine Advisory Systems – OCTOPUS for its new passenger and car ferry MyStar due for delivery from the Finnish Rauma Marine Constructions shipyard in 2022.The liquefied natural gas (LNG)-powered MyStar will be deployed on the 80-kilometer trans-Baltic route between Tallinn, Estonia, and Helsinki, Finland, and the OCTOPUS optimization software will collect and transfer operational…

German propulsion maker Schottel has been awarded a contract to deliver main propulsion units for one car ferry of the Canadian company Western Pacific Maritime.The newly built vessel ordered by the British Columbia Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure will be equipped with four high-efficiency Schottel TwinPropellers (STP). The main propulsion consists of four Schottel TwinPropeller units type STP 150 L (360 kW each), driven by PEM motors. Featuring a propeller diameter of 1.1 meters, the STPs enable a speed of up to 13.5 knots.