First Ferry News

Louisiana-based shipbuilder Conrad Shipyard on Tuesday announced it has secured a contract to build four cargo and passenger ferries for Puerto Rico.The contract from the Puerto Rico Maritime Transit Authority (PRMTA) will see Conrad deliver the first ferry to San Juan, Puerto Rico in late 2024.The ferries, designed to carry 300 passengers and 300 short tons of cargo, will operate between the Municipality of Ceiba and the Municipality Islands of Vieques and Culebra in Puerto Rico."These…

Washington Island Ferry Line (WIFL) has been the essential link between the residents, business and visitors of Washington Island and Wisconsin's Door Peninsula for more than eight decades.Picturesque and peaceful Door County isn't named for some intrepid settlers named Door. The name has a more ominous meaning. It's derived from the treacherous passage between the peninsula and Washington Island that mariners called Porte des Mortes, or Death's Door.A unique combination of environmental…

Hubbard, a new ferry built in 2019 for Alaska's Marine Highway System (AMHS), was formally christened this week after a change of plans put the vessel's entry into service on hold.The vessel is the second of two Alaska class ferries designed by Seattle-based Elliott Bay Design Group and constructed at Vigor Shipyard in Ketchikan, Alaska. Construction of both vessels began in October 2014. The series' first ferry, Tazlina, was christened in 2018, and Hubbard was completed in 2019.Intended to operate as day boats to serve the AMHS Lynn Canal route between Juneau…

RWO has been selected by KiwiRail to supply its next-generation advanced water treatment system - the CleanSewage Membrane Reactor (CS-MBR) – to New Zealand’s Inter-Island Resilient Connection Project (iReX).Two custom-built Interislander ROPAX ferries have been ordered to service the connection between Wellington and Picton. Environmental protection is a key priority for the project, and both vessels, which are being built at Korean shipyard Hyundai Mipo Dockyard (HMD), will…

Ferry operator Stena Line announced it is building two new freight vessels for its expanding Belfast-Heysham freight service.Each of the two new 147-meter NewMax vessels has been designed to maximize freight volumes and will provide 2,800 lane meters of capacity which is an 80% increase on current ship capacities. The new vessels will be equipped to carry 12 passengers and 26 crew.The vessels will be able to operate on methanol fuel. Stena Line is currently working closely with…

Japan's Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL), Ltd. said Monday that the first of Japan's first two LNG-fueled ferries, the Sunflower Kurenai, owned by MOL and operated by its group company Ferry Sunflower entered service on January 13.The ferry serves the Osaka-Beppu route between Sunflower Ferry Terminal (Osaka Prefecture) and Beppu International Tourist Port (Oita Prefecture) as a replacement for the ferry Sunflower Ivory."Compared to earlier ferries, the new ferry offers greater transport capacity and convenience for both cargo and passenger transport.

Keel laying and steel-cutting ceremonies for two new ferries being built for Scotland's Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd (CMAL) were held this week at Cemre Marin Endustri shipyard in Turkey.The first ferry in the production timeline has had its keel laid, while steel-cutting for the second vessel has also begun – three weeks earlier than planned.The new, 94.8-meter vehicle/passenger ferries will each have capacity for up to 450 passengers and 100 cars or 14 commercial vehicles…

Danfoss Power Solutions said its Editron division has been chosen to provide drivetrain systems for three hybrid passenger ferries that will operate on the Elbe River in Hamburg, Germany. German shipyard Schiffbau- u. Entwicklungsgesellschaft Tangermünde mbH (SET) will build the vessels for Hamburg transportation company HADAG, expanding its fleet to 29 ships.Hamburg’s passenger ferry service is integral to its public transportation offering. With eight routes stopping at 20 different piers, the ferries are used by approximately 9 million passengers annually.

Holland Shipyards Group said it signed a contract with the Swedish Transport Administration (Trafikverket Sweden) for the delivery of up to four autonomous all-electric ferries. The vessels, which will be built for the agency's ferries unit Trafikverket Färjerederiet, will sail according to autonomy level 2, and will be controlled from the remote control center based in Stockholm.The signed contract includes the delivery of two ferries with four automooring facilities and two charging stations, a simulator facility and a remote control center.

The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) will launch a competitive bid process for the construction of its next five hybrid-electric ferries after negotiations stalled with shipbuilder Vigor.Vigor, which has built a number of existing vessels for WSDOT's Washington State Ferries (WSF), is currently finalizing designs for the new ferry class and was also lined up to build the vessels, but the shipyard and WSDOT could not agree on price and other contract terms…

Finnish shipbuilder Rauma Marine Constructions said it has started building the first of two new car and passenger ferries for Spirit of Tasmania (TT-Line Company). The construction of the Spirit of Tasmania IV, set to operate between mainland Australia and Tasmania, kicked off with a traditional steel cutting ceremony.“Although the actual construction of the first ferry started today, RMC and Spirit of Tasmania already have a long history. The pandemic, among other things, disrupted our plans, but the agreement for the vessels was re-signed in 2021.

Japanese shipping company Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) on Thursday held a naming and launching ceremony for the first of Japan’s first two LNG-fueled ferries.The ceremony was held at the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries' Shimonoseki Shipyard & Machinery Works Enoura Plant, and the newbuilding ferry was named “Sunflower Kurenai” by the mayor of Beppu City Yasuhiro Nagano. The vessel is expected to enter service on the Osaka-Beppu route, operated by Ferry Sunflower Co., Ltd. as an alternative of the vessel currently in service in January 2023, after it is delivered from Mitsubishi Shipbuilding.

Fred. Olsen Express has taken delivery of a new high-speed ferry, Bañaderos Express, built by Austal Philippines. Captain Juan Antonio Rojas and the crew of Bañaderos Express formally accepted the vessel from Austal Philippines president and general manager Wayne Murray at a COVID-safe ceremony held at the company’s Balamban, Cebu shipyard.The Austal Auto Express 118 trimaran is the second and final vessel in a A$190 million series ordered by the Canary Islands operator in 2018. The first vessel, Bajamar Express was constructed by Austal Australia and delivered in July 2020.

The United States' first zero-emissions, hydrogen fuel cell-powered, electric-drive ferry has been launched and is gearing up for operational trials off the U.S. West Coast.Constructed by Bellingham, Wash. shipbuilder All American Marine, Inc. (AAM), SWITCH Maritime's 70-foot newbuild Sea Change will operate in the California Bay Area as the United States' first hydrogen fuel cell vessel, developed to demonstrate a pathway to commercialization for zero-emission hydrogen fuel cell marine technologies. While still working on permitting of hydrogen fuel systems for maritime vessels with the U.S.

A day after it ordered its tenth E-Flexer vessel in the RoPax class, Stena RoRo on Thursday said it had ordered two new ferries from the Chinese shipyard CMI Jinling (Weihai). To remind, the firm on Monday ordered the tenth unit from the same shipyard for a charter in Canada. The 11th and 12th Stena E-Flexer vessels, ordered Thursday, are in the RoPax class developed by Stena RoRo, with delivery scheduled for 2024 and 2025. Stena RoRo said that at the same time, long-term charter…

Thailand's first fleet of electric commuter ferries was placed into service last week by the Bangkok Metropolitan Authority (BMA), bringing clean emissions-free passenger transport to one of the world's most congested cities. Seven new vessels joined the first test boat, which has been successfully transporting Bangkok residents since 2018.The 30-passenger, zero-emission water taxis are part of a fleet operated by BMA's Enterprise Krungthep Thanakom Company (KT BMA), which operates on a five-kilometer route daily…

Dutch shipyard Royal Niestern Sander has begun building a new aft for a passenger ferry that will be converted to liquefied natural gas (LNG) propulsion for German operator AG Ems.The shipyard is designing and building a completely new stern section to replace the one existing on the 1986-built passenger ship Münsterland, which will be fited with dual fuel engines, LNG storage tanks, propulsion systems, all LNG installations, pipelines and other systems.Niestern Sander was awarded the contract to undertake the project in July 2019…

SCHOTTEL's Azimuth Thrusters will propel two environmentally friendly vessels for the Norwegian ferry operator Norled.The first ferry to sail on liquid hydrogen was designed by LMG Marin and is currently under construction at Westcon Yards, Norway.Sigvald Breivik, technical director at Norled: “Our goal is to create a new icon among eco-friendly ferries. Hydrogen, as a zero-emission fuel, will be the alternative energy for ferry propulsion systems in cases where longer sailing distances are required and charging batteries is not possible.

Dignitaries from the state of Washington joined Governor Jay Inslee, Washington State Ferries officials and Vigor employees at Vigor’s Seattle shipyard to celebrate the beginning of the greening of WSF’s fleet. Speakers included Governor Inslee, Roger Millar, Secretary of Transportation for Washington State Department of Transportation, and Vigor CEO Frank Foti. The ceremony concluded with a dedication of a sign marking the construction site of the Program.Earlier in the year Washington’s legislature authorized a contract extension for Vigor to build up to five 144-car Olympic class…

Dignitaries from the State of Washington joined Governor Jay Inslee, Washington State Ferries officials and Vigor Industrial employees yesterday (September 9) at Vigor’s Seattle, Washington shipyard to celebrate the launch of a new hybrid-electric ferry build program for the ferry operator. Speakers included Washington State Governor Jay Inslee; Roger Millar, Secretary of Transportation for Washington State Department of Transportation; and Vigor’s CEO, Frank Foti. The ceremony concluded with a dedication of a sign marking program’s construction site.Earlier this year…

The provider of passenger and freight maritime transportation Onorato Armatori has signed a contract with Guangzhou Shipyard International (GSI) for the order of two plus two RoPax ferries, designed by Danish naval architects, OSK-ShipTech.The contract was just signed at a ceremony in Beijing. Onorato Armatori is behind the RoPax ferries to be built at Chinese shipyard Guangzhou Shipyard International. The first ferry is scheduled for delivery in 2022.It is the long-standing cooperation between both OSK, yard and owners, which results in this project. “Two of our largest clients are now doing business together, so to us, this is a dream-scenario, where we are appointed designers on the basis of earlier projects and long-term successful cooperation with all parties.

Damen Shipyards Group has signed a contract with Spain-based major ferry operator Baleària for the delivery of a Stan Tug 1606 E3.The contract was signed by Mr. Ettore Morace and Mr. Guillermo Alomar, executive director of operations and fleet director of Baleària respectively and Carlos Gonzalez Martin on behalf of Damen. The vessel is an answer to increasing demands for sustainability in the maritime industry. It will be the first IMO Tier III compliant tug to operate in the…

Onorato Armatori has signed a historical contract with Guangzhou Shipyard International (GSI) for the order of two plus two luxurious RoPax ferries.Danish naval architects OSK-ShipTech have again contributed to a significant Chinese newbuilding project with the design for the luxury ferries constituting the world’s largest ferry order to this day. The contract was just signed at a ceremony in Beijing. Onorato Armatori is behind the RoPax ferries to be built at Chinese shipyard Guangzhou Shipyard International.The RoPax-ferries will each have a capacity of approx.