Passenger Services News

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…

Finnlines will make major investments in its route between Sweden and mainland Finland via Åland during 2023 as the freight and passenger shipping company continues to bounce back from the pandemic slowdown.The company announced on Tuesday that it is introducing two new Superstar cargo-passenger vessels as part of general plans for increasing passenger comfort on the Kapellskär–Långnäs–Naantali route, with the first ro-pax vessel set to start operating on the route in autumn 2023.The new vessels Finnsirius and Finncanopus are part of Finnlines EUR 500 million investment program…

MSC Group's Cruise Division has signed a contract with Fincantieri for the construction of a new mega cruise terminal at PortMiami, a North America and the Caribbean cruise hub.The new terminal reflects an investment of approximately €350 million ($414.4 million) and will be made up of a multi-level central body to serve as many as three latest generation ships at the same time, with up to 36,000 travelers transiting every day. Designed by the award-winning global architecture firm Arquitectonica…

Naval architecture and marine engineering firm BMT has introduced new passenger and cargo vessel designs to replace older tonnage in the Isles of Scilly Steamship Company fleet.Designed to replace the 44-year-old Scillonian III, a new 72-meter vessel Scillonian IV will carry 600 passengers over three decks with a contemporary, comfortable seating arrangement, onboard coffee shop and retail area. It will be capable of a speed of 18 knots, reducing journey time by 20%; anti-roll fins to improve the stability of the crossing…

Kongsberg Maritime (KM) said it will supply an equipment and simulation package for the maritime training vessel MS Gann, helping both to reduce the vessel’s emissions and enhance the education offered on board. The contract, worth 41.2 million NOK, is part of an extensive refit and will include KONGSBERG’s SAVe Energy battery system and hybrid shaft generators, in addition to power management, propulsion control and monitoring systems.MS Gann – which ran passenger services along…

While COVID-19 has proven to be the biggest business disruption event in generations, for the once-booming cruise shipping industry it has meant a hard stop. Getting back to cruising will be neither fast nor easy. We reached out to Captain Havard Ramsoy, Vice President, Marine Operations and Safety, Genting Cruise Lines for insights on the path forward.Please give an overview of the Genting Cruise Ship fleet today, and COVID-19 and its impact on the Genting Cruise business.Throughout the unprecedented suspension of the global cruise passenger services due the COVID-19 situation…

Interferry CEO Mike Corrigan reflects on the crushing impact of COVID-19…but suggests that the gradual easing of travel restrictions offers a turning point on the road to recovery.Last year the ferry industry was riding the crest of a wave. In an end-of-year review, I went so far as to express my belief that the industry had rarely if ever been in such good health. Throughout the developed world, most operators were reporting year-on-year traffic growth and many had set new records for passenger and vehicle volumes.

Trade association Interferry says it welcomes the European Commission’s guidance on the gradual relaxation of travel restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic and relaunching of transportation links that will go into effect in advance of this summer’s travel and tourism season.“We welcome the growing signs in Europe and beyond that COVID-19 lockdown restrictions are starting to be eased,” says Interferry CEO Mike Corrigan. “The global ferry industry is prepared to contribute to…

French America Line Prohibited from Offering, Advertising, or Conducting Passenger CruisesFrench America Line, a domestic passenger vessel operator (PVO), is prohibited from offering, advertising, or conducting cruises following revocation today of its Certificate of Financial Responsibility for Indemnification of Passengers for Nonperformance of Transportation (Certificate (Performance)) by the Federal Maritime Commission.In April 2019, the Commission’s Bureau of Certification and Licensing notified Great Northern & Southern Navigation Co., LLC, which does business as French America Line (FAL), that it intended to revoke the company’s Certificate (Performance). Companies must maintain a Certificate (Performance) to offer passenger services.

European ferry operator said that between 2008 and 2018 it reduced its CO2 emissions by approximately 30 per cent and confirmed that it is looking beyond IMO requirements to drive down its carbon footprint further."Passenger-specific carbon-dioxide figures for 2018 have been calculated on Finnlines’ passenger routes," the shipping operator of ro-ro and passenger services in the Baltic Sea and the North Sea.The EU regulation on the monitoring, reporting and verification of CO2 emissions (MRV, EU 2015/757, EN 16258) became fully effective in 2018. Globally, IMO’s similar Data Collection System will start in 2019.The Finnlines’ passenger-specific route figures are calculated on the basis of MRV data for 2018 verified by the authorities.

The roll on/roll off cargo and passenger services provider Stena RoRo has converted two vessels to SERTICA system, which enables RoRos to work with one supplier and one system - covering maintenance, procurement and safety.Stena RoRo initially signed up to SERTICA Maintenance and Procurement but decided to add the Safety Management System in SERTICA to get full value of the solution.From the day Stena Roro signed the SERTICA contract with Logimatic, they had 5 weeks to convert the existing data from two different systems to SERTICA before a scheduled inspection.Niklas Andersson, Manager Technical Operations at Stena RoRo says, “SERTICA was chosen to enable us to start operating the vessels from early March. They were the only supplier we felt that could deliver on the task.

The port of Ferrol hosted its first liquefied natural gas (LNG) bunkering operation recently which saw two ferries filled with LNG by Repsol in the port’s Mugardos terminal.Recently built by Turkish shipyard Tersan, the Samnøy and Huftarøy ferries received 178 cubic metres of fuel from five tanks in total. The Samnøy received about 110 cubic metres of fuel, whereas the Huftarøy was supplied with 68 cubic metres.The two operations were carried out on the outer jetty, which is the dock of the inner dock where small and medium-sized cruise ships usually dock when they visit the city.They were on their way to the Norwegian fjords, where they will be exploited in passenger services by the Torghatten Nord shipping company.

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) announced that the newly built large-scale ferry Sunflower Kirishima operated by its group company Ferry Sunflower was launched on September 15, and with many passengers aboard, departed the Nanko Sunflower Terminal in Osaka Prefecture for the Port of Shibushi, Kagoshima Prefecture.The new Sunflower Kirishima has room for 20% more trucks compared to the old Sunflower Kirishima.With its sister ferry, the Sunflower Satsuma, which was launched on May 15, they will enhance their role in promoting a strong modal shift from long-distance transport by trucks to ocean transport by ferries driven by the need to reduce…

An explosion at an industrial cistern in the Tuscan port of Livorno, one of Italy's biggest passenger and commercial harbours, killed two people on Wednesday, an official said. The two men had been doing maintenance on the storage tank when the blast occurred, the port authority official said. Photographs posted online showed a large metal cistern partially crumpled and leaning sideways. It had contained ethyl acetate, a combustible liquid, la Repubblica newspaper's web site said. Commercial and passenger services in Livorno were not likely to be affected, the port authority official said.

Niels-Erik Lund began his passenger ship career in 1969 as a trainee in a Danish passenger shipping company, DFDS. In the nearly 50 years since, the passenger and cruise shipping industry has changed many times over, with consistent growth being the only similarity between then an now. Today Lund, President & CEO of Sunstone Ships, Inc., has an unfettered view of the expedition cruise sector that he helped to create. With the expedition and luxury cruise segments set for fast growth, Maritime Reporter spoke to Lund to help put the market in better perspective.

Terry MacRae founded Hornblower Yachts, LLC (doing business as Hornblower Cruises & Events) in 1980, and serves as Chief Executive Officer, the President and is also its owner. MacRae is the Co-founder of HMS Global Maritime and the American Queen Steamboat Company, and serves as Chief Executive Officer of Alcatraz Cruises, LLC, Statue Cruises, LLC, Hornblower Canada Co., Hornblower Cable Cars, Inc. and HNY Ferry, LLC (doing business as NYC Ferry). He leads one of the largest and fastest growing charter, dining cruise, and ferry operating companies in the nation.

Some of Spain's biggest port terminals came to a standstill on Monday as shipping companies redirected cargos to avoid a dockers' strike. After months of talks between unions, companies and the Spanish government over a reform of port hiring practices, dockers held the first of several planned strikes to protest against possible job losses. Some container shipping firms such as Maersk re-routed boats destined for the southern port of Algeciras to get around the strike, during which dockers will stop working every other hour on Monday, Wednesday and Friday this week.

Stena RoRo, a subsidiary of the Swedish ship owner Stena AB, and AVIC International Ship Development (China) Co. Ltd. have signed a contract, subject to board approval, for four ro-pax ferry newbuilds, including option for another four. These will be some of the first ro-pax ferries to be built in China for a western owner. Deltamarin Group will deliver an engineering, procurement, construction and management (EPCM) package for the new vessels, to be constructed at AVIC Weihai Shipyard.

Even though the struggle for independence from Britain finally resulted in Ireland being declared “a sovereign, independent, democratic state” in 1937 there was little interest being shown in the maritime affairs of the country. This, despite Ireland being seen as having opportunities to derive added value from its vast marine resources. Up until a few years ago, sporadic endeavors failed to achieve optimum economic benefits. Ireland’s ambition to create a maritime cluster gathered momentum only during the last few years. It began with the introduction of the tonnage tax regime in 2003. This made Ireland an attractive destination for shipping. The immediate effect was that it reversed the trend of Irish shipping companies flagging out to foreign registries.

A record 9.8 million passengers are using the River Thames‎, two years on from the launch of the Mayor's River Action Plan, it was announced today. The River Action Plan, launched in February 2013, details a host of measures designed to increase the number of river passengers to 12 million by 2020. Figures from January to December 2014 have shown very positive signs as passenger numbers on River Buses and River Tours increased to 9.8 million, compared to 8 million for the same period in 2013. The Mayor and Transport for London (TfL) have confirmed that a new developer led pier ‎will open at Plantation Wharf this year in order to meet the increased demand.

The Shipping Corporation of India’s (SCI) Worldwide Agents Meet 2015 was this year held in the Auditorium of  it's Maritime Training Institute at Powai. The meet was attended by about 102  delegates from various agency houses  representing Far East, Indian Subcontinent, Persian Gulf, Western Europe, Mediterranean, Black Sea, Red Sea, USA etc. The  two day meet began with auspicious lightening of lamp by the Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) Shri. Arun Kumar Gupta. All the functional directors of SCI, Capt Sunil Thapar , Director (Bulk & Tanker Division),  Capt. B B Sinha, Director (Personnel & Administration), Capt S Narula, Director (Liner and Passenger Services)…

The Shipping Corporation of India Ltd. (SCI), a Government of India Enterprise, hosted an interactive session on Coastal & Exim container trades of Gujarat on 9th October, 2014 at Courtyard Marriott, Ahmedabad. Shri Arun Kumar Gupta, Chairman and Managing Director of SCI, Capt. B.B. Sinha, Director (Personnel & Administration) of SCI, Capt. Sarveen Narula, Director- Liner & Passenger Services Division of SCI and other senior officials of the company were present at the meet. Shri Arun Kumar Gupta, CMD, SCI, while commencing his speech with “ Customers Devo Bhav “, thanked all the distinguished Guests for attending the Meet and said that SCI looks forward to continued support and more co-operation.

Inchcape Shipping Services (ISS) the world’s leading maritime services provider, has launched an innovative series of travel apps for the cruise industry in Greece, covering the major ports and islands of Mykonos, Santorini, Kefalonia, Corfu and Syros. Further apps will also follow to cover the entire region. Originated by ISS Greece, one of the leading cruise specialists, the free new travel apps will provide a complete digital guide through the islands and ports of Greece, from attractions and activities, dining, and shopping to transport information and a currency convertor, all with images and contact information. With a click of button, immediate local medical information can also be found, if users need to find a doctor or hospital shoreside.