Alternative Transport, Turkey’s rapidly expanding Ro-Ro operator, has secured a €27.5 million loan from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) to finance the acquisition of a new Ro-Ro ship. Alternative Transport is investing in a new €55.5 million-vessel, the 32,770gt/2017 built Meleq (above), with a capacity of 283 trailers to convey wheeled cargo such as cars, trucks, trailers or railway wagons. The new ship will enable the firm’s much-needed expansion on the route serving Haydarpasa (Istanbul) and the Italian port of Trieste. In addition, the EBRD will provide a €4.5 million junior loan under its Green Logistics Programme, which is funded by the Global Environmental Facility. Separately, Turkey’s Isbank is extending a parallel loan of €16 million. Alternative Transport was established in 2013.

America Cruise Ferries’ 27,362gt/1989 built Caribbean Fantasy (ex-Chihuahua Star/Victory) was reported as being sold for scrap in July for $1.52 million. This is no surprise as the fire damaged ship has been laid-up at Freeport since her major fire in August 2016 off Puerto Rico (above). Balearia’s new cruiseferry due for delivery from the Spanish La Naval-CNN shipyard in 2019 could be in doubt following reports that the yard appears to be suffering something of a financial crisis following recent years of losses. Re-financing efforts were underway in July with cash advances on ships being built also requested. Balearia is also the Spanish shipping company that is interested in re-opening the Gijon-Nantes (Montoir) Motorway of the Seas route abandoned by LD Lines in 2014. The service would be subsidised by the Spanish Government, the Principality of Asturias and the City of Gijón for two years to cover initial losses. The Ro-Pax service could resume in 2018 if talks prove fruitful.

BC Ferries revealed the wrap that now adorns the hull of the newly delivered 8,728gt/2017 built Salish Raven (above). In July at the company’s Richmond refit facility. The unveiling was made by Musqueam First Nation’s Thomas Cannell, who designed the artwork. Coast Salish artist Thomas Cannell’s design depicts the beauty of the powerful, intelligent raven. His vision of this majestic bird certainly engages his audience with a new style of Coast Salish art. The Salish Raven will enter service on the Tsawwassen to Southern Gulf Islands route in autumn 2017. The vessel has recently completed a 10,440 nautical mile journey from Gdansk, Poland. She features two car decks and has a service speed of 15.5 knots, powered by three dual-fuel Wartsila 8L20DF engines. On 28th July BC Ferries announced that the 4,939gt/1964 built Queen of Nanaimo had been removed from service on the Tsawwassen-Southern Gulf Islands route due to a mechanical problem on the starboard controllable pitch propeller. The 8,728gt/2017 built Salish Eagle will continue in service and a replacement vessel, the smaller 1,476gt/1965 built Bowen Queen, was brought into action. The repairs to the Queen of Nanaimo were completed by the end of July. Upon the debut of the Salish Raven, the Salish Eagle, which entered service in June, moved to Long Harbour on Salt Spring Island to sail in the Southern Gulf Islands.

Brittany Ferries announced in mid-July that the charter of the 12,076gt/1999 built Ro-Ro ship MN Pelican (above) had been extended for a further two years. The 155m long and 72 trailer capacity ship has been operating between Poole and Bilbao twice weekly since February 2016.

Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited (CMAL) held a keel-laying ceremony in Lerwick during the week commencing 17th July at the Malakoff boat yard to mark the start of the build of the new Kerrera ferry. The vessel, which will serve the route between the small island of Kerrera and Gallanach, south of Oban, is being built at Malakoff’s new yard at Greenhead. A silver coin, specially minted by Shetland Jewellery, was placed into the hull of the vessel at the ceremony. The 12m vessel will be called the Carvoria and will replace the existing ferry Gylen Lady. Although similar in size and design, the vessel will offer improved passenger comfort and cargo carrying capacity to the island. The service will be operated by Calmac Ferries Ltd, which took over the route on 1st July.

Cobelfret’s 6,000gt, 28,500dwt and 8,000 lanemetre capacity Celine was delivered on 1st September.

Color Line’s new plug-in hybrid ferry took a step forward on 14th July when the steel cutting ceremony was held at the Crist Shipyard in Poland. The hull (Yard No. 311) will later be towed to Norwegian shipbuilder Ulstein Verft in Norway for completion. Scheduled to be completed in 2019, the newbuilding will serve the Sandefjord- Strömstad route. The vessel will use battery power to traverse the fjord of Sandefjord with minimal noise and zero emissions of NOx, SOx and climate gases as a result. The ferry will be 160m long and will have a passenger capacity of 2,000 and a car capacity of 500. The keel laying is expected to take place during autumn 2017.

Frazer Ferries opened the new Carlingford Ferry service at noon on 21st July, a new cross-border ferry service between Greenore in County Louth and Greencastle, County Down, Northern Ireland. The service had been 10 years in the planning and faced opposition from some residents and environmentalists, as with any beneficial transport link nowadays. The L8 million development will run year round and each sailing has capacity for 44 cars, or coaches and commercial trucks up to 20m in length (excluding articulated lorries). The 15- minute crossing saves a journey of about 30 miles and bypasses Newry, County Down. The first sailing of the ferry, the Aisling Gabrielle, had been planned for June but was postponed. The service is the first vehicle ferry across Carlingford Lough and a return journey for a car and passenger is currently L12.71.

LANE Lines’ Vitsentzos Kornaros has been languishing out of action in Greece after her owners encountered problems. The Greek government has cancelled the company’s ferry contract and is inviting tenders for subsidised services to Kithira and Kissamos. The 6,387gt/1976 built Vitsentzos Kornaros was built for Townsend Thoresen as the Viking Viscount and later became the Pride of Winchester prior to sale after withdrawal from the Portsmouth-Cherbourg route in 1995. She has served LANE Lines ever since and has outlived sisters Viking Valiant, Viking Venturer and Viking Viscount which were sold for scrapping in 2010 and 2011 when named Mogado, Oudja and Samothraki. European Ferries is said to have expressed an interest in running the service, no doubt using their own tonnage.

Madeira’s regional government was said in August to be in the final stages of drawing up a tender to find a new operator for a weekly ferry service between Funchal and the Portuguese port of Portimao, like the route operated Naviera Armas between 2008 and 2012. The regional government is reportedly prepared to allocate a €3 million subsidy on a three-year service that can guarantee conveying passengers, vehicles and cargo between the two cities in under 24 hours. Any vessel must have a 300 passenger capacity as a minimum and no longer than 175m with a draught of 6.5m to suit the port of Funchal.

The first tender closed in January after no deal was reached with any of the seven international ferry operators, namely Transinsular and ENM (Portuguese), FRS (German), Grandi Navi Veloci (Italian), Hellenic Shipping (Greek), Matrix Marine (Cypriot) and Naviera Armas (Spain). The seasonality of the route and a lack of subsidies were said to be the stumbling blocks first time around.

MBNA Thames Clippers trialled a new Gravesend-Canary Wharf commuter service between 11th and 14th September with free tickets offered during the trial. Such an expansion to the service is possible thanks to the fleet expansion.

NEL Lines’ 15,074gt/1974 built European Express broke free of her moorings at Perama Yard, Piraeus on 1st August and struck Alpha Ferries’ 3,934gt/2002 built Aqua Jewel plus another vessel.

Polferries has been in talks with Thanet Council about possible services from the Port of Ramsgate according to the local press. The discussed service would link Kent with a destination on Poland’s Baltic Coast. Polferries’ 25,028gt/2002 built Cracovia began service on the Świnoujście- Ystad link on 2nd September.

Stena Line announced in July that it will increase weekly Ro-Ro freight trade from Rotterdam to Harwich by 20% beginning in January 2018. Two 15,586gt/2007 built and Aland-flagged/11,407dwt vessels, the Misada and Misana (above), will replace the UK-flagged, 16,342gt/2011 built and 6,600dwt Capucine and Severine on a time charter contract, when the larger vessels’ current charter expires, as part of a move to boost the role of Rotterdam’s Europoort in the rail freight trade with the UK.

Tallink Group reported on 3rd August that the company had transported 1.2 million passengers in July, the company’s highest monthly passenger figure ever. The growth was reportedly achieved through the Estonia-Sweden and Latvia-Sweden routes. Steady growth was also shown in the amount of cargo units transported, up by 16% compared to last July, to 27,666 units. The largest contribution to cargo growth came from the Estonia-Finland route. Previous monthly passenger records were achieved in July 2016 and July 2012, when the company conveyed 1,188m and 1,164m passengers respectively.