Bay Ferries’ 866 passenger  capacity The Cat commenced  sea trials during the week beginning  30th May, just three weeks  before her debut between  Yarmouth and Portland, Maine  following dry docking in South  Carolina. The 2007 built ferry  was refloated on 1st June at  Detyens Shipyard in Charleston,  S.C. and is owned by the U.S.  Navy’s Military Sealift  Command. The service will shut  down for the season at the end  of September. The trials were  completed successfully in early  June.

Fjord1 AS’s new ferry Losna,  built by the ADA Shipyard, was  launched with ceremony on 28th  May 2016. Two double-ended  car/passenger ferries have been  designed to carry 60 cars and  195 passengers. Construction of  this, the second ferry (newbuild  no.NB117), commenced in  September 2015. The first vessel  was launched in March. Sea  trials commenced in June with  delivery of both scheduled for  July and September 2016. Both  ferries are 75.80m long with a  beam of 14.20m, 3.80m draught,  400t deadweight and a service  speed of 13.5 knots. A total of  195 passengers and 60 cars can  be carried whilst power is provided  by 2 x Caterpillar C32, EPA 3,  746 kW@1800 rpm engines and  two 2 x Rolls Royce AZP085  controllable pitch propellers.

The Hythe Ferry suffered a setback  on Friday 13th May when  an evening sailing of the troublesome  Uriah Heep (above) suffered  an apparent technical failure  causing her to miss the landing  pontoon at Hythe Pier and  crash into the seaward side of  the pierhead. The vessel’s  wheelhouse was detached on  impact and the ferry became  wedged under the pier. Police,  ambulance and coastguard were  called to the incident at 2110.  According to the MCA the vessel’s  three crew members suffered  minor injuries and all 15  passengers were evacuated  safely via a harbour tender. The  Calshot Lifeboat and Calshot  Inshore Lifeboat also attended.  There was no service on 14th  May with Solent & Wightline  Cruises’ Jenny M deputising on  15th May before Hurst Ferries’  Solent Rose arrived on scene to  offer a relief service.

HSS Stena Explorer (above),  sold in October to Turkish firm  Karadeniz Holding who were  planning to convert it into a hightech  floating office, is reportedly  up for sale again for around £4.5  million for reasons unknown.

IoSSCo: The Penzance-St.  Mary’s service is to receive a  replacement freight vessel. The  968gt/1992 built Mali Rose  arrived in Penzance on 17th  May and entered dry dock on  27th May for refit and modifications.  When completed the ship  (to be renamed) will replace the  590gt/1981 built Gry Maritha  (above), which was purchased  by the IoSSCo in 1989. The Mali  Rose is 12.6 metres longer and  almost a metre wider than the  Gry Maritha and will also be able  to accommodate up to 6 passengers  when required.

MyFerryLink: FRS of Germany  has chartered the Nord Pas De  Calais and renamed her as the  Al Andalus Express. The ship  arrived at Algeciras on 16th May  and received full FRS livery  soon after.

P&O Ferries has hinted in the  local media that two new ferries  for Dover-Calais earmarked for  2020/2021 could be brought forward  thanks to very healthy carryings,  perhaps by 1-2 years.  The Pride of Burgundy (above)  is certainly “odd one out” in the  passenger fleet now with the  Superfreighter European  Seaway also still earning her  keep.

Transmanche Ferries’ Newhaven-  Dieppe service will reportedly  continue for a further four  years when a new contract is  awarded in August. The French  authorities had received at least  one bid to run the service, that  comes with a promised annual  subsidy of €20 million (£15.3  million). The current contract  was ended by a French court in  January in connection with a  long-running investigation by the  Competition and Markets  Authority into Eurotunnel’s  acquisition of SeaFrance assets.

White Funnel’s 2016 season  did not get off to a great start.  The first sailing on 13th May was  cancelled due to mechanical  issues and further problems following  on 16th May. Whilst sailing  light-ship from Penarth to  Swansea a bearing on the port  propeller shaft overheated causing  damage to both the bearing  and shaft. The vessel limped to  Avonmouth on one engine on  18th May and Andrew Weir Ship  Management Limited inspected  the ship in port and the work was  successfully completed by the  ship’s engineers with support  from Sharpness Dry Docks &  Ship Repairs. Sea trials took  place on 28th May allowing the  Balmoral to proceed to the  Thames Estuary to take up her  scheduled cruises there from  31st May. The long awaited  return to the South Coast was  scheduled for 7th-12th June and  then again 29th June-3rd July  and finally 7th-11th September.  Alas the first Solent area calls  were not without incident as the  Balmoral hit and damaged  Trinity Landing Stage at Cowes  on 11th June. Full details of the  2016 schedule can be found at  www.whitefunnel.co.uk whilst  the Solent itineraries are also in  conjunction with Red Funnel.