Seatruck Ploughs On

In what is normally the quieter summer period, Seatruck Ferries has continued to forge ahead with strong growth and new service offerings on its Irish Sea routes. The company saw an impressive 24.9% increase in the volume of unaccompanied trailers in August compared with 2015. Seatruck now operates 66 departures per week across its 3 regular routes, Heysham-Warrenpoint, Heysham- Dublin and Liverpool-Dublin. The strongest growth has been seen on the Liverpool- Dublin service where Seatruck recently added a 3rd dedicated freight vessel allowing operators to take advantage of two prime departures each evening from Liverpool for next day traffic. The Heysham-Warrenpoint is also on course to hit record volumes in 2016 with growth well in excess of the market level.

In addition to these successes, Seatruck has commenced a weekend service connecting Bristol with Dublin. The new service uses a Seatruck vessel that would otherwise be idle at the weekend, to ship trade cars etc.

DFDS news

On 17th August the 37,939gt/2004 built Primula Seaways vacated Floating Drydock III at Lloyd Werft in Bremerhaven after the successful addition of a 30m midship section (above). She was then introduced onto the Ghent-Gothenburg route. The shipyard will not comment after new owners Genting decided to centralise all newbuilding activities in the three yards of MV Werften so what the future holds for this splendid yard is not entirely certain. Also on 17th August, DFDS sailed into the Guinness Book of World Records when a giant Lego ship assembled piece-by-piece by DFDS employees around the world was unveiled in Copenhagen. At 12.035 metres long and 1.67 metres wide, the newly-christened Jubilee Seaways is the largest Lego ship ever assembled.

A 63% increase in freight volumes on the Dover-Dunkirk and Dover-Calais routes in the second quarter of 2016 has helped DFDS register a positive financial performance for the first half of the year. The growth, which has been achieved following the introduction of two new ships on the Dover-Calais service, is the strongest recorded in the company’s history. With the introduction of the former MyFerryLink ferries Cote des Dunes (33,796gt/2001 built) and Cote de Flandres (33,940gt/2005 built) to the route during the spring the ferry company now offers greater flexibility, reliability and choice for its freight customers. The Dover business provides up to 54 daily sailings on its two routes to France and recorded record freight volumes in March 2016, carrying more than 110,000 vehicles on the Dover routes for the first time. On 1st September DFDS entered into an agreement with the Estonian company Navirail OÜ to take over the company’s freight and passenger route (ro-pax) between Paldiski, Estonia, and Hanko, Finland. The agreement includes a four-year time-charter agreement for one ropax ship and an earn-out agreement. The transaction is subject to approval from competition authorities. The route expands DFDS’ network in the northern part of the Baltic Sea and complements DFDS’ existing route between Paldiski and Kapellskär that was acquired in 2011. The route is operated by the 20,921gt/1987 built Ro-Pax vessel Sailor. The route’s maximum annual freight capacity is 1.15 million lane metres of freight and 100k passengers based on the current schedule of 16 departures per week with an annual turnover of around DKK 80m. DFDS was named ‘Europe’s Leading Ferry Operator’ for the sixth year in a row at the World Travel Awards Europe ceremony in Sardinia, Italy on 4th September.

Caribbean Fantasy Salvaged

The salvage firm Ardent refloated the fire ravaged 27,362gt/1989 built Caribbean Fantasy on 20th August and towed her to Pier 15 in San Juan Harbour. McAllister Towing assisted in responding with two of their z-drive tractor tugs, Brooklyn McAllister and, Beth M. McAllister with Puerto Rico Towing and Barge and Moran Towing also providing tugs for the operation. The ship had caught fire near San Juan, Puerto Rico early on 17th August and then drifted aground just off of Punta Salinas. The Coast Guard confirmed that all passengers and crew from the vessel were safely accounted for. Local media sources reported that 105 individuals were treated by first responders for minor injuries and 24 were transferred to the hospital for treatment. The fire source in the engine room was finally extinguished when the ship was towed into port. The blaze spread to other compartments on board. Inspection records indicate that the Caribbean Fantasy has been cited multiple times for deficiencies related to her engineering spaces, including a six-day detention in July 2016 related to unspecified issues with her auxiliary engines; the inspectors also found that the cleanliness of the engine room was “not as required” and that the emergency fire pump was “not properly maintained.” In addition, one week before the grounding, inspectors in Puerto Rico noted problems with fixed firefighting systems, fire detection systems and ventilation. In all, records collated show over 100 deficiencies noted by USCG inspectors over the last five years, including missing exhaust lagging, a potential source of ignition, in April 2015, a fuel oil weep on the No. 3 generator in October 2014, fuel oil leaks in two high pressure fuel lines on the port side generator in March 2014, excessive oily water in bilges in 2011, and multiple instances in which fire doors were found to operate improperly. Local media reports from June 2016 indicated that the Caribbean Fantasy had been fully overhauled prior to the fire. The Caribbean Fantasy has previously seen service in Europe for Grimaldi & in Mexico for Baja Ferries. Her sister, now operating as the Blue Horizon, is serving in Greece.

Fast Ferry Orders

Austal Ltd. announced on 18th August the award of the first ferry contract to Aulong Shipbuilding, a joint venture company by Austal and Guandong Jianglong Shipbuilding of Zhuhai, China.

Less than two months after the announcement of the joint venture, Aulong Shipbuilding has been awarded a A$10 million contract to design and build a 42 metre high speed aluminium ferry for Chinese mainland operator, Blue Sea Jet. The contract was awarded following a competitive evaluation based on product performance, price and commercial terms. The ferry is based on a proven Austal design developed in Australia to world class standards. The design optimises performance, fuel efficiency and passenger comfort and will carry up to 288 passengers on the Zhuhai-Hong Kong route, at speeds in excess of 36 knots. Construction of the vessel was anticipated to commence in October 2016, with delivery scheduled for October 2017.

At the beginning of September Incat Crowther announced a contract to design a 45m Catamaran Passenger Ferry for Seastreak of New York. The vessel has been developed in response to significant growth in passenger volume at Seastreak, and will increase the operator’s fleet of Incat Crowther designed vessels to eight. The new vessel will be based on the fleet’s largest ferries, Seastreak WallStreet, Seastreak Manhattan, Seastreak Highlands and Seastreak New York.

The following day Incat Crowther revealed a contract to design a 50m Catamaran Passenger Ferry for South Korean operator Seaspovill. The vessel will join the operator’s existing fleet which runs from the mainland ports of Donghae and Gangneung to the island of Ulleung-do. Incat Crowther worked with Seaspovill to develop the design of the vessel, and then assisted in the preparation of a preliminary design package and the selection of Austal Philippines to construct the vessel. The operational envelope of the vessel is enhanced, allowing operation in rougher conditions, significantly reducing the number of lost days. Seakeeping will be exceptional, with a combination of z-bow hull form and centre bow giving the operator new levels of operability and comfort. A total of 346 passengers are accommodated on the main deck and the upper deck seats 100 passengers, plus four passengers in a VIP cabin. Capable of reaching a maximum speed of 40 knots, the 49.9m long and 450 passenger capacity vessel has been optimised for a loaded operating speed of 33 knots at a modest MCR.

Calmac’s New Era

Ferry operator CalMac Ferries Ltd. has gone public for the first time with its ambitious plans to transform west coast ferry services in a new contract beginning on 1st October for up to eight years.

The company, which was announced as the successful bidder for the Clyde and Hebrides Ferry Services tender in May, signed the contract with Transport Scotland on 22nd August following the finalisation of legal agreements. The planned innovations, most of which will be put in place in the first two years of the contract, include:-

– Maximise opportunities for local companies, supported businesses (where 30% of staff are disabled or disadvantaged) and social enterprises, to tender for supply contracts. CalMac has set a target of sourcing 80% of fresh produce from within its network Area

– Appoint a Director of Community and Stakeholder Engagement and create a Communities Board to involve communities in strategic matters that affect them.

– An innovative approach to the introduction of smart and integrated ticketing offering multi-modal ticketing to provide improved choice and convenience for passengers.

– Continued investment in Officer Cadets and rating apprenticeships and partnering with local maritime training organisations such as University of the Highlands and Islands and City of Glasgow College to further develop our qualified and skilled workforce, and develop a strong maritime training economy;

– Work in partnership with shipyards to plan and schedule long-term maintenance activities to minimise reactive maintenance, improving vessel reliability for customers.

– Investing £6 million in on-board and port and passenger area improvements including consistent signage, a standard look and feel to customer sitting and waiting areas, upgraded restaurant counters and retail outlets, piloting an ‘at seat’ drinks trolley service, and digital information screens, all aimed at improving customer accessibility and experience.

– Daily demand forecasting combined with the introduction of variable terms and conditions to discourage late cancellations and no shows. This will lead to improved accessibility for customers, better capacity utilisation and greater certainty of travel.