Following is a taster of the news that appears in the April 2024 issue of Shipping T&Y.

CONTAINER FLEETS by Ian Sebire

Maersk proudly introduced the first large scale container ship to be powered by methanol when the 16,000 TEU Ane Maersk (above) was named at HD Hyundai Heavy Industries in Ulsan, South Korea at the end of January. The vessel was scheduled to enter service on the AE7 loop between Asia and Europe in February. Commenting on the new ship Maersk CEO Vincent Clerc commented, “Ane Maersk will begin her maiden voyage on green methanol and Maersk continues to work diligently on 2024/2025 sourcing and bunkering solutions for its methanol-enabled vessel fleet”.

BULK and TANKER NEWS by Ian Sebire

Sanctions don’t appear to be stopping the flow of Iranian oil, with record volumes of the country’s crude being shipped by a fleet of some 250 vessels in 2023, comprising primarily older VLCCs according to analyst Vortexa. However, these numbers pale compared to the total of approximately 1,400 ships identified in an article published by the US think tank Atlantic Council. Flagged by permissive registries, the ships in question generally have convoluted, obscure ownership details and little or no insurance. According to the report this ‘dark or ‘shadow’ fleet is increasingly active transporting Russian, Iranian, North Korean and Venezuelan oil around the globe. Their age and apparently brazen disregard for maritime regulations (AIS is invariably switched off) causes a consequential risk to legitimate shipping interests who invariably end up bearing the cost of damage incurred, as well as those countries suffering from related pollution worldwide. The latter problem has increased in frequency related to ‘shadow ships’ indulging in ship-to-ship transfers of cargo in secluded waters.

CRUISE NEWS by Andrew & Donna Cooke

Margaritaville at Sea’s new acquisition, the 85,861gt/2000-built and 2,100-guest capacity Margaritaville at Sea Islander (above), formerly the Costa Atlantica, arrived at Harland+Wolff, Belfast, on 10th January after a 13-day voyage from her former home region after lay-up at Cagliari in Sardinia, Italy. The ship was sold by the Carnival Group in 2023. The major refit at H+W will see new spaces and features created onboard, including the 3-storey poolside LandShark Bar at Sea, and a Margaritaville-inspired cornhole and mini-golf course. The ship’s 1,100 staterooms are also being fully redesigned with custom styling reminiscent of the sand, sea and sky and all new furnishings including Margaritaville’s signature bedding, pillows, and linens. Once the work is done, the Margaritaville at Sea Islander is scheduled to offer a series of 4 and 5-night cruises to Mexico and Florida, departing from Tampa on a year-round basis.

Regent Seven Seas Cruises has announced what it describes as an “industry-first” in the form of “Immersive Overnight” sailings, which will feature an overnight stay in every port of call. Destinations featured in this new range of itineraries include the Mediterranean, Northern Europe, and Asia, with cruises being operated by the Seven Seas Splendor, Seven Seas Explorer, Seven Seas Voyager, and Seven Seas Navigator. Six of these cruises will operate in 2024 and likewise in 2025.

FERRY NEWS by Andrew Cooke

The 39,798gt/2005-built Sharden (above) and 39,798gt/2004-built Moby Vinci (ex-Nuraghes) have been sold to Conglomerate Maritime Limited, part of the MSC Group, as part of the process to restructure Moby Line and repay debts. The brand-new 70,016gt/2023-built Moby Legacy completed her delivery voyage to Livorno on 28th January. Late January brought the news that the veteran Moby Vincent had been sold for scrap after a 50-year career, 33 of which have been with Moby. Built as the Stena Normandica by Rickmers Werft in Bremerhaven, the ship made her final Bastia-Livorno crossing on 22nd October 2023 and will be replaced by the 37,583gt/1986-built Moby Orli/22,161gt/1982-built Moby Zaza. Two of the four sisterships survive, namely the Sardinia Vera and Corsica Marina Seconda. Moby is expanding its network by adding a Golfo Aranci-Genoa service using the former DFDS cruiseferries Moby Drea (22,528gt/built 1975) and Moby Otta (22,528gt/built 1976) in July/August 2024.

For a full list of contents of the April 2024 issue CLICK HERE

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