Shippax
Newsletter– week 42

We’ve
started adding more news to the
website and hope you appreciate it.
Make sure to check the website
frequently, as new articles are added
daily.

Please
find below the news added to the
website this week, listed by
publication date — so be sure to
scroll all the way down so you don’t
miss anything.

Enjoy
the read

ASCO
implements new solutions in their
third RoPax from Baku Shipyard

Construction
of the third RoPax, Yard No. H114, in
a series of three next-generation
RoPax ferries for ASCO (Azerbaijan
Caspian Shipping) at the Baku Shipyard
(BSY) is progressing on schedule. 70%
of the project has been completed,
ASCO says in a public update.

The two
already delivered units in the series
are AZERBAIJAN (2021) and ZARIFA
ALIYEVA (2022), both approx. 8,500 GT,
with a length overall of 154.5 metre,
a beam of 17.5 metre and a capacity of
860 lanemetres/728 rail-lanemetres,
and 100 passengers with access to
night accommodation in 40 cabins.

Vision
for an electric transformation of
one of Åland’s archipelago ferries

AxFerries
(Ålands Skärgårdsrederi Ab), owned by
the Government of Åland and
FinFerries, presents a development
concept for the archipelago ferry
ALFÅGELN. The vision illustrates how
the vessel can be rebuilt into a
modern, fully electric, and
emission-free ship with higher
capacity and improved operational
efficiency.

The
plans include extending ALFÅGELN by
six metres and widening the car deck.
This would make it possible to
maintain the same vehicle capacity as
today, even without the current side
platform decks. A port-side platform
deck will be retained to provide extra
capacity during peak season
operations.

NEOLINER
ORIGIN takes off on first voyage

On the
16th of October, NEOLINER ORIGIN will
commence its first voyage to Saint
Pierre and Miquelon and Baltimore.
Built by RMK Marine for Neoline
Armateur, it is equipped with 66-metre
carbon fibre masts and a total sail
area of 3,000 m². NEOLINER ORIGIN is a
136m-long sailing commercial ship
capable of reducing greenhouse gas
emissions by over 80% compared to
conventional ships of equivalent size
by reducing energy needs and using
wind as the main propulsion energy.

Moby
has sold its last “Tor Line
sister” to China

Moby
Lines has sold MOBY OTTA to Hoiyu
International Group Ltd in China for
further operations. The 1976-built
ferry has been laid up in Livorno
since 1 October, and has now been
renamed ELPIS and reflagged from Italy
to St. Kitts & Nevis.

Disney
Cruise Line takes delivery of
DISNEY DESTINY

MEYER
WERFT delivered its latest cruise
ship, the 340-metre and
4,000-passenger DISNEY DESTINY. The
handover to Disney Cruise Line took
place on schedule in Eemshaven, the
Netherlands. The first passengers will
board in November.

Summer
2025: Mediterranean ferry travel
insights

US, UK,
and EU bookings surged, with ferry
demand up by around 20% year-on-year.
Italy held its crown, led by Capri,
Amalfi, and Sorrento, which topped
international demand. Croatia’s appeal
strengthened, with Split, Dubrovnik,
and Bol leading the way despite modest
growth in the wider market. Greece saw
a mixed performance — Paros and Naxos
advanced, while Santorini and Mykonos
softened slightly. In Spain, ferry
bookings to the Balearics cooled, but
demand increased for the Canary
Islands, Tarifa, and Tangier.

Attica
has published financial and
volumes figures for 1st half of
2025

Attica
Holdings S.A. (Attica Group) has
announced its financial results for
the 1st half of 2025, which reflect an
increase in consolidated revenue
across both geographical segments of
operation (in Greek domestic and
international routes). Overall,
compared to the corresponding period
in 2024, revenue increased by 2.96%,
reaching EUR 326.6 million from EUR
317.2 million.

Baleària
recorded an 11% increase in
freight volumes – fresh products
now account for 35% of its cargo

Refrigerated
products, such as fruits and
vegetables, make up 35% of the cargo
transported by Baleària, a volume that
consolidates the shipping company as a
key player in the logistics
distribution of fresh and perishable
foods in the regions where it
operates. Refrigerated cargo thereby
represents the largest share by type
of goods for Baleària, although this
varies by route.

GNV
has extended the charter of its
two Sietas-RoRos for another year

Starting
from September this year, GNV has
extended the charter of the two RoRo
vessels CAROLINE RUSS and ELISABETH
RUSS for an additional 12 months. Both
ships were also chartered to GNV on a
12-month agreement in September last
year, and prior to that, they had
likewise been employed by GNV for a
longer cumulative period.

Torpoint
“Bridge to Zero” to deliver UK’s
first zero-emission chain ferry
plan

A
project to cut carbon emissions from
the world’s busiest chain ferry
service is underway in Cornwall and
Devon. The Torpoint “Bridge to Zero”
initiative aims to create a practical,
fully costed plan to convert the
Torpoint Ferry fleet from diesel power
to 100% shore-supplied renewable
electricity.

CRACOVIA
to spend another 12 months in the
Mediterranean

Nouris
el Bahr Ferries is extending its
charter of the RoPax CRACOVIA from
Polferries, effective from November.
The extension is for an additional 12
months.

The
CRACOVIA, built in 2002 and capable of
carrying 550 passengers and 2,196
lanemetres of cargo, was introduced
last year by Nouris el Bahr Ferries on
routes from Algeria to Alicante and
Marseille, after the vessel became
surplus to Polferries’ Baltic Sea
network following the introduction of
the newbuild VARSOVIA.

New
Zealand Government confirms double
ferry order at GSI

The
New Zealand Government, through its
procuring company Ferry Holdings
Limited, has secured GSI (Guangzhou
Shipyard International) as the
builder of two new ferries for the
state-owned, KiwiRail-operated
Interislander, New Zealand Rail
Minister Winston Peters confirmed
today, thereby confirming Shippax’s
earlier report.

“…we
have secured major components
including a fixed price, completion
in 2029, and full delivery of our
ship specifications for
200-metre-long ferries with 2.4km of
lanes for trucks, cars and 40 rail
wagons aboard each ship, and room
for 1,500 passengers each.”

SMYRIL
is returning to the Faroe Islands
after extensive upgrade

After
seven weeks in dock at the repair yard
Fayard in Denmark, and following
extensive retrofit and installation
work, Strandfaraskip Landsins’
flagship, SMYRIL, has now set course
for the Faroe Islands. Major work has
been completed. The most significant
tasks included rebuilding the aft
section, installing two new stern
thrusters, and fitting three new
auxiliary engines – each more than
twice as powerful as the previous
ones.

Smyril
Line extends charter of RoRo from
Siem

Smyril
Line has extended its charter from
Siem Shipping of the 3,660 lanemetre
RoRo LISTA for 11 months starting from
September 2025. The 2011-built LISTA
was brought in while the 1,600
lanemetre GLYVURSNES – which on 2
January 2025 suffered a serious engine
room fire in Hirtshals that claimed
the life of a crew member – was out of
Smyril Line’s network, the route
between Tórshavn, Hirtshals, and
Þorlákshöfn, for repairs.

Fatal
accident on the RoRo vessel ELMES
during shipyard stay

An
apparently sudden and severe list
caused a fatal accident on 9 October
around 14:30 local time at the Turkish
Yildiz repair yard in Tuzla. The
vessel involved is the 1997-built, 570
lanemetre heavy-lift/multi-purpose
RoRo ELMES. The list to port side
occurred while the ship was moored
alongside at the yard with a large
number of shipyard workers on board,
and it caused, among other things, one
of the ship’s hatches to slide
overboard.

KiwiRail
sells 26-year-old ferry for
scrapping as newbuild contract
moves one step closer

KiwiRail
has entered into an agreement to sell
the aged and out of service
Interislander ferry ARATERE to a buyer
which will deliver it to a specialist
recycling shipyard in India. ARATERE
was delivered as a newbuild 26 years
ago to KiwiRail from Spanish shipyard
Barreras and was retired from service
in August to make way for port
infrastructure needed for the arrival
of two brand new rail-enabled ferries
arriving in 2029, for which it is now
believed a Letter of Intent (LOI) has
been signed with the GSI Shipyard in
China.

EU
Entry/Exit System (EES) goes live
across the Schengen area

The
European Union’s Entry/Exit System
(EES) officially kicked off on the
12th of October, marking a
transformative step in border
management across 29 Schengen
countries. The automated digital
platform will replace traditional
passport stamping with biometric
registration, aiming to enhance
security and streamlining travel for
non-EU visitors; however, concerns are
raised about potential significant
delays at ports and IT systems not
properly prepared.

Finnlines
launches weekly Bilbao–Gdynia
service

Finnlines
has introduced a new weekly freight
service between the Port of Bilbao and
the Polish port of Gdynia. Departing
every Saturday and represented in
Bilbao by Consignaciones Toro y
Betolaza, the service enhances the
port’s strategic role within the
Grimaldi Group’s intermodal network —
combining efficiency, sustainability,
and global connectivity.

Operating
since late June, the service employs
three next-generation hybrid RoRo
vessels — FINNECO I, II, and III —
designed for multiple cargo types
including rolling, breakbulk,
containers, vehicles, and project
cargo. Each ship can carry up to 420
trailers or 2,500 vehicles and
features lithium-ion batteries, solar
panels, optimized hulls, and
air-bubble lubrication systems to
minimize emissions and fuel
consumption.

Candela
secures 10-ship deal in Thailand

At a
ceremony in Bangkok, Swedish hydrofoil
ferry manufacturer Candela and Thai
operator Seudamgo by Leopard
Transportation Co., Ltd. signed an
agreement for ten Candela P-12
electric hydrofoil ferries to operate
between the mainland and Koh Kood in
Trat province.

Each
ferry can carry 20 passengers and
cruise at over 25 knots, completing
the 20-nautical-mile crossing in about
40 minutes. Powered by twin electric
motors and large battery packs, the
P-12 consumes up to 80% less energy
than conventional vessels and can be
charged using solar power.

AYK
Energy wins battery contract for
Baleària’s all electric fast
ferries

Marine
battery manufacturer AYK Energy has
won a contract to power the world’s
first fully electric intercontinental
fast ferries between Europe and
Africa. Spanish ferry operator
Baleària will operate the twin
catamarans solely on electric
propulsion throughout the 18-nautical
mile voyage between Tarifa in the
south of Spain and Tangier, Morocco at
speeds of up to 26 knots.

Montenegro
Shipping Lines acquires RoRo
vessel in China for Marina Ferries

Philippine
operator Montenegro Shipping Lines has
expanded its fleet with a second-hand
purchase in China by taking over the
LING XING 9. The 2022-built RoRo (Deck
Cargo Vessel) has now been renamed
BINIBINING JOLO for deployment under
the company’s Marina Ferries brand.

The
vessel has an overall length of 106.3
metres, a beam of 20.5 metres, and a
deadweight of 4,996 tons. Montenegro
Shipping Lines already operates the
sister ships BINIBINING MATNOG and
BINIBINING SURIGAO, which also dates
from 2022.

SANTA
CRUZ is being put up for sale at
auction

The
1978-built ferry SANTA CRUZ (formerly
MOBY CORSE) is now being put up for
auction after a long period of lay-up
in Genoa, following the bankruptcy of
its previous owners as far back as
January, declared at the request of
several creditors.

German
TT-Line signs LOI with Jinling
Shipyard for next-generation RoPax
vessels

An LOI
has been signed between German TT-Line
and CMI Jinling Shipyard for 1+1 new
next-generation RoPax vessels which
will be larger in both terms of size
and capacities compared to the NILS
HOLGERSSON and PETER PAN delivered
from the same yard in 2022.

The new
vessels will measure approximately 240
metres (+10m) in length, accommodate
up to 1,000 passengers (+200), and
feature LNG-hybrid propulsion.

Grimaldi
resumes activity in Syria after
lift of sanctions

Grimaldi
Lines’ 4,300 CEU/3,100 lane metre
GRANDE SICILIA carrying cars,
machinery and heavy equipment docked
at the Syrian port of Latakia 4
October, reopening Grimaldi Lines’
route between Syria and Italy after
more than seven years of suspension
due to western sanctions.

Mixed
picture for DFDS’ freight numbers
during September

DFDS’
total freight volumes in September
2025 counted 3.5 million lanemetres,
which were 0.8% above 2024 and 1.2%
lower adjusted for route changes. YTD
growth rates were 0.2% and -1.2%,
respectively. North Sea volumes were
on level with 2024 following stable
volumes on most routes. Mediterranean
volumes were below 2024 following a
continued slowdown in Turkish
automotive manufacturing and domestic
demand as well as reduced capacity on
one route in response to the
competitive situation.

Finferries
signs agreement for 14 new
electric ferries, built with
re-used hulls

The
Finnish domestic ferry operator
Finferries (Finlands Färjetrafik Ab)
has signed an agreement with the ELY
Centre for Southwest Finland
concerning the procurement project
“Road Ferry Service for Lake Finland
2026–2047″. The company has developed
an environmentally friendly transport
concept for 12 cable ferry routes in
Inland Finland, which will increase
the transport capacity on these routes
to 90 tonnes.

Corvus
Energy receives USD 60 million
growth investment

Corvus
Energy, a supplier of energy storage
systems (ESS) for the maritime
industry, announced it has secured USD
60 million in growth capital from a
group of international investors. The
consortium is led by Morgan Stanley
Investment Management and includes
Just Climate and J. Lauritzen.