Shippax
Newsletter– week 43

The
latest issue of our magazine has now
been completed and is available to
read online for our subscribers.

Please
find below our selection of free news
for the week.

P&O
Ferries expands freight services
on Tilbury routes

P&O
Ferries is boosting capacity and
reliability on the Europoort–Tilbury
route with two dedicated vessels,
extended port times, and earlier
terminal access. On the
Zeebrugge–Tilbury route, weekly
sailings increase from 18 to 20 to
meet growing demand.

World’s
first battery-swapping robot for
fast ferries installed at
Nesoddtangen, Norway

Norled
has now begun the installation of the
first SHIFTR, a battery-swapping robot
that will be used on the fast ferries
in the Norwegian Oslofjord.
Installation and testing will continue
throughout the autumn, after which
battery-swapping trials on BARONESSEN
will also begin.

Secure
your seat now to the 2026 Shippax
Ferry Conference!

Tallink
reports strong Q3 but weaker first
nine months of the year

AS
Tallink Grupp reported a net profit of
EUR 40.8 million for the third quarter
of 2025, up from EUR 36.5 million in
the same period last year. The strong
summer season is reflected in revenue
of EUR 233.1 million, compared with
EUR 225.4 million in Q3 2024.Passenger
numbers increased by 3% compared to
the same period last year, reaching
1.77 million.

Viking
Line reports steady Q3 2025 with
strong summer and stable outlook

Viking
Line’s third-quarter 2025 results
showed steady performance, with sales
totalling EUR 152.5 million, slightly
up from EUR 151.5 million in the same
period last year. Operating income
amounted to EUR 28.7 million (EUR 29.4
million), while income before taxes
rose to EUR 31.6 million (EUR 28.4
million). Net financial items improved
to EUR 2.9 million, compared to a
negative EUR 1.0 million in 2024.

Molslinjen
takes delivery of second electric
ferry from Cemre Shipyard

Samsølinjen’s
new electric ferry, TYRFING, has now
been delivered and is beginning its
long journey home from the Cemre
Shipyard in Turkey. TYRFING follows
NERTHUS, which was delivered in May
this year for service with Alslinjen.

TYRFING,
which is 117 metres long, will be
powered by batteries of 3.8 MWh. The
ferry can transport 188 cars and 600
passengers on one crossing and will be
able to sail emission-free on its
route.

GNV
VIRGO delivered as GNV’s first
LNG-powered ship

GNV
announced that GNV VIRGO has been
delivered, well ahead of schedule. GNV
VIRGO is the third RoPax vessel
ordered from GSI Shipyard
International in Guangzhou, China, as
part of a rapidly progressing growth
programme that will see the company’s
fleet add eight new vessels between
2025 and 2030, including GNV POLARIS
and GNV ORION, which are already in
operation.

The
Grimaldi Group and China Merchants
Shenzhen RoRo Shipping sign
cooperation agreement

China
Merchants Shenzhen RoRo Shipping
(Haina Cang) and the Grimaldi Group
(Naples) have signed a Cooperation
Framework Agreement with the shared
goal of creating greater value for
their customers. This strategic
partnership leverages the strong
complementarity between the two
companies and envisions multiple areas
of collaboration, ranging from
operational synergies to network
integration.

Two
new 56-metre catamarans in service
in Abu Dhabi

Two new
aluminium high-speed RoPax catamarans
designed by Incat Crowther for the
Integrated Transport Centre (ITC), an
affiliate of the Department of
Municipalities and Transport in Abu
Dhabi, are now operating on the
~23-nautical mile route between Dalma
Island and Jebel Dhannah on the UAE
mainland.

The new
56-metre vessels, JAZIRAT DALMA and AL
DHANNAH, built by Singapore based
Penguin International Limited in
Batam, Indonesia, can transport up to
192 passengers and 25 vehicles at
speeds of up to 39 knots.

Rederiaktiebolaget
Eckerö reports record interim
results for January–September 2025

Rederiaktiebolaget
Eckerö has reported its interim
results for the period 1 January to 30
September 2025, achieving record
volumes and strong financial
performance. Revenue increased to EUR
181.1 million, up 5% from EUR 171.7
million in 2024, while operating
profit reached EUR 21.6 million, the
highest ever for this period. Adjusted
for the sale of SHIPPER in January
2024, operating profit improved by EUR
4.5 million compared with the previous
year. Profit for the period totalled
EUR 16.0 million, also a record, and
the company held a net cash surplus of
EUR 19.6 million, meaning its liquid
assets exceed its interest-bearing
debt.

Eckerö
Line’s FINLANDIA to receive a
large battery pack for hybrid
operations

Eckerö
Line, which operates the
Helsinki-Tallinn route, takes a
significant step towards electrifying
its business when investing in a
battery solution for FINLANDIA to
reduce carbon dioxide emission. A
long-term goal for the Eckerö Group is
fully electric shipping. In addition,
Eckerö Line will renovate the interior
spaces of both FINLANDIA and FINBO
CARGO in many ways in the near future
to increase passenger comfort.

NEPTUNUS
to become automated with
battery-hybrid propulsion

The
contract, valued at SEK 97 million,
was secured by Stockholms
Reparationsvarv AB, with Zeabuz and
Metstech providing the essential
automation and energy technologies for
the transformation of Färjerederiet’s
NEPTUNUS. The project will deliver a
complete automation and energy
solution to enhance safety,
efficiency, and environmental
performance on the Gullmarsleden route
between Finnsbo and Skår in
Bohuslän—an essential part of Sweden’s
transport network.

Stena
Line launches new booking app to
improve customer experience

This
December, Stena Line will launch the
My Trips app, bringing together
everything customers need for a
seamless journey. At the same time,
both the booking process and the
StenaMORE loyalty programme will be
upgraded to offer a more personalised
and convenient experience.

Strong
Autumn Break for Molslinjen

Molslinjen
was flat out during the autumn break –
or efterårsferien, as it’s known in
Denmark. Many opted for the sea route,
and the company’s ten ferry lines were
just 363 passengers shy of smashing
the record from 2019 – the last normal
year before the pandemic. The robust
autumn traffic came hot on the heels
of an intense summer, when over five
million passengers travelled with
Molslinjen.

Fresh
Start for Brødrene Aa at Hyen
Shipyard

In the
wake of Brødrene Aa’s bankruptcy,
efforts have been ongoing to revive
operations at the Hyen shipyard
through a new venture. The Aa family’s
holding company, Brødrene Aa Eiendom,
had been in talks with the Finnish
conglomerate Summa Defence over recent
months, but those discussions have now
reached an impasse. As a result,
Brødrene Aa Eiendom has taken matters
into its own hands by forming Brødrene
Aa Hyen AS.

Stena
RoRo signs Letter of Intent with
China Merchant Industries Weihai
for 2+2+2 C-Flexer newbuilds

Stena
RoRo AB has signed a Letter of Intent
for 2+2+2 RoRo cargo ships with a
capacity of 3,000-4,700 lane metres.
Stena RoRo sees this LOI as a
strategic investment for Stena RoRo in
a segment which for a long time has
been underinvested.

The
C-Flexer design builds on the previous
experience of the successful E-Flexer
and NewMax concepts with a combination
of a highly efficient hull form,
engines ready for future fuels and an
expandable battery hybrid design.

IMO
postpones adoption of Net-Zero
Framework for shipping by one year

The
International Maritime Organization
(IMO) has delayed the adoption of its
Net-Zero Framework (NZF) for the
shipping industry by one year,
following a divided vote among member
states. The decision was made at an
extraordinary session of the IMO’s
Marine Environment Protection
Committee (MEPC E.2), held from 14 to
17 October.

Greek
double-ended ferry sold to Guyana

Greek
company Psomas Shipping is reported to
have sold its 2020-built double-ended
RoPax ARIS IV. The exact identity of
the buyer is not yet known by Shippax,
but the buyer is registered in Guyana.
ARIS IV was delivered to Psomas
Shipping by the Perama-based Atsalakis
Shipyard as a replacement for the
2010-built ARIS III, which was sold to
the Italian operator Delcomar.

Brittany
Ferries celebrates the arrival of
its 7 millionth passenger at the
port of Santander

On
Thursday morning, October 16, Brittany
Ferries celebrated the arrival of its
seven millionth passenger at an event
held at the dock in Santander, in the
presence of Joëlle Croc, Director of
Customer Experience and Sales on board
Brittany Ferries; César Díaz,
President of the Port of Santander;
Gema Igual, Mayor of Santander; Pedro
Casares, Government Delegate and María
José Sáenz de Buruaga, President of
Cantabria.

La
Méridionale recruits new CEO from
DFDS

The
ferry operator La Méridionale, owned
by the French container shipping giant
CMA CGM, will have a new CEO starting
from the turn of the year. The
position will be taken by Étienne
Melliani, a French national who is
currently Managing Director of DFDS
France, a role he assumed in August
2024.

Previously,
Étienne Melliani held various
positions, including a career in the
French Ministry of Transport. He will
succeed Maria Harti as CEO of La
Méridionale. She has led the company
since February 2024, when she replaced
Jean-Emmanuel Sauvée.

STENA
CONNECTA named at CMI Jinling
Weihai

On 16
October, the naming ceremony was held
for Stena Line’s second of two new
RoRo vessels for the Belfast–Heysham
route, STENA CONNECTA, at the Chinese
shipyard CMI Jinling Weihai. STENA
CONNECTA completed her sea trials in
September and is expected enter
regular service from January 2026.

The
first vessel in the series, STENA
FUTURA, entered service on the
Belfast–Heysham route on 22 September.
However, STENA FUTURA has not yet been
officially named, as the formal naming
ceremony will take place in Belfast on
20 November.