Shippax
Newsletter– week 24

World’s
first ship tunnel moves into
construction phase

The
Stad Ship Tunnel has received official
approval for construction, with NOK
150 million allocated in Norway’s
Revised National Budget for project
start-up, whilst the total cost
framework has been set at NOK 8.6
billion. The Norwegian Coastal
Administration (Kystverket) can now
proceed with contract signing and
commence construction activities.

Finnlines’
Sweden–Poland route celebrates
200,000 passenger milestone

Finnlines’
Malmö–Swinoujscie route has welcomed
over 200,000 passengers since launch
in April 2024, marking significant
growth in direct Sweden–Poland
connectivity. The Swedish Ambassador
to Poland visited FINNFELLOW to
celebrate the milestone, highlighting
the route’s importance for tourism,
business travel and trade between the
two countries.

DFDS
reports mixed May growth as
freight steadies but passengers
decline

DFDS
transported 3.6 million freight lane
metres in May 2026, down 1.8%
year-on-year, though adjusted for
route changes the decline was 1.7%.
Regionally, North Sea and Baltic
volumes improved, whilst Mediterranean
performance weakened partly due to
Turkish public holidays. The Strait of
Gibraltar and Egypt–Tunisia routes
showed continued strength.

MOL
and JAL to develop certification
pathway for Seaglider vessels in
Japan

Mitsui
O.S.K. Lines (MOL) and Japan
Airlines (JAL) have entered an
agreement with Lloyd’s Register and
REGENT Craft Inc. to jointly develop
certification and operational
approval processes for REGENT’s
fully electric Seaglider vessels in
Japan.

Samsø
Rederi enters vessel charter
agreement with Molslinjen

Samsø
Municipality, which operates ferry
services between the Danish Kattegat
island of Samsø and the ports of Hou
and Aarhus in Jutland through its
municipal ferry company Samsø Rederi,
has entered into a vessel charter
agreement with Molslinjen.

The
agreement covers the 1989-built RoPax
ferry MERCANDIA IV, which normally
serves as the fourth ferry on
Molslinjen’s (Øresundslinjen’s) route
across the Øresund between Helsingør
and Helsingborg.

SUPERFAST
V deployed on the Adriatic Sea

On 8
June, Superfast Ferries deployed
SUPERFAST V on the company’s Adriatic
service between Venice, Patras, and
Igoumenitsa. Earlier this year, Attica
Group, of which Superfast Ferries is
one of the group’s brands, chartered
the 2021-built Visentini RoPax ferry
SUPERFAST V (formerly GNV BRIDGE) from
GNV for a period of four years, with a
purchase obligation at the end of the
charter term.

Port
of Turku modernisation drives
green shipping corridor with
Viking Line

Port of
Turku is undertaking a EUR 200
million-plus modernisation programme,
including construction of the joint
Fregatten terminal, which will open in
2028 to serve up to 8,000 daily
passengers from VIKING GLORY and
VIKING GRACE.

The new
facility will streamline operations
for both Viking Line and Tallink
Silja. VIKING GLORY and VIKING GRACE’s
new berth S2 will feature automated
vacuum-based mooring systems to
accelerate vessel arrivals and
departures.

Royal
Caribbean takes delivery of LEGEND
OF THE SEAS from Meyer Turku

Royal
Caribbean has officially taken
delivery of LEGEND OF THE SEAS, the
third Icon Class ship built at Meyer
Turku’s Turku shipyard in Finland.
The handover ceremony was attended
by Royal Caribbean Group Chairman
and CEO Jason Liberty, President and
CEO Michael Bayley, and Meyer Turku
CEO Casimir Lindholm.

Neptune
Lines placed further two orders at
Fujian Mawei

Neptune
Lines has signed a newbuilding
contract with Fujian Mawei
Shipbuilding for further two 4,200 CEU
dual-fuel PCTCs, scheduled for
delivery in 2029. The DNV-classed
vessels will have an overall length of
177.8 metres.

Marathon
acquires Omborddata and Panasoft

Marathon
Software has acquired Sweden’s
Omborddata AB and Finland’s Panasoft
Oy. The combined group becomes a
Nordic provider of specialised
software for crew management and
payroll administration for the
maritime industry. The acquisitions
bring together two companies under
common ownership. Omborddata holds a
strong position in the Swedish market
and Panasoft in the Finnish market.

• New
– Alternative fuels and battery
details

• Updated daily

• Detailed vessel data found nowhere
else

• Financial data and transactions

• Newbuildings and ships on order

• GA plans

• Powerful search capabilities

• Build your own report and export to
Excel

Tallink
recorded small gains in May
despite temporary route closure

In May
2026, AS Tallink Grupp transported
481,810 passengers, representing a
1.9% increase compared to May 2025.
The number of cargo units increased by
1.5% to 22,948 units, while the number
of passenger vehicles decreased by
0.6% to 65,104 units compared to the
same period a year ago.

There
have been significant declines in the
operators’ volumes between Estonia and
Sweden. In May this year, passenger
numbers fell by 9.3%, freight volumes
dropped by as much as 55.3%, and the
number of passenger vehicles
transported between the two countries
decreased by 26.1%.

Next
Northern Isles operator will also
have access to a third newbuild
RoPax

Transport
Scotland has announced the public
tender for the routes between the
Scottish mainland (Aberdeen) and the
Orkney and Shetland Islands (Northern
Isles Ferry Services – NIFS4). The new
contract, valued at GBP 850 million,
will run for 10 years and, following a
pre-qualification process, will be
awarded to the new operator on 30 June
2028.

Tallink
passenger vessel ROMANTIKA returns
to Tallinn–Stockholm route for the
summer season

AS
Tallink Grupp is bringing the
passenger vessel ROMANTIKA back to the
Tallinn–Stockholm route for the peak
summer season. From July onwards, the
ship will operate weekend services,
while special entertainment and
concert cruises will also take place
from Tallinn throughout the summer.

Sallaum
Lines marks a historic double
delivery with the OCEAN EXPRESS
and OCEAN NAVIGATOR

Sallaum
Lines celebrated a major milestone in
its fleet expansion programme with the
simultaneous delivery of OCEAN EXPRESS
and OCEAN NAVIGATOR, two new PCTCs
joining the company’s growing Ocean
Class fleet.

Built
by China Merchants Jinling Shipyard
(Jiangsu) Co. Ltd. and registered
under the Cyprus flag, both vessels
offer a cargo capacity of 7,400 CEU
across 13 cargo decks.

Finnlines
new mascot will make the trip
across the Baltic Sea more fun for
families with children

This
summer, Finnlines passengers on the
route between Sweden and Finland will
be joined by the new mascot Stella.
The playful ship’s dog is part of the
shipping company’s effort to make the
journey even more fun for families
with children.

Stella
is Finnlines’ first own mascot and
will be on the
Kapellskär–Långnäs–Nådendal route to
welcome passengers, entertain children
and contribute to a more memorable
journey across the Baltic Sea.

Fjord
Line takes over Transportsentralen
Kristiansand to strengthen freight
operations

Fjord
Line is acquiring both the staff and
operational activities of freight
forwarding firm Transportsentralen
Kristiansand, with the transfer taking
effect 1 July 2026. The operator has
seen significant freight volume growth
on its Kristiansand–Hirtshals route,
particularly since deploying its
LNG-powered vessels there in 2023.

K
Line orders four 1,380 CEU
capacity LNG-fuelled car carriers
for European operations

Kawasaki
Kisen Kaisha, (K LINE) has signed
contracts with China Merchants Jinling
Shipyard (Nanjing) Co., Ltd. to build
four LNG dual-fuelled car carriers for
its European subsidiary, KESS (K Line
European Sea Highway Services GmbH).

The new
vessels, each capable of carrying
approximately 1,380 vehicles, are
designed for European short-sea
shipping and comply with size
restrictions at several European
ports.