Shippax
Newsletter– week 27

Molslinjen
cuts HAMMERSHUS overhaul time with
Wärtsilä exchange parts

Danish
operator Molslinjen has completed a
major 32,000-hour engine overhaul on
the RoPax ferry HAMMERSHUS within a
14-day dry-docking window, using
Wärtsilä’s Exchange Parts service to
install pre-overhauled cylinder
packages rather than reconditioning
the removed components on site.

Kelsian
wins Auckland ferry contracts and
acquires Belaire Ferries

Kelsian
Group Limited has been awarded new
long-term passenger ferry contracts in
Auckland, New Zealand, and has agreed
to acquire local operator Belaire
Ferries Limited, marking the
Australian transport group’s entry
into the New Zealand market.

Thoma-Sea
named apparent low bidder for
TUSTUMENA replacement at USD 350
million

The
Alaska Department of Transportation
& Public Facilities (DOT&PF)
has identified Louisiana-based
Thoma-Sea Marine Constructors as the
apparent low bidder to build the
Tustumena Replacement Vessel (TRV) for
the Alaska Marine Highway System
(AMHS), following a public bid of USD
349,996,251.

Baleària
completes Armas Trasmediterránea
takeover with Strait and Alborán
assets

Baleària
has closed the acquisition of the
Alborán and Strait perimeters of
Naviera Armas Trasmediterránea, adding
four vessels and a portfolio of route
concessions after clearing the
competition authorities in both Spain
and Morocco.

The
deal completes the transaction first
announced in August 2025, which had
already seen the Canary Islands
perimeter close in May under the
Baleària Canarias brand. With the
latest closing, the Dénia-based
operator takes full legal and
operational control of the Armas
Trasmediterránea assets in the two
remaining areas.

Change
at the top of the Meyer Werft
group

The
Chairman of the Management Board (CEO)
of Meyer Werft GmbH, Bernd Eikens,
will leave the company on 30 June 2026
and retire. As announced at the end of
2025, André Walter will succeed him on
1 July 2026 and will lead the company
together with Ralf Schmitz (Chief
Restructuring Officer) and Jörg
Heidelberg (Chief Operating Officer).

Grimaldi
takes delivery of the GRANDE
ORIENTE

The
Grimaldi Group took delivery of its
new vessel GRANDE ORIENTE. Built by
China Merchants Heavy Industries
Jiangsu, she is the Neapolitan
shipping group’s twelfth ammonia-ready
PCTC, designed for future conversion
to ammonia as a zero-carbon
alternative fuel.

With a
length of 220 metres, beam of 38
metres, gross tonnage of 93,145 GT,
and a cruising speed of 18 knots, the
GRANDE ORIENTE can transport both
electric vehicles and those powered by
fossil fuels, with a maximum capacity
of 9,000 CEU.

POLSCA
Baltic Ferries launches new
Gdansk–Karlshamn route

POLSCA
Baltic Ferries is expanding its Baltic
Sea network with a new ferry service
between Gdansk, Poland, and Karlshamn,
Sweden, with the first sailing
scheduled for 6 July 2026.

The new
route strengthens ferry connections
between Poland and southern
Scandinavia, offering passengers and
freight customers an additional,
flexible link across the Baltic Sea.
With Karlshamn joining the network,
POLSCA Baltic Ferries will connect
Poland with four Swedish ports:
Karlshamn, Nynäshamn, Ystad and
Trelleborg.

Marine
battery maker AYK Energy seals
nine-vessel deal with Grimaldi
Group

AYK
Energy announced a major contract with
Grimaldi Group to supply its 2,073 kWh
OrionAN marine battery systems to each
of the nine next-generation RoPax
vessels, for a total battery capacity
of 18,657 kWh across the fleet.

The
vessels are being constructed at China
Merchants Jinling Shipyard (Weihai),
with delivery scheduled between 2028
and 2030. Six vessels will operate in
the Mediterranean under Grimaldi Lines
and Minoan Lines, while three will
serve Finnlines in the Baltic Sea.

ClassNK
launches world’s first notation
for ship construction carbon
footprint

Japanese
classification society ClassNK has
introduced what it describes as the
world’s first notation to visualise
greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions
generated during ship construction.
The new notation, “a-EA (CFP)”,
confirms that a vessel’s carbon
footprint (CFP) during construction
has been calculated and independently
verified by a third party.

Baleària
Canarias adds highest-capacity
RoRo vessel in Canary Islands
history

Baleària
Canarias has taken delivery of
JOSEFINA DE LA TORRE, described by the
company as the RoRo vessel with the
highest historical cargo capacity ever
operated in the Canary Islands. The
ship, with capacity for 4,000 lane
metres of cargo, significantly
increases weekly freight capacity
between the archipelago and the port
of Cádiz.

MOL
and IBM Japan launch AI platform
to revolutionize vessel operations

Mitsui
O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (MOL) and IBM Japan
have announced the joint development
and launch of a cutting-edge
AI-powered platform designed to
enhance decision-making and safety in
vessel operations. The new system, now
live, is centered on MOL’s Safety
Operation Supporting Center (SOSC),
which oversees the safe navigation of
MOL-affiliated vessels worldwide.

Brittany
Ferries to sell two ships and
close routes from late 2026

Brittany
Ferries has announced fleet and route
changes for late 2026, citing rising
costs from the EU Emissions Trading
System (ETS), outstanding Covid-era
loan repayments, and competition on
the Eastern Channel.

The
operator said it faces an ETS bill of
around EUR 27 million in 2026, with no
allowance made for its recent fleet
investment. The company added that the
figure applies before the UK
introduces an equivalent scheme for
ships in British waters. Brittany
Ferries also stated it has repaid half
of the loan provided to support the
company during the pandemic, with the
remainder still outstanding.

CMAL
takes ownership of remaining Cemre
vessels to safeguard delivery for
island communities

Caledonian
Maritime Assets Limited (CMAL) has
taken ownership of the three remaining
vessels under construction at Cemre
Shipyard in Turkey as a precautionary
measure to support their completion
and delivery to Scotland’s island
communities.

The
vessels — LOCH INDAAL, LOCHMOR and
CLAYMORE — are now assets owned by
CMAL ahead of their formal handover.
The decision has been taken against a
backdrop of challenging economic
circumstances affecting Cemre and
businesses across the region,
including global pressures stemming
from the conflicts in Ukraine and Iran
and disruption in the Red Sea.

BOS
Power to supply shoreside
batteries for Molslinjen’s
Kattegat electrification

Molslinjen
has selected Nordic energy storage
specialist BOS Power to deliver the
two large shoreside battery packs that
will power its forthcoming electric
high-speed ferries on the Kattegat
route between Jutland and Zealand.

BOS
Power has been awarded a turnkey
Battery Energy Storage System (BESS)
contract covering two coastal sites,
in the harbours of Aarhus and on
Sjællands Odde. Each battery pack will
have a capacity of 118 MWh and will
ensure the large catamarans can
recharge every time they berth at one
of the two ports.

Construction
underway on US-designed and built
48-metre catamaran ferry for
Hy-Line Cruises

Construction
on a new 48-metre, bespoke catamaran
passenger ferry designed by global
digital shipbuilder Incat Crowther for
US operator Hy-Line Cruises is now
underway. The new vessel, which is
being built by Midship Marine in
Louisiana, will operate on Hy-Line
Cruise’s critical tourism and
commercial routes connecting Hyannis,
Massachusetts, with the islands of
Martha’s Vineyard and
Nantucket. Capable of transporting up
to 493 passengers across three
spacious passenger decks, the vessel
is capable of reaching speeds in
excess of 30 knots and has been
designed specifically for the unique
local conditions experienced off the
coast of Cape Cod.

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