Recent posts
#91
The News Board / Re: Stena Line fleet movements
Last post by giftgrub - April 01, 2024, 01:42:11 PMA nice image of the Stena Horizon all cleaned up and ready for some sanding and painting in Falmouth
https://www.flickr.com/photos/atoach/53621799029/
Back on the Rosslare Cherbourg timetable from April 9th, so they better get the rollers out soon.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/atoach/53621799029/
Back on the Rosslare Cherbourg timetable from April 9th, so they better get the rollers out soon.
#92
The News Board / Re: Irish Ferries Fleet moveme...
Last post by jpwoodh - March 30, 2024, 11:02:03 PMI'm quoting from the CEO strategic report, and not an infographic.
They could easily acquire a new ferry next week, but it goes against what the CEO wrote in his Annual Report to shareholders, published on Thursday.
If Irish ferries is the winner, why then are their fares constantly lower than the competition? Which Travel experts stated that Irish Ferries would be the winner.
Year on year, the channel is in decline and the CEO states that growth will come from interest rate declines this year - sounds very passive to me.
They could easily acquire a new ferry next week, but it goes against what the CEO wrote in his Annual Report to shareholders, published on Thursday.
If Irish ferries is the winner, why then are their fares constantly lower than the competition? Which Travel experts stated that Irish Ferries would be the winner.
Year on year, the channel is in decline and the CEO states that growth will come from interest rate declines this year - sounds very passive to me.
#93
The News Board / Re: Irish Ferries Fleet moveme...
Last post by Ferriesbetterfastercheape - March 30, 2024, 03:26:08 PMQuote from: jpwoodh on March 30, 2024, 06:32:59 AMStrange to say that, and acquire a new ship for the route, although they could argue that it's an investment in Rosslare.
Ferriesfaster.... If you are going to quote the CEO, please don't take it out of context
So you mean they can now not invest in Dover because of in 2022 the investment was complete ?
I think the CEO mean with this statement the "route-start-investment" only, they wanted start with 3 ferries, and in 2022 this process of to organize/buy 3 ferries was completed. And then this Dover-route has much much more better and faster developed than expected. There was another statement a few weeks ago that their Dover freight-capacity is already full tuesday to friday always. So every now new interested potentially freight-customer can actually only send his trucks sat.-mond. . This is a sensation for a new-comer on a route where are already 2 strong other companies since many years. So it is logical now to take the next chance to buy any bigger and newer ferry for Dover - replacing an older and smaller ferry - which can maybe used in Irish Sea also.
I have quoted only from the CEO the key-main-point and also clear said with page-number and the big ferry-picture exactly where it is to find. If someone write such an article in magazine-style - the most important main-key-point is placed exactly there - in XXXL letters inside the theme-picture. So future G R O W I N G is the main-point for Irish Ferries.
They wanted also the Honfleur f.ex. - but the price was too high. So they wait just for the next good chance to get the next good available ferry cheap. And later they can decide which ferry switch from route X to route Y or maybe back.
The really strong growing routes in these years are Dover and Cherbourg - and their main-key-point is GROWING - so it makes absolute sense to invest now again in more bigger newer ferries instead of to say to the customers there "oh, sorry - we are full-booked - please buy a ticket from DFDS, P&O, Stena or Brittany Ferries".
In the British Channel in these years is happening what was anticipated from international travel-, traffic- and tourism-experts: Irish Ferries is the big Dover-winner (faster than expected !), getting every year more new customers and bigger market-shares from all others (DFDS, P&O, Brittany Ferries and Stena-Harwich).
So if the ferry Spirit of Britain is really available now - they must try hard everything to get this big modern ferry - for further future growing. Because their actually smaller ferries are often full-booked (freight) and no growing anymore is possible.
#94
The News Board / Re: Stena Line fleet movements
Last post by Ferriesbetterfastercheape - March 30, 2024, 01:40:38 PMHe, then this ferry-port-size in Frederikshavn is a secret - in all databanks and on the own sites and infos from the port it is 180m only.
Stena could very well need a ferry more in the fleet - but it would be for me a surprise if really this ferry will appear on a Stena-route. They have a very cheap flexible best own new-building-system of E-Flexer (and New Max etc.) in all sizes, the Vinga has no route, some other ferries spent more time in ports than on routes (Ventspils, Karlskrona etc. - alone on this both routes with faster / other timetables it would be possible to get 1 + 1 ferry free but offer still the same capacity / 24 hours) - so why now buy this 23 (not 22 !) years old Superfast ? Maybe for a not cheap price if other ferry-companies (Balearia, Grimaldi, Irish Ferries, Corsica Linea etc.) also would be interested ?
So if really "Stena Group" should be the buyer i think the Atlantic Vision goes into the charter-fleet of Stena-RoRo.
But my speculation is still:
1) Bringing back home home Atlantic Vision now to Scandinavia was part of the deal between Stena and Marine Atlantic to charter the new E-Flexer - as a part of the "E-Flexer-package" which has won a few years ago the deal with Marine Atlantic against the newbuilding-offer from Gotlandsbolaget. OR: The E-Flexer was promised to be ready for operation NOW (end of charter-contract with Tallink) - but is a few weeks delayed - and instead of any penalty-money Stena is transferring now the ship to Denmark.
2) The Atlantic Vision is already "secretly" chartered from Tallink to Irish Ferries (if only charter and not a buy no stock-exchange news is needed ?) and will be
3) now renovated, new-painted and up-freshed in the yard in Odense.
Stena could very well need a ferry more in the fleet - but it would be for me a surprise if really this ferry will appear on a Stena-route. They have a very cheap flexible best own new-building-system of E-Flexer (and New Max etc.) in all sizes, the Vinga has no route, some other ferries spent more time in ports than on routes (Ventspils, Karlskrona etc. - alone on this both routes with faster / other timetables it would be possible to get 1 + 1 ferry free but offer still the same capacity / 24 hours) - so why now buy this 23 (not 22 !) years old Superfast ? Maybe for a not cheap price if other ferry-companies (Balearia, Grimaldi, Irish Ferries, Corsica Linea etc.) also would be interested ?
So if really "Stena Group" should be the buyer i think the Atlantic Vision goes into the charter-fleet of Stena-RoRo.
But my speculation is still:
1) Bringing back home home Atlantic Vision now to Scandinavia was part of the deal between Stena and Marine Atlantic to charter the new E-Flexer - as a part of the "E-Flexer-package" which has won a few years ago the deal with Marine Atlantic against the newbuilding-offer from Gotlandsbolaget. OR: The E-Flexer was promised to be ready for operation NOW (end of charter-contract with Tallink) - but is a few weeks delayed - and instead of any penalty-money Stena is transferring now the ship to Denmark.
2) The Atlantic Vision is already "secretly" chartered from Tallink to Irish Ferries (if only charter and not a buy no stock-exchange news is needed ?) and will be
3) now renovated, new-painted and up-freshed in the yard in Odense.
#95
The Merrion Lounge / Re: Interesting Job opportunit...
Last post by Ferriesbetterfastercheape - March 30, 2024, 01:08:28 PMDakar - Ponta Delgada (Azores) - St.Johns or Argentia would be shortest way.
#96
The Merrion Lounge / Re: Interesting Job opportunit...
Last post by giftgrub - March 30, 2024, 10:04:31 AMAla'Suinu has left Luanda and next stop is Dakar, they are taking their time on this voyage, after Dakar, wonder where in Europe we will see it stopping off ?
#97
The News Board / Re: Irish Ferries Fleet moveme...
Last post by jpwoodh - March 30, 2024, 06:32:59 AMMy mistake, I quoted from the 2023 annual report, published on the 28th of March, and went back and got the wrong link. Duh
In the CEO statement it is stated that investment for Dover Calais is complete.
" The Group completed its investment in the Dover – Calais service in 2022 with gave the Group the benefit of a full three ship operation during the current year. "
Strange to say that, and acquire a new ship for the route, although they could argue that it's an investment in Rosslare.
Ferriesfaster.... If you are going to quote the CEO, please don't take it out of context
"I am confident that further growth can be achieved in 2024, although the scale of the growth will be dependent on the extent and timing of interest rate decreases which should in turn fuel international growth."
In the CEO statement it is stated that investment for Dover Calais is complete.
" The Group completed its investment in the Dover – Calais service in 2022 with gave the Group the benefit of a full three ship operation during the current year. "
Strange to say that, and acquire a new ship for the route, although they could argue that it's an investment in Rosslare.
Ferriesfaster.... If you are going to quote the CEO, please don't take it out of context
"I am confident that further growth can be achieved in 2024, although the scale of the growth will be dependent on the extent and timing of interest rate decreases which should in turn fuel international growth."
#98
The News Board / Re: Stena Line fleet movements
Last post by boathansm - March 29, 2024, 05:50:04 PMQuote from: Niall on March 28, 2024, 09:43:56 PMQuote from: boathansm on March 28, 2024, 08:38:57 PMQuote from: Ferriesbetterfastercheape on March 28, 2024, 03:49:21 PMOwner of Stena Horizon is still the Visentini-yard.
B) Anything in Frederikshavn with Atlantic Vision is not working - too long for the port.
Superspeed 1 & 2 is 211m and can use Frederikshavn as a second dock when weather is bad in Hirtshals. Same as Stena Saga used and DFDS use now. Not twin loading, but that is possible to make.
Superfast ix is 203m.
It has been rumoured that Atlantic Vision will be going to Odense once she arrives back in Europe.
Stena has used same yard for Stena Jutlandica and Stena Nautica.
In next week I think should know more. DNV website has got an update as Stena Rederi AS as management, but home country is not updated to Cyprus.
#99
The News Board / Re: Stena Line fleet movements
Last post by boathansm - March 29, 2024, 05:44:04 PMQuote from: Ferriesbetterfastercheape on March 29, 2024, 03:05:58 PMQuote from: boathansm on March 28, 2024, 08:38:57 PMSuperspeed 1 & 2 is 211m and can use Frederikshavn as a second dock when weather is bad in Hirtshals. Same as Stena Saga used and DFDS use now.
Mhmmm - port-info has said "max. 180m" (with exception for Stena Jutlandica up to 184m) and i remember some years ago that the port has promised to Stena Line that from 2029/2030 up to max. 200m shall be possible for the projected new Stena Electra.
This size-limit was also the reason that Stena could not anymore operate with the newer much longer Kiel-ferries the former daytime - round-trip to Frederikshavn (as it f.ex. now Viking Line is doing with the Hel-Sto. ferry to Tallin) in summer.
The "old" Kiel ferries Stena Vision and Spirit was only 175m "short" - similar as the Stena Saga and the DFDS Copenhagen-Oslo ferries - there is nothing longer than ca. 175m - longest ferry in Frederikshavn actually is the Jutlandica with 184 m.
So i doubt very much that Stena now will make any complicated discuss with the port of Frederikshavn about to use ferries longer than 200m. But use of a normal Visentini or Stena Nordica is possible f.ex. - i see sadly only further Pax-downsizing of this route especially with the change from the actually city-center port to the freight port in Arendal nearby Göteborg in 2028 - sounds far away in future but is in 4 years only.
So f.ex. the Stena Horizon could change with Jutlandica - or replace Danica.
In other parts of the Fred. port longer ships are possible up to 215m for yard-docking with tugs etc. - but not in the ferry-part of the port.
And furthermore - why Color Line is not using Skagen as "emergency-port" ?
Skagen can take much much longer ships than Frederikshavn and is more close nearby their route and Hirtshals.
Ferry quay 4 in Frederikshavn take ship up to 220m. It was extended in 2008 with 35m, to get Color Line back or bigger cruise ship.
#100
The News Board / Re: Irish Ferries Fleet moveme...
Last post by Ferriesbetterfastercheape - March 29, 2024, 04:56:06 PMYou have linked the report from 2022.
These annually reports are like books - what means it takes a lot of time from writing the texts up to publishing. So these texts there are mainly mostly from autumn 2021 - maybe last parts written / corrected around or past new-year. And there is f.ex. on page 14 in XXXL letters with a ferry-picture "Dover Calais service will give us excellent platform to continue to grow" spoken from the CEO.
This is exactly what they have done. Organized 3 very cheap old ferries for to start the route. Then they have got more and more customers on the Dover-route and now today in meantime most weekdays their capacity-limit is reached - so now in 2024 they need bigger ferries there for to grow further and win more bigger market-shares - not only from DFDS and P&O, but also from Brittany Ferries and Stena-Harwich some customers has changed to the much cheaper Dover-Irish Ferries. That`s just a 100% normal business-strategy - to start new routes and make them bigger and bigger.
Ryanair, Flixbus, leading cruise-ship-companies, LIDL, ALDI, McDonalds, Burger King and 1000 other companies has this same absolute normal business-strategy. In opposite to other ferry-companies which are closing or down-running ferry-routes with replacing of big comfortable ferries with smaller freight-orientated RoPax with much smaller Pax-capacity and poor limited onboard service.
So to buy now the big comfortable Spirit of Britain (if that`s really is true) and replace the much smaller and older Inisheer or Innisfree is a logical step. The only surprising step is that P&O is helping massive Irish Ferries to get a much better fleet. With a nice interior-renovation Irish Ferries COULD offer then the most attractive ferry there, with biggest Duty-free, most cozy bar, best restaurants etc. . Why (maybe) pay more and book DFDS or P&O then anymore ?
And in the 2023 report from Irish Ferries was spoken about XXXXL financial profits (more than 100 Mio.) - so Irish Ferries has now a lot of money to invest in newer bigger used ferries.
So with the newest rumors that Atlantic Vision shall go NOW into Fayard Shipyard in Odense (where also other ferries from Irish Ferries has been in the last years) my speculations can be reality that also Atlantic Vision will go to Irish Ferries circa in june.
Then thinkable fleet-use from this summer:
DOVER Inisheer, Inishmore and Spirit of Ireland (ex Britain)
HOLYHEAD Ulysses, Innisfree, Swift
CHERBOURG WB Yeats and Atlantic Vision
PEMBROKE Oscar Wilde
Because Atlantic Vision has more cabins and Pullman-seats than Oscar Wilde it would be logical to use Atlantic Vision to Cherbourg where Irish Ferries has galactic super-expensive ticket- and cabin-prices.
Then in 2025 they COULD replace Innisfree and Inisheer with the both very comfortable Australian Superfasts. Ca. 75 more cabins than Atlantic Vision = then one to Cherbourg and the 2nd to Dover (replacing Inisheer) and Atlantic Vision to Holyhead (replacing Innisfree).
With this fleet Irish Ferries could well operate until CIRCA 2030, collect so much money as possible and then start with order of 100% electric even more bigger new-buildings - then available with much longer battery-range than today - replacing in the first half of the 30ies years 6 ferries but without the 3 youngest, Spirit, Yeats and Wilde.
This is just my fleet-speculation - but it would be "continue to grow" as said from the CEO.
These annually reports are like books - what means it takes a lot of time from writing the texts up to publishing. So these texts there are mainly mostly from autumn 2021 - maybe last parts written / corrected around or past new-year. And there is f.ex. on page 14 in XXXL letters with a ferry-picture "Dover Calais service will give us excellent platform to continue to grow" spoken from the CEO.
This is exactly what they have done. Organized 3 very cheap old ferries for to start the route. Then they have got more and more customers on the Dover-route and now today in meantime most weekdays their capacity-limit is reached - so now in 2024 they need bigger ferries there for to grow further and win more bigger market-shares - not only from DFDS and P&O, but also from Brittany Ferries and Stena-Harwich some customers has changed to the much cheaper Dover-Irish Ferries. That`s just a 100% normal business-strategy - to start new routes and make them bigger and bigger.
Ryanair, Flixbus, leading cruise-ship-companies, LIDL, ALDI, McDonalds, Burger King and 1000 other companies has this same absolute normal business-strategy. In opposite to other ferry-companies which are closing or down-running ferry-routes with replacing of big comfortable ferries with smaller freight-orientated RoPax with much smaller Pax-capacity and poor limited onboard service.
So to buy now the big comfortable Spirit of Britain (if that`s really is true) and replace the much smaller and older Inisheer or Innisfree is a logical step. The only surprising step is that P&O is helping massive Irish Ferries to get a much better fleet. With a nice interior-renovation Irish Ferries COULD offer then the most attractive ferry there, with biggest Duty-free, most cozy bar, best restaurants etc. . Why (maybe) pay more and book DFDS or P&O then anymore ?
And in the 2023 report from Irish Ferries was spoken about XXXXL financial profits (more than 100 Mio.) - so Irish Ferries has now a lot of money to invest in newer bigger used ferries.
So with the newest rumors that Atlantic Vision shall go NOW into Fayard Shipyard in Odense (where also other ferries from Irish Ferries has been in the last years) my speculations can be reality that also Atlantic Vision will go to Irish Ferries circa in june.
Then thinkable fleet-use from this summer:
DOVER Inisheer, Inishmore and Spirit of Ireland (ex Britain)
HOLYHEAD Ulysses, Innisfree, Swift
CHERBOURG WB Yeats and Atlantic Vision
PEMBROKE Oscar Wilde
Because Atlantic Vision has more cabins and Pullman-seats than Oscar Wilde it would be logical to use Atlantic Vision to Cherbourg where Irish Ferries has galactic super-expensive ticket- and cabin-prices.
Then in 2025 they COULD replace Innisfree and Inisheer with the both very comfortable Australian Superfasts. Ca. 75 more cabins than Atlantic Vision = then one to Cherbourg and the 2nd to Dover (replacing Inisheer) and Atlantic Vision to Holyhead (replacing Innisfree).
With this fleet Irish Ferries could well operate until CIRCA 2030, collect so much money as possible and then start with order of 100% electric even more bigger new-buildings - then available with much longer battery-range than today - replacing in the first half of the 30ies years 6 ferries but without the 3 youngest, Spirit, Yeats and Wilde.
This is just my fleet-speculation - but it would be "continue to grow" as said from the CEO.