Indholdsfortegnelse for August 2025 i Ships Monthly

NEW FERRY In late June Stena Line announced that Stena Futura, the first of its new hybrid ferries destined for the Irish Sea, had successfully completed sea trials. This is a significant milestone in the build of the new vessel, which is on schedule to enter service on the Belfast-Heysham route in late summer. The sea trials demonstrated the correct functioning of the ship’s systems and ensured they are fully operational and in line with agreed specifications. Once operational, Stena Futura and sistership Stena Connecta will enhance freight capacity by 40 per cent on the Belfast-Heysham route in response to an increase in customer demand for services. The two hybrid vessels will play a key role in Stena Line’s sustainability journey, with built-in technologies enabling them to utilise both battery…

NEWBUILD On 11 June the new ro-ro vessel South Enabler was officially delivered to Wallenius SOL during her westbound passage past Gibraltar. The ship forms part of the acquisition of UK-headquartered Mann Lines. She is set to replace ML Freyja on the Tilbury-Cuxhaven-Turku-Paldiski-Bremerhaven-Tilbury route. She headed to Zeebrugge to load cargoes before entering regular service. ML Freyja will be redelivered to her owners. South Enabler was built by Visentini Shipyard and designed by NAOS Ship and Boat Design, both Italian. Measuring 203m in length, Space Enabler has a capacity of 3,000 lane metres and has two vehicle decks, carrying up to 197 vehicles. She is powered by two 7,200kW Wärtsilä engines, giving her a speed of 22 knots, and is both a RINA class and ice class 1A vessel. The…

NEWBUILD Japan’s Imabari Shipbuilding delivered the 2,086TEU containership Maersk Namsos on 4 June. The 25,723gt Panamaflagged vessel measures 171.9m by 32.2m, with a depth of 16.8m, and boasts a service speed of approximately 18 knots. Designed for flexibility in port operations, Maersk Namsos is equipped with three deck cranes, allowing her to handle cargo at ports lacking shore-based equipment. She can accommodate refrigerated containers both on the deck and in the hold. In addition, she can carry dangerous goods in accordance with the International Maritime Dangerous Goods (IMDG) Code. The ship has a double-tiered bridge design, which facilitates higher container stacking and offers enhanced visibility.…

HAPAG-LLOYD The naming ceremony of Hapag-Lloyd’s 11th newbuilding of a series of 12 containerships with a capacity of nearly 24,000TEU took place in mid-May in Okpo, South Korea at the Hanwha Ocean Co shipyard. After the naming celebrations, Genova Express departed on her maiden voyage, heading to Ningbo, China to load a first cargo. The vessel has been phased into Hapag-Lloyd’s NE1 service, which connects the Far East with Northern Europe. She also called at Tanger Med and Wilhelmshaven in June, before proceeding to Bremerhaven and Rotterdam. The 24,000TEU Hapag-Lloyd newbuildings measure 399m by 61m, and have a reefer capacity of 2,024 TEU. The first of the 24,000TEU series, which are Hapag-Lloyd’s largest class of container ships to date, started in June 2024 with Berlin Express.…

ROYAL NAVY The UK’s Submarine Dismantling Project has recently achieved some notable milestones. At Devonport, Babcock has secured a £114 million contract from the MoD to prepare for the nuclear defuelling of four decommissioned Trafalgar class submarines in the first operation of its kind for more than 20 years. The defuelling process is due to be carried out in collaboration with the Defence Nuclear Enterprise on the first vessel in 2026. Such a task must take place before hull dismantling can begin. At Rosyth, the first major exterior cut has been made with the removal of the fin of the former HMS Swiftsure. The start of the dismantling process is part of a demonstrator project that aims to reuse or recycle around 90 per cent of the submarine’s structure and…

ROYAL NAVY Both of the Royal Navy’s frigate construction projects have marked notable milestones, with the first Type 26 being formally named and the first Type 31 entering the water. At Scotstoun on 22 May the lead City class frigate officially became HMS Glasgow (F88) as the Princess of Wales carried out the honours with the smashing of a bottle of whisky against the hull. After eight years in build, Glasgow is due to begin initial sea trials by the end of the year, with an in-service date set for sometime in 2028. Across Scotland at Rosyth on 27 May the future HMS Venturer (F12) emerged from the purpose-built ship hall. The Type 31 was loaded onto a submersible barge, the same one used to launch both Type 26s, and…

NEWBUILD Dutch reefer specialist Seatrade has confirmed an order for up to eight 2,800TEU container vessels from China’s Huanghai Shipyard. The vessels, designed by SDARI, will feature high reefer capacity. This move supports Seatrade’s Fast, Direct & Dedicated (FDD) service model, which focuses on niche trades for perishable cargo. The company, traditionally a major operator in the conventional reefer segment, has been expanding into containerised reefer transport. This order follows the recent sale of several Seatrade vessels to CMA CGM, while other vessels in the fleet are on charter to Chiquita and CMA CGM. Seatrade, which also offers ship management services, has also been involved in joint ventures, including the acquisition of Geest Line, to strengthen its Caribbean and European trade lanes.…

CASUALTY In the early hours of 17 June the 2020-built VLCC Front Eagle (156,452gt), operated by Frontline and flagged in Liberia, collided with the 2002-built Antigua & Barbudaflagged Suezmax tanker Adalynn. The incident occurred about 24 nautical miles off Khor Fakkan, UAE in the Gulf of Oman. Both vessels caught fire following the collision, with Adalynn sustaining severe structural damage in the blaze. The UAE Coast Guard evacuated all 24 crew members from the ship, while Front Eagle reported a deck fire, which was extinguished shortly after. No pollution or casualties were reported in the aftermath. The cause of the collision has been attributed to navigational misjudgment, with no link to regional security tensions. Notably, Adalynn has previously been accused of operating within the so-called ‘dark fleet’, allegedly transporting sanctioned…

DETENTION On 15 June Venezuelan authorities detained the research vessel N35 at the Port of Guamache, Margarita Island, following a 12-day surveillance operation by the Bolivarian National Armed Force (FANB). The vessel, flagged in Panama, was first detected on 28 May operating within Venezuela’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). According to Admiral José Rafael Hernández Abchi, the N35 was engaged in marine and underwater exploration activities, which raised suspicions due to the vessel’s location and operational pattern. The FANB conducted a boarding and inspection under international maritime law, citing ‘reasonable doubt’ over the vessel’s declared scientific mission. The crew was placed under preventative custody pending further investigation. Officials from multiple Venezuelan agencies, including the National AntiDrug Office and Hydrographic and Navigation Service, were involved in the inquiry.…

The navy maintains a force of four Triomphant class submarines as part of its core strategic role of supporting France’s nuclear deterrent. This has seen at least one French nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine (SSBN) being at sea on patrol for over 50 years. Each displacing nearly 14,500 tonnesin submerged condition, the four boats entered operational service between 1997 and 2010, and are broadly similar to the Royal Navy’s Vanguard class boats. Their main armament comprises up to 16 M-51 ballistic missiles. These strategic submarines are supplemented by a flotilla of nuclear-powered but conventionally armed attack submarines. The first-generation Rubis class boats are now being progressively retired, and only two of out of an original tally of six remain in service. They displace 2,700 tonnes in submerged condition and can deploy…

The story of HMS Majestic began in the last decade of the 19th century when, in February 1894, her keel was laid on the slipway in Portsmouth Dockyard. Just over 11 months later, on 31 January 1895, the battleship was launched, with the naming ceremony being performed by one of Queen Victoria’s daughters, Princess Louise. Eight months after the launching ceremony Majestic was ready for sea, and in September 1895 she carried out builder’s trials in the Channel, south of the Isle of Wight. However, on 9 September, as she was steered through Spithead, she grounded on a sandbank, and was not refloated until the tide had risen some two hours later. Fortunately, no damage was done, and by 18 September the trials had been concluded successfully. At 09.00 on…

The Port of Aberdeen is currently enjoying a landmark year, with nearly a 30 per cent increase in cruise ship calls and the return of the Tall Ships Races. The port was set to host 63 cruise calls during the 2025 season, running from April to September, bringing up to 40,000 guests to the city and shire. But in June an additional seven cruise calls were confirmed, bringing the total scheduled for 2025 to 70, an increase of over 40 per cent compared to 2024. The new South Harbour opened in 2023 (see SM, Nov 2023) has provided considerably more scope for hosting cruise vessels, and many cruise lines have been taking advantage, using the opportunity to bring passengers to north-east Scotland to sample an area previously little known to…

FAILING FERRY SERVICES POINT THE WAY TO A TUNNEL letter of the month James Gibson’s letter (SM, June) mentions that a tunnel or bridge would be significant to us islanders unfortunate enough to live on the Isle of Wight. Any visit to the mainland is horrendously expensive with either of the two ferry operators. It is also worth noting that, beyond basic primary medical care, the principal hospitals to serve the needs of the Isle of Wight are both located in Portsmouth and Southampton. Having moved here from Cheshire, I am bewildered by the fact that no tunnel or bridge connection exists. The distance is not great and the engineering difficulties relatively insignificant. Indeed, I have recently returned from the Faroe Islands, which have a much smaller population, yet have…

MSC CRUISES • ‘LUSTY’ REMEMBERED • WORLD WAR II WARSHIPS SUNK • RACEHORSE CLASS FERRIES PLUS ‘RACEHORSE’ FERRIES WORLDWIDE • The Racehorse class passenger and vehicle ferries were built for Merchant Ferries in the late 1990s and have enjoyed varied careers round the world. SOUTH CHINA SEAS • How shipping services in the Singapore region changed when European companies left in the 1970s. WRECKED WARSHIPS • Remembering five of the most famous warships which were sunk during World War II, with an overview of their careers, and the cause of their sinkings. HMS ILLUSTRIOUS • The long career of the aircraft carrier HMS Illustrious, which was involved in the Falklands War, commissioned in March 1983, and left Royal Navy service in August 2014. ON SALE 22 AUGUST 2025…

GREEN SHIP On 14 May INEOS and Royal Wagenborg launched and named the first European-built offshore CO2 carrier Carbon Destroyer 1. The new ship’s launch is claimed to be a significant milestone for carbon capture and storage (CCS) projects, particularly for Project Greensand and other CCS initiatives across the EU. The vessel was officially unveiled at a ceremony held at the Royal Niestern Sander shipyard in the Netherlands. Carbon Destroyer 1 is based on Wagenborg’s EasyMax design, which has been specially modified to handle CO2 under pressure and at low temperatures. Denmark aims to become a hub for CO2 storage in Europe, and the new carrier will play a crucial role in connecting emitters with permanent offshore storage solutions. The vessel is expected to be fully operational by late 2025…

CHANNEL ISLANDS At the start of June a new inter-Island foot passenger service began operating between Guernsey and Jersey. Islands Unlimited’s new venture is providing an inter-island service using the 316-seat high-speed passenger catamaran San Pawl. The catamaran arrived in the Channel Islands following a period of maintenance in Malta, leaving the Mediterranean after being loaded onto the cargo ship Eemslift Hendrika on 10 May. The vessel arrived in St Peter Port on 17 May. Islands Unlimited offers a daily inter-island foot passenger service using San Pawl, which was built by Norway’s Brødrene Aa in 1991 and has a service speed of 36 knots. Sistership San Frangisk is in service with Virtu Ferries.…

NEWBUILD On 26 June Bernhard Schulte Offshore (BSO) took delivery of the state-of-the-art commissioning service operation vessel (CSOV) Windea Curie from Ulstein Verft. The vessel is fitted with a motioncompensated walk-to-work gangway and elevator tower, a helideck, and a 3D-compensated crane, making her ideal for diverse offshore projects, including wind, offshore oil and gas. The SX222 design has been developed by Ulstein Design & Solutions AS. The vessel has an X-STERN at each end for soft movements, increased comfort and reduced fuel consumption. She has highly efficient engines and a heat recovery system to reduce environmental impact. The vessel measures 89.6m in length and 19.2m in beam, has 90 cabins for charterers’ offshore personnel and a total of 111 cabins accommodating up to 132 people.…

VIKING LINE Viking Line has announced plans to launch an emission-free ferry service between Helsinki and Tallinn. The Helios vessel concept, being developed in collaboration with the Rauma shipyard and other partners, plans to introduce the world’s largest electric ro-pax ferry on the 80km long route in the early 2030s. The relatively short sea crossing is thought to be ideally suited for electric-powered vessel traffic, with the crossing taking just over two hours. The concept design is for a 195m by 30m ship with capacity of 2,000 lane metres. Viking Line claims that with a battery capacity of approximately 85-100 megawatt hours (MWh), Viking Helios could transport up to 2,000 passengers and 650 cars across the Gulf of Finland at a speed of 23 knots. The batteries would then be…

CAL MAC Caledonian MacBrayne’s CEO has stated it is ‘impossible’ to say when the stricken ferry Caledonian Isles will return to service after her latest sea trials revealed a gearbox issue that required dry-docking. The 32-year-old ship has remained out of service on the network’s busiest route with a range of technical problems since January 2024. These began when a routine inspection found significant corrosion. Work to rectify the problem required the removal of the ship’s engines. Since then, the ship has suffered gearbox and propeller problems, likely related to the discovery that the stern of the ship was twisted. Repairs have thus far cost £11 million with double that spent on chartering a replacement to cover her absence from the Brodick-Ardrossan service. The stand-in vessel, Alfred, has benefitted the…

CMV This is probably the last time that CMV will appear as a heading, as the final ship from the fleet has been sold for breaking. The 1948-built Astoria was laid up at the start of the pandemic by CMV, although she had come to the end of her charter from Islands Cruises Transportes Maritimos, her then owner and one of many in a 77-year career. Having just come out of service, she was in reasonable condition, but five years of (mostly) cold layup effectively finished her off, and led to a sale for a mere €200,000 to the sole bidder, who will have the ship broken up in Ghent. Built for Swedish American Line as Stockholm, she gained notoriety when, in 1956, she collided with and sank Andrea Doria,…

ROYAL NAVY One of the last surviving Royal Navy participants of the 1982 Falklands War has departed the UK for scrapping. The former HMS Bristol was towed away by Protug 87, the same tug that removed ex-HMS Monmouth two months earlier. Both ships’ final destination was Aliaga. The pair join a long list of RN warships to be recycled by Leyal Gemi Sokum, the leading ship recycling facility in Turkey. They include all three Invincible class aircraft carriers, six Type 42 destroyers and three Type 22 frigates. HMS Bristol was the only Type 82 destroyer to be built following cancellation of the CVA-01 aircraft carrier, for which the Type 82s were intended to provide escorts, in the 1966 Defence White Paper. As a ‘one-off’ design, she was subsequently used to…

SUBMARINES The Trump administration is reviewing the AUKUS submarine project as part of its ‘America First’ policy. The multi-billion dollar trilateral pact was agreed between Australia, the UK and US back in 2021, when each country had different leaders. The Australian and UK governments regard the development as a natural course of action for any new administration and political commentators as a tactic to encourage resistant allies to increase their defence spending. However, the review is being conducted by Elbridge Colby, the third most senior Pentagon official, who has previously questioned why the US Navy plans to transfer Virginia class submarines to a foreign navy when it cannot meet the demand for its own. On present plans, Australia will buy three Virginia class SSNs, with an option for two more,…

COMPANY NEWS CMA CGM has acquired two 1,436TEU feeder vessels, Escape and Espoir (both 17,368gt and 21293dwt), from Dutch operator JR Shipping for approximately €40 million. The ships, currently under the Dutch flag and managed on behalf of a UK-based investor, are expected to join CMA CGM’s regional services after their current charters expire later this year. The vessels, which were completed in China by Sainty Shipbuilding (Yangzhou) Corp in 2011, are 168m in length and were acquired by the Harlingen-based owner in 2019. Their sale reflects strong demand for feeder capacity in European short-sea trades. CMA CGM, headquartered in Marseille, continues to expand its regional and global liner operations, including recent acquisitions of other feeder vessels and investments in LNG - and methanol-powered tonnage.…

Copacabana • Piriapolis • Mar Del Plata In 1930 the Compagnie Belge Maritime du Congo (CBMC) amalgamated with the Lloyd Royal Belge (LR) and became Compagnie Maritime Belge (CMB). The CBMC principally served African destinations but, in its new guise as CMB, South and North American ports were added, as well as various Far Eastern destinations, to the company’s routes. The CMB’s ships called at Brazil (Pernambuco, Rio de Janeiro and Santos), Uruguay (Montevideo) and Argentina (Buenos Aires), and in the mid-1930s, to strengthen this service, three new ships were ordered from the John Cockerill shipyard in Hoboken (Belgium). The new mixed cargo/passenger liners would provide extra passenger accommodation as well as refrigerated cargo space, and a typical crossing from Antwerp would take 12 days. The three ships were named…

Caledonian MacBrayne’s largest and fastest ship is the German-built Loch Seaforth (8,680gt), which has been in service since February 2015 on the Ullapool to Stornoway route. She replaced the 1995-built Isle of Lewisand a chartered freight only vessel, combining both types of traffic into one service, operating all year round. Her speed of 19.2 knots allows a passage time of two hours and 40 minutes. She has capacity for 700 passengers and 143 cars, with a vehicle deck lacking a central casing to allow space for large freight vehicle between the mezzanine vehicle decks, even when both are in use. Loch Seaforth has essentially been a oneroute vessel and is yet to serve anywhere else on CalMac’s network because she is too large for most of the ports on the…

In the mid-1950s liners were still ‘the only way to cross’ the Atlantic, and the major shipping lines reaped handsome profits, while continuing to invest in new tonnage. However, in October 1958, the Boeing 707 jet, Clipper America, made the first transatlantic crossing from New York to Paris. What used to take about a week by sea was now reduced to a little over eight hours by air, and by the early 1960s airliners had garnered 90 per cent of the trans-Atlantic travel market. Shipping lines had to adapt, and while much of the older tonnage went to scrap, some ships had their careers extended by cruising in the Caribbean from Miami and Port Everglades. The development of PortMiami on Dodge Island in the 1960s solidified the cruise industry, and…

On the northern coast of Tenerife lies the town of Puerto de la Cruz. Visitors who come to its historic harbour, with its charming cobbled byways and period buildings, will come across an unassuming gem: the Museo del Pescador. This pocket ‘Fishermen’s Museum’ pays tribute not only to the Canary Islands’ proud traditions of fishing, but also acknowledges local and international shipping of both historic and current periods. Magnificent models of a wartime Japanese battleship share the shelves with Jacques Cousteau’s Calypso, Queen Mary 2, a little ferry which served the island of La Gomera, modern tankers and oceanographic ships and many more. One particular vessel is evidently held in high regard, with two magnificent models: the steamer La Palma. On one of the museum’s walls, amidst many pictures, is…

FREIGHT FERRY The 26,904gt ro-pax ferry Livia made a brief visit to Portsmouth on 29 May while she was en route from the Fayard shiprepair facility in Odense, Denmark to Wellington, New Zealand. The Visentini-built ship served Stena Line as the Stena Livia from 2021 to 2025 on the Liepaja-Travemünde service. Prior to this she was operated by Brittany Ferries’ as Étretat at Portsmouth, making her debut at the port on 4 November 2008, when she was delivered as Norman Voyager for LD Lines’ Portsmouth-Le Havre service. Livia departed Portsmouth the same day and headed for Cristobal in Panama, then onwards via the Panama Canal. The ship will join former Brittany Ferries’ fleetmate Connemara (2007/27,414gt) on the Bluebridge service between Wellington and Picton across the Cook Strait, linking New Zealand’s…

PORT NEWS In mid-June the Port of Milford Haven welcomed the 164,169gt crude oil tanker Yasa Southern Cross to the Waterway, the largest vessel to enter the Port since 2009. She was safely berthed at the Valero jetty, where she discharged over a million barrels of crude oil. The Marshall Islands-flagged vessel measures333minlength and 313,348dwt, when fully loaded, and her arrival was a reminder of the Port’s role as a critical hub in the UK’s energy infrastructure. The ship arrived from Rotterdam at the Valero Refinery on 10 June. Owned by Nova Tankers of Copenhagen, she departed the Waterway on 13 June. For comparison, in 2009 the very large crude carrier (VLCC) Ocana, measuring 300,144dwt, berthed at the former Murco refinery. Prior to that, the VLCC Sea Song called at…

NEW CABLE LAYER Prysmian and VARD, a subsidiary in the Fincantieri Group, announced at the start of June that the cablelaying vessel Prysmian Monna Lisa has been awarded the Ship of the year 2025 by the Norwegian trade magazine Skipsrevyen. Prysmian’s submarine cable infrastructure and laying vessels are intended to advance global energy transmission capabilities. Measuring 171m by 34m, Prysmian Monna Lisa features two largecapacity carousels, hybrid battery systems and generators compatible with biodiesel blends. She is designed for deep-water cable-laying beyond 3,000m. The hull was built at Vard Shipyards Romania at Tulcea, while outfitting and topside installation took place at Vard Søviknes in Norway, with contributions from VARD subsidiaries Vard Interiors and Vard Electro. Since 2018 Prysmian has invested around €850 million in its fleet, and expects to operate…

MAJESTIC INT’L A Spanish car ferry dating from 1966 is an unlikely candidate to still be in operation almost 60 years later. Trasmediterrànea’s Juan March is that survivor, for now. Built for the service from Spain to the Balearic Islands, she served her original operator for 20 years, before passing through two intermediate owners to the Greek Majestic International Cruises. She was rebuilt as a cruise ship and renamed Ocean Majesty. She operated for Majestic initially, and later for Epirotiki as Homeric. Reverting to the name Ocean Majesty, she was chartered to Page & Moy, but since 2013 has sailed for Hansa Touristik. The pandemic saw her laid up as Chalkis in Greece, but she returned to Hansa for the 2022 and 2023 seasons. Her charter was terminated in August…

BC FERRIES BC Ferries, the largest ferry operator in Canada, has selected the ubiquitous China Merchants Industry Weihai Shipyard to build four New Major Vessels (NMVs). The 172m-long double-enders are similar to the Fusion class ferries operated by P&O Ferries on the English Channel. Each vessel will be capable of carrying up to 2,100 passengers and 360 vehicles. They are to be powered by a diesel-battery hybrid propulsion system and designed with the capability to operate on full electric power in future. They will replace the four oldest ships in the BC Ferries fleet, the most senior of which, Queen of Westminster, entered service in 1964. All four NMVs are expected to be in service by 2031. Since 2016 BC Ferries has added ten new vessels to its ageing fleet,…

LA MÉRIDIONALE La Méridionale has announced that its upcoming ferries, currently under construction in China, are to be named Albanova and Azura. The chosen names have not gone down well with the Corsican Workers’ Union (STC), who argue they do not reflect Corsican heritage. In the Corsican language Albanova is written as two words, while Azura is Italian for blue. The bitter discord between the union and owners CMA CGM is such that the STC called for a 48-hour strike over the issue, while the parent group, which has invested nearly €500 million since becoming the sole shareholder in 2023, has retaliated by stating they intend to sell off the troublesome subsidiary. The 180m vessels will have capacity for 1,000 passengers, accommodated in 264 cabins, including a new luxury category…

ADVENTURE CANADA This year will be the last for the chartered Ocean Endeavour (profiled in SM, Dec 2022), built in 1982 by Stocznia Szczecinska Im A. Warskiego, Szczecin, Poland as Konstantin Simonov for the Baltic Shipping Co of Leningrad, initially for service between Leningrad and Helsinki. She was sold to Cypriot owners in 1996 and renamed Francesca and then resold in 2000 to operate for Mano Maritime as The Iris, initially on a service linking Haifa with Odessa. In December 2009 she was sold to the Finnish operator Kristina Cruises and early in the following year was renamed Kristina Katarina. That company collapsed in 2013 and the ship was laid up, eventually finding a new owner, who used her as an accommodation ship at Lerwick. In May 2015 she went…

RUSSIAN NAVY A ceremonial launch of the first of the Russian Navy’s new Project 11711M landing ships was performed at the United Shipbuilding Corp’s (USC) Yantar shipyard in Kaliningrad on 30 May. The future RFS Vladimir Andreyev is a hugely modified follow-on from the Project 11711 Ivan Gren class. She was laid down at the same time as the second ship, to be named Vasily Trushin, in April 2019. But the changes amount to a completely new type of landing ship, and modifications include a significantly revised superstructure, a much larger helicopter deck and a reinforced propulsion system. The evolved design has increased overall full load displacement from 6,600 to around 9,500 tonnes. Intended to transport and deliver up to 400 troops and 40 armoured vehicles ashore, they are also…

NEWBUILD On 30 May the second of three Damen Combi Freighters (CF) 3850 was launched in China for Fast Lines Belgium. This follows the launch of the first vessel on 19 May. Last year Fast took the option of a third vessel. The CF vessels will be the first newbuilds to enter into the Fast fleet. The family-owned logistics company is headquartered in Belgium, with locations in the UK, Ireland and Poland. Damen has designed the CF 3850 to be fuel-efficient, with comfortable accommodation. They will be able to connect to electrical power in ports once infrastructure becomes more widely available. The CF 3850 vessels will be named for Fast family members. Fast Sim and Fast Herman are named after the company’s founders, and Fast Jef and Fast Sus after…

France’s Marine Nationale, the Royal Navy’s traditional rival, remains one of the world’s major naval fleets. Alongside its British counterpart, it is the only European navy to field a full spectrum of naval capabilities. With equipment ranging from nuclear-powered submarines to supply ships and from fast jets to patrol vessels, the French Navy can exert its influence across the world. In spite of its significant capacity, the Marine Nationale is nevertheless thinly spread to meet its global responsibilities. The bulk of the fleet is concentrated in bases in Metropolitan (mainland) France, where the Mediterranean port of Toulon is the focal point for many of its most important warships. The Brest roadstead is Toulon’s equivalent on France’s Atlantic coast, and includes the strategically important submarine base on the Île Longue. The…

Many Old British and Japanese ferries found a second life in Greece during the 1970s and 1980s, where they linked the country’s many islands. These vessels were repurposed and adapted to meet the needs of Greek maritime routes in the Aegean and Ionian Seas. Those built for British ferry routes, having been replaced by newer ships in UK waters, found a second life in Greece, as did a good number of Japanese-built ferries. Many of the old ferries were originally operated by British companies such as Sealink, P&O Caledonian MacBrayne and British Railways. For service with Greek operators they were refurbished and modified for local use, but often retained many of their original interior fittings. Some underwent significant transformations, with additional passenger seating, expanded cargo areas, and improved amenities added.…

JUNE’S MYSTERY The barque-rigged vessel depicted is Kaskelot, built in 1948 as a traditional Baltic trader by J. Ring-Andersen at Svendborg, Denmark for the Royal Greenland Trading Company. She was used to supply remote communities in Greenland. In the 1960s she was a support vessel for fisheries in the Faroe Islands. She was purchased by Square Sail, UK in 1981 and converted to replicate a traditional three-masted barque with double topsails. She has featured in many TV and film productions, including Return to Treasure Island, The Three Musketeers, David Copperfield and Shackleton. She continues in use. The harbour looks like Charlestown in Cornwall, where one can often find traditional craft. Chris Matthews, Newton Ferrers. THIS MONTH’S MYSTERY SHIP This month’s mystery ship was supplied by David Adams of Wessex Marine…

WHY DID YOU CHOOSE A CAREER AT SEA? I chose a maritime career because it gives almost endless opportunities. I was brought up in the Norwegian countryside, with no maritime links in my family. Norway has long maritime traditions and, although we are quite a small country, we are a well-known shipping nation. WHERE DID YOU TRAIN? I gained a degree in Nautical Studies from the University of South-East Norway. I am currently studying for a Master of Science in Maritime Management. HOW DID YOUR CAREER DEVELOP? I spent a year on Color Lines’ Color Fantasy (b.2004), a Norwegian passenger ship sailing between Oslo and Kiel, Germany. It is, together with her sistership, the 2007-built Color Magic, the world’s largest cruise ship with a car deck. I joined Hurtigruten in…