The ferry business, unlike more industrial parts of the shipping business, touches wide swaths of the world’s population across continents. The membership of Interferry, the leading trade group for the industry, with non-Governmental organization (NGO) status at the International Maritime Organization (IMO) includes 200+ members from all parts of the ferry spectrum.
Interferry CEO Mike Corrigan reflects on the global trade association’s hectic year of involvement in three key areas of concern.Readers with long memories will have a strong sense of déjà vu when I say that safety, security and the environment are at the forefront of Interferry’s networking and lobbying mission right now.
Electric ferries are in a rapid development, and the Danish Maritime Authority (DMA) is actively engaged in ensuring that safety is part of the innovative efforts taking place in the Blue Denmark.The DMA is working in a joint project with the industry, other authorities and classification societies to promote understanding of the use of lithium-ion batteries in the maritime industry.
Tunisian roll-on/roll-off ferry Ulysse has separated from the Cyprus flagged containership CSL Virginia on Thursday following a collision earlier this week in the Mediterranean Sea.CSL Virginia was at anchor approximately 17 miles off the island of Corsica when it was struck broadside by cargo and passenger ferry Ulysse early Sunday morning.
Tanzanian authorities said on Sunday the number of people who died in a ferry that capsized in Lake Victoria had risen to 224 and the vessel's managers had been detained for questioning.The ferry, MV Nyerere, sank on Thursday evening just a few meters from the dock on Ukerewe, the lake's biggest island.
A Swiss-operated ship has been attacked off the coast of Nigeria, Switzerland’s foreign ministry said, amid media reports that 12 crew members had been kidnapped by a gang of pirates.The MV Glarus, merchant ship operated by Geneva-based shipping company Massoel Shipping, was transporting wheat between Lagos and the southern Niger Delta oil hub of Port Harcourt.
A passenger ferry in Tanzania's Lake Victoria has sunk and rescue operations are underway, Tanzanian authorities said on Thursday.Tanzania's Electrical, Mechanical and Services Agency (TEMESA), which operates ferry services, said the boat, known as MV Nyerere, sank on Thursday afternoon in Ukurewe district Mwanza region.
San Francisco Bay Area ferry operator Water Emergency Transportation Authority (WETA) is expanding its fleet with new vessels in order to meet large ridership increases. By 2035, WETA expects to add a total of 44 new vessels to meet anticipated demand, which is expected to increase by as much as 900 percent.
Austal Limited has delivered a 30-meter high-speed aluminum catamaran for VS Grand Ferries of the Philippines. The vessel was designed by Incat Crowther and built at Austal’s shipyard in Balamban, Cebu.The new vessel, named MV Seacat, provides capacity for 300 passengers at speeds up to 25 knots.
Diverse Newbuild & Repair Business Buoys 2018The year 2018 is off to good start at Vigor. The Harbor Island facility welcomed a new drydock christened the Evolution. The $20 million Evolution is the third drydock at Vigor’s Seattle facility and largest in the Puget Sound region, measuring 640 x 115.5 ft. with a lift capacity of 22,000 LT.
Divers and an underwater drone on Wednesday joined a fleet of rescue vessels in Indonesia's search for at least 192 passengers missing two days after an overcrowded wooden ferry sank in one of the world's deepest volcanic lakes in Sumatra.Authorities are unable to confirm how many were aboard when the vessel sank on Monday in bad weather, since it did not have a manifest.
The search for victims of a ferry that sank in the lake of an ancient supervolcano crater in Indonesia will resume on Wednesday with divers and an underwater drone to scour the depths for at least 128 missing passengers.The wooden tourist ferry sank in rough weather on Lake Toba on Sumatra island on Monday.