Danish ferry operator DFDS is investing in the start-up company MASH Energy ApS that produces biofuel from agricultural waste, in order to develop a commercially viable alternative to fossil fuels, including testing on a DFDS ferry.
32 years have passed since the capsizing of Herald of Free Enterprise, only a few minutes after leaving Zeebrugge port on 6 March 1987, killing 193 people. The incident is considered, not only as the deadliest casualty involving a UK-registered ship since 1919, but also as a wake-up call for safety improvements.
On Moday, April 22, two ferries collided when voyaging in Sunda strait. The collision was between ferry ‘Windu Karsa Dwitya’ and ferry ‘Virgo 18’. From the incident, a crew fell overboard and is missing, one passenger was injured and transferred to hospital, on arrival to Merak.
16th April marks five years after Sewol ferry sinking shocked the global community. Sewol ferry sank on 16 April 2014, in South Korean waters taking the lives of over 300 people, most of whom where kids on a school excursion. Four years later, in August 2018, the official panel investigation on the accident said it could not find exact causes for South Korea’s deadliest maritime casualty since 1970.
In its latest Safety Digest, UK MAIB analyzes a ferry collision which caught everyone by surprise as the alarm was relatively quiet, and sounded only on the centre console. In this regard, MAIB recommended that a system to warn crew and passengers of a sudden stop should be available.
The 10th of April marks 18 years since the fire onboard the Italian passenger ferry ‘Moby Prince’, Italy’s worst merchant marine disaster since the end of World War II. The incident, resulting in death of all but one person onboard, highlighted how miscommunication in emergency situations can be disastrous.
ABB, SINTEF and Fiskerstrand are test fuel cells for the world’s first conversion of a hydrogen hybrid ferry. The tests aim to provide answers needed for Norwegian shipyard Fiskerstrand to convert an existing ferry to run on a combination of batteries and hydrogen fuel cells. ABB and the SINTEF Ocean laboratory will assess how fuel cells and batteries can function together for short-distance ferry operations.
New York City Comptroller has called the US Department of Transportation to immediately explore taking over NYC Ferry, raising concerns on transparency and fiscal responsibility, as a result from the Economic Development Corporation’s contract with a private operator.
The Australian passenger vessel ‘Fitzroy Flyer’ suffered an engine room fire and all of its four crew and 37 passengers were evacuated, east-north-east of Cairns, Queensland on 29 March 2019. Fitzroy Flyer was on a return trip to Cairns from Fitzroy Island.
The German passenger/cargo RoRo ‘Saaremaa’ collided with the Bahamas-flagged bulk carrier Curaçao Pearl on 27 March at the German port of Cuxhaven. The passenger vessel was scheduled to leave Germany for Canada shortly after.
