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Managing director Hans Sundqvist at Turku Repair Yard foresees a long-term growth trend in the demand of ship repair services in the Baltic Sea area. Photo: Pär-Henrik Sjöström.
Jobs generated by growing Baltic Sea traffic
The long-term growth trend within oil and bulk shipments in the Baltic Sea generates more vessel traffic. Turku Repair Yard counts on this development to have a positive impact on their workload.
Photo: Madli Vitismann.
45-year old striving alone
In November the Estonian Maritime Administration celebrated its 90th anniversary. The Tarmo, the sole Estonian icebreaker, is half that age. It is not yet known when construction of a new icebreaker will begin. Perhaps the 45-year old Tarmo will celebrate its golden jubilee secure in the knowledge that construction of a new icebreaker has been included in the state budget.
The Aura with a deck load of sections for the cruise vessel Oasis of the Seas under construction at the STX Europe Turku shipyard.
Special carrier for steel blocks
The multipurpose deck cargo carrier Aura is designed for carrying primarily large blocks to STX Europe’s shipyards in Finland. The vessel is operated by Meriaura Ltd, which is the coordinator of STX Europe’s shipments of large steel blocks between the three shipyards in Finland. Blocks are also carried from other shipyards in the Baltic Sea area.
The Baltic Princess is an identical sister to the Galaxy, but the vessel is painted in a more conventional way. Photo: Sakari Saari.
The latest cruise ferry on the Gulf of Finland
Last summer the Estonian ferry company Tallink Grupp AS took delivery of the fourth cruise ferry from Aker Yards, which recently has changed its name to STX Europe.
The post panamax cruise vessel Celebrity Solstice is the largest vessel in the Celebrity Cruises fleet. Photo: Meyer Werft.
Celebrity Cruises new series – green in many ways
The Celebrity Soltice is hte first postpanamax ship to sail under the brand Celebrity Cruises and the largest cruise vessel built in Germany so far.
Esvagt Caroline Photo: Bent Mikkelsen.
Rebuilt before first assignment
Twice in 2008 Esvagt A/S took a brand new ship halfway across the world directly from a shipyard to be rebuilt at the homeport of Esbjerg.
The Fedora is the third of eleven ultra large car carrier sisters Photo: Fredrik Davidsson.
Sweden’s largest car carrier
The Fedora, with a capacity of 8,000 cars, was one of three ultra large car carriers delivered to Wallenius Lines in 2008.
“These vessels are well planned, I have to say”, sats Sven-Åke Andersson, master of the Fedora.
The crew’s families were waiting at the quay when Fox Luna arrived to Fiskebäck south of Göteborg on October 11, 2008. Photo: Klara Magnusson.
First bunker vessel with DP
The bunker vessel Fox Luna was delivered to Swedish BRP Rederi AB in early October.
The Fugro Saltire is built for subsea operations and equipped with cranes and ROV systems. Photo: Bergen Group BMW.
Fugro Saltire goes for the deeps
Within little more than six months, the revived Bergens Mek Verksted (now renamned Bergen Group BMW) delivered two large offshore vessels to the same owner, E Forland AS, of the same basic design, but tailored for very different purposes,
The tanker in the front side of the pier is dwarfed by the Independence of the Seas, here alongside at Gibraltar. Photo: Pär-Henrik Sjöström.
The largest cruise vessels successful also in Europe
Independence of the Seas is the third and for the time being also the last vessel of the Freedom-class. Indeed STX Europe and Royal Caribbean Cruises reached an understanding in March 2008 regarding the basis on which a fourth ship of the Freedom class would be ordered.
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Island Wellserver
A true pioneering venture in offshore
The offshore industry has given rise to a large number of specialist services, often driving at cost savings or higher exploitation rates.
One of the more interesting ships delivered in 2008 is indeed such a genuine pioneering venture – the Island Wellserver.
The Margrethe Maersk
First out in the last Odense container series
It is likely that the series of M-class vessels, starting with the Margrethe Mærsk, will be the last container carriers from Odense Staalskibsværft for the foreseeable future.
The Mærsk Topper took a more extensive sea trial than normal on the transfer from Norway directly to Brazilian waters for a long-term time charter for state-owned Petrobras. Photo: Maersk Supply Service.
New ship to the medium supply segment
For the first time in a long period Maersk Supply Service has not broken any record on delivery of a new type of vessel. In fact, the Mærsk Topper, delivered from Aker Yards at Brattvåg, is a small ship compared to the deliveries over the last decade.
The Mari Ugland leaves the shipyard with three sister vessels in different stages of construction. Photo: Marinvest.
Marinor concludes Marinvest class series
Croatia’s Brodosplit shipyard recently delivered the Marinor, the last in a series of six LR 1 state-of-the-art product tankers to be delivered to Göteborg-based Marinvest, acting as manager on behalf of an international investment consortium.
Oratank is the second of three newbuildings of high standard and with ice class for trading the Baltic in the winter period.
Sixth newbuilding in 77 years
Rederiet M H Simonsen of Svendborg took delivery of the Oratank in February 2008 as only the sixth newbuilding since the company started its business in 1931.
The Skandi Acergy has been chartered to Acergy (formerly Stolt Offshore), the offshore service contractor.
Spectacular design for heavy construction
Large and sophisticated, flexible and expensive; the Skandi Acergy is the first of the spectacular Aker Yards design for a heavy construction vessel. She belongs to a new class of advanced units built for construction purposes in deep waters.
Color Line’s high speed ferry, the SuperSpeed 2 Photo: Color Line.
New concept on the Skagerrak
Color Line’s SuperSpeed-class introduces a new transport concept in the ferry traffic between Norway and Denmark.
The colorful livery of Superstar really cathces the eye. Photo: Sakari Saari.
An Italian superstar
Tallink’s EUR 120 million newbuilding Superstar brings a Mediterranean touch to the ferry traffic across the Gulf of Finland. Delivered on April 8, 2008 by the Italian Fincantieri shipyard, the vessel entered service on April 21.
The Viking XPRS is in many ways optimized for its route, Helsinki–Tallinn. Photo: Hannu Vallas.
An optimal solution
If we would chose just one new-building to be the ship of the year, the choice of 2008 would no doubt be the Viking XPRS. She is the ultimate ferry for a short crossing, owning all the qualities needed regarding efficiency and comfort.
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