Nye potensielle store fergelinjer

R

ropax

Member
Some new ferry-lines was started in the last years as f.ex. lines to Klaipeda, Brexit-Bypass-lines to Ireland, Calais-Dover from Irish Ferries, Rostock-Nynäshamn from Destination Gotland, Nynäshamn-Hangö now from Stena and in April starts Holland-Norway Lines from Kristiansand, TT-Line is thinking about to start Trelleborg-Gdynia. But there are many other new ferry-lines thinkable with a big potential, f.ex.:

1) GÖTEBORG - KRISTIANSAND - EDINGBURGH (would be monopol and full Tax-Free)
2) OSLO(fjord)-ROSTOCK (why a monopol for Color Line to Germany ? Often would be Rostock better than Kiel. And what happens with the ferry-berth of Stena Saga in Oslo ?)
3) FREDERIKSHAVN/SKAGEN - MOSS/FREDERIKSSTAD (full Tax Free and for some an alternative to Stenas Frederikshavn-Göteborg, the ferry-berth in Moss ist still there but not in use)
4) HELSINKI-GDANSK/GDYNIA (perfect for to start with an used cruise-ferry)
5) STOCKHOLM-KLAIPEDA (if Stockholm-Tallinn and Stockholm-Riga (and Ventspils) is working very well, to Klaipeda also it can not be a problem)
and very far away but maybe the best:
6) SYDNEY-AUCKLAND, with 26,5 knots comfortable in 44 hours + 4 hours loading = 1 departure every 48 hours.
Sounds long ? But is identically with the 2 big (and very good booked with cars and motorhomes from all european countries) ferries CADIZ/HUELVA - CANARY ISLANDS (traveltime CIRCA 42-46 hours). F.ex. departure 18:30 - arrival 14:30 would be attractive - would be full Tax-free also.
Sounds fast ? The Australian ferries SPIRIT OF TASMANIA 1+2 has 26,5 knots as normal service-speed daily, sometimes operating also with ca. 28 knots !

In Google 1000s of people are searching this non existing ferry-route between Australia and New Zealand and asking about how to bring her (rental) car/van/motorhome/caravan between these both rich countries. Many tourists from Asia, Europe and America would then do Australia in 3-4 weeks + 1 week New Zealand together. Also many workers, students etc. are travelling often between these both countries, needs also to bring stuff and furnitures from one country to the other - so i am really wondering about that this route doesn`t exists... - today all freight (and cars) only in Container and all Pax only in flights is possible.
 
Det er en grunn til at både Fred Olsen, Color Line og Stena med tiden har avviklet danskebåten. Det er et konsept som har gått ut på dato. Cargo er det eneste som står igjen å tjene penger på.
I Moss skal vel Asko overta fergeleiet fra høsten med sine nye prammer som skal frakte løs trailere over til Horten t/r.
 
I think that a lot of the "old" ferry companies has made it to simple to give up routes or to continue only with freight in the last ca. 30 years and especially with the end of Tax-Free in Europe and with the more and more stronger cheap airlines like Ryanair, Easyjet, Wizzair and Vueling.

Yes, with these airlines you can find often a cheap ticket - but without baggage. Only a small handbag is included normally - already a mini-luggage with rolls costs 30, 40, 50 Euro extra, a big or a second luggage much more extra. These flights are often starting 6:00 in the morning - very uncomfortable because you must start to the airport at home middle in the night. And these flights are uncomfortable especially for bigger persons - or you pay again more money for a seat with more space, furthermore no good food onboard etc. . So - if there would be a comfortable ferry alternative for ca. the same price - many people would choose this ferry instead of a flight. F.ex. the big cruise-ferries from Viking Line and Silja Line between Finland and Stockholm or also the big cruise-ferries from Grimaldi between Roma and Barcelona are working very well - often very good booked, Kiel-Oslo/Göteborg the same, wished cabin-categories often fullbooked. The CRUISE ROMA and CRUISE BARCELONA ships for 3000 (!) Pax just in 2019 lengthened with 80 more beds (+ 2 more public areas) up to 255m each because they was often fullbooked - and there is no Tax-Free money for the ferry-company.

Why the ferry-companies does not copy the Ryanair-system to cut down the costs on all sites so much as possible ? The planes f.ex. are registered often in the low-tax-country Malta, the crews are coming from cheapest countries as Portugal and Lettland (Latvia) often where are ca. 4,- and 3,- Euro only per hour is a normal payment for working people. Every normal cruise ship in the world has a Filipino-Indonesia-crew today working for 1,30 to 2,- Euro per day - so there is a gigantic potential to save costs against with the extremly expensive crews from Norway, Danmark, Sweden or Germany. How much Filipino-crew-member you can pay for 1 Norwegian crew member ? Ca. 10, 15, 20 ? Much lower costs = much lower ticket-prices = much more passengers.

What is better ? To have only some freighters with expensive Scandinavian/German crew or to have so many ferry-routes as possible with big comfortable ferries with high capacity also for Pax - but with (mostly) Filipino or Bulgarian/Latvia-Crew and registered in Cyprus or Bahamas ?

The question is not "Freight OR Pax" but both together is the right way, 3000, 4000, 5000, 6000 lm + 1000, 2000, 3000 Pax. But often the companies decide for to prefer Freight OR Pax - like f.ex. Viking Line with the new Glory only 1500 lm but 2800 Pax or the new DFDS-ferries with 4500 lm and only 600 Pax.

So with these extremly big cost-savings and other points as lower fuel consumption with newest LNG and (partly) electric engines many new ferry-routes are possible - and now because of the Brexit also all routes to Great-Britain offers Tax-Free money again, Irish Ferries has understand these new circumstances first and has started very fast a new Calais-Dover route with 3 ferries including big Tax-Free-supermarkets onboard.

And one other point is also very important: The ports must be directly (or very close nearby) in the city-center. Look Barcelona f.ex. - the ferries arrive directly in the city-center - you can walk to a lot of tourist highlights directly from the ferries - THIS is much more attractive then to arrive in any airport far away from the city-center and then to continue with an (often expensive) Airport-Shuttle train or bus to the city center. Especially f.ex. in West-Sweden it is very bad now - Malmö, Varberg and Göteborg has now / in the future no ferry-port anymore in the city-center - but this is needed for ferry-lines with high Pax-numbers. To arrive anywhere in nowhere in a big industrial area and to continue with buses to the city-center is not attractive. So the cities must say "Welcome to Ferries" - and built the infrastructure for the ferries so close nearby INSIDE the city center as possible - like f.ex. in Barcelona or SantaCruz-LaLaguna (370.000 people, bigger than Bergen and Malmö) also.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top