Gataeno Spiteri

Passenger ferry Keppel (pictured), still bearing the name carried through more than 20 years of Clyde sailings starting during the late 1960s, remains in service from Malta, offering regular trips out of Bugibba in the north of the island to Comino and Gozo. Operated by Hornblower Cruises, the 324-passenger veteran, built in 1961 as Rose for the Tilbury-Gravesend crossing, is also much in demand for charter and party bookings. Rose, one of three identical 214gt ferries built at Cowes by J. Samuel White for the cross-Thames service then operated by British Rail, was bought by Caledonian Steam Packet Company in 1967.

Ostend Spirit approaching the Tilbury Lock on 19 December en route to Ramsgate and Ostend. (Chris Cooke)

Withdrawn by P&O Ferries last October after almost 25 years of service out of Dover, Pride of Calais started a three-year charter-purchase to Transeuropa Ferries in January, running between Ramsgate and Ostend as Ostend Spirit and increasing route frequency to 12 sailings a day opposite Gardenia (1978/8,097gt) and Larkspur (1976/14,58gt).

Pride of Calais left her lay-up berth at Tilbury on 19 December and called for berthing trials at Ramsgate before continuing to Ostend and then to Antwerp for refit and repainting. Transeuropa commenced operations in November 1978 and the acquisition of Ostend Spirit, able to carry 85 accompanied trucks, 250 cars and up to 1,400 passengers, suggests fresh emphasis might be placed on developing the car/passenger business.

There have been big changes to passenger areas of Serco Northlink’s Hjaltland (and sister Hrossey).

Serco Northlink Ferries is making major upgrades to the public areas of Hrossey and Hjaltland, the vessels introduced in 2002 to cover Aberdeen-Kirkwall-Lerwick services and direct Aberdeen-Lerwick sailings. The biggest change is amidships, where the à la carte restaurant becomes a premium lounge (accessible for an extra charge), with the café area, converted to offer a gastro-pub-type dining experience.

Stena Superfast VII, operating between Belfast and Cairnryan, serves one of the routes which has benefitted from Stena Line’s investment in recent times.

Stena Line, celebrating the 50th anniversary of its ferry debut, has made changes in top management, with Gunnar Blomdahl standing down after ten years as chief executive. He is replaced from 1 January by 46 year-old Carl-Johan Hagman, who was previously responsible for Stena Group shipping operations and also served as chairman of Stena Line, a role to which Dan Sten Olsson, the Stena Group chief executive and son of founder Sten A. Olsson, has now returned.