ETV contract extended
The Maritime & Coastguard Agency (MCA) has awarded Klyne Tugs (Lowestoft) Ltd a two-year extension to the Emergency Towing Vessels (ETVs) contract which sees four strategic areas around the UK coast covered by the emergency tugs. This award extends the current eight-year contract until 3 September 2011. Klyne Managing Director Carl Beare signed the agreement at the MCA in Southampton on 30 November.

All change at Lapthorn
Lapthorn Shipping Ltd has changed its name to Coastal Bulk Shipping Ltd. The familiar Hoo prefix has been dropped from the fleet's names and some vessel names have been changed to meet the new theme of bird species. A new house flag has been adopted in recognition of the name change. The change from red to green has been chosen to emphasise the environmentally friendly benefits of moving freight by water.

Norwegian beauty debuts
The next stage in Tallink's ferry expansion strategy, a shuttle for the Tallinn-Helsinki service, saw the company's new vessel Star christened and floated out on 23 November 2006. Star is a step up in capacity and speed and will shake up the market between the Finnish and Estonian capitals.

New Portsmouth link
With the closure of A&P's dry dock in Southampton, cross-Solent ferry operator Wightlink has agreed a new multi-million pound deal with Portsmouth-based ship repairer Fleet Support Limited (FSL) for the upkeep of its fleet of eight ro-pax ships. The three-year contract comes after a period of several years' abstention from using the facilities at Portsmouth. Under the new agreement, Wightlink will use FSL's Portsmouth Naval Base facilities to dock its fleet of five Saint class ships and three smaller C class vessels, with the contract lasting until winter 2009-10.

Everard and Fisher get it together
UK-based shipping and marine services group James Fisher has bought family coaster firm FT Everard for £23.7m plus £28m of debt. Everards, which has one of the biggest British coastwise and shortsea dry cargo fleets, operates 11 coastal products tankers, nine of which it owns, with a further four tankers due to enter service in 2007.

Brittany Ferries revive a famous name
There is widespread delight that Brittany Ferries are reviving famous fleet name Armorique for the £81 million vessel on order from Aker Yards and due to take over the Plymouth-Roscoff route in autumn 2008. The 1,500-passenger, 470-car/65-lorry capacity vessel will be built in Helsinki and, up to deck five, has the same hull design as ro-ro freight ship Cotentin due for delivery and introoduction on a Channel route later this year.

Stena sign with Aker for ro-pax giants
Not content with last year's £70 million investment to lengthen Harwich-Hook of Holland route vessels Stena Britannica and Stena Hollandica, Stena Line has signed a contract with Aker Yards to build two even larger ro-pax ships which will be deployed either on the North Sea service or Stena's Sweden-Poland crossing from Karlskrona to Gdynia.

Thomson cruises into 2007 with five-ship line-up
Thomson Cruises has five vessels sailing in 2007, with Thomson Spirit (1983/33,930gt) replacing Thomson Celebration as its UK-based ship. She will sail in the Mediterranean from Palma until 18 May and then repositions to Newcastle from where, along with Harwich, her summer programme features the Norwegian Fjords, Baltic Capitals and Iceland.

HAL marks global 50
On 7 January 1958, Statendam sailed from New York on a 110-day World Cruise, the first for Holland America Line. To mark the 50th anniversary of that event and the 44th year that HAL has offered a world cruise, four Grand Voyages have been scheduled in 2008, two each aboard Amsterdam and Prinsendam. The 1,380-passenger Amsterdam (2000/60,874gt) makes a full World Cruise, departing from Port Everglades on 4 January 2008, visiting 39 ports and transiting both the Suez and Panama Canals. She returns to the Florida port on 27 April.

Seatruck concentrate on freight
As previously reported (see SM, January), Irish Sea operators Seatruck Ferries have placed an order for two new ferries for delivery in 2008 as they seek to expand into new European markets. The two ferries follow close on the heels of two ferries due to be delivered in 2007 from Spain's Astileros de Huelva yard.

British-flagged trawler sold
Another British flagged stern fishing trawler, Swanella (1989/1195gt) has been sold to Russia. The vessel was renamed Lebedevo and handed over at Hull on 20 October 2006. During her career, she has flown the flags of Norway, France, Iceland, UK and now Russia. She was built in Norway by Slipen Mek Verksted AS as Stamsund, but entered service as Olympe. In 1993 she became Gudmunda Torfadottir under the Icelandic flag and a year later Irvana under the British flag. J. Marr of Hull, her operators, changed her name to Swanella in 1994 again under the British flag.

Adsteam Shotley goes to work
Adsteam Shotley, the latest new Damen ASD Tug 2411 shiphandling tug, arrived at Felixstowe during the last few days of September 2006. As with previous vessels of the same type, Adsteam Harty and Adsteam Warden, the tug was constructed by Damen at a yard in Vietnam.

No frills on the Humber
Adsteam Marine, one of Britain's leading towage operators, has launched Humber Tugs, a new low-cost, 'no-frills' tug fleet on the Humber, in response to changes in local market conditions. The service was started in August 2006 with two Voith Schneider tractor tugs, HT Sword and HT Sabre, and the fleet was expected to be four by the end of 2006. Humber Tugs has its own corporate identity and the tugs bear a distinctive naming system and eye-catching yellow livery.