DFDS celebrate takeover of Spain – Morocco ferry routes
DFDS has completed the acquisition of the FRS Maroc/Iberia ferry companies. The takeover adds three routes across the Strait of Gibraltar to the ferry giant’s network.
Algeciras – Tangier Med
DFDS Expands Ferry Network With Mediterranean Acquisition
DFDS has announced a major expansion of its Mediterranean ferry network with the acquisition of the market leader across the Strait of Gibraltar.
Stena Europe bows out of Fishguard to Rosslare service
After over 21 years of service, Stena Line’s Stena Europe has completed her final commercial sailing on the Fishguard to Rosslare route.
Former Galloway Princess back in service as the yard which built her goes into administration
The former Stena Galloway is back in service for the first time since 2013, but the shipyard that built her entered administration this week.
Former Galloway Princess almost ready to re-enter service across the Gibraltar Strait
Morocco Sun, the former Stena Galloway and Galloway Princess, arrived at Tangier Med over the weekend ahead of inspections which could lead to her resuming service after over five years.
LE RIF update, including a preview of how the former Stranraer favourite will look inside.
The transformation of the former GALLOWAY PRINCESS/STENA GALLOWAY has continued into 2018 according to her owner, despite the original intention that she would enter service again between Algeciras and Tangier Med in September 2017, and recent rumours that she had been abandoned.
LE RIF (ex Stena Galloway) update
Reports from Morocco indicate that LE RIF (ex Stena Galloway, Galloway Princess) is expected to return to service soon, following an extensive refurbishment and overhaul. The Belfast built former Sealink ferry has been out of service since 2013 when previous operator IMTC collapsed.
Former Stena Galloway to re-enter service?
Le Rif arrives at Malaga for dry docking Recent reports that Le Rif (ex Stena Galloway, Galloway Princess) had been sold for scrap appear to have been untrue, as the former North Channel favourite arrived in Malaga on Saturday for a dry docking.  The ship (including 4 crew and a Captain appointed for the trip) was towed from Tangier in Morocco where she had been abandoned in 2013, though she had been moved to a different berth in the port since then.  Initially the Harland and Wolff built ship will undergo an assessment of her condition taking around 10 days and involving 14 people.  A budget of around €2.5m has been set aside for the overhaul and refurbishment, which will involve significant technical work and is expected to take around 2 months.  The work will be undertaken at Cernaval’s Mario Lopez shipyard in Malaga. Le Rif had been laid up following a major technical … Read more
Former Stena Antrim towed to Albania, unknown destination for the former Galloway Princess.
Could further service beckon for Ibn Batouta? The Ibn Batouta (ex St Christopher, Stena Antrim) left the port of Algeciras under the tow of the tug Brucoli on Tuesday, having been helped from the position she was occupying in the port by local tugs VB Twenty and VB Algeciras. Her apparent destination is Durres in Albania. Ibn Batouta had been sold at auction earlier this year for just €1,027,000, having been laid up since Janurary 2012 following the collapse of the COMARIT group (of which her operator COMANAV was a part).  It is believed that Ibn Batouta may be the only one of the group of 4 COMARIT group ferries which have left Algeciras in the past few weeks not purchased for breaking, with the purchaser rumoured to have been the owner of the Italy-Albania ferry Red Star 1 (1965).  Bari (ex St Anslem, Stena Cambria, Isla de Botafoc), a sister ship of the … Read more
