Focus on Passenger Vessels

By Alex Baird - April 12, 2022.

PASSENGER VESSEL WEEK

As you will see from our extensive list of vessel reviews, the passenger vessel sector remains very strong despite global and local disruptions across the world.

Naval architecture in this industry especially continues to impress, with new innovations appearing almost every time we run this monthly feature. This is true for both the wide array of general purpose vessels and the increasing numbers of ships and boats with highly specific roles and operating conditions.

Fuel efficiency, comfort and safety are now minimum expectations in almost every region, and every new cohort of deliveries rises to meet and often exceed these standards.

Ferries • Ro-Pax • Marine Tourism • Cruise • River/Lake Operations

As traffic congestion worsens in growing cities across the globe, the market for new short-length ferry routes in large cities is becoming increasingly viable, providing less stressful and often quicker alternatives to driving for more and more commuters. The Ro-Pax sector is also benefiting as an alternative to road freight.

Keep checking back daily for an excellent overview of the latest developments in the global passenger vessel market, as this landing page fills out with news, opinion, gear and vessel reviews.

Vessel Reviews:

Features and Opinion:

EDITORIAL | 2021 – A bad year for ferry fatalities

– “Following an excellent performance in 2020 when the global ferry fatality toll was the lowest since the Baird Maritime Passenger Vessel Accident database commenced in 1966, there have, tragically, been more than five times as many deaths in 2021.”

– by Dr Neil Baird, Co-Founder and former Editor-in-Chief of Baird Maritime.

News and Gear:

Recent Important Features:

AWARDS 2021 | Best Unique Passenger Vessel – Terevau Piti – Mauric

– “French Polynesia is a remote and unique place as far as shipping requirements are concerned. With a small population spread over a vast area of sea, it requires very special craft to service it effectively.”

AWARDS 2021 | Best FRP Ferry – Sigrid Sigurdsdotter – Brødrene Aa

– “Finely finished and fitted with the best of everything, these vessels clearly show why Brodrene Aa continues to dominate the passenger-only fast ferry market.”

AWARDS 2021 | Best Whale Watcher – Te Ao Marama – Teknicraft Design

– “Teknicraft provides real refinement for passenger catamarans.”

AWARDS 2021 | Best Rail Ro-Pax – Azerbaijan – Marine Engineering Bureau

– “This fascinating and very impressive new vessel has been designed and built especially for service in the somewhat mysterious Caspian Sea.”

AWARDS 2021 | Best Ice Class Ro-Pax – Admiral Nevelskoy – Marine Engineering Bureau

– This very impressively rugged and versatile new ship will serve its owners and the people of the Sakhalin and Kurile islands very well.

AWARDS 2021 | Best Large Tourist Boat – Dawanqu No 2 – CoCo Yachts

– “This is a durable, rugged steel/aluminium composite catamaran built for the rough and tumble of tourist excursions on China’s very busy Pearl River.”

Remember to come back every day to see the latest news, opinion and vessel reviews!

Call for content!

Any news or views about the global maritime tourism, ferry and cruise industries? Send it through to [email protected] ASAP (between now and April 15), so we can add it to this current edition of Passenger Vessel Week!

We are after:

Vessels – Orders, new deliveries, under construction
Gear – Latest innovations and technology in the passenger vessel sector
Interviews – Owners, operators, terminal authorities, passenger vessel associations, etc.
Reminiscences – Do you have any exciting, amusing or downright dangerous anecdotes from your time in the passenger vessel world? (example here)
Other – Any other relevant news