The 'Visborg', which has been chartered by Baleària since late 2023 for a three-and-a-half-year period, was nearing a transition to full ownership by the Dénia-based shipping company, following a strong operational performance in both the Balearic and Alboran Sea markets.
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CIUDAD DE VALENCIA
The Visemar (Visentini)-owned 'Ciudad de Valencia' left Campamento on Oct 14, 2026, enroute to Klaipeda for a charter to DFDS with an ETA as of Oct 21. has spent the past few weeks at a shipyard in Algeciras. The operator announced in April that the chartered RoPax would increase capacity, particularly for passengers, on its Karlshamn–Klaipeda route by replacing the 'Optima Seaways', which has only around a third of passenger capacity. The difference in freight capacity was less, with 2,566 lane metres compared with 2,300. Since its delivery, the 'Ciudad de Valencia' has been chartered to Trasmediterránea, which has become part of Baleària. It will be the newest Visentini version operated by DFDS. The 1999-built 'Optima Seaways' represented the first egeneration of Visentini vessels.
SUPERSTAR II
CTMA will charter Seajets' 'Superstar II' for about four months to keep the Cap-aux-Meules–Souris service running, while its own RoPax ferry 'Madrleine II' is in dry dock early in 2027. Transport Canada will pay for the charter. She was due to arrive at Cap-aux-Meules at the beginning of December 2026. This gives the crews time to get to know the ship before the 'Madeleine II' is withdrawn for her scheduled docking in January. The 'Superstar II' is wider and taller, which will require some adaptation in manoeuvring and port operations, and her onboard signage must be translated to meet Canadian federal safety rules. The CTMA applied to the Canadian Transportation Agency in September for a temporary licence to operate the foreign ship in Canadian coastal waters, after finding that no suitable vessel was available in Canada. The crossing between the Magdalen Islands and Prince Edward Island takes about five hours in the Gulf of St Lawrence. CTMA said it needed a closed-deck ship with proper passenger accommodation. The company wass still looking for a permanent solution for future dockings of the 'Madeleine II'.
LAKEWAY EXPRESS
Wallenius SOL has chartered the 'Lakeway Express' of Lakeway Link to add it to its Baltic schedule. She will serve a new long-term contract with Holmen Board & Paper that started on Oct 1, 2026, to carry Holmen’s board exports from Iggesund, north of Gävle which have been shipped by RoRo for many decades. She will sail weekly to Kiel, where Holmen’s board exports have an established logistics network. The first call at Kiel enroute from Iggesund was on Oct 12. Last winter, the ship underwent an extensive conversion to reduce her environmental footprint. The work included de-rating her main engine and fitting new propeller blades and a new bow bulb. The vessel is strengthened to ice class 1A. Holmen previously used the SCA RoRo service calling at the Kiel forest products terminal. The high-value coated board will be carried mainly on cassettes.
CRACOVIA
After two years of service for Nouris El Bahr, the 'Cracovia' will probably be replaced by a larger vessel, after the new 'Bursztyn Unity' enters service on the Swinoujscie – Ystad route for the POLSCA Baltic Ferries. The 'Cracovia' has linked Marseille and Alicante with Algiers, Bejaia and Oran in Algeria. 594 sailings have been made in two years, transporting 242,990 passengers and 146,501 vehicles. She could be replaced by the 'GT Mazovia', which has a higher capacity with 2,212 lane metre and 1,000 passengers in 162 cabins.

