Roro ship for use in the Mediterranean for 2025 to 2027

VESSEL INFO

• Offer type Ship for charter
   
• Type Ro-Ro/Passenger Ship
   
• Length Min. 85 Max. 100 m
   
• Width Min. 18 Max. 20 m
   
• Request made on: 2024-07-11
   

DESCRIPTION

The subject of this project is the hire of one RoPax vessel (commonly known as car ferry) engaged under Time Charter subject to BIMCO ROPAXTIME, for a period of one year with the option to renew for two further periods of six months each.

- VESSEL Specifications
a) Vessel’s requirements:
1. The Vessel must satisfy the following requirements:
(i) Vessel is to have a carrying capacity of a minimum of 500 seated passengers and a minimum of 130
cars.
(ii) The Vessels shall be double-ended Roll-on/Roll-off Passenger Ferries (Ro-Ro Ferries) designed to
carry passengers, freight trailers, lorries, cars and suitable for the scheduled ferry services on the
defined routes.
(iii) Vessel should be between 85 to 100 metres length overall (LOA), Breadth of not more than 20 meters and must be double ended, closed and have two ramps (one forward and one aft) for the loading/unloading of vehicles, side ramps (one Starboard and one Port side) to load/offload foot passengers from terminal.
(iv) Vessel category C classification minimum
(v) Classification society IACS member
(vi) Vessel’s draft maximum 5 meters
(vii) Vessel to have two bridges one fwd. and one aft or one central navigating bridge
(viii) Vessel to have enclosed main car deck (garage)
(ix) Vessel to operate on MGO fuel
(x) Main engines available power minimum of 3500 KW
(xi) Propulsion : azimuth thrusters
(xii) Ramp/quay interface as per attached figure. Mean quay height above sea level 2150mm
(xiii) Vessel will operate between mainland Malta and its sister island Gozo. For indicative purposes only,
the trip is about 20 minutes at 12.5 knots.
(xiv) Vessel to have ISM, ISPS and MLC certification.
(xv) Availability of airing safety announcements over a PA system and display monitors.
(xvi) Lift or chair lift for disabled persons to access lounge / cafeteria areas from car decks or
terminal access.
(xvii) Vessel to have a bar / cafeteria in passengers’ area.
(xviii) Vessel to have life rafts and Marine Evacuation Systems.
(xix) Sewage holding tank of minimum 40 cubic meters or approved sewage treatment plant and a holding
tank for effluent of the same capacity.
(xx) Garage deck to have vehicle lashing points.
(xxi) Vessel to interface with existing terminal to provide passenger and car segregation.
(xxii) The provision of fully accessible restrooms.
The Bidder is required to provide a sufficient vessel to deliver the Services including fleet relief requirements as required. The proposed vessel and their deployment must be capable of meeting the timetables, special events and emergencies, the projected carryings (which must be realistic) and be workable within existing shore infrastructure. The extent and scope of services on board the vessel must be maintained for the duration of the Contract.
2. The main cargo space (garage) shall be of the fully enclosed, watertight type.
3. The Vessel is to be arranged as a drive through ferry for loading and unloading trailers and cars during a short berthing time. The design shall take into consideration the requirement for rapid embarking and
disembarking, rapid loading and unloading with a very short turnaround.
4. The interior configuration shall provide easy access for passengers from car decks and shore-based
passenger terminals to areas in the passenger accommodation. All areas are to provide for sufficient light
for the safety of passengers. All enclosed areas have to be equipped with adequate ventilation and airconditioning systems to ensure comfortable temperatures throughout the year.
5. The accommodation for passengers to be arranged on a dedicated passenger deck or decks with adequate signage in Maltese, English and pictographic symbols and security and clear public announcement systems. It is important that the Contractor shall retain bilingual Maltese and English announcements in passenger areas.
6. Passenger facilities are to include fully accessible restrooms, cafeterias and information points.
7. The interior passenger accommodation shall provide various seating and catering facilities. The interior design and selection of materials and facilities shall be of a high standard.
8. A galley arrangement is not required if the catering facilities are provided through a system based on the principle that no food is prepared on board and food and beverages are supplied from shore.
9. The ferries are to have excellent manoeuvrability. Machinery and propulsion system to be designed in such a way that will ensure the ferry will be able to operate on the crossing, maintain schedule, and manoeuvre to/from the dedicated berths under severe weather conditions without the use of tugs.
10. The machinery and the propulsion plant shall be designed with due regard to fuel economy and reliable and dependable operation for the specified crossing.
11. All public areas within the vessels have to be fully accessible by persons with reduced mobility, including priority seating. The vessels have to allow for the safe embarkation and disembarkation of passengers and vehicles. Hence, they have to have to provide for the segregated handling of passengers
and vehicles and are to be equipped with fittings which are compatible with the embarkation/disembarkation points leading between the berths and the Passenger Terminal.
12. The vessel shall operate at a speed, assuming normal weather conditions, to ensure that a turnaround including the loading/discharge of passengers and vehicles and the crossing (between Mgarr and Cirkewwa)
- is performed in about 20 minutes. In any event the service speed of the vessels must not be less than
12.5 Knots.
13. The vessel must be in full IACS recognized class requirements at the closing date for the submission of
the tender.
14. The vessel shall comply with all relevant European and National rules and regulations and specifically
with the EU Directives and Regulations applicable to passenger ships and ro-ro passenger ferries. As a
minimum the vessels should be Class C passenger ships as prescribed in Directive 2009/45/EC on safety
rules and standards for passenger ships, as amended.
15. The vessel shall comply with the standards specified for classification by the rules of an organisation
recognized in terms of Directive 94/57/EC on common rules and standards for ship inspection and survey
organisations and for the relevant activities of maritime · administrations.
16. The vessels shall be painted in the Contracting Authority’s Company paint scheme before vessel can
start operating. Such an expense shall be borne solely by the Contractor. A photograph of one of the current vessel in use by the Contracting Authority is annexed to this tender document.
17. Sewage stored on board the vessel will be discharged through a land based system provided by the
Contracting Authority.
18. Bidders are to submit all documents as requested in Annex 1 – List of Statutory Certificates and
Documents (items 1 and 3) of this tender document.
b) Port Facilities
(i) Quay One (1) and Quay Two (2) at Mġarr Harbour, Gozo, having a superficial area measuring
approximately eleven thousand and twenty-nine square metres (11,029m2), as per Annex 3 and 5 hereto attached and duly bounded within enclosed circular area, and which Quays shall be used by the Contractor
on an exclusive basis and only for the berthing and operations of the ro-ro passenger ferries;
(ii) Berth Number One (1), Berth Number Two (2) and Berth Number Three (3) at Ċirkewwa, Malta, having a superficial area measuring approximately sixteen thousand and one hundred- and four-square metres
(16,104m2), as per Annex 2 and 4 hereto attached and duly bounded within enclosed circular area, and
which Berths shall be used by the Contractor on an exclusive basis and only for the berthing and operations of the ro-ro passenger ferries; and The above mentioned Quays and Berths includes all the buildings, infrastructure, superstructure, facilities and equipment.
Provided that the use of the above-mentioned Quays and Berths shall at all times be subject to the conditions and rights of the Contracting Authority.
Provided further that the bidder may request that it be authorised to berth vessel at South Quay, Ċirkewwa, Malta. The South Quay shall be exceptionally used by the Contractor on a non-exclusive basis for the berthing of the ro-ro passenger ferries whenever sea conditions make it unsafe for the Contractor to operate the service from the abovementioned North Quay Berths Number One (1), Number Two (2) and Number Three (3).
Such a request will not be unreasonably refused and will be given priority before any other such request by third parties.
Mean quay height above sea level 2,150mm. Operational area is not a sheltered area (port area) and is an open sea with open fetch. Although area considered to have a SWH of 1.5 meters, vessel still has to be built to Category C Coastal classification or above (Annex 2 to 9 refers to Mgarr and Cirkewwa Port Facilities;










KEY EXPERTS FOR VESSEL
Key Expert 1: Project Manager
Key Expert 2: Master for leased vessel
Key Expert 3: Chief Engineer for leased vessel
Schedules
The Concessionaire shall be required to maintain a schedule of times for the Services in accordance with the schedule.
In addition to the sailings specified in the relevant timetables, the Contractor will be required to provide, at the request of the Contracting Authority extra trips as and when required as per Contracting Authority operational exigencies without exceeding the twelve hour working shift subject to the Charter Party.
Without prejudice to the Contracting Authority’s right to request additional trips (as defined above), the
Contracting Authority shall have the right to request reasonable modifications to the schedule of times for operation of the Services. Provided that the Contracting Authority shall give at least three (3) days’ notice in writing to the Contractor detailing the proposed modifications Bidders vessel is to perform between five (5) to eight (8) round trips per day on a twelve (12) hour split shift basis.
The Contracting Authority alone will decide if trips are to be performed or otherwise based on operational
exigencies.

Scheduled Maintenance
The Contractor is entitled to make port or dry dock repairs the vessel for up to 30 calendar days per calendar year. The Contractor must ensure that all scheduled dry dockings/repairs are carried out during the Winter Season and planned. In case the Contractor is required to take a vessel out of service for more than 30 calendar days and the Service levels cannot be maintained, the Contractor will be required to provide a replacement vessel with equal or better characteristics to ensure continuity of service.

Insurance
Bidders are to submit evidence that the required insurance policies as detailed hereunder of this Tender
Documents will be provided by a reputable insurer, licensed by a recognised Financial Regulator in the EU.
The Contractor must maintain the following insurance covers throughout the term of the Contract:
a) Protection and Indemnity (P&I) for vessel operation, including passengers and cargo (cargo as defined as per BIMCO Contract) liability with a limit of liability of not less than US$ 500 million (Five Hundred Million US Dollars) per any one accident or occurrence;
b) Hull and Machinery where the sum insured is adequate to cover the replacement value of the proposed
vessels;
c) War Risk Protection having a limit of liability to cover the replacement value of the hull and machinery of the proposed vessels in case of war, strikes, terrorism and related perils.
d) Employers Liability Policy. The Contractor must also take out an Employers Liability Policy with a Limit of Liability which must be not less than Euro 2,500,000 (Two and a half million Euros) per each occurrence
and Euro 5,000,000 (Five Million Euro) in the aggregate .
e) Insurance cover for wreck removal to meet the requirements of the Wreck Removal Convention.
All the above insurance policies must include Gozo Channel (Operations) Ltd. as an additional assured under its policy. The awarded Contractor is to ensure that all the required insurance policies are kept in force for the whole duration of the contract and that any potential claims are notified to insurers in a timely manner in line with the relative policy conditions.
The Contractor will be required to submit copies of insurance policies as per above one week prior to signing of Charter Party. Moreover, the Contractor must submit new insurance policies after each renewal date for each policy during the duration of the Charter Party.