Following the recent successful approval of the merger plan, which involves the absorption of ANEK by Attica, the Group is now embarking on a new “green era” marked by both new investments and organic growth. In the initial phase, the giant ferry operator is undertaking fleet restructuring within the Hellenic Coastal Shipping.
Specifically, the Group plans to operate four large vessels on the Piraeus–Crete service, all adorned with the distinctive Anek Lines’ livery. The vessels assigned to the Piraeus-Chania line will be ELYROS (1998) and EL. VENIZELOS (1992), while those on the Piraeus–Heraklion line will include LEFKA ORI -formerly BLUE HORIZON- (1987) and KISSAMOS -formerly BLUE GALAXY (1992), both of which have already been painted white. There are considerations for replacing EL. VENIZELOS with another vessel boasting a larger car capacity, aligning with the Group’s focus on enhancing the truck service on the Cretan lines.
Conversely, in the Adriatic service, it has been decided that two additional ships will be operated by Superfast and will also feature a red livery.
The first vessel, the Japanese-built ARIADNE (1996), is expected to possibly join the Adriatic service on December 15.
The second ship that may undergo a livery change is ASTERION II (1991), currently operating on the Patras-Venice service and already under Superfast operation.
Photo: Kostas Papadopoulos