A legal action brought before an administrative court by Grimaldi Group has resulted in the temporary suspension of the pending sale of five ferries from Moby Lines to SAS – Shipping Agencies Services (MSC), which was part of a settlement of antitrust issues. Grimaldi filed another protest against the transactions, arguing to the Lazio Regional Administrative Court that the sale of the ferries to MSC would have “immediate and irreversible effects on the market”.
The Italian Antitrust Authority recently accepted a proposal for Moby to auction five ferries to raise funds to repay a loan provided by MSC in 2023 to keep the ferry company in business.
The auction of the five ferries was completed online on 2 December, with MSC emerging as the only bidder. The terms required that two of the ferries be chartered back to Moby for 15 years. The other three ferries were expected to transfer to GNV.
Moby said it would use the proceeds to repay the MSC loan and restructure its operations. It admitted that service would be reduced on some routes (Palermo–Naples) but said it would emerge as a financially solid company, better positioned for growth and to serve the markets.
A court hearing on the sale of the five ferries has now been scheduled for 19 December.
Photo: Tibo Deprest
