Regione Siciliana will launch soon (April) a new public tender for the ferry links to and from the smaller islands surrounding Sicily. The contract is worth EUR 300 million for five years (60 million per year) and the draft plan has been drawn up by the consulting company T Bridge. The current concession is due to expire at the end of this year.
The procedure still to be opened will help the regional government to find companies interested at serving a network of 23 lines, of which one is a new entry: the Cefalù – Aeolian Islands maritime route.
The last concession awarded and still active today (it was launched five years ago for the same amount of money) saw Ustica Lines, Caronte & Tourist and Siremar as the companies with the highest number of lines granted.