Feb 10
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Aegean Sea Lines’ ANEMOS arrived in Greece

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On February 5, 2023, Aegean Sea Lines cruise ferry ANEMOS (ex ROSELLA) arrived in Greece after a 12-day journey from Mariehamn.

Ship’s first stop was at the island of Sifnos (her shipowner’s place of origin), where people gave her a warm welcome. Then, the ship visited shortly the island of Serifos and her journey ended up at Perama Repair Zone, where she will undergo a small-scale conversion. She is expected to join the Hellenic Coastal Shipping in the beginning of summer 2023.

Photo: Kostas Papadopoulos

Feb 10
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Grendi and Corsica Ferries exploring new synergies in the ro-ro business

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Grendi Trasporti Marittimi, ro-ro shipping company part of Grendi Holding and controlled by the Musso family, made public the results reached in 2022.

Last year the group’s turnover was EUR 88 million thanks also to 83,871 TEU containers (+3%) and 50,506 ro-ro units (+59%) transported between Tuscany (port of Marina di Carrara) and Sardinia (Cagliari and Olbia).

The CEOs Antonio and Costanza Musso confirmed that the ro-ro vessel named ROSA DEI VENTI and operated on the line, will be purchased by Corsica Ferries at the end of the current 5-year time charter in May for a price of EUR 35 million.

The time charter contract will be renewed with Grendi for further 5 years and this is just one of the new synergies the companies are creating.

Antonio Musso specified that “with Corsica Ferries we are exploring new opportunities and potential synergies. They are not active in the ro-ro market and they would like to increase their presence in the Sardinia region which is exactly our core business. We are also talking about potentially increasing freight transport by sea with Corsica”.

Last year Grendi and Corsica Ferries also submitted a joint proposal for operating the subsidized Civitavecchia – Arbatax – Cagliari ro-pax line which was finally awarded to Grimaldi.

Feb 10
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Maxicaster Launches their New Generation Mobile Portal across the Fjord Line fleet

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MAXICASTER is pleased to announce the successful deployment of its next generation mobile portal across the Fjord Line fleet. It is redefining the passenger journey by extending video services to personal devices.

The mobile video service is seamlessly integrated into Fjord Line’s dynamic passenger mobile portal allowing passengers to watch live TV and the latest movies anywhere on board. To ensure passengers never miss their favourite shows, Catch-up TV is enabled allowing passengers to watch previously aired live TV via the interactive Electronic Program Guide (EPG).

The portal is designed to work across any device type ensuring a premium viewing experience regardless on any passenger device. To further enhance the service, MAXICASTER provides a premium Video on Demand catalogue curated to the FjordLines customer demographic.

The service extends the long-term partnership between the two companies, where MAXICASTER is the exclusive technology and video content provider for onboard passenger and crew services across Fjord Line vessels.

Roald Rossnes, Chief Digital Officer at Fjord Line commented “We are extremely proud to be working with MAXICASTER to create this innovative and state of the art solution for our customers. The mobile video service is fully integrated with our customer portals and makes up an important module in our strategy to give the guests well produced services and entertainment throughout the journey.”

Andrew Brown, COO of MAXICASTER commented “Fjord Line and MAXICASTER share a sense of innovation which is common in the Nordic region. By extending the service options to passengers’ own devices Fjord Line highlight their understanding of the changing passenger expectations in the market and commitment to delivering the best possible experience anywhere on board.”

Feb 10
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CLdN to further increase capacity on North Sea routes to and from eastern England

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CLdN has announced a further increase of capacity for customers on its North Sea routes to and from eastern England. The additional capacity will be provided by the charter of the TUNDRALAND, a modern ro-ro vessel with a cargo capacity of 2,800 lane metres.

The vessel will be introduced into the CLdN network on 13th February 2023, allowing increased tonnage to be redeployed onto the Zeebrugge & Rotterdam / UK routes.

In response to increasing customer demand for unaccompanied freight services to and from the UK, CLdN will also provide a service delivering cargo from Zeebrugge to the Port of Tilbury. (remark: P&O Ferries have a service between Zeebrugge and Tilbury, with 9 departures a week from each port – check the P&O Freight website)

Feb 10
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Grimaldi to become ro-ro terminal operator in the port of Ravenna

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The port of Ravenna, in Italy, is to become one of the most important hubs for Grimaldi Group’s network in the Adriatic Sea.

The Naples-based shipping company is in advanced negotiations with the local port authority for setting up a new port terminal in Ravenna which is regularly called by Grimaldi’s ro-ro ship on the motorways of the seas to and from the other Italian ports of Brindisi and Catania.

Up to date the ro-ro traffic was and still is handled by a company called T. & C. – Traghetti e Crociere S.R.L and fully owned by the port authority but this company will stop acting as a terminal operator as soon as Grimaldi will be ready to operate with its in-house branch.

Last year the port of Ravenna’s total throughput of trailer handled was 80,595 (+6.4% compared with 2021) or 1,818,670 in terms of tons (+25.7%).

Feb 10
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Grimaldi acquires a new terminal in the port of Amsterdam

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The Group now owns an area of ​​over 200,000 m2 and a twenty-year concession within the Dutch port

Through its subsidiary Amsterdam Multipurpose Terminal (AMT), the Grimaldi Group has recently gained strategic assets and a 20-year concession within the port of Amsterdam.

The assets that AMT bought from the company EMA are located in the Amerikahaven area and cover a surface of over 200,000 m2, including storage areas, adjacent warehouses and logistics areas, as well as two quays – the first, which is about 500 meters long, dedicated to ships deployed on deep sea routes, and the second, about 300 meters long, for the berthing of vessels serving short sea links.

Not only is Amsterdam an extremely important port for cocoa exports from West Africa to Europe: the Grimaldi Group aims to make the most of its strategic location, transforming it into the gateway for imports of new vehicles, as well as for their distribution in Northern Europe.

Map: BoH – Eigen werk, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=12452593

Feb 03
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A SeaJets family member acquires 5,48% of MIG stocks

By | 2023 Newsletter week 5 | No Comments

On Februray 1, 2023, the Athens Stock Market announced that Mrs Despoina Iliopoulou (daughter of Mr Marios Iliopoulos – Seajets), holds 5,48% of voting rights, through Ration Holding LTD, in Marfin Investment Group after the acquisition of shares on 31 January 2023.

By that agreement, Mrs Iliopoulou holds 51,525,000 voting rights out of 939,510,748 voting rights of the Issuer.

The announcement brings new developments to MIG’s ongoing transformation story, considering that with the control of 5.48% of MIG, the Iliopoulos (SeaJets) family becomes its second largest shareholder after Piraeus Bank.

SeaJets owns 17 passenger ships, most of which are high-speed crafts and connects 33 Aegean islands and Crete, while its fleet transport capacity is 3,500 cars and 20,000 passengers.

Feb 03
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Ro-Ro ELIANA MARINO to be sold at auction by Moby

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The 2000-built ro-ro ship ELIANA MARINO will be sold at auction on 2 March 2023.

The ro-ro operated in bareboat charter by Moby and is owned by Peter Doehle Schiffahrts-KG group. Moby exercised the purchase option for the ELIANA MARINO. The deal should be completed before the auction date.

A public announcement has been published with a reported starting price of EUR 12.5 million.

The procedure specifies that the auction sale will be completed if Moby before will formalize the purchase since the purchase option has already been exercised.

The 2,500 lane metre ro-ro ship ELIANA MARINO has been operating for Moby since 2016 in bareboat charter and is currently deployed on Livorno – Cagliari.

Datasheet ELIANA MARINO by Cargo Vessels International (PDF)
Public Sales Portal (in Italian)
Feb 03
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Grimaldi filed an opposition to the approval of Moby’s financial restructuring plan

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A statement from Moby published on the Luxembourg Stock Exchange [Bourse.lu] announced that competitor Grimaldi Euromed filed an opposition in the Court of Appeal to the approval of the Moby creditor’s composition plan “with an action once again aimed at preventing the continuation of the composition plan approved with the positive vote expressed by approx. 90% of Moby creditors and homologated by the Court of Milan on November 24, 2022.”

This new action is being brought by Grimaldi “despite the fact that the Court of Milan has

rejected in its entirety the previous opposition to the homologation, even declaring it unfounded, condemning Grimaldi to pay the judicial costs,” Moby stated.

The next hearing in front of the Court of Appel will be held on 2 March 2023.

The Vincenzo Onorato – controlled company concluded by saying: “Against this further legal action brought by Grimaldi, already rejected in the first instance, the Company is evaluating in appropriate legal venues any legal action aimed at defending its restructuring plan and the work of its employees.”

Feb 03
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BLUE STAR CHIOS temporarily on the Tangier Med – Algeciras line

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Blue Star Ferries’ BLUE STAR CHIOS will serve temporarily on the Tanger Med – Algeciras line.

The ro-pax will be the replacement vessel during the annual maintenance of MOROCCO STAR, and MOROCCO SUN (Africa Morocco Link)

The Blue Star ship will serve in the Gibraltar Strait from February 10 to March 11, 2023 and will then return to Greek domestic waters.

Photo: Blue Star Ferries