GNV confirmed a 12-month charter of A-Ships Managements’ RoPax GOLDEN BRIDGE.
Recently, the large ship was dry docked at the Perama repair zone and changed her livery. She is expected to be introduced on Barcelona-Ibiza on 31 January 2022.
Two months after the opening of the new lines in the Balearics, GNV announces the new connection from Barcelona with Ciutadella de Menorca (via Palma de Mallorca) with GNV SEALAND (2,255 lane metres and 195 cars, 880 pax).
GNV BRIDGE (delivered June 2021, with 2,564 lane metres and 157 cabins) will operate the connections between Valencia, Palma de Mallorca and Ibiza.
GNV has scheduled departures every day between the ports of Barcelona and Valencia, and Palma de Mallorca and Ibiza, in addition to the direct connection between Palma de Mallorca and Ibiza.
Purchasing individual routes is possible.
Grandi Navi Veloci and Compagnia Italiana di Navigazione (Moby’s subsidiary operating as Tirrenia) are the two ferry companies which applied for the maritime continuity during the low season between the ports of Genoa and Porto Torres, in Sardinia.
Invitalia, the public body which launched the tender for the Italian transport ministry, last June excluded this same two companies which now applied again for this tender which is worth EUR 25.8 million for the period 2021 – 2026.
The selected company will have to cover the route Genoa – Porto Torres from October to May with daily maritime services.
Ro-pax units to be deployed on this line must be aged up to 20 years, with 750 passengers and 1,000 lane meters capacity.
Grimaldi Group will be active on the same routes with no public subsidies.
Spanish sources revealed that GNV might add a port call in Menorca to its network of routes linking Barcelona and Valencia to the Balearic islands.
Ferry Baleares reported that in case the new rotation should be Barcelona – Palma – Ciutadella – Palma – Barcelona.
The Genoa-based ferry company officially denied that its services to Ibiza and Mallorca could change in the near future but also added that they “always look at interesting opportunities to open new markets”.
As from last July 6, Grandi Navi Veloci started a regular network of maritime services between Spain mainland and Balearic islands where are deployed the ro-pax ships GNV BRIDGE (linking Barcellona – Palma – Ibiza) and GNV SEALAND (Valencia – Palma – Ibiza).
- GNV and Grimaldi Holding signed a 3-year bareboat charter for FORZA and TENACIA.
- Option 1+1 years
- Both ferries have been operating 10 months for GNV, in sub-charter from Trasmediterranea.
- Ferry Shipping News understands that, practically, it will be an extension of the current charters, even if this new agreement involves directly Grimaldi Holding and MSC-controlled GNV.
- Daily rates for each bareboat charter should be around EUR 15,000 and there are no purchase options.
- TENACIA and FORZA both have capacity of 2,000 lane meters and 1,000 passengers and are currently deployed on the routes linking Italy mainland to Sicily and Sardinia.
Latest News From The Maritime Continuity In Italy
Regarding the public tender launched for the subsidized Genova – Porto Torres link, both Tirrenia CIN and GNV had been excluded by the Italian transport ministry, while Grimaldi appealed to the Regional Administrative Court in Rome contesting some aspects of the procedure.
The tender will have to be relaunched, but the Onorato-controlled group has just announced that they (Moby and Tirrenia CIN) will operate the same line for the whole year with no need for public money.
On June 1, Grimaldi Euromed officially started the new Naples – Cagliari – Palermo link with ropax CORFU. This follows a public tender for the maritime continuity where Grimaldi Group emerged as the only interested player.
For Grimaldi Group this is the first line calling the port of Naples, in the city where the company is headquartered.
(CORFU completed her last sailing on Igoumenitsa – Ancona on May 30).
On the route Naples – Cagliari Moby – Cin will also be active with a new regular ro-ro cargo line.
A few days after GNV won a tender for five ferries to be deployed as quarantine vessels for migrants, Italy’s transport minister launched another procedure with the same scope.
- Period: 1 June to 31 July 2021
- EU-flagged
- 300-400 people
- 300 lane metres
- Deadline 20 May
- Charter fee 36,000/day + 25/migrant/day
Competition on the Balearic Islands increases. Two days after the announcement of GNV to enter this market, the German company FRS said it will start operating the Alcúdia – Cituadella route at the end of May.
At the beginning of June, the Ibiza-Formentera line will be added.
The FRS routes will be operated by fast ferries:
TARIFA JET on Alcudia – Ciutadela / 1h15min / 777 pax / 175 cars
SAN GWANN on Ibiza – Formentera / 427 pax / 15 cars
Grandi Navi Veloci emerged as the winner of the public tender launched by the Italian transport ministry for providing five “quarantine” ships.
They will be deployed as accommodation vessel for migrants arriving in Italy from North Africa.
MSC-controlled ferry company Grandi Navi Veloci S.p.A.is emerging as the new owner of the 1976-built ferries PRIDE OF YORK and PRIDE OF BRUGES.
Up to now owned by P&O Ferries and previously deployed on Hull-Zeebrugge/Rotterdam, the funnels of both the vessels have been repainted and Italian crew members embarked.
To be confirmed: PRIDE OF YORK is to be renamed GNV ARIES while BRUGES will become GNV ANTARES.
