MSC Enters Direct Competition with DFDS and Grimaldi on Türkiye –Trieste Link

By | 2024 Newsletter week 51 | No Comments

MSC has officially entered the Türkiye –Trieste maritime link market, directly competing with Grimaldi and DFDS.

  • Route: every Saturday: Gebze, Türkiye → Trieste, Italy
  • Transit Time: 4 days to Trieste; 9 days for the return journey to Türkiye
  • Target Cargo: Industrial goods, commercial freight, and automotive cargo
  • 45ft HCPW containers

In a recent statement, the Geneva-based global carrier announced the introduction of 45ft HCPW (high-cube palletwide) containers on its short sea route connecting the Gebze region in Türkiye to Trieste in Northern Italy.

“This door-to-door transportation solution offers customers a very competitively priced option for larger shipments. This strategically designed service addresses the growing demand for reliable and efficient freight solutions while facilitating the shift from traditional trucks and RoRo vessels to larger-capacity containerised transport,” MSC stated.

Departing weekly from Gebze every Saturday, the service ensures a transit time of just four days to Trieste. Customers benefit from enhanced capacity, competitive pricing, and the convenience of working with a global logistics operator. This solution is further supported by MSC’s own inland transportation provider, MEDLOG, in both Türkiye and Italy.

Grimaldi to order 9 ro-pax ships for Finnlines, Minoan Lines and Grimaldi Euromed

By | 2024 newsletter week 18 | No Comments

Emanuele Grimaldi announced to FERRY SHIPPING NEWS that the Grimaldi Group is working on a significant order for 9 RoPax ships for its short-sea networks, valued at over EUR 1 billion.

They are likely to be built in China.

The Naples-based shipping company is still finalizing details about propulsion. Grimaldi wants to ensure “the best possible solutions in terms of innovation and sustainability, reducing consumption, and possibly utilizing traditional bunker fuel as well as methanol and biofuels.”

The 9-ship order will be as follows: Three ships for Finnlines, evolving from the ‘super star’ vessels just delivered; an additional two for Minoan Lines; and the remaining three for Grimaldi Euromed, with a capacity for 3,000 passengers and 3,000 lane meters of garage space.

The price for these new series of vessels will be approximately EUR 150 million each, with the tender for shipyards expected to be launched next summer and signing scheduled for next autumn.

Rendering of the recently delivered vessels: Knud E. Hansen

Grimaldi signed a 4-years port concession for a new terminal in Civitavecchia

By | 2024 Newsletter week 14 | No Comments

Logiport, a company part of the Grimaldi Group, has just signed a new port concession with the local port authority for the newly constructed RoRo and RoPax terminal, named Nuova Darsena Traghetti, in Civitavecchia.

The Naples-based group will manage docks 27, 28, 29, and 30, along with the associated yard space, for a period of 4 years.

Additionally, Grandi Navi Veloci (MSC group) and Livorno Terminal Marittimo (Moby) participated in the tender process and lodged an appeal against the concession awarded to the competitor, Grimaldi Group.

Grimaldi operates ferries at the port of Civitavecchia on regular motorways of the sea routes to/from Sardinia, to/from Spain, and with car carriers for new vehicle traffic.

Grimaldi strengthens its Brindisi-Igoumenitsa link

By | 2024 Newsletter week 09 | No Comments

Grimaldi Group started to deploy Europalink on the twice-daily Brindisi-Igoumenitsa service on 29 February.

Europalink is the RoPax with the greatest cargo capacity ever deployed in the Adriatic Sea, says Grimaldi in a press release. The new ship will join another modern RoPax, Kydon Palace, on the line where the Grimaldi Group offers two regular daily departures from each of the two ports.

The Italian-flagged Europalink can transport 930 passengers and 3,900 linear meters of rolling freight, equal to 220 trucks. Compared to the ship Igoumenitsa, that she will replace on the line, she can transport 20% more passengers and approximately 50% more trucks on each voyage.

Namegiving ceremony FINNCANOPUS marks the completion of Grimaldi’s half-billion investment programme

By | 2024 Newsletter week 07 | No Comments

FINNCANOPUS, the second hybrid freight-passenger Superstar vessel of Finnlines, was christened in Naantali, marking the completion of Finnlines’ EUR 500-million Green Investment Programme.

Katariina Nurmi, representing DB Schenker, served as the vessel’s godmother, embodying Finnlines’ dedication to maintaining a dependable and efficient logistics network. This network not only supports the growth of freight customers but also strengthens Finnlines and its partners as they strive towards mutual success.

HSC FJORDLYN sold and bound for Middle-East for a new life

By | 2024 Newsletter week 03 | No Comments

The Italian shipbroker Ferrando & Massone announced to have intermediated the sale of the high-speed craft FJORDLYN built in 2009 by Oma Baatbyggeri AS shipyard in Norway.
The high-speed craft, sold by Danish interests, can transport some 150 passengers sailing a speed up to 30 knots.
“As from January, this HSC will find a new life in the Middle East where will be refitted and re-classified before entering into service for the new owner” Ferrando & Massone said.

Photo: Norled

Green light from Italy’s Antitrust authority to TDT Terminal takeover by Grimaldi

By | 2024 Newsletter week 03 | No Comments

The Grimaldi Group has received approval from Italy’s antitrust authority to acquire a 100% stake in Terminal Darsena Toscana from Gruppo Investimenti Portuali, a company controlled by the investment funds Infravia and Infracapital. The port authority of Livorno has also announced its intention to authorize the operation involving its primary ro-pax and container terminal.

Terminal Darsena Toscana is a RoPax and container terminal located in the port of Leghorn, covering an area of 389,000 square meters. It boasts an annual throughput capacity of 900,000 TEU, a quay length of 1,430 meters, and direct road and rail connections. Additionally, Sintermar Darsena Toscana, a 50-50 joint venture between Grimaldi and Gruppo Investimenti Portuali, falls under the same concession and is actively involved in the ro-pax handling business.

Emanuele Grimaldi, Chairman of the Grimaldi Group, has already clarified to Ferry Shipping News that Terminal Darsena Toscana will continue its operations as usual, maintaining its container and RoRo/RoPax handling activities.

There are market rumors suggesting that the Naples-based shipping group is also in negotiations to acquire another container terminal called Sech, which is controlled by Psa, at the port of Genoa.

Photo: Grimaldi Group

Grimaldi’s CRUISE SMERALDA to Adria Ferries?

By | 2023 Newsletter week 35 | No Comments

The 1997-built ro-pax ferry CRUISE SMERALDA seems to be close to become a ship part of the Ancona-based Adria ferries fleet.

Market rumours, not confirmed but neither denied by the interested parties, say that Grimaldi Group is to sell the vessel currently deployed for Finnlines on the Malmö – Travemünde link to the Italian company active on the routes from the ports of Ancona and Bari to Albania.

CRUISE SMERALDA = 1,500 passengers | 2,200 lane meters.

Adria Ferries recorded very positive financial results in 2022 (EUR 68 million of revenues and EUR 18 million of profit) and has been looking for further tonnage at least for the last 12 months.

Grimaldi: Two new state-of-the-art ro-ro ships on the Venice – Bari – Patras line

By | 2023 Newsletter week 34 | No Comments

With the new state-of-the-art ro-ro ships, ECO CATANIA and ECO MALTA, the Italian Grimaldi Group launched zero-emission-in-port vessels in Patras, Venice and Bari at the end of June 2023.

Each of the two ‘GG5G’ class ships can carry around 500 trailers and 180 cars (7,800 lane meters), which is twice as much as their predecessors.

Photo: Grimaldi Group

Grimaldi deploys “green giants” on the Venice – Bari – Patras route

By | 2023 Newsletter week 26 | No Comments

Since June 26, the regular ro-ro line operated by Grimaldi Group between Venice, Bari and Patras is covered by two of the GG5G-series ro-ro ships: ECO CATANIA and ECO MALTA.

These vessels can offer much higher capacity (7,800 linear metres of freight, equivalent to around 500 trailers and 180 cars and better performances) than the Eurocargo-class ships that they replaced on the line.

The ro-ro traffic flows in the port of Venice grew by over 11% in 2022 according to the statistics released by the local port authority, and this trend has continued also in the first half of 2023.

The doubling of the capacity of the new ships compared to those previously operating will lead to a further increase in ro-ro cargo capacity on the Venice – Greece link.