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Tag: Italy | Page 2 | Ferry Shipping News

Jun 18
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Public Consultation Launched In Italy Over Territorial Sea-Land Continuity Towards Main Islands

By | 2020 Newsletter week 25 | No Comments

Italy’s transport ministry announced to have launched a public consultation on passenger and freight transport services to and from the main islands (Sardinia, Sicily and Tremiti) for the definition of public service requirements. The notice is addressed to consumer, cargo user, business associations and stakeholders in general.

“This Ministry is in the process of investigating the conditions necessary to ensure the territorial continuity service relating to the service of transport of passengers and goods with the major and minor islands and to define any measures to be taken” is written in statement from the ministry.

“It’s necessary to proceed to consult the main associations and representative bodies of companies operating in the logistics and freight transport sectors, in order to directly acquire indications, observations and proposals in the context of the investigation aimed at ensuring the best possible organization of the services in question, taking into account all the interests involved” it’s also reported. The deadline for submitting comments is June 25.

Public subsidies granted to Tirrenia – Compagnia Italiana di Navigazione (Onorato Armatori group) should expire on next July 18, but the Italian government recently decided to extend them for a maximum of 12 months.

Jun 11
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Grimaldi Formally Opposed State Aid To Ferry Companies In Italy And Finland

By | 2020 Newsletter week 24 | No Comments

Emanuele Grimaldi, CEO of Grimaldi Group, exclusively announced to Ferry Shipping News that his company has formally opposed the financial measures decided in Italy and in Finland to support some ferry competitors.

“We have formally contested, both on the local market and in Europe, those measures aimed at giving financial support specifically to some companies and which is selective, discriminatory and capable of distorting competition” Grimaldi said.

Legal actions have been promoted and addressed to Rome and Bruxelles for the EUR 72 million public subsidies extended by the Italian government to Compagnia Italiana di Navigazione (part of Onorato Armatori and operating Tirrenia’s fleet and routes) until 18 July 2021.

A similar action was taken in Finland against the National Emergency Supply Agency which “has already granted financial support to four out of seven commercial operators securing the main maritime bridges for rubber-tired vehicles. Finnlines has also filed an application under this same emergency financial support programme but up to know we did not receive any public aid”. For this reason, Grimaldi sent a letter to the European Union Directorate-General for Competition accusing Finland’s government of providing selective assistance to five ferry operators that compete with Finnlines.

In an interview published in the Wall Street Journal, the Italian owner further added: “Those who are not strong enough to survive should be incorporated by those who are strong. That’s the way it should work, but with the pandemic, it’s not. I’ve never seen so much state interference in shipping,” Grimaldi concluded.

Jun 04
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Passenger Transport Between Sardinia And Italy Reopens – Excluded Ferry Companies Protest

By | 2020 Newsletter week 23 | No Comments

Italy’s transport minister announced on June 2nd that passenger transport to and from Sardinia island could re-open.

In a first phase only the ferry company operating the territorial continuity (i.e. Tirrenia – Compagnia Italiana di Navigazione) is allowed to start.

For all the other players operating on the same routes (Corsica Sardinia ferries, Grimaldi, Grandi Navi Veloci and Moby) the restart-date is June 13th.

The same rule applied for air transportation. Only public airline firm Alitalia was allowed to start.

This decision has been fiercely opposed by the shipowners and logistics associations Confitarma and Federlogistica supporting respectively Grimaldi and Grandi Navi Veloci’s interests. They ask the minister to rethink the act, also recalling antitrust issues as the measure would distort competition among ferry operators.

May 28
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FERRY SHIPPING

By | 2020 Newsletter week 22 | No Comments

Minoan To Launch A New Connection Between Patras, Igoumenitsa And Venice

From next June 4, and until the end of the summer season, Grimaldi Group will link Italy and Greece with a new ropax service calling at the ports of Patras, Igoumenitsa and Venice (Marghera).

This new service was revealed by some media in Greece and already on the website of Grimaldi Group-controlled Minoan Lines.

The Visentini ropax VENICE (former CIUDAD DE CADIZ) will be deployed on the route and the frequency will be twice a week, thus competing with the Greek ferry company Anek Lines.

Grimaldi has been serving the line between Venice, Bari and Patras since 2015 bust just for cargo shipments and currently there are two ro-ro ships serving this line (EUROCARGO GENOVA and EUROCARGO ALESSANDRIA).

May 14
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Caronte & Tourist’s Fleet Of Ferries Will Be Covid-Free With The Help Of Rina

By | 2020 Newsletter week 20 | No Comments

Following the announcement from Baleària last week, the Italian ferry company Caronte & Tourist is working with Rina Consulting towards being the first operator ‘Covid-free’ in Italy, to obtain the correct instructions for transporting passengers safely next summer.

Before the end of June, Caronte & Tourist will have to implement specific procedures, cleaning plans, organisational and personal protective measures to prevent Covid-19., under the supervision of Rina.

Vincenzo Franza, CEO of the Messina-based ferry company, said that “to be compliant with the new rules, passenger capacity will be reduced 50%, in order to guarantee the necessary social distance. There will also be new procedures and one-way corridors”.

For the very short routes the company will also ask the possibility for the passengers to stay in their cars during the crossing.

Feb 13
3

Atlantis Seaways Launch Roro Service from Libya to Italy and Slovenia

By | 2020 Newsletter week 7 | No Comments

A new shipping company called Atlantis Seaways has just launched a roro line between Libya, Italy and Slovenia.

Some details were released by the Italian general agent, the Venice-based general agent Agencies, which announced that it is a new regular service calling at the port of Khoms, Misurata, Salerno, Venice and Koper.

The frequency is every 18-20 days. Two loops, one in the Thyrrenian Sea and the other one in the Adriatic Sea, will be alternated.

The vessel deployed is the roro MY ROSE [link MarineTraffic] with a capacity for 1,500 lane metres.

Depending on the success of the line and the demand from the market a second ship and further calls in Northern Italy (Genoa), in Spain and in Turkey (Izmir) may be introduced in the future.

Nov 14
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Moby’s RoRo Hartmuth Puschmann Ready For Delivery To Arab Bridge Maritime

By | 2019 Newsletter week 46 | No Comments

Moby’s HARTMUTH PUSCHMANN has been renamed AMAL, registered in Limassol and is now ready to leave Italy.

The 1993-built roro ship was sold earlier this year for €13 million but it has been operating on the maritime link between the ports of Livorno and Cagliari in bareboat charter for the last six months.

The name of the new owner remained undisclosed, but some sources told Ferry Shipping News that it might be the Middle Eastern company Arab Bridge Maritime, while the vessel is likely to be deployed in the Red Sea region.

Jan 24
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Confitarma Proposes A New Model Of Public Subsidies For Ferry Services Between Italy And Sardinia

By | 2019 Newsletter week 4 | No Comments

Italy’s transport minister Danilo Toninelli said in Cagliari that the public subsidies (€72million) paid every year to Tirrenia CIN in exchange for the maritime links offered during the winter season between Sardinia and mainland Italy will be not renewed at the expiration date in July 2020.

“My staff is already working in order to prepare a new tender due to be launched in the near future” Toninelli said.

As of today, there are four active ferry companies on Italy – Sardinia: Moby & Tirrenia, Grandi Navi Veloci, Corsica Ferries and Grendi Trasporti Marittimi.

Italian shipowners association Confitarma (supported by Grimaldi Group), asked the Italian Transport Minister to adopt a new scheme of subsidies based on the Spanish model where public money goes directly to the final user (either passenger or road haulier), who is free to choose a company for the maritime transport. Then the ticket will be entirely or partially reimbursed by the State.

Jan 24
0

Ferry Traffic Stable, Cruise Market Increased At The Stazioni Marittime In Genoa

By | 2019 Newsletter week 4 | No Comments

Stazioni Maritime of Genoa, one of the most important ro-pax terminals of Italy, closed the past year with a total throughput of 3,091,845 passengers (+2.9%), of which 1,011,398 from cruise vessels (+9.3%) and 2,080,447 from ferries (+0.1%).

As for the ferry market, the traffic to and from Sardinia and North Africa slowed down (respectively -67,000 and -15,000 pax), while it increased on the routes to Sicily (+15,000) and Corsica (+70,500 pax).

The cargo flows improved, with 1,879,951 lane metres handled in 2018.

Genoa ferry passenger numbers in detail:

  • Tirrenia CIN 559,877
  • Moby 509,004
  • Grandi Navi Veloci 892,922
  • Algerie Ferries 5,621.
  • Cotunav 113,023

The traffic forecasts for 2019 are stable for ferries, while cruise passengers are expected to increase to 1,350,000 units.

Oct 18
0

Caronte & Tourist Complain: Italy Does Not Allow To Use LNG On The New Ferry

By | 2018 Newsletter week 42 | No Comments

Lorenzo Matacena, managing director of the ferry company Caronte & Tourist, appeared upset with Italy since the company he heads will not be allowed to use gas on the newbuilding set to be delivered soon by Sefine shipyard.

“Unfortunately a set of public rules needed for operating the new LNG dual-fuel ferry under construction in Turkey is still missing in our country,” Matacena said at the Shipping and the Law conference organized by Studio legale Lauro and held in Naples this week.

The new ferry will be deployed on the Strait of Messina.

“The two big concerns are: a set of rules and infrastructure,” Matacena pointed out, referring to LNG terminals still to be realized ashore.

On the other side of the business, in order to be compliant with the new sulphur cap rules coming into force from 2020, Caronte & Tourist’s managing director also announced that on the ferries deployed on the motorways of the seas (mainly the Messina-Salerno maritime link), they are going to install scrubbers, thus copying what was decided also by Grimaldi Group,” he specified.