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Tag: MSC | Ferry Shipping News

Oct 31
3

MSC to Sell Back Its 49% in Moby After Action by Italy’s Antitrust Authority

By | 2025 Newsletter week 44 | No Comments

Gianluigi Aponte’s Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) has been forced to divest its 49% stake in Moby, the ferry company owned by the Onorato family operating between Italy and the islands of Corsica, Sardinia, and Sicily.

Italy’s Antitrust Authority announced on 24 October [in Italian] that it has accepted and made binding the commitments offered by MSC’s Shipping Agencies Services (SAS), Moby, and Grandi Navi Veloci (GNV), setting the terms of the divestment.

Under the settlement with the Competition Authority, SAS — a sub-holding of MSC — will transfer its 49% shareholding in Moby, free of charge, to Onorato Armatori, and will relinquish its pledge on the remaining 51%. The companies have also agreed to provide compensation to consumers who purchased tickets on Moby ferries.

It is also a setback for Moby, which has been ordered to repay the loan granted by Aponte’s group. The company announced a financial restructuring plan that includes the sale of assets. The proceeds will be used to repay the loan, while maintaining operations through charter-back agreements on some of the sold assets. If the proceeds are insufficient to cover the debt, the remaining amount will be transferred to independent third parties on terms safeguarding Moby’s financial stability.

The divestment is considered a win for the Grimaldi Group, which had challenged MSC’s investment in Moby on competition grounds.

Sep 19
3

MSC Returns to the RoRo Market

By | 2025 Newsletter week 38 | No Comments
  • Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) has purchased the former MEXICO STAR from Baja Ferries.
  • The vessel has been renamed SARDINIA.
  • She is at La Nuova Meccanica Navale, Naples (an MSC-owned yard), for painting and modernisation.
  • The acquisition price and final deployment are undisclosed.

Possible uses:

  • Expansion of GNV’s fleet, possibly for a Naples–Catania RoRo line.
  • Container transport between Italy (Gioia Tauro, Naples, Genoa) and North Africa (Tunisia, Algeria).

Background:

  • Sister ship MSC BRIDGE (ex STENA FREIGHTER) was converted to handle containers loaded by RoRo equipment instead of cranes.
  • In North African ports, RoRo ships often berth faster than container ships, which face congestion.

SARDINIA – key data

  • Built in 1998, Italy (Viareggio / Marina di Carrara).
  • Length: 182.6m.
  • Width: 27.4m.
  • Speed: 22 knots.
  • Capacity: 350 passengers.
  • Cargo capacity: 2,715 lane metres.
May 09
3

SHIPS

By | 2025 Newsletter week 19 | No Comments

MSC and GNV Confirm Order for Four Additional LNG-Powered RoPax Ferries

GNV, part of the MSC Group, has officially announced a new order for four additional RoPax vessels to be built by Guangzhou Shipyard International.

Each vessel will:

  • Be powered by LNG
  • Accommodate up to 2,500 people and 3,500 lane metres of cargo
  • Measure 237m in length and 33m in width
  • Have a gross tonnage of 71,300 GT
  • Feature 527 cabins

The first delivery is expected in early 2028, with the remaining ships arriving at six-month intervals. Between 2025 and 2030, GNV’s fleet will be reinforced with a total of eight new-generation vessels.

“Every moment of the journey counts”

GNV has launched a new brand campaign, coinciding with the announcement of eight new vessels joining the fleet by 2030. The campaign reflects a renewed focus on service quality, comfort, and safety—across the entire customer journey.

Developed by Dentsu Creative, the campaign went live on 7 May, the day of the announcement.

Apr 18
3

Newly Built RoPax Ship GNV ORION Delivered to MSC

By | 2025 Newsletter week 16 | No Comments

GNV, the Genoa-based ferry company owned by the MSC Group, has taken delivery of GNV ORION at Guangzhou Shipyard International in China. This is the second vessel in a series of four new RoPax units.

The ship, owned by MSC and bareboat chartered to GNV, will soon depart for the Mediterranean to complete final fittings before entering service by the end of June on the regular Genoa–Palermo route.

With a gross tonnage of approximately 52,000 tons, a length of 218 metres, a beam of 29.60 metres, and a maximum speed of 25 knots, GNV ORION can accommodate 1,700 passengers in 433 cabins and transport up to 3,080 lane metres of cargo.

The vessel is equipped for cold ironing. It also features advanced emission reduction systems, including exhaust gas cleaning systems (EGCS) and selective catalytic reduction (SCR), complying with IMO Tier III requirements.

Mar 30
3

SHIPS

By | 2025 Newsletter week 13 | No Comments

Four New RoPax Ships Ordered by MSC from GSI for GNV

Sources familiar with the matter told Ferry Shipping News that Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) has ordered two new RoPax ferries—plus options for two more—from Guangzhou Shipyard International (GSI) in China for its subsidiary GNV.

These four new dual-fuel LNG vessels, set for delivery from 2027 onwards, will be sister ships to GNV VIRGO and GNV AURORA. Each will be 218 metres long and nearly 30 metres wide, with a gross tonnage of 52,300. They will have a maximum speed of 25 knots, over 420 cabins, the capacity to accommodate up to 1,785 passengers, and 2,780 lane metres of RoRo cargo.

Each newbuild is expected to cost more than EUR 150 million. The vessels will be financed by MSC and subsequently transferred to GNV under bareboat charter agreements.

The Aponte-controlled ferry company has already taken delivery of GNV POLARIS from GSI, with GNV ORION, GNV VIRGO, and GNV AURORA due to follow in the coming months

Dec 20
2

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.

Dec 02
0

Construction started for the first RoPax ordered from MSC for GNV

By | 2022 Newsletter week 48 | No Comments

Guangzhou Shipbuilding International, a subsidiary of China State Shipbuilding Corporation, started the construction of the first of two (with option for further two) RoPax ships ordered last year by MSC and set to be operated by Grandi Navi Veloci.

The vessel has a length of 218m, a width of 29.6m, 3,100 lane metres capacity and a service speed of 25 knots.

There are 299 cabins on board and it can accommodate 1,500 passengers. It will be equipped with multiple themed restaurants, bars, lounges, children’s entertainment areas and other leisure and entertainment venues.

The first and second units of this series will be equipped with energy-saving and emission reduction devices such as SCR systems and waste heat recovery systems, while the third and fourth will be powered by an LNG dual-fuel propulsion system.

Aug 29
0

MSC to enter directly with a 49% stake in Moby

By | 2022 Newsletter week 34 | No Comments

The Gianluigi Aponte – controlled MSC Group will take directly a 49% stake (not only 25%) in Moby as soon as the restructuring plan will be approved by the Court of Milan at the end of September.

Some documents seen by Ferry Shipping News confirm that MSC already put on the table EUR 150 million, of which EUR 81 million will be used to partially repay the debt of 180 million with Tirrenia in Amministrazione Straordinaria (bad company controlled by the Italian economic development minister born when the former public Tirrenia was sold in 2012).

MSC also reserved for itself the possibility to maintain the harbour towage division (which was intended to be sold according with the previous restructuring plans) and to replace LCBC Leasing as owner of the two new ferries under construction at GSI shipyard in China and soon to be long-time chartered to Moby.

Jan 06
5

MSC announced an order for four new ropax ferries for Grandi Navi Veloci in China

By | 2022 Newsletter week 1 | No Comments

MSC Group announced a new order for four ropax vessels to be built in China at Guangzhou Shipyard International (GSI) and set to be delivered from late 2024 onwards.

The four newbuilds will have a 1,500 passenger and 3,100 lane metre capacity, with 303 cabins. The shipbuilding contract takes origin from the order with Fratelli Onorato Armatori, announced in 2019, but the project and several technical details are different.

These four new units will be 218m long, with a beam of 29.6m and a maximum speed of 25 knots.

Instead of dual fuel, the new ferries will have scrubbers and are likely to be deployed on the routes to Sardinia or Sicily, and to the Balearic Islands.

Sep 09
4

MSC Increase Competition on the Turkey to Europe Trade Route via Trieste

By | 2021 Newsletter week 36 | No Comments

MSC announced the launch of a new, direct rail service connecting Trieste, Italy and Ludwigshafen, Germany available from 10 September 2021, designed to improve rail capacity and reduce transit time between Turkey and Germany to an estimated 12 days.

This service is directly in competition with the combined (roro and train) transport services offered on the same tradeline by DFDS and Ulusoy.

MSC specified that the service is designed to offer customers transporting automotive parts, chemicals, textiles, packaging, food, pharmaceuticals and many other commodities.. Ludwigshafen’s strategic position on the Rhine, with easy access to Frankfurt and Stuttgart and its importance as a centre for commerce make it an ideal location for both local goods distribution and access to the wider Northern European market.