- 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.
