GRIMALDI
Opening of new 9 motorways of the sea from Italy
to Spain, Malta and TunisJAN, 21.2009
© MARITIMEnet.EU ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
«Eurostar Barcelona» at the port of Patras, recently deployed on Greece - Italy routes,
sit in for Minoan Lines vessels. «Eurostar Barcelona» had been sold to Grimaldi Lines
before the acquisition of the Greek company from Grimaldi groupBY ● Eustace Kayalès
Italian Grimaldi group – leader in the Mediterranean, opens new 9 motorways of the sea, connecting Italy with Spain,Tunis and Malta. Sardinia
However, the call at the island of Sardinia (on the direct service to Barcelona) caused a hot war against Tirrenia, while Genova for the first time will be used by the company for passenger vessels’ calls. Tickets will be issued at the low price of EUR 25 to EUR 100.
Emanuele Grimaldi, CEO stated: “We will deploy new generation vessels, environmentally friendly, of low cost to face the crisis”.
The lines:
Civitavecchia – Porto Torres
Port Torres – Barcellona,
will be operated by the vessels “Cruise Roma” and “Cruise Barcelona”, 3 departures a week from Ocrobre to March, 6 departures a week from April to September (plus one on August), with a carrying capacity of 2,300 passengers, 215 cars and 187 long vehicles.
One vessel with a carrying capacity of 834 passengers, 170 cars and 172 long vehicles, will call
Civitavecchia - Catania (3 departures a week), while once a week for passengers and twice a week for freight units will call:
Civitavecchia - Malta
Genova - Malta
Genova – Catania (plus one departure for freight units).
Twice a week for passengers and 4 departures for freight units will be operated the line:
Catania - Malta
The vessel «Eurostar Barcelona» (1.186 passengers, 100 cars and 116 camions), will be deployed on the routes:
Civitavecchia - Trapani (once a week for passengers and 2 for freight units)
Trapani - Tunis (once a week).
Grimaldi group will step-up the services on board on the existing motorways of the sea: Civitavecchia – Tunis, Salerno – Palermo, Palermo – Tunis and Salerno – Tunis.
Grimaldi group is the leader provider of passengers – freight units transportations in Europe, with a current fleet of 127 vessels and subsidiaries in Italy, Malta, Greece (Minoan Lines), Finland and Sweden. Grimaldi’s turnover in 2008 was about EUR 2.5bn and profit was approximately EUR 300m.
