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Attica Holdings S.A.[1] is an operator of international ferry services in Europe. Attica Group's operations include its subsidiaries Superfast Ferries, which began in 1995 with the launch of its first ships, Superfast I & Superfast II, and Blue Star Ferries which operates ferries in the Aegean Sea to the Greek islands. In June 2018 Attica Group increased its share in Hellenic Seaways to 98.83%. Hellenic Seaways is 100% controlled by the Attica Group following the acquisition of minority interest of 1.17% in July 2019. In December 2023 it absorbed 100% of ANEK Lines, rendering the operator number two in the number of passengers commuted in Europe.[5][6]
The company was established in 1918 in Piraeus, Greece under the name "General Company of Commerce and Industry of Greece". In the beginning, it specialised in producing and trading flour under the name of "Attica Flour Mills SA". In 1922 the company changed hands and was renamed Attica Enterprises S.A., later revised to Attica Enterprises Holding S.A. before being shortened to Attica Group.
1993 This year a new management team, chaired by Pericles S. Panagopulos, created the shipping subsidiary Attica Maritime S.A., later renamed to Superfast Ferries Maritime S.A.. The first two Superfast car-passenger ferries, Superfast I and Superfast II, ordered at Schichau Seebeckwerft AG in Bremen, Germany.
1995 In April and June the two ordered car-passenger ferries, Superfast I and Superfast II, delivered and employed in the Patras-Ancona-Patras service. The two ferries revolutionize travel by cutting the crossing time between Patras and Ancona by up to 40%.
1996 July: Two new Superfast car-passenger ferries, Superfast III and Superfast IV, ordered at Kvaerner Masa-Yards in Turku, Finland.
1998 April: Superfast III and Superfast IV delivered and were deployed on the Patras-Ancona-Patras route, while Superfast I and Superfast II launched a new route linking Patras and Igoumenitsa, with Bari in southern Italy.
2006 February: Attica sells its 12.33% stake in Hellenic Seaways acquired a year earlier.
Blue Star Ferries receives the 'Superbrand' award recognized as a leading brand in Greece in the ‘Tourism Services’ industry.
March: Blue Star Ferries' passenger-only catamaran SeaJet 2 is sold. The sale of the vessel is part of the Company's policy to focus on the operation of fast, modern conventional car-passenger vessels.
April: Superfast VII, Superfast VIII and Superfast IX, serving on the Rostock, Germany – Hanko, Finland route in the Baltic Sea are sold to AS Tallink Grupp. The sold vessels will retain their names and continue sailing under the Superfast livery until the end of 2007 at the latest, following an agreement with AS Tallink Grupp.
Attica Group maintains its presence in the Baltic Sea with the operation of its two RoRo vessels, which trade between Rostock, Germany and Uusikaupunki, Finland.
July: Attica's subsidiary, Blue Star Maritime S.A. acquires the total assets of DANE Sea Line for a total of Euro 19.9mln. The assets included car-passenger ferry Diagoras which is deployed to the Dodecanese Islands’ routes in August.
August: Attica enters into an agreement to sell to Veolia Transport its ice-class vessel Superfast X trading between Scotland and Belgium for a total cash consideration of Euro 112mln. The delivery of Superfast X and final payment is to take place at the beginning of 2007.
November: Attica enters into an agreement with Fret Cetam of France for the chartering of RoRo Nordia until October 2008. RoRo Nordia was deployed on the Uusikaupunki, Finland – Rostock, Germany route together with RoRo Marin. As of the beginning of 2007, RoRo Marin is to be redeployed from the Baltic Sea to serve the needs of the Group in the Greece-Italy routes in the Adriatic Sea and in the domestic market.
Blue Star Ferries is voted "Passenger Line of the Year" at Lloyd's List Greek Shipping Awards.
December: Attica Group announces the deployment of Blue Star 1 of its subsidiary Blue Star Ferries to the Scotland-Belgium service as of the end of January 2007. Blue Star 1 is to replace Superfast X which was sold earlier in the year, and is to be delivered to her new owners in February 2007.
2007 February: Attica Group increases its stake in Minoan Lines to 22.25%
June: Attica sells its total participation in Minoan Lines S.A.
August: Attica proceeded in the assignment of new offices and new responsibilities to its Board Members. On behalf of its subsidiaries Superfast Ferries and Blue Star Ferries, Attica Group donated the amount of Euro 150,000 to the Special Relief Fund for the benefit of the victims of the recent fires in Greece.
September: Attica Group announces the purchase of two RoPax ships, built in 1998 and 1999.
Attica Group, pursuant to the Law 3556/2007, the Decision 1/434/03.07.2007 and the Circular nr. 33 of the Hellenic Capital Market Commission, announced that Marfin Investment Group Holdings S.A., which is closely associated to the Vice-Chairman of the Board of Directors Mr. Andreas Vgenopoulos, bought shares of the Company as follows:
a) on 20.2.2008 bought 19,295 shares with total net value of €106,292.29 b) on 21.2.2008 bought 10,518 shares with total net value of €57,938.79
2008 September: Zeebrugge-Rosyth route discontinued on 13 September. The service will be restarted in Spring 2009 by Norfolkline.
On 12 March 2009, the Superfast XII began service on newly-established the Piraeus–Heraklion route. In December, Brittany Ferries acquired Superfast V from the Attica Group for €81.50 million. Following its delivery in February 2010, the ship was renamed MV Cap Finistère.
In June 2016, Attica Group and BMCE Bank established Africa Morocco Link (AML), a joint venture that would operate scheduled ferry services from Morocco to Europe. Attica Group held a 49% minority stake in the new company, with the remainder held by a consortium of Moroccan investors led by BMCE Bank.[7]
In May 2018, Attica Group secured a 50.3% controlling interest in Hellenic Seaways, increasing its stake in the company to 98.83% by June. The overall transaction amounted to €142.9 million.[8]
In September 2022, Attica Group acquired ANEK Lines, expanding the company's network of routes while maintaining AMEX Lines as its fourth cruise line subsidiary.[6]
On 18 January 2023 Lighthouse Reports, in collaboration with SRF, ARD, Al Jazeera, Il Domani and Solomon published a report claiming illegal pushbacks of asylum seekers from Italy to Greece using Superfast ferries. If those asylum seekers arrived to the ports of Venice, Ancona, Bari and Brindisi, they were denied the opportunity to seek asylum and were pushed back using ferries operated by Attica Group, specifically Superfast Ferries. Immigrants were put into shower rooms and metal boxes with caged roofs, sometimes being handcuffed to metal shelves.[11]
On 6 September 2023 a 36-year-old passenger on board the Blue Horizon, operated by Blue Star Ferries, met a tragic end when crew members pushed him from the ship's hatch. The passenger was en route to his birthplace, Crete Island, but had experienced a delay in boarding the ferry. Despite his intentions to board, ferry workers denied him access and pushed him off the loading ramp, causing him to fall into the sea, where he drowned. The entire incident was captured on video by other Blue Horizon ferry passengers.
In response to the video evidence shared on social media, authorities took action. Four crew members of the Blue Horizon ferry, including the deck officer and the master, were promptly arrested. A Greek prosecutor filed criminal charges just one day after the tragic event, targeting the ferry captain and three of his crew members in connection with the 36-year-old man's death. One crew member faced charges of possible intentional homicide, while the other two were charged with complicity. The captain was charged with serious breaches of shipping regulations.[12][13][14][15][16][17][18]
Superfast Ferries is a Greece-based ferry company founded in 1993 by Pericles Panagopulos and Alexander Panagopulos. Superfast Ferries is a member of Attica Group and operates 5 car-passenger ferries, offering daily connections between Ancona and Bari in Italy, and Patras and Igoumenitsa in Greece. Together with Blue Star Ferries, ANEK Lines and Hellenic Seaways, it is a subsidiary company of Attica Group, which is listed on the Athens Stock Exchange.
A cruiseferry is a ship that combines the features of a cruise ship and a Ro-Pax ferry. Many passengers travel with the ships for the cruise experience, staying only a few hours at the destination port or not leaving the ship at all, while others use the ships as means of transportation.
ANEK Lines is one of the largest passenger shipping companies in Greece. It was founded in 1967 by numerous shareholders who were inhabitants of Crete. It operates passenger ferries, mainly on the Piraeus–Crete and Adriatic Sea routes.
The Hellenic Merchant Navy refers to the merchant navy of Greece, engaged in commerce and transportation of goods and services universally. It consists of the merchant vessels owned by Greek civilians, flying either the Greek flag or a flag of convenience. As of 2020, Greece is the largest ship owner country in the world in terms of tonnage; with a total deadweight tonnage of 364 million tons and 4,901 Greek-owned vessels. Greece is a maritime nation by tradition, as shipping is arguably the oldest form of occupation of the Greeks and a key element of Greek economic activity since the ancient times. Today it is the second largest contributor to the national economy after tourism. The Greek fleet flies a variety of flags; however, some Greek shipowners gradually return to Greece following the changes to the legislative framework governing their operations and the improvement of infrastructure.
Minoan Lines is one of the largest passenger ferry companies in Europe, and one of the dominant passenger ferry companies in Greece, sailing between Piraeus and Crete and, in the Adriatic Sea, between Patras and various Italian ports. The company was founded in May 1972. Since 2008 Grimaldi's Compagnia di Navigazione SpA owns and controls 95.9 of the stock of Minoan Lines.
MS A Nepita is a fast ropax ferry for Corsica Linea. The ferry was refurbished in Gdańsk, Poland for her new service and was returned to her original design before her SeaFrance career and looks identical to her sisters Stena Superfast VII & VIII. Before November 2014 she operated between Dover and Calais for DFDS Seaways France and between 2008 and 2012 for SeaFrance.
MS Spirit of Tasmania II is a roll-on/roll-off ferry operated by TT-Line between Geelong and Devonport in Australia. Built in 1998 by Kvaerner Masa-Yards at Turku New Shipyard in Finland for Superfast Ferries as MS Superfast III, since 2002 she has sailed for TT-Line as MS Spirit of Tasmania II.
The Rosyth – Zeebrugge ferry service was a freight-only service operated by DFDS. The service replaced a passenger and freight service that was initially operated by Superfast Ferries between May 2002 and September 2008, and then by Norfolkline from 18 May 2009 until 15 December 2010. It was the only direct ferry route between Scotland and Continental Europe. On 20 August 2010 it was announced that the passenger service would end on 15 December 2010, although the freight-only service resumed shortly thereafter. The service was terminated in 2018 following a fire aboard one of the ships.
Hellenic Seaways is a Greece-based ferry company founded in 1984. Hellenic Seaways is a subsidiary of Attica Group along with Blue Star Ferries and Superfast Ferries.
MS Skania is a fast ropax ferry operated by Unity Line on their Świnoujście-Ystad route. She was built in 1995 by Schichau Seebeckwerft in Bremerhaven, Germany for Superfast Ferries as MS Superfast I. Between 2004 and 2008 she sailed for Grimaldi Lines as MS Eurostar Roma.
Blue Star Maritime S.A., operating under the brand name Blue Star Ferries, is a Greece-based company founded in 1993 which provides ferry services between the Greek mainland and the Aegean Islands.
Avrasya was a Ro-Ro ferry that was hijacked in the Black Sea hostage crisis of 1996. Originally built in 1953 as the passenger ship Lazio, she was converted to a Ro-Ro ferry in 1967. In 1979, she was sold to Greece and renamed Sant Andrea. A sale in 1984 saw her renamed Makedonia, followed by a chartering in 1985 which saw her renamed Summer Star. A sale in 1986 saw her renamed Corfu Diamond and after a further sale in 1988 she was renamed Larnaca Rose. In 1992, she was sold to Panama and was renamed Avrasya. Following the hijacking incident, she was renamed Cortina, then Avrasya I in 1997. She was sold for scrapping in November 1997.
MS Cruise Ausonia is a fast Ro-Pax jumbo ferry owned by the Grimaldi Lines and sails on the Livorno-Palermo route. She was built in 2002 for Superfast Ferries as MS Superfast XII by a shipyard in Lübeck, Germany, and is the last vessel of 12. She is a sister ship of Superfast XI.
MS Blue Carrier 1 is a ro-ro ferry built in 2000 for Norfolkline BV and now operates in the Aegean Sea for Blue Star Ferries.
MS Europa Palace is a fast ropax ferry owned by Grimaldi Lines and operated by Minoan Grimaldi Lines. The ship previously named Cruise Olbia and did the Civitavecchia-Olbia route. Built in 2001 as Superfast VI by Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft (HDW) in Kiel, Germany for Attica Group's subsidiary Superfast Ferries, she was sold to the Genting Group in 2013, Renamed Bimini Superfast for the Bimini-Miami route. In 2016 she was sold to her current owners.
MS Superfast XI is a fast jumbo ropax ferry currently operating between Patras-Igoumenitsa and Ancona under Superfast Ferries. She was built in 2002 by the Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft (HDW) at Kiel, Germany for Attica Group's wholly owned subsidiary Superfast Ferries.
The MV Al Salmy 4 was a former train ferry, converted to RO-RO/Passenger ferry.
The HSC Olympic Champion Jet , built as Highspeed 5, later Highspeed 7, for Hellenic Seaways, is an 85m high speed catamaran owned by Minoan Lines. In January 2024 she was chartered to Seajets. It has been renamed Olympic Champion Jet.
The MS El. Venizelos is a Greek ferry, and 2nd oldest ship in the ANEK Lines fleet. It is a motor Ro-Ro/Passenger ferryboat, built in 1984 at Stocznia im. Komuny Paryskiej, Gdynia, Poland as Stena Polonica and completed in 1992 in Perama, Piraeus, Greece as El Venizelos. It is one of 4 sister ships, Stena Vision and Stena Spirit, both owned by Stena Lines, and the unfinished Lelakis' Regent Sky. It can hold a total of 2300 passenger and 850 cars and has 1606 beds for passengers. It has four Zgoda-Sulzer 16ZV 40/48 diesel engines, with combined power of 34,130 kW and can reach a speed of 22 knots.It also has WiFi Internet, two restaurants. two bars, an amusement arcade, a casino, a church, a duty-free shop, a playground, a hospital, escalators, elevators, air-conditioning and a swimming pool and its cabins can be either "lux", 2-bed, 4-bed, or for the disabled. It is named after Eleftherios Venizelos, a Greek politician who served as Prime Minister of Greece and has Cretan origins. On 30 March El Venizelos laid-up since three days in Piraeus Anchorage had cases with the COVID-19. On 2 April at nine pm El Venizelos moored at the Piraeus Port. From 25 April 2020 to 13 April 2023 she was laid up at Perama.
Blue Star 1 is a Greek ferry, which is owned by Blue Star Ferries. She is a motor Ro-Ro/Passenger ferryboat, built in 2000 by Van der Giessen de Noord shipward in Krimpen aan den IJssel, Netherlands. She is a sistership to Blue Star 2. She holds a total of 1600 passengers and 640 vehicles and has 430 beds in 161 cabins for passengers. She has four MAN B&W 8L58 / 64 diesel engines, with combined power of 44,480 kW and reaches speeds of up to 27 knots.
References
1 2 3 4 5 "Στοιχεία Δημοσιότητας". Business Registry (in Greek). Union of Hellenic Chambers Of Commerce. Retrieved 16 February 2023.
↑ "ΓΝΩΣΤΟΠΟΙΗΣΗ ΣΗΜΑΝΤΙΚΗΣ ΜΕΤΑΒΟΛΗΣ ΣΤΑ ΔΙΚΑΙΩΜΑΤΑ ΨΗΦΟΥ ΣΥΜΦΩΝΑ ΜΕ ΤΟ Ν. 3556/2007"(PDF) (in Greek). p.1. Retrieved 12 December 2023. Η STRIX HOLDINGS L.P. η οποία ελέγχεται εμμέσως από τον MUBASHIR MUKADAM κατέχει άμεσα και έμμεσα μετοχές και δικαιώματα ψήφου στην Εκδότρια που αντιστοιχούν σε ποσοστό 86,704% επί του συνόλου των δικαιωμάτων ψήφου της Εκδότριας.
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