Superfast Ferries

Last updated
Superfast Ferries S.A.
Company type Wholly owned subsidiary
Industry Transport
Headquarters Athens, Greece
ProductsPassenger transportation, Freight transportation, Holidays, Business travel
Parent Attica Holdings
Website www.superfast.com
MS Superfast XI bound to Ancona passing Kefalonia island. Superfast XI.jpg
MS Superfast XI bound to Ancona passing Kefalonia island.
MS Blue Star 1 of the joint Superfast Ferries/Blue Star Ferries service from Rosyth to Zeebrugge in the Firth of Forth. Blue Star 1 Firth of Forth.JPG
MS Blue Star 1 of the joint Superfast Ferries/Blue Star Ferries service from Rosyth to Zeebrugge in the Firth of Forth.

Superfast Ferries is a Greece-based ferry company founded in 1993 by Pericles Panagopulos and Alexander Panagopulos. [1] 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.

Contents

Routes

In the past, Superfast Ferries has operated lines in several parts of Europe, in the Adriatic Sea, Aegean Sea, North Sea, and the Baltic Sea. Currently, they are mainly active in the Adriatic Sea, operating between Greece and Italy. Their routes are between the Italian ports of Ancona and Bari and the Greek ports of Igoumenitsa and Patras, as well as between Bari and Corfu.

Superfast operated the Rosyth – Zeebrugge ferry service between 2002 and 2008. On 29 May 2008, it was announced that Superfast Ferries would withdraw across the North Sea. The service was subsequently withdrawn on 13 September 2008. The North Sea service was mainland Scotland's only year-round, direct, scheduled ferry service to and from Continental Europe. The vessel used was Blue Star 1, which replaced the larger Superfast X on the route. Blue Star 1 has been reallocated to Attica's Mediterranean services. Norfolkline restarted the route in May 2009. [2]

Superfast also operated between Piraeus and Heraklion until 2013. On 8 March 2013 it was announced that Superfast VI has been sold to Genting Group and Superfast XII, which was operating that route, was transferred to its position in Adriatic Sea.[ citation needed ]

Superfast had proposed and was the favourite to run a new ferry service between Great Yarmouth, United Kingdom and IJmuiden, Netherlands in 2004 at the new Great Yarmouth Outer Harbour development after a bidding process held in 2002. Superfast never went ahead with the route.

Vessel allocations

In late 2005, Superfast ferries removed one of the two ships operating the link between Zeebrugge and Rosyth, thus turning the daily link from Belgium to Scotland into one operated only every other day. Superfast IX joined the two ship operation between Hanko and Rostock to serve the growing demand in the FinlandGermany service.

In addition, Superfast introduced a new "roll-on/roll-off" (RO/RO) service between Uusikaupunki and Rostock in January 2005. Attica has since moved one of the RO/RO ships, RORO MARIN, to their Adriatic Sea routes.

In April 2006, Superfast and Attica once more took the market by surprise by agreeing to sell the Superfast VII, Superfast VIII, and Superfast IX ice-class ferries to Estonian operator Tallink for €310 million.

In August 2006, Attica entered into an agreement to sell to Veolia Transport its ice-class vessel Superfast X trading between Scotland and Belgium for €112 million. The delivery of Superfast X took place in January 2007.

In September 2007, Pericles Panagopulos, the former key shareholder of Attica and then Chairman, sold his family's participation for €5.50 per share to Marfin Investment Group. The move was seen as a "family transition" decision and was interpreted to be an exit for the then 72-year-old investor. Alexander Panagopulos, CEO of Attica, resigned prior to this sale and founded his shipping company by the name Arista Shipping S.A.

ANEK–Superfast

On 8 June 2011, Superfast Ferries and ANEK Lines created a joint venture in the name of ANEK–Superfast to operate Piraeus – Heraklion and Patras – Igoumenitsa – Ancona routes using two passenger RO/RO vessels in the former route (the ANEK-owned "Olympic Champion" and the Superfast-owned "Superfast XII") and three in the latter route (the ANEK-owned "Hellenic Spirit" and the Superfast-owned "Superfast VI" and "Superfast XI"). [3]

Controversy

On January 18, 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 the Superfast ships. Immigrants were put into shower rooms and metal boxes with caged roofs, sometimes being handcuffed to metal shelves. [4]

Fleet

Current fleet

ShipFlagBuiltEntered Service Gross tonnage LengthWidthPassengersVehiclesKnotsPhotos
Superfast XI Flag of Greece.svg 2002200230.902  GT 199,9 m25 m1.82172129 20211103 108 saronikos.jpg
Superfast I Flag of Greece.svg 2008200825.757  GT 199,1 m26,6 m92878324,2 Superfast I.jpg
Superfast II Flag of Greece.svg 2009200925.518  GT 199,1 m26,6 m92878324,2 SuperfastII.png
Ariadne Flag of Greece.svg 1996202330.882  GT 195,6 m27 m2.04564024 Ariadne.png
Lefka Ori Flag of Greece.svg 1987202427.320  GT 187,1 m27 m1.48878023 Lefka Ori Piraeus.jpg
Superfast III Flag of Greece.svg 2000202432.694  GT 204 m25,8 m1.83367030 Superfast III.png
AF Claudia Flag of Italy.svg 2001202424.418  GT 186,5 m25,6 m95045524 AF Claudia.jpg

Future fleet

ShipFlagBuiltTo Enter Service Gross tonnage LengthWidthPassengersVehiclesKnotsNotesPhotos
Superfast IV Flag of Greece.svg 2001202532.694  GT 204 m25,8 m1.85067030Ex-Hellenic Spirit for ANEK Lines Hellenic Spirit (ANEK-Lines) 2011.jpg
TBA Flag of Greece.svg 2027April 2027TBD239,7 m27,8 m1.50060024On charter from Stena Line
TBA Flag of Greece.svg 2027August 2027TBD239,7 m27,8 m1.50060024On charter from Stena Line

Past fleet

ShipYears in serviceGross tonnageCurrent status
MS Superfast I 1995–200423,663  GT Since 2008 MS Skania for Unity Line
MS Superfast II 1995–200323,663  GT Since 2006 MS Mega Express Four for Corsica Ferries
MS Superfast III 1998–200229,067  GT Since 2002 Spirit of Tasmania II for Spirit of Tasmania
MS Superfast IV 1998–200229,067  GT Since 2002 Spirit of Tasmania I for Spirit of Tasmania
MS Superfast V 2001–201032,728  GT Since 2022 GNV Spirit for Grandi Navi Veloci
MS Superfast VI 2001–201332,728  GT Since 2021 MS Europa Palace for Grimaldi Group
MS Superfast VII 2001–200630,285  GT Since 2011 MS Stena Superfast VII for Stena Line
MS Superfast VIII 2001–200630,285  GT Since 2011 MS Stena Superfast VIII for Stena Line
MS Superfast IX 2002–200630,285  GT Since 2024 it is laid-up in Tallinn by Tallink
MS Superfast X 2002–200729,800  GT Since 2020 on charter as MS A. Nepita from Stena RoRo to Corsica Linea
MS Superfast XII 2002–201830,902  GT Since 2018 MS Cruise Ausonia for Grimaldi Group
MS Asterion II 2022–202431,804  GT Since 2024 operates for ANEK Lines

Routes

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MS <i>A. Nepita</i>

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MS <i>Spirit of Tasmania II</i> Bass Strait cargo ferry operated by TT-Line

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MS <i>Skania</i>

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MS <i>Cruise Ausonia</i>

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<i>Blue Carrier 1</i> Ship built in 2000

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MS <i>Superfast XI</i>

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<i>Blue Star 1</i> Greek ferry

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AF Mia Italian ferry

The AF Mia is a RO/PAX ferry operated and owned by Adria Ferries. The ship was built as Ikarus in Fosen Mek Verksteder A/S, Norway for Minoan Lines in 1997, and later renamed Ikarus Palace. She has a sister ship Jean Nicoli now with Corsica Linea.

MS <i>Kriti I</i> Greek ship

MS Kriti I is a RO/PAX ship owned and operated by ANEK Lines. Along with El. Venizelos and her sister ship Kriti II she is the oldest ship in the fleet of ANEK Lines. The ship was built in 1979 at Koyo Dockyard, Japan and her original name was New Suzuran.

References

  1. E.Tsiliopoulos. "Greek shipping patriarch Pericles Panagopoulos, 83 passes". New Greek TV. Retrieved 2019-05-29.
  2. "Norfolkline Will Continue Rosyth-Zeebrugge Service in Spring 2009". www.norfolkline.com. Archived from the original on September 21, 2008.
  3. "Home". anek-superfast.gr.
  4. "Detained below deck". Lighthouse Reports. Retrieved 2023-01-31.

Further reading