Superfast Ferries

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File:Superfast XI.jpg
MS Superfast XI bound to Ancona passing Kefalonia island.
File: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.

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 The service was subsequently withdrawn on 13 September 2008.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.Script error: No such module "Unsubst".

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 Finland – Germany 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

Ship Flag Built Entered Service Gross tonnage Length Width Passengers Vehicles Knots Photos
Superfast XI Template:Flagicon 2002 2002 Template:GT 199,9 m 25 m 1.821 653 29 File:20211103 108 saronikos.jpg
Superfast I Template:Flagicon 2008 2008 Template:GT 199,1 m 26,6 m 928 783 24,2 File:Superfast I.jpg
Superfast II Template:Flagicon 2009 2009 Template:GT 199,1 m 26,6 m 928 783 24,2 File:Superfast II.jpg
Ariadne Template:Flagicon 1996 2023 Template:GT 195,6 m 27 m 2.045 640 24 File:Ariadne.png
Lefka Ori Template:Flagicon 1987 2024 Template:GT 187,1 m 27 m 1.488 780 23 File:Lefka Ori.png
Superfast III Template:Flagicon 2000 2024 Template:GT 204 m 25,8 m 1.833 670 30 File:Superfast III Igoumenitsa.png
Superfast IV Template:Flagicon 2001 2025 Template:GT 204 m 25,8 m 1.850 670 30 File:Superfast IV.png
Akka Template:Flagicon 2001 2025 Template:GT 190,8 m 29,5 m 744 680 22 File:Nils Holgersson Travemünde.JPG

Future fleet

Ship Flag Built To Enter Service Gross tonnage Length Width Passengers Vehicles Knots Notes Photos
TBA Template:Flagicon 2027 April 2027 TBD 239,7 m 27,8 m 1.500 600 24 On charter from Stena Line
TBA Template:Flagicon 2027 August 2027 TBD 239,7 m 27,8 m 1.500 600 24 On charter from Stena Line

Past fleet

Ship Years in service Gross tonnage Current status
Superfast I 1995–2004 Template:GT Since 2008 MS Skania for Unity Line
Superfast II 1995–2003 Template:GT Since 2006 MS Mega Express Four for Corsica Ferries
Superfast III 1998–2002 Template:GT Since 2002 Spirit of Tasmania II for Spirit of Tasmania
Superfast IV 1998–2002 Template:GT Since 2002 Spirit of Tasmania I for Spirit of Tasmania
Superfast V 2001–2010 Template:GT Since 2022 GNV Spirit for Grandi Navi Veloci
Superfast VI 2001–2013 Template:GT Since 2021 MS Europa Palace for Grimaldi Group
Superfast VII 2001–2006 Template:GT Since 2011 MS Stena Superfast VII for Stena Line
Superfast VIII 2001–2006 Template:GT Since 2011 MS Stena Superfast VIII for Stena Line
Superfast IX 2002–2006 Template:GT Since 2024 Template:MS for Tallink
Superfast X 2002–2007 Template:GT Since 2020 on charter as MS A. Nepita from Stena RoRo to Corsica Linea
Superfast XII 2002–2018 Template:GT Since 2018 MS Cruise Ausonia for Grimaldi Group
Asterion II 2022–2024 Template:GT Since 2024 operates for ANEK Lines
AF Claudia 2024–2025 Template:GT It will be chartered to Africa Morocco Link from Adria Ferries

Routes

References

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Further reading

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External links

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