Superfast Ferries is a
GreeceGreece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
-based
ferryA ferry is a form of transportation, usually a boat, but sometimes a ship, used to carry primarily passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo as well, across a body of water. Most ferries operate on regular, frequent, return services...
company founded in 1993 by Pericles Panagopulos and Alexander Panagopulos. Superfast Ferries is a member of Attica Group and operates 5 ultra-modern car-passenger ferries, offering daily connections between Ancona and Bari (Italy) and Patras and Igoumenitsa (Greece).Together with
Blue Star Ferries, it is a subsidiary company of
Attica GroupAttica Holdings S.A. is an operator of international ferry services in Europe. The Group’s main operations are with its subsidiary Superfast Ferries which began in 1995 with the launch of its first ships, Superfast I & Superfast II...
, which is listed on the
Athens Stock ExchangeThe Athens Stock Exchange or ASE or ATHEX is a stock exchange located in Athens, Greece.-History:The Athens Stock Exchange started trading in 1876. The Athens Stock Exchange is a subsidiary of Hellenic Exchanges S.A., whose shares are listed in ATHEX...
.
As of March 2009 Superfast Ferries has introduced a new line between Piraeus and Heraklion, Crete with a daily operation all year round.
Routes
In the past Superfast Ferries has operated lines in several parts of
EuropeEurope is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, on the
Adriatic SeaThe Adriatic Sea is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkan peninsula, and the system of the Apennine Mountains from that of the Dinaric Alps and adjacent ranges...
,
North SeaIn the southwest, beyond the Straits of Dover, the North Sea becomes the English Channel connecting to the Atlantic Ocean. In the east, it connects to the Baltic Sea via the Skagerrak and Kattegat, narrow straits that separate Denmark from Norway and Sweden respectively...
, and the
Baltic seaThe Baltic Sea is a brackish mediterranean sea located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from 20°E to 26°E longitude. It is bounded by the Scandinavian Peninsula, the mainland of Europe, and the Danish islands. It drains into the Kattegat by way of the Øresund, the Great Belt and...
. Currently, they are mainly active in the Adriatic sea.
As of March 2009, operated routes are:
Adriatic Sea
- Ancona
Ancona is a city and a seaport in the Marche region, in central Italy, with a population of 101,909 . Ancona is the capital of the province of Ancona and of the region....
, ItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
— IgoumenitsaIgoumenitsa , is a coastal city in northwestern Greece. It is the capital of the regional unit Thesprotia. Its original ancient name used to be Titani....
and PatrasPatras , ) is Greece's third largest urban area and the regional capital of West Greece, located in northern Peloponnese, 215 kilometers west of Athens...
, GreeceGreece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
- Bari
Bari is the capital city of the province of Bari and of the Apulia region, on the Adriatic Sea, in Italy. It is the second most important economic centre of mainland Southern Italy after Naples, and is well known as a port and university city, as well as the city of Saint Nicholas...
, Italy — CorfuCorfu is a Greek island in the Ionian Sea. It is the second largest of the Ionian Islands, and, including its small satellite islands, forms the edge of the northwestern frontier of Greece. The island is part of the Corfu regional unit, and is administered as a single municipality. The...
, IgoumenitsaIgoumenitsa , is a coastal city in northwestern Greece. It is the capital of the regional unit Thesprotia. Its original ancient name used to be Titani....
and PatrasPatras , ) is Greece's third largest urban area and the regional capital of West Greece, located in northern Peloponnese, 215 kilometers west of Athens...
, GreeceGreece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
Aegean Sea
- Piraeus
Piraeus is a city in the region of Attica, Greece. Piraeus is located within the Athens Urban Area, 12 km southwest from its city center , and lies along the east coast of the Saronic Gulf....
, GreeceGreece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
— HeraklionHeraklion, or Heraclion is the largest city and the administrative capital of the island of Crete, Greece. It is the 4th largest city in Greece....
, GreeceGreece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
Superfast operated the
Rosyth - Zeebrugge ferry serviceThe ferry service between Rosyth and Zeebrugge is a freight-only service operated by DFDS. The current service replaces a passenger and freight service that was operated by Norfolkline from 18 May 2009 until 15 December 2010 . It is the only direct ferry route between Scotland and Continental Europe...
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 , which replaced the larger on the route.
Blue Star I has been reallocated to Attica's Mediterranean services.
NorfolklineNorfolkline was a European ferry operator and logistics company owned by Maersk. It provided freight ferry services on the English channel, Irish Sea, and the North Sea; and passenger ferry services on the English channel and Irish Sea; and logistics services across Europe...
restarted the route in May 2009.
http://www.norfolkline.com/EN/About/News/Rosyth_Zeebrugge/
Vessel allocations
In late 2005, Superfast ferries removed one of the two ships operating the link between
ZeebruggeZeebrugge is a village on the coast of Belgium and a subdivision of Bruges, for which it is the modern port. Zeebrugge serves as both the international port of Bruges-Zeebrugge and a seafront resort with hotels, cafés, a marina and a beach.-Location:...
and
RosythRosyth is a town located on the Firth of Forth, three miles south of the centre of Dunfermline. According to an estimate taken in 2008, the town has a population of 12,790....
, thus turning the daily link from
BelgiumBelgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
to
ScotlandScotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
into one operated only every other day. Superfast IX joined the two ship operation between Hanko and
RostockRostock -Early history:In the 11th century Polabian Slavs founded a settlement at the Warnow river called Roztoc ; the name Rostock is derived from that designation. The Danish king Valdemar I set the town aflame in 1161.Afterwards the place was settled by German traders...
to serve the growing demand in the
FinlandFinland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
-
GermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
service. 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
EstoniaEstonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...
n operator
TallinkTallink is an Estonian shipping company currently operating Baltic Sea cruiseferries and ropax ships from Estonia to Finland, Estonia to Sweden, Latvia to Sweden and Finland to Germany. They also own Silja Line and a part of SeaRail...
for €310 million.
In addition, Superfast introduced a new "roll-on roll-off" (RoRo) service between
UusikaupunkiUusikaupunki , is a town and municipality of Finland.It is located in the Finland Proper region. The municipality has a population of and covers an area of of which is inland water. The population density is .The municipality is unilingually Finnish...
and
RostockRostock -Early history:In the 11th century Polabian Slavs founded a settlement at the Warnow river called Roztoc ; the name Rostock is derived from that designation. The Danish king Valdemar I set the town aflame in 1161.Afterwards the place was settled by German traders...
in January 2005. Attica has since moved one of the RO/RO ships RORO MARIN to their
Adriatic SeaThe Adriatic Sea is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkan peninsula, and the system of the Apennine Mountains from that of the Dinaric Alps and adjacent ranges...
routes.
In August 2006 Attica entered into an agreement to sell to
Veolia TransportVeolia Transport is the international transport services division of the French-based multinational company Veolia Environnement...
its ice-class vessel Superfast X trading between
ScotlandScotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
and
BelgiumBelgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
for € 112mln. The delivery of Superfast X took place in January 2007.
In September 2007, Pericles Panagopulos, the former key shareholder of Attica, decided to sell his 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 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 June 8,2011
Superfast FerriesSuperfast 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 ultra-modern car-passenger ferries, offering daily connections between Ancona and Bari and Patras and Igoumenitsa...
and
ANEK LinesANEK Lines is a shipping company in Greece. It was founded in 1967 by numerous shareholders who were inhabitants of Crete. It operates passenger ferries, mainly on Piraeus-Crete and Adriatic Sea lines....
create a joint venture in
PiraeusPiraeus is a city in the region of Attica, Greece. Piraeus is located within the Athens Urban Area, 12 km southwest from its city center , and lies along the east coast of the Saronic Gulf....
-
HeraklionHeraklion, or Heraclion is the largest city and the administrative capital of the island of Crete, Greece. It is the 4th largest city in Greece....
and
PatraPatra may refer to:* Patras, a port city in western Greece* Patra , a dish from Gujarat, India* Patra , a female Reggae artist* Patra, a surname from Orissa, India...
-
IgoumenitsaIgoumenitsa , is a coastal city in northwestern Greece. It is the capital of the regional unit Thesprotia. Its original ancient name used to be Titani....
-
AnconaAncona is a city and a seaport in the Marche region, in central Italy, with a population of 101,909 . Ancona is the capital of the province of Ancona and of the region....
routes with two RO-PAX ships in the first one (the ANEK-owned "Olympic Champion" and the Superfast-owned "Superfast XII") and three in the second one (the ANEK-owned "Hellenic Spirit" and the Superfast-owned "Superfast VI" and "Superfast XI").
Current fleet
| Ship |
Built |
Entered service
for Superfast |
Traffic area |
Gross tonnage Gross tonnage is a unitless index related to a ship's overall internal volume. Gross tonnage is different from gross register tonnage...
|
Notes |
| MS Superfast I |
2008 |
2008 |
Adriatic SeaThe Adriatic Sea is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkan peninsula, and the system of the Apennine Mountains from that of the Dinaric Alps and adjacent ranges...
|
|
|
| MS Superfast II |
2009 |
2009 |
Adriatic Sea |
|
|
| |
2001 |
2001 |
Adriatic Sea |
|
|
| |
2002 |
2002 |
Adriatic Sea |
|
|
| |
2002 |
2002 |
Aegean SeaThe Aegean Sea[p] is an elongated embayment of the Mediterranean Sea located between the southern Balkan and Anatolian peninsulas, i.e., between the mainlands of Greece and Turkey. In the north, it is connected to the Marmara Sea and Black Sea by the Dardanelles and Bosporus...
|
|
|
Former ships
| Ship |
Years in service |
Gross tonnage |
Current status |
| MS Superfast I |
1995—2004 |
|
Since 2008 MS Skania for Unity Line Unity Line is a Polish company that operates RoRo and train ferry services between Świnoujście in Poland and the Swedish ports of Ystad and Trelleborg.-Routes:Unity Line operates two routes across the Baltic Sea.*Świnoujście - Ystad...
|
| MS Superfast II |
1995—2003 |
|
Since 2006 MS Mega Express Four for Corsica FerriesCorsica Ferries and Sardinia Ferries are marketing names used by Corsica Ferries, a France-based ferry company that operates traffic to and from the islands of Corsica and Sardinia...
|
| |
1998—2002 |
|
Since 2002 MS Spirit of Tasmania II for TT-Line (Australia)TT-Line Company Pty. Ltd. is a company operating ferries from Tasmania to the mainland of Australia since 1985. The company was separated from the department of Transport Tasmania in 1993, becoming a government business enterprise wholly owned by the Government of Tasmania.- 1985-1992 :TT-Line was...
|
| |
1998—2002 |
|
Since 2002 MS Spirit of Tasmania I for TT-Line (Australia) |
| |
2001—2010 |
|
Since 2010 MS Cap Finistère for Brittany FerriesBrittany Ferries is a French ferry company that runs ships between France, the UK, Ireland and Spain.-1970s and 1980s:Following the provision of the deep-water port at Roscoff, the company commenced in January 1973 at the instigation of Alexis Gourvennec, when existing ferry companies showed...
|
| |
2001—2006 |
|
Since 2011 sailing for Stena LineStena Line is one of the world's largest ferry operators, with ferry services serving Scotland, Sweden, Northern Ireland, Denmark, Norway, England, Wales, Ireland, Germany, the Netherlands and Poland. Stena Line is a major unit of Stena AB, itself a part of the Stena Sphere, a grouping of Stena AB,...
|
| |
2001—2006 |
|
Since 2011 sailing for Stena Line |
| |
2002—2006 |
|
Since 2008 sailing as MS Atlantic Vision for Marine Atlantic Marine Atlantic Inc. is an independent Canadian Crown corporation offering ferry services between the provinces of Newfoundland and Labrador and Nova Scotia.Marine Atlantic's corporate headquarters are in St...
|
| |
2002—2007 |
|
Since 2008 MS SeaFrance Molière for SeaFrance SeaFrance is a ferry company based in France that operates ferry services between Calais, France, and Dover, England.SeaFrance is 100% owned by the French railways, SNCF....
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External links