Corsica Ferries - Sardinia Ferries
Corsica Ferries Sardinia Ferries & is a private Italian shipping company and a subsidiary of Lota Marittima AG.
Corsica Ferries operates regular services between Corsica one hand and the French and Italian mainland on the other hand, controls Sardinia Ferries from mainland Italy from Sardinia. On all routes car ferries are used, which can be recognized by their characteristic yellow hull. The head office of the shipping company is Bastia, but all the ships fly the Italian flag. The company currently employs 1,300 people, 300 of Corsicans. Based on the entire Corsica - ship traffic, the company now occupies the first place in front of his nearest competitor, SNCM. In terms of passenger numbers ( 2.4 million passengers in 2008 ) holds Corsica Ferries currently has a market share of 62 percent.
The fleet
The fleet of Corsica Ferries Sardinia Ferries & currently consists of the following 14 ships (as of 2009 ):
- 3 high-speed ferry: Corsica Express Seconda, Corsica Express Three, Sardinia Express
- 3 Shuttle Ferry: Corsica Marina Seconda, Corsica Serena Seconda, Sardinia Vera
- 2 Cruise Ferry: Corsica Victoria, Sardinia Regina
- 6 high-speed cruise ferries: Mega Express, Mega Express II to V, Mega Smeralda
The route network
Italy - Corsica
- From Savona to Bastia (seasonal and Calvi, Ile Rousse )
- From Livorno to Bastia ( Corsica so-called shuttle)
- From Piombino to Bastia (seasonal with fast ferry )
France - Corsica
Italy - Sardinia
- From Livorno to Golfo Aranci
- From Piombino to Golfo Aranci
- From Civitavecchia to Golfo Aranci
Furthermore marketed Corsica Ferries Sardinia Ferries & also the route Bonifacio (Corsica ) - Santa Teresa di Gallura (Sardinia ), which is not operated in their own vessels.
History
Founded in 1968 by the Corsican Pascal Lota in Bastia under the name " Corsica Line", the first shipping company Corsica controls exclusively to from Italy. In 1973, the company is calling with a fleet strength of to this time three ships in Corsica Ferries. In the 70 years to match a variety of lines, including San Remo, Imperia, Savona, Genoa, La Spezia and Livorno towards Bastia, Calvi and L' Ile Rousse. In 1981, the sister company Sardinia Ferries is founded. In 1982 the shipping company decides to leave the port of Genoa, for cost reasons, but returns from 1989 to 1997 back once again. Between 1995 and 1997, the company operates under the name Elba Ferries briefly also a connection between Piombino and Portoferraio, which, however, soon discontinued due to lack of success again.
A line opened from France to Corsica for the first time, which is operated by the new high-speed ferry Corsica Express II and III - With the liberalization of the European maritime transport in 1996 is at Nice. Corsica Ferries This raises the direct competition with the French SNCM that works also from 1996 from Nice two new NGVs ( à Grande Vitesse Navires, high-speed vessels ).
With the summer timetable 1998, all connections from Genoa will be permanently discontinued and replaced by those from nearby Savona, for a port in Corsica Ferries receives a concession for 23 years. In the following years, the shipping company credited on their Corsica routes growing profits and finally gives the two Express Cruise Ferries Mega Express I and II in order, which will be built in Livorno and from the spring of 2001 on routes between France and Corsica to use come. Initially, it was always set to the concept, buy cheap second hand ships. The two mega- Express ferries are the first new buildings for Corsica Ferries Sardinia Ferries & since the three fast ferries. 2002, the company recorded a record number of 1.6 million passengers in the Corsica routes and thus obsolete competitors SNCM ( 1.2 million passengers). 2004 pushes the ship Mega Express III to the fleet. Just one year later record numbers are again recorded in passenger transport, 2.85 million passengers in total, of which nearly two million on the Corsica routes. For the 2007 season, the fleet will be further extended to the two ships Mega Express IV and V, in turn, both bought second hand. You will eventually replace two of the three Corsica Express ferries. So it does Corsica Ferries Sardinia Ferries & SNCM same, which has in turn sold in the recent past, two of their three fast ferries.
Current
Corsica Ferries Sardinia Ferries & operates more recently a similar pricing policy as so-called low-cost airlines: With yield management not fixed prices, there are more, the rates change depending on the workload of the respective ferry. Other features such as the possibility of booking via the Internet, the Dodge favorable smaller ports and the reduction of the staff on the ships reminiscent of the methods of low cost airlines. Even if the shipping company has this not only receive positive criticism, the concept seems to be the face of growing market share and rising passenger numbers. The decisive factor for the increase in passenger numbers on the route France - Corsica is also likely to be that the average price for a crossing well below the SNCM is still here.
Trivia
- If a ferry fleet in a port or remove a sound from the speakers, the overture of the opera La gazza ladra (Eng. The Thieving Magpie ).
- Some ferries have allow an on-board GSM coverage on the telecommunications provider MCP, the mobile phone calls and Internet connection to the open sea.