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Moby Lines

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Moby S.p.A.
IndustryPassenger transportation, Freight transportation
Founded1959
HeadquartersMilan, Italy
Area served
Italy, France, Corsica, Sardinia
Key people
Vincenzo Onorato, Chairman
SubsidiariesSt. Peter Line
Tirrenia
Toremar
Websitewww.moby.it
MS Moby Aki in Livorno, 2007.

Moby Lines (Moby Lines S.p.A.) is an Italian shipping company that operates ferries and cruiseferries between the Italian or French mainland and the islands of Elba, Sardinia and Corsica. The company was founded in 1959 under the name Navigazione Arcipelago Maddalenino (NAVARMA for short).

In 2006 Moby Lines purchased Lloyd Sardegna. The company is known for using Warner Bros. Looney Tunes characters as the external livery of its ships. Notable events include the Moby Prince disaster in 1991, which resulted in the deaths of 140 people.

History

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Moby Wonder in Livorno, 22 of February, 2011.

NAVARMA was founded in 1959 by Achille Onorato, and started traffic from Sardinia to the islands on coast of Sardinia with the small ferry M/S Maria Maddalena purchased from Denmark. In February 1966 NAVARMA purchased a second ferry, M/S Bonifacioo, and started service between Sardinia and Corsica. The company slowly expanded, purchasing another ferry in 1967 and taking delivery of two newbuilds in 1974 and 1981. With the larger fleet, new routes to the Italian mainland were also introduced.

In 1982 the company acquired M/S Free Enterprise II from Townsend Thoresen, renamed her M/S Moby Blu and painted her in the "blue whale" livery that later came to characterise Moby Lines (the company name still remained NAVARMA at this point). The Moby Blu was over twice the size of NAVARMA's previously largest ship. By 1988 four additional larger ferries (all with Moby-prefixed names) had joined by NAVARMA fleet and additional routes to the Italian mainland were opened.

In 1991 one of the ferries of the fleet, the Moby Prince, was involved in the worst disaster in the Italian merchant navy since World War II. This resulted in 140 deaths.

During the early 1990s NAVARMA acquired further used ferries, which replaced the Moby ferries acquired in the 1980s. During the same time "Moby Lines" was adopted as the official company name. From 1996 onwards the company fleet has grown radically with addition of new, larger and faster tonnage, including the newbuilt fast cruiseferries Moby Wonder, Moby Freedom and Moby Aki. Around 2003 Moby Lines entered an agreement with Warner Bros. to paint their vessels in liveries featuring Looney Tunes characters. However, only the larger ships have such liveries, the company's smaller ships either have similar graphics not featuring the Looney Tunes characters, or simply the Moby Lines' whale logo.

In 2020, in a departure away from Moby Lines' signature business model of acquiring vintage tonnage for its routes, it was announced that steel cutting has started for Moby Lines' two newbuild vessels on order from the Guangzhou Shipyard. These newbuilds will be 238 metres (784 feet) long and roughly 69,500 GT, and specifically designed for the 7-9 hour Livorno-Olbia ferry crossing. These newbuild twins are earmarked to replace the Moby Aki and Moby Wonder between 2022 and 2023.[1][2]

Fleet

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Current Ships

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Ship Flag Built Entered service Route Gross tonnage Length Width Passengers Vehicles Knots Image
MS Giraglia Italy 1981 1981 Santa Teresa di Gallura—Bonifacio 2,041 GT 75 m 13 m 400 100 18
MS Moby Niki Italy 1974 2016 Piombino—Portoferraio 9,089 GT 118,7 m 18,5 m 1,440 373 18
MS Moby Kiss Italy 1975 2016 Piombino—Livorno 11,977 GT 115.35 m 20.6 m 1,600 420 18
MS Moby Drea Italy 1975 2003 Genoa—Olbia 22,528 GT 185 m 27 m 1,900 500 27
MS Moby Zazà Italy 1982 2015 Livorno—Bastia 22,161 GT 153 m 24.2 m 2,048 530 20
MS Vincenzo Florio Italy 1999 2024 Napoli—Palermo 31,041 GT 180.3 m 26.8 m 1.471 630 23
MS Raffaele Rubattino Italy 2000 2024 Napoli—Palermo 31,041 GT 180.3 m 26.8 m 1.471 630 23
MS Moby Ale Due Italy 2001 2024 Genoa—Porto Torres 35,736 GT 214 m 26.4 m 2,700 900 29.5
MS Moby Wonder Italy 2001 2024 Civitavecchia—Olbia 36,093 GT 175 m 27 m 2,200 750 29
MS Moby Tommy Italy 2002 2007 Genoa—Olbia 28,915 GT 212 m 25 m 2,200 580 30
MS Moby Fantasy Italy 2021 2023 Livorno—Olbia 69,500 GT 237 m 32 m 3,000 1,300 23.5
MS Moby Legacy Italy 2023 2024 Livorno—Olbia 69,500 GT 237 m 32 m 3,000 1,300 23.5

Out of Service

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Ship Flag Built Entered service Route Gross tonnage Length Width Passengers Vehicles Knots Image
MS Moby Otta Italy 1976 2006 Laid up in Genova 22,528 GT 185 m 27 m 1,900 500 27
MS Moby Dada Italy 1981 2016 Laid up in Genova 34,093 GT 169.1 m 28.5 m 1,538 500 22
MS Moby Orli Italy 1986 2017 Laid up in Genova 37,583 GT 176.8 m 32.9 m 2,500 580 22
MS Moby Aki Italy 2005 2005 Laid up in Genova 36,284 GT 175 m 27 m 2,200 750 29

Former fleet

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  • Maria Maddalena (1959-1978) as Maria Maddalena for SNAP since 2005
  • Elba Prima (1967-2007) scrapped as Prima in Aliaga, Turkey in 2008.
  • Agostino Lauro (1968-1974) scrapped in Aliaga, Turkey in 2008.
  • Portoferraio (1974-2001) as Bomaris Legend for Bomaris Shipping since 2016.
  • Citta di Piombino (1978-2002) as Don Peppino for GesTour since 2010.
  • Moby Blu (1982-2003) scrapped as Moby B in Alang, India in 2003.
  • Moby Prince (1985-1991) in 11th April 1991 the ship departured from Livorno and collided with the tanker Agip Abruzzo; the ship caught fire and 141 passengers died onboard. In 1998 the ship partially sank in the port of Livorno and then the ship sold for scrap in Aliaga, Turkey in 1998.
  • Moby Dream (1986-1994) scrapped as Sardegna Bella in Aliaga, Turkey in 2001.
  • Moby Love (1986-1993) scrapped in Aliaga, Turkey in 2011.
  • Moby Will (1988-1993) scrapped as Aljubi in Alang, India in 2007.
  • Moby King (1989-2002) scrapped in Alang, India in 2002.
  • Moby Baby (1990-2017) scrapped as Anemos in Aliaga, Turkey in 2018.
  • Moby Vincent (1990-2024) scrapped in Aliaga, Turkey in 2024.
  • Moby Fantasy (1992-2013) scrapped in Aliaga, Turkey in 2013.
  • Moby Magic (1997-2005) scrapped in Aliaga, Turkey in 2005.
  • Moby Love (1998-2017) as Sporades Star for Seajets since 2021.
  • Moby Gum (1998-2003) scrapped as Moby G in Bombay, India in 2004.
  • Moby Rider (1998-2007) scrapped as M. River in Alang, India in 2007.
  • Moby Freedom (2001-2012) as Finlandia for Eckerö Line since 2019.
  • Luigi Pa (1987-2017) former Isola delle Stelle for Lloyd Sardegna, as Cenk M since 2019.
  • Giuseppe Sa (2006-2022) former Isola delle Perle for Lloys Sardegna, sold to an Arabic company in 2022.
  • Eliana M (2006-2007) former Golfo del Sole for Lloyd Sardegna, scrapped in Aliaga, Turkey in 2012.
  • Maria Grazia On. (2006-2007) former Golfo degli Angeli for Lloyd Sardegna, as Venezia for Grimaldi Lines since 2019.
  • Golfo Aranci (2006-2007) as Florencia for Grimaldi Lines since 2007.
  • Massimo M. (2010-2013) Scrapped in 2013.
  • Moby Vinci (2023-2024) Sold to Grandi Navi Veloci in 2024.
  • Pietro Manunta (2016-2024) Sold to SALEM AL MAKRANI CARGO CO in 2024.
  • Moby Corse (2009-2024) Sold to Ferry Med in 2024.
  • Bastia (1974-2024) Sold to Alilauro Gru.So.N. in 2024.
  • Moby Ale (1990-2024) Scrapped in Aliaga, Turkey in 2024.
  • Moby Baby Two (1974-2024) sold for scrap in Aliaga, Turkey in 2024

References

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  1. ^ "Steel cutting starts on the first of Moby's next-generation ferries". 3 June 2020.
  2. ^ "June (And early July) 2019 news roundup". 18 July 2019.

Further reading

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  • Seville, Richard (2009). Mediterranean Ferries. Ramsey, Isle of Man: Ferry Publications. ISBN 9781871947984.
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