Superfast Ferries

Infobox_Company
company_name = Superfast Ferries S.A.
company_
company_type = Wholly owned subsidiary
company_slogan = The Youngest and fastest fleet foundation = 1993
location = flagicon|GRE Voula, Athens, Greece
key_people = Charalambos S. Paschalis
num_employees =
industry = Transport
products = Passenger transportation, Freight transportation, Holidays, Business travel
revenue =| net_income =| homepage = [http://www.superfast.com/ Superfast Ferries]

Superfast Ferries is a Greece-based ferry company founded in 1993 by Pericles Panagopulos and Alexander Panagopulos. Together with "Blue Star Ferries", 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, on theAdriatic Sea, North Sea, and the Baltic sea. But currently they are only active in the Adriatic sea. Current lines are:

Adriatic Sea

* Ancona, Italy — Igoumenitsa and Patras, Greece
* Bari, Italy — Corfu, Igoumenitsa and Patras, Greece

On the 29 May 2008 it was announced that Superfast Ferries would withdraw from the North Sea service. The service was subsequently withdrawn on 13 September 2008.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 MS|Blue Star 1, which replaced the larger MS|Superfast X on the route. "Blue Star I" has been reallocated to Attica's Mediterranean services.

Norfolkline intends to restart the route in Spring 2009. [http://www.norfolkline.com/EN/About/News/Rosyth_Zeebrugge/]

Vessel allocations

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

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 € 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..

Fleet

Current fleet

External links

* [http://www.greekferries.gr/sff-en/Superfast.htm/ Superfast Ferries] - Time tables and booking for international routes.
* [http://www.superfast.com/ Superfast Ferries] - Online Ferry Ticket Sales and Reservations.
* [http://www.attica-group.com/ Attica Group] - Parent Company of Superfast Ferries.