The Ibizan group Insotel Marine Group (IMG) has sealed an agreement with Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC), the world’s leading shipping group, for the analysis and joint development of various passenger routes and fleet expansion, mainly fast ships. As reported, the objective is to “enrich the offer of fast-ferry services in Spain, through its boutique proposal of maximum local focus in the communities where it operates“. The company, which operates the shipping companies Trasmapi, Formentera Lines, Formentera Cargo and Menorca Lines and soon Ceuta Lines, details that months ago an agreement was reached at MSC headquarters in Geneva between the two groups, “for the implementation of a shipping alliance, with a view to improving the current fast-ferry proposal for the Spanish market”. In this long-term development, it is planned to carry out several milestones set in the framework of the MSC + IMG agreement, which includes the development of new lines planned in the Strait, such as the Ceuta-Algeciras routes, under the brand Ceuta Lines, and Tarifa-Tangier, with the necessary resources for its more efficient operation, in case Tarifa Lines is finally awarded the tender, currently under evaluation and decision by the APBA. Last year, IMG had reached an agreement with Trasmedthe shipping company of the Italian group Grimaldi, and MSC’s main competitor for the Balearic shipping. According to this agreement, Trasmed and Grimaldi are in charge of the marketing of IMG’s brands and shipping lines. Trasmpi has declined to provide further details about the agreement and whether this alliance will involve the launching of new high-speed lines between Ibiza and Mallorca and the mainland.
Who is MSC
It is the world’s leading shipping group in container ships and the third largest in cruise ships. It is headquartered in Geneva and operates in most of the world’s ports. It owns the largest container ships in the world, such as the MSC Emanuela and the sister ship MSC Beatrice. It has an operating capacity of 760 vessels and 2,308,000 TEUs of transport. Owned by the Neapolitan family ofGianluigi Aponte’s descendants, the business group has subsidiaries operating cruise lines, high-speed trains and freight trains. It already has a presence in Ibiza through GNV, passenger and cargo ferries, and counts in its portfolio shipping companies specialized in fast ferries such as SNAV and Caremar. Precisely, Caremara subsidiary of the shipping company that already operates in Ibiza GNV on routes with Valencia and Barcelona, has requested authorization from the Port Authority of the Balearic Islands(APB) to operate between Ibiza and Formentera last summer in the passenger and vehicle transport market, in competition with Trasmapi and Baleària . However, the slots authorized by the APB did not convince it and it gave up.
