Attica Holdings S.A. is an operator of international ferry services in

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

. The Group's operations include its subsidiaries

Superfast Ferries Superfast 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 3 car-passenger ferries, offering daily connections between Anc ...

, which began in 1995 with the launch of its first ships, Superfast I & Superfast II, and

Blue Star Ferries Blue Star Ferries is a brand name of Blue Star Maritime S.A. The company operates ferry services from the Greek mainland to the Aegean Islands. Blue Star Ferries is the biggest ferry company in Greece, serving more than 20 destinations. Their fl ...

which operates ferries in the

Aegean Sea The Aegean Sea ; tr, Ege Denizi ( Greek: Αιγαίο Πέλαγος: "Egéo Pélagos", Turkish: "Ege Denizi" or "Adalar Denizi") is an elongated embayment of the Mediterranean Sea between Europe and Asia. It is located between the Balkans ...

to the

Greek islands Greece has many islands, with estimates ranging from somewhere around 1,200 to 6,000, depending on the minimum size to take into account. The number of inhabited islands is variously cited as between 166 and 227. The largest Greek island by a ...

. In June 2018 Attica Group increased its share in

Hellenic Seaways Hellenic Seaways is member of Attica Group, which is engaged in passenger shipping through SUPERFAST FERRIES, BLUE STAR FERRIES, HELLENIC SEAWAYS and AFRICA MOROCCO LINK operating 35 vessels providing modern, high-quality transportation service ...

to 98.83%. It also has a partnership in Africa Morocco Link which operates mainly in the

Strait of Gibraltar The Strait of Gibraltar ( ar, مضيق جبل طارق, Maḍīq Jabal Ṭāriq; es, Estrecho de Gibraltar, Archaic: Pillars of Hercules), also known as the Straits of Gibraltar, is a narrow strait that connects the Atlantic Ocean to the Medi ...

. In Sept 2022 it absorbed 57.70% of

ANEK Lines ANEK Lines (Ανώνυμη Ναυτιλιακή Εταιρεία Κρήτης, ''Anonymi Naftiliaki Eteria Kritis'', Anonymous Shipping Company of Crete) is one of the largest passenger shipping companies in Greece. It was founded in 1967 by nu ...

stocks, rendering the operator number two in the number of passengers commuted in Europe.

Company history

1918 The company was established in Piraeus, Greece, under the name "General Company of Commerce and Industry of Greece". In the beginning, it specialised in producing and trading

flour Flour is a powder made by grinding raw grains, roots, beans, nuts, or seeds. Flours are used to make many different foods. Cereal flour, particularly wheat flour, is the main ingredient of bread, which is a staple food for many cul ...

under the name of "Attica Flour Mills SA". 1922 The company changed hands and was renamed to Attica Enterprises S.A., subsequently changed to Attica Enterprises Holding S.A. and has since changed to Attica Group. 1924 Two years later in 1924, it was listed on the

Athens Stock Exchange The Athens Stock Exchange (ASE or ATHEX; el, Χρηματιστήριο Αθηνών (Χ.Α.), ''Chrimatistírio Athinón'') is the stock exchange of Greece, based in the capital city of Athens. It was founded in 1876. There are currently five ...

. 1993 This year a new management team, chaired by Pericles S. Panagopulos, created the shipping subsidiary Attica Maritime S.A., later renamed to Superfast Ferries Maritime S.A.. The first two Superfast car-passenger ferries, Superfast I and Superfast II, ordered at Schichau Seebeckwerft AG in Bremen, Germany. 1995 In April and June the two ordered car-passenger ferries, Superfast I and Superfast II, delivered and employed in the Patras-Ancona-Patras service. The two ferries revolutionize travel by cutting the crossing time between Patras and Ancona by up to 40%. 1996 July: Two new Superfast car-passenger ferries, Superfast III and Superfast IV, ordered at Kvaerner Masa-Yards in Turku, Finland. 1998 April: Superfast III and Superfast IV delivered and were deployed on the Patras-Ancona-Patras route, while Superfast I and Superfast II launched a new route linking Patras and Igoumenitsa, with Bari in southern Italy. 2006 February: Attica sells its 12.33% stake in Hellenic Seaways acquired a year earlier. Blue Star Ferries receives the ‘Superbrand’ award recognized as a leading brand in Greece in the ‘Tourism Services’ industry. March: Blue Star Ferries’ passenger-only catamaran SeaJet 2 is sold. The sale of the vessel is part of the Company's policy to focus on the operation of fast, modern conventional car-passenger vessels. April: Superfast VII, Superfast VIII and Superfast IX, serving on the

Rostock Rostock (), officially the Hanseatic and University City of Rostock (german: link=no, Hanse- und Universitätsstadt Rostock), is the largest city in the German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and lies in the Mecklenburgian part of the state ...

, Germany – Hanko, Finland route in the

Baltic Sea The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden and the North and Central European Plain. The sea stretches from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from ...

are sold to AS Tallink Grupp. The sold vessels will retain their names and continue sailing under the Superfast livery until the end of 2007 at the latest, following an agreement with AS Tallink Grupp. Attica Group maintains its presence in the Baltic Sea with the operation of its two

RoRo Roll-on/roll-off (RORO or ro-ro) ships are cargo ships designed to carry wheeled cargo, such as cars, motorcycles, trucks, semi-trailer trucks, buses, trailers, and railroad cars, that are driven on and off the ship on their own wheels or using ...

vessels, which trade between Rostock, Germany and

Uusikaupunki Uusikaupunki (; sv, Nystad, ) is a town and municipality of Finland. It is located in the Southwest Finland region, northwest of Turku and south of Pori. The municipality has a population of () and covers an area of of which is inland wate ...

, Finland. July: Attica's subsidiary, Blue Star Maritime S.A. acquires the total assets of DANE Sea Line for a total of Euro 19.9mln. The assets included car-passenger ferry Diagoras which is deployed to the

Dodecanese The Dodecanese (, ; el, Δωδεκάνησα, ''Dodekánisa'' , ) are a group of 15 larger plus 150 smaller Greek islands in the southeastern Aegean Sea and Eastern Mediterranean, off the coast of Turkey's Anatolia, of which 26 are inhabited ...

Islands’ routes in August. August: Attica enters into an agreement to sell to Veolia Transport its ice-class vessel Superfast X trading between Scotland and Belgium for a total cash consideration of Euro 112mln. The delivery of Superfast X and final payment is to take place at the beginning of 2007. November: Attica enters into an agreement with Fret Cetam of France for the chartering of RoRo Nordia until October 2008. RoRo Nordia was deployed on the Uusikaupunki, Finland – Rostock, Germany route together with RoRo Marin. As of the beginning of 2007, RoRo Marin is to be redeployed from the Baltic Sea to serve the needs of the Group in the Greece-Italy routes in the Adriatic Sea and in the domestic market. Blue Star Ferries is voted "Passenger Line of the Year" at Lloyd's List Greek Shipping Awards. December: Attica Group announces the deployment of Blue Star 1 of its subsidiary Blue Star Ferries to the Scotland-Belgium service as of the end of January 2007. Blue Star 1 is to replace Superfast X which was sold earlier in the year, and is to be delivered to her new owners in February 2007. 2007 February: Attica Group increases its stake in Minoan Lines to 22.25% June: Attica sells its total participation in Minoan Lines S.A. August: Attica proceeded in the assignment of new offices and new responsibilities to its Board Members. On behalf of its subsidiaries Superfast Ferries and Blue Star Ferries, Attica Group donated the amount of Euro 150,000 to the Special Relief Fund for the benefit of the victims of the recent fires in Greece. September: Attica Group announces the purchase of two RoPax ships, built in 1998 and 1999. Attica Group, pursuant to the Law 3556/2007, the Decision 1/434/03.07.2007 and the Circular nr. 33 of the

Hellenic Capital Market Commission The Hellenic Capital Market Commission (HCMC; el, Επιτροπή Κεφαλαιαγοράς), established as a legal entity by Greek Law in 1991 and organized by the Greek Law 2324 of 1995, aims to "ensure the protection and the orderly and ef ...

, announced that

Marfin Investment Group Marfin Investment Group (also known as MIG) is a Greek investment company created in 1998 as ''Marfin Α.Ε.Π.Ε.Υ.''. It has acquired several companies and has changed name several times since. In 2001 it acquired ''Piraeus Prime Bank'' and ...

Holdings S.A., which is closely associated to the Vice-Chairman of the Board of Directors Mr. Andreas Vgenopoulos, bought shares of the Company as follows: a) on 20.2.2008 bought 19,295 shares with total net value of Euro 106,292.29 b) on 21.2.2008 bought 10,518 shares with total net value of Euro 57,938.79 2008 September:

Zeebrugge Zeebrugge (, from: ''Brugge aan zee'' meaning "Bruges at Sea", french: Zeebruges) 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-Zee ...

Rosyth Rosyth ( gd, Ros Fhìobh, "headland of Fife") is a town on the Firth of Forth, south of the centre of Dunfermline. According to the census of 2011, the town has a population of 13,440. The new town was founded as a Garden city-style suburb ...

route discontinued on 13 September. The service will be restarted in Spring 2009 by

Norfolkline Norfolkline 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 l ...

. 2009 March: On the 12th Superfast XII inaugurates the

Piraeus Piraeus ( ; el, Πειραιάς ; grc, Πειραιεύς ) is a port city within the Athens urban area ("Greater Athens"), in the Attica region of Greece. It is located southwest of Athens' city centre, along the east coast of the Saro ...

Heraklion Heraklion or Iraklion ( ; el, Ηράκλειο, , ) is the largest city and the administrative capital city, capital of the island of Crete and capital of Heraklion (regional unit), Heraklion regional unit. It is the fourth largest city in Gree ...

route. December:

Brittany Ferries Brittany Ferries is the trading name of the French shipping company, BAI Bretagne Angleterre Irlande S.A. founded in 1973 by Alexis Gourvennec, that operates a fleet of ferries and cruiseferries between France and the United Kingdom, Ireland, a ...

entered into a contract to buy the Superfast V from the Attica Group at sum of €81.50 million, with delivery in February 2010. It now serves as the

MV Cap Finistère GNV Spirit is a cruiseferry owned by GNV (Grandi Navi Veloci) and operated by GNV between Tyrrhenian Sea & Spain. She was acquired in 2022 by Grandi Navi Veloci from Brittany Ferries where before she was used to serve Spain. SECA 2015 refit On 1 ...

. 2016 June: Africa Morocco Link was created in 2016 following an agreement between

BMCE Bank Bank of Africa is a large commercial bank in Morocco, known until 2020 as Banque Marocaine du Commerce Extérieur (BMCE, (; "Moroccan Bank of Foreign Commerce"). According to the company's website, it operates over 697 branches in Morocco. It is ...

and Attica Group to operate scheduled ferry services from Morocco to Europe, through the newly established Moroccan company Africa Morocco Links ("AML"). Attica Group will hold a 49% participation in the new company, while 51% will be held by a group of Moroccan shareholders, led by BMCE Bank Of Africa Group. 2018 May: The Group acquired the control of "

", by completing the acquisition of the majority of shares (50.3%). June: The Group completed the acquisition of an additional 48.53% of the share capital, holding a total of 98,83%. The value of the transaction amounted to 142,9 million €.https://www.attica-group.com/attachments/article/2499/ATTICA_12MONTH_2018_ANNUAL_FINANCIAL_REPORT.pdf 2022 Sept: The Group acquired the control of "

", by completing the acquisition of the majority of shares (57.70%), totaling 40

ferry A ferry is a ship, watercraft or amphibious vehicle used to carry passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A passenger ferry with many stops, such as in Venice, Italy, is sometimes called a water bus or water ta ...

ships.

References

External links

Attica Group's web site

Superfast Ferries
* {{cite web, url=http://www.faktaomfartyg.se/, title=Fakta om Fartyg
The ferry site
Transport companies established in 1918 Companies listed on the Athens Exchange Shipping companies of Greece Companies based in Athens Greek brands Greek companies established in 1918

Company history

See also

References

External links