Moby Group (Moby Lines, Tirrenia, Toremar)

Post by **hhvferry** » 21 Dec 2021 18:49

The little Bastia from the Santa Teresa-Bonifacio (Sardinia-Corsica) route had an engine failure a few weeks ago. This left her wallowing in high seas awaiting rescue by a tug - all of which was captured by people on nearby boats or on board the ship -

Moby have chartered the Ichnusa of rivals BluNavyto replace the Bastia which was herself only there as cover for her sister the Giraglia. The strongly-built Ichnusa is the only ship built for what can be a quite exposed and treacherous crossing but has been reduced to seasonal use in recent years.

Post by **colinb** » 21 Dec 2021 19:15

She looks a bit top heavy there...

Post by **hhvferry** » 21 Dec 2021 20:20

One thing which she has is a traditional crows nest which was a feature of Italian-built ferries right up to the '80s.

northy · Post by **northy** » 21 Dec 2021 23:37

I’m always amazed at the diversity of the Moby fleet. Does anyone have any update on their latest financial position? I’m really interested to understand if the deal they had to swap ferries with DFDS will ever be back on. Assuming of course that DFDS would be still keen?

Post by **hhvferry** » 22 Dec 2021 01:34

northy wrote: ↑21 Dec 2021 23:37 I’m always amazed at the diversity of the Moby fleet. Does anyone have any update on their latest financial position? I’m really interested to understand if the deal they had to swap ferries with DFDS will ever be back on. Assuming of course that DFDS would be still keen?

The next step I think is a meeting of creditors next April when the restructuring deal - and huge debt write off - gets voted on. It seems to still be on somewhat shaky ground, however. They recently got confirmation that the administrators of the old Tirrenia company were determined to get the Euro160m that was never paid for that acquisition back in 2012 - and various demands were made by the Tirrenia administrators for Moby group assets to be seized. Vincenzo Onorato himself has stepped aside as group President which presumably was something demanded if the deal with the banks and other creditors is to stand a chance of getting the green light.

I'd be very surprised if the DFDS deal were to come back but the Moby Aki and Moby Wonder are still slated to be sold in the near future as part of the fleet restructuring. Interestingly since the first version of the Moby 2022 summer timetables were published I've noticed they have removed some/most of the Aki and Wonder's sailings - read into that what you may! The Moby Corse (ex-Pont l'Abbe/Dana Anglia) and Moby Dada (ex-Queen of Scandinavia) are also currently not in the timetable. The Corse was chartered to GNV/SNAV for Croatian service this past summer so that could happen again whilst the Dada... who knows: she's never been given a proper Moby makeover and has always seemed on the fringes of the fleet.

northy · Post by **northy** » 22 Dec 2021 20:12

Many thanks, very informative. Like you I’d be surprised if DFDS returned to that deal but then again if they see recovery on the Newcastle IJmuiden route in six months who knows what could change. On another tack Moby Dada deserves to be snapped up and used if Moby can’t use her. It feels like away from Scandinavia and the Mediterranean passenger oriented vessels have had their day. Let’s hope she’s not another one due to hit a distant beach well before her time.

zuludelta · Post by **zuludelta** » 22 Dec 2021 21:10

Moby are a very interesting operator.

They also did some sort of deal with St Peter Line (of Russia) for their Stockholm to St Petersburg route...did that peter out? (sorry about the lame pun...)

Post by **hhvferry** » 07 Apr 2022 08:16

Couple of bits of Moby news:

MSC take a stake in Moby, resolving the short-term financial issues and raising lots of questions about how MSC's extensive ferry interests (GNV, SNAV, NLG, part of Caremar) may become aligned with Moby's (Moby, Tirrenia, Toremar):
MSC goes to the rescue of Italy’s Moby shipping group

The old freighter Giuseppe Sa (originally Fred. Olsen's Bohemund) has been sold for further service:
La nave Giuseppe Sa di Moby venduta al triplo della base d’asta

Post by **hhvferry** » 07 Apr 2022 08:22

zuludelta wrote: ↑22 Dec 2021 21:10 Moby are a very interesting operator.

They also did some sort of deal with St Peter Line (of Russia) for their Stockholm to St Petersburg route...did that peter out? (sorry about the lame pun...)

The two St Peter Line ships were split up - one the Princess Maria (ex-Queen of Scandinavia) went to Moby's main operations and is now the Moby Dada, although she doesn't have any routes planned for this summer.

The other remained with SPL (now Moby-SPL); this is the Princess Anastasia (ex-Pride of Bilbao, Olympia). Her operations were cancelled after Covid and she has been up near Murmansk for over a year now. I think she was there at least initially as an accommodation ship. With the way Russia has gone over the past few months the chances of Moby or the company's western investors ever getting their hands back on her would now seem remote.

Post by **hhvferry** » 11 Apr 2022 22:11

Rivals Moby and Ichnusa Lines have gone into partnership on the Santa Teresa - Bonifacio route. The Ichnusa is currently the only ship in operation and Moby's online booking engine suggests it might remain a one ship service through the summer, so effectively a reduction from two vessels to one on the route.

Icnhusa Lines and Moby “arm in arm” on the S. Teresa - Bonifacio line (in Italian)

: The Ichnusa (Ichnusa Lines publicity image), https://ichnusalines.com

Post by **hhvferry** » 18 Apr 2022 18:21

A couple of updates to some of the above.

Firstly Moby have now flipped the ship to be deployed on the Genoa to Bastia route. This was to have been the Moby Zaza (ex - Olau Britannia (1982), Julia etc) but is now the similar vintage, larger but less Moby-fied Moby Dada (ex- Queen of Scandinavia etc). This may mean bookings are stronger than expected so a larger ship is needed or they've found another role for the Zaza.

As it stands that leaves the Zaza and the Moby Corse (Dana Anglia/Pont l'Abbe) spare for the summer. But let's wait on further developments on that front.

Secondly correcting my comment above the Santa Teresa - Bonifacio route is indeed apparently going to see a two ship service with Moby's Giraglia and the Ichnusa company's Ichnusa both in service on what, mile for mile, must have a claim to being Europe's most spectacular ferry service.

Post by **hhvferry** » 19 May 2022 18:32

As had been expected it's been confirmed that the Moby Corse will operate on charter to SNAV again this year for the Ancona-Split route. She is currently making her way around the heel of Italy to get to Ancona.

The Moby Zaza and Moby Dada are both in the shipyard in Genoa. The Zaza is on dry dock and both are recent arrivals from Livorno and Trapani respectively. The tentative plan still appears to involve the Zaza doing a final bit of Moby service before heading off to her previously reported pastures new for the summer.

Post by **hhvferry** » 05 Jun 2022 19:49

The Moby Vincent has been causing a bit of chaos these past few days since re-entering service after her winter hibernation.

This incident was well reported -
[In Italian] Breakdown on ferry bound for Bastia: 12-hour odyssey for passengers

Since then she has repeatedly run late which is unusual on the regular and quite simple timetable that she has largely operated for about 30 years (a daily round trip on a four hour crossing). She is actually maintaining time on passage but is leaving late in the mornings and then compounding it during her lunchtime turnaround.

It looks like the door issues referenced in the report are continuing as they appear to be having to use her as a stern-only loader which is unusual. She's also been kicked out to one of the outer berths in Bastia, the one usually used by Moby's Genoa ship (this should actually help her timekeeping with less manoeuvring). Allied to the very heavy loads the Corsican ferries are enjoying right now it looks like she is struggling to cope.

ryanh · Post by **ryanh** » 07 Jun 2022 08:47

I know this has been asked before, but is the arrival of these new ships and/or the company’s financial situation likely to revive the sale of Moby Wonder/Aki to DFDS any time soon?
Also I wonder how much longer some of their Vintage DFDS ships have left, such as the Tor Line sisters?

Post by **hhvferry** » 07 Jun 2022 17:29

ryanh wrote: ↑07 Jun 2022 08:47 I know this has been asked before, but is the arrival of these new ships and/or the company’s financial situation likely to revive the sale of Moby Wonder/Aki to DFDS any time soon?
Also I wonder how much longer some of their Vintage DFDS ships have left, such as the Tor Line sisters?

I think Moby will probably still need/want to cash in on them when the new ships arrive but I imagine the chances of a sale to DFDS are now quite low. They aren't getting any younger and Moby's maintenance standards are definitely dipping a little as the financial crunch continues to hit them - we've seen lots of examples of the company's tonnage, new and old, struggling with maintenance issues over the past few months and I doubt the Wonder and Aki are any better cared for.

In the absence of any serious further newbuilding strategy or funding for acquisitions the old ships will just have to carry on until they drop. The Drea and Otta appear to be two of the better ones for at least being able to maintain timetables amongst the vintage parts of their fleet. How their operating economics look with current fuel prices is a different question.

Post by **hhvferry** » 07 Jun 2022 18:22

One ship which has been in receipt of a bit of investment is the Moby Baby Two (once Sally Lines' the Viking amongst many other names) from Moby's Elba division which has been undergoing a major refit in Tunisia since last year. She finally got back to Piombino today.

This ship was latterly a bit of an outlier compared to the Moby Niki and Moby Kiss, the other two larger Piombino ships, in that she didn't have a Looney Tunes or DC Comics livery and her interior was from Moby's "make everything blue" phase.

The refit by all accounts has addressed this and they have also reportedly taken the opportunity to remove the giant greenhouse on her stern which was installed by Vasabåtarna in 1989 and was latterly not used by Moby.

Here she is pre-refit.

: Moby Baby Two at Piombino

ManiaNave · Post by **ManiaNave** » 08 Jun 2022 13:11

hhvferry wrote: ↑07 Jun 2022 18:24
ManiaNave wrote: ↑07 Jun 2022 18:06 Il traghetto Moby Dada partito ieri da Porto Torres in direzione Genova ha subito un guasto dopo 10 minuti dalla partenza e la nave è stata costretta a percorrere la rotta a velocità ridotta (14/13 nodi). Alle 10 di oggi i passeggeri rendendosi conto che la nave era più lenta e più lontana dal porto di Genova hanno chiesto informazioni alla tirrenia la quale ha risposto che la nave aveva un guasto al motore al termine del traghetto arrivato a Genova con circa due ore di ritardo. Anche ieri i passeggeri si erano lamentati del notevole ritardo sulla Genova-Porto Torres e l'equipaggio ha risposto che era colpa del mare agitato

Ci sono stati grandi ritardi con questa nave, la Moby Vincent e la Moby Zaza nell'ultima settimana. La Dada probabilmente non dovrebbe operare sulla rotta Porto Torres dati i requisiti di tale operazione - e certamente non dovrebbe cercare di spremere le partenze diurne oltre a quelle notturne su di essa come ha fatto durante il fine settimana che si accumula ritardi.

yes that's right, the choice to put the Moby Dada on the Genova Porto Torres I think was the only choice to replace the Moby Tommy. Moby Zaza is on time and not late at all

Post by **hhvferry** » 08 Jun 2022 18:01

ManiaNave wrote: ↑08 Jun 2022 13:11
yes that's right, the choice to put the Moby Dada on the Genova Porto Torres I think was the only choice to replace the Moby Tommy. Moby Zaza is on time and not late at all

I've been keeping a close eye on the Zaza the past week as I had a sailing lined up on her with tight-ish connections. She isn't as bad as the Dada at timekeeping but definitely isn't keeping to schedule and rarely gets above 14 knots. Her official schedule on the Bastia route is

d Genoa 2100
a Bastia 0700
d Bastia 1100
a Genoa 1830

Her Bastia arrival times over the past few days have been 0745, 0820, 0745 and 0920.
Arrivals in Genoa have been 1915, 1930, 1945, 1945 and today is looking like 2000.

They aren't the worst Moby delays but they are annoying if you have a tight connection from her.

ManiaNave · Post by **ManiaNave** » 08 Jun 2022 22:39

si proprio perché ad esempio se qualcuno ha il treno in quell'ora rischia di perderlo anche con un minimo di ritardo

Post by **hhvferry** » 10 Jun 2022 06:15

Moby Vincent has been all over the place the last few days. Her scheduled arrival of 1830 yesterday actually got in at nearly midnight. Her sailings today have been cancelled.

Post by **hhvferry** » 10 Jun 2022 06:20

An interesting article on Shipping Italy yesterday which indicates MSC's share of Moby could increase to 49%, they will aim to stop the sale of the Moby tug division and that ownership of the two new Livorno-Olbia ships may end up with MSC, for charter to Moby.

Salvataggio Moby: Msc potrà salire al 49% e inglobare navi cinesi e rimorchiatori

ManiaNave · Post by **ManiaNave** » 11 Jun 2022 20:00

Nuove proteste per Moby, Toremar e Toscana. A seguito del nuovo guasto di una nave della Toremar e delle corse con orario modificato da Moby , nuove e pesantissime sono arrivate sui social denunce/proteste nei confronti delle due compagnie e verso governo e regione Toscana. Alcuni hanno detto che al governo non interessa il trasporto marittimo, altri altri hanno criticato la regione in quanto assenti hanno criticato Onorato salendo per augurargli qualche maledizione insieme alle sue navi essendo che sono state considerate carri poiché hanno a bordo il l'aria condizionata è assente.

New protests for Moby, Toremar and Tuscany. Following the new fault of a Toremar ship and racing with a time modified by Moby, new and heavy have arrived on social complaints/protests against the two companies and towards the Government and Tuscany Region. Some have said that the government does not affect maritime transport, others others criticized the region as they are absent, they criticized honoured by climbing to wish him some curse together with his ships being that they were considered wagons since they have the air conditioning on board is absent.

ManiaNave · Post by **ManiaNave** » 12 Jun 2022 21:16

Bastia of the Moby Lines has gone in breakdown this afternoon in fact the ship is remained.

Post by **hhvferry** » 13 Jun 2022 10:00

ManiaNave wrote: ↑12 Jun 2022 21:16 Bastia of the Moby Lines has gone in breakdown this afternoon in fact the ship is remained

She seems to be happily back in service this morning.

Post by **hhvferry** » 15 Jun 2022 12:50

Finally we have a new picture of the Moby Baby 2 and yes the greenhouse has been removed!

The ship hasn't however been given a new livery and retains the Lupo Alberto scheme she has had since she went to Moby 20 years ago. Will be interesting to see if anything has in fact been done to her somewhat dated interiors.

: Moby Baby Two Post 2022 Refit

Photo: ships.med

Here she is pre refit

: Moby Baby Two at Piombino, Pre Refit With Greenhouse