Moby Group (Moby Lines, Tirrenia, Toremar)

[hhvferry]

Moby Ale has headed back to the the shipyard in Genoa, running at less than 10 knots. She had been out of service for at least a couple of days in Piombino.

I hope she's not developed mechanical issues, despite her age she is usually pretty reliable. The Bastia is covering Piombino-Cavo for now.

EDIT: The Moby timetable has her as being back in service next Monday, the 31st.

Here's her interesting track from Piombino to Genoa.

Moby Ale, 24/07/23

[hhvferry]

The Moby Wonder appears to be having technical issues. Crawling (relatively!) along at no more than 23 knots she was 8 and a half hours late arriving in Olbia today having left Genoa in the middle of the night rather than late the previous evening. I presume she had a daytime round trip somewhere from Olbia to the mainland which was cancelled today. She's due to go to Civitavecchia tonight which she can pick up on time but if the issues persist it will put a spanner into Moby's intricate web of sailings.

[ManiaNave]

The Moby Wonder appears to be having technical issues. Crawling (relatively!) along at no more than 23 knots she was 8 and a half hours late arriving in Olbia today having left Genoa in the middle of the night rather than late the previous evening. I presume she had a daytime round trip somewhere from Olbia to the mainland which was cancelled today. She's due to go to Civitavecchia tonight which she can pick up on time but if the issues persist it will put a spanner into Moby's intricate web of sailings.

The "Moby Wonder" ferry which was supposed to leave from Genoa yesterday evening at 21:30, which could not have happened following the delays accumulated by making the Olbia-Genoa (on Sunday), Genoa-Bastia (yesterday) and Bastia -Genoa lines due to a problem with one of the engines that does not allow her to develop a speed higher than approximately 22 knots, she left only today at 5 am from the Ligurian capital following a RINA inspection on board.

[ManiaNave]

Collision at sea between a ferry and a fishing boat

Yesterday night around 23:30 there was a collision between the “Sharden” ferry and a fishing boat off Sardinia, immediately after the clash the alarm was launched and in a short time a patrol boat and the tug of the Moby “Mascalzone Scatenato” went to the scene of the collision.

Following the clash, the commander of the fishing boat was rescued while a sailor on board is still missing, there are two patrol boats and a helicopter on the site.

[hhvferry]

This is the Sharden's track from last night -

Sharden 10/08/23

[fabthi]

It really seems like the cursed summer for Italian ferries.
It's strange there isn't any breaking news about it yet.

[fabthi]

Here it is
https://www.agi.it/cronaca/news/2023-08 ... -22588336/

[hhvferry]

Here it is
https://www.agi.it/cronaca/news/2023-08 ... -22588336/

The strange aspect of this incident is that the person who raised the alarm was a passenger on board the Sharden, who rang the authorities in Olbia. The Sharden then continued on for the best part of an hour before turning around to begin searching. Implying both that the bridge team were oblivious to the incident and that the passenger either didn't immediately also tell the crew on board or (and maybe this is more likely but I'm speculating) was unable to convince them that something serious had happened. I'm not even sure how that conversation would go - do you go down to reception and tell them you think the ship has just been involved in a hit and run?!

The Sharden then appears to have been detained in Livorno yesterday: whilst she was 3 hours late arriving after concluding her role in the search she didn't leave again until around 1500, some six hours late.

On an operational note the fact that the Sharden was operating Livorno-Olbia at all is of interest: her main allocation this summer was supposed to be Civitavecchia and Piombino to Olbia but there seems to be a lot more switching of ships between routes this year and the ship is spending a spell on the Livorno route with her sister the Moby Vinci on the other roster for a few days.

[fabthi]

From Sardinia's main local newspaper (Google translate)
"The Prosecutor of Tempio opens an investigation file, currently no suspects, on the collision between the Sharden irrenia ferry and the Golfo Aranci fishing boat, which took place yesterday evening around 11.15 pm off the coast of Capo Figari while some testimonies of passengers who were on board the vessel.
In particular that of an Olbian who reported a communication, around midnight, in which passengers were warned that the ship was returning "because it was being followed by a boat and then would have resumed its course for Livorno", which is actually happened about two hours later. Passengers were also allegedly invited to introduce themselves by the purser "in case of news".
Meanwhile, the search for the 41-year-old Senegalese sailor, father of three, who has been missing since last night following the impact, continued throughout the evening with naval and air vehicles from the Coast Guard and the Navy.
On the other hand, a large part of the hull, about two meters long, belonging to the fishing boat was found."

https://www.unionesarda.it/news-sardegn ... k44LJKdOsk

[fabthi]

"a large part of the hull, about two meters long"
It seems Sharden collided with a small fishing boat, one of those that leave from small ports and spend a few hours fishing in the adjacent nearby area

[hhvferry]

[Translated from Italian]
Sailor missing at Capo Figari, three under investigation by the prosecutor
Fragments of the fishing boat that collided with a ferry are found
12 August 2023

Sharden © Moby

Operations continue. They are looking for the missing sailor, father of three children who are in Senegal with his wife, naval and air assets of the coast guard and navy with the support of the finance guard and firefighters. Hopes of finding the 41-year-old Senegalese alive fade as the hours go by. The man has been in the water since 11.15pm on Thursday and may have been dragged to the bottom with the fishing vessel Alemax II. At the time of the collision with the Tirrenia Sharden ferry off Capo Figari, he was below deck. This was reported by the captain of the boat, Mario Langiu, a 28-year-old from Golfo Aranci, recovered by a sailor after managing to cling to the life raft and firing an emergency flare.

The Olbia Coast Guard filed the collision report. The prosecutor of the Tempio Pausania prosecutor Gregorio Capasso and his colleague Mauro Lavra have already registered three people in the register of suspects: the captains of the Sharden and of the fishing vessel and one of the officers who was on the bridge of the Moby at the time of the accident.


Source: [In Italian] Sailor missing at Capo Figari, three under investigation by the prosecutor

[ropax]

The 2005 built SHARDEN is now officially for sale - instead of the Bithia for which no buyer was to find in the last ca. 12 month.

The "in fact over the table going" price will be only around circa 30 Mio. - they want now sell really 1 big ferry very soon... latest 31.dec. .
I don`t know the actually condition - but this ferry is the latest and biggest of the series, so normally she would be the best also.
Same dimensions as the E-Flexer, speed 29 knots, 850 cars, 1900 lm, 2900 Pax, 1218 beds, many hundred Pullman-seats.

Maybe Irish Ferries could take her as replacement for Epsilon ? They have only 10 weeks now... (?).
3 x so much cabins against 900 lm less ?
Have never seen the lm from Epsilon full-booked, but the cabins often.

Stena hold now the 6 dep. per week Ireland-France with Vision and Horizon also in winter - so if Irish Ferries want to be also in future "THE ferry to Ireland" they must buy any BIG ferry with much more cabins. And also offer more dep. to France. Otherwise more and more marketshares will move to Stena.
For ca. 30 Mio. a good deal for Irish Ferries, they can rebuilt some hundred Pullman seats into so much more as possible more cabins, then they have a fast 2000 Pax, 400-500 cabins, 1900 lm ferry with much space for tourist-cars in summer also. 
And better than Galaxy (too less lanemeters) and Visborg (too less cabins)... .

Can not see any other buyer... .

See the advert here.

[ryanh]

Maybe DFDS might be interested in this vessel and her sister for Newcastle -Ijmuiden?

[hhvferry]

Maybe DFDS might be interested in this vessel and her sister for Newcastle -Ijmuiden?

They're a little plain on board but with a bit of a refit would definitely be an upgrade on the current pair (assuming they could fit in the ports).

However I'm not really sure MSC would allow Moby to sell this ship to a third party. But if they did they almost certainly wouldn't allow them to sell both of them (the sister is Moby Vinci).

[ropax]

There was an agreement between Moby, Tirrenia-CIN, banks, shareholders etc. that they MUST sell 1 big ferry in 2023 and 1 big ferry in 2024. And then later they have decided to hold Moby Aki and Wonder (which was before offered to DFDS) in the fleet and to sell instead Bithia and Janas.

So Bithia was officially for sale now long time, price idea was ca. 40 Mio. - but also for ca. 30 Mio. nobody was interested.
And Janas was planned for 2024.
But now Sharden is offered instead of Bithia - maybe because someone has said "the 2005 built Sharden we would take - but not the older and minimal smaller 2001 built Bithia...". That`s a big difference in press media infos to present a 18 years old ferry as "new" ship or a 22 years old ferry... .
The 2004 built Nuraghes (now Moby Vinci) i think will not be for sale just now after big repainting, renovation etc. ... .
So maybe if someone would buy now the Sharden - then next year they will try to sell the Athara (2003) or Janas (2002)... .

I don`t think that DFDS will buy these ferries now. Too less cabins, too much renovations and upgrades would be needed for to get northern cruise-standard. And this with CIRCA 20 years old ships with very strong (fuel-consuming ?) engines. Still again not really better for the passengers than the Hull-Rotterdam ferries from P&O. Nobody knows what DFDS want really in longterm with the both cruise-ferry-routes, also from the Hydrogen-ferry-project for Copenhagen-Oslo since long time no news, order at any yard would be needed NOW for to hold the originally planned start in 2027. And for the Newcastle-route no new ships to see anywhere... - very sad. Why they has not ordered something between Viking Glory and Finncanopus/ Sirius for both routes in the last years ago for to replace all 4 cruise-ferries ? 2000 Pax in cabins, 3000 lm would be fine for both routes. But Newcastle has now the oldest big ferries in complete Northern Europe - but so long many UK-people are booking these Oldtimers instead of to avoid this route - why shall they invest in new ships then ?

[hhvferry]

Moby will only sell ships that MSC (GNV) don't want, or ships that MSC agree Moby don't need. What may or may not have been agreed with banks in the past is now somewhat irrelevant now that Aponte is pulling the strings.

[ManiaNave]

I remind you that the ships (put up for sale for the arrangement) must go to auction

[ropax]

I had understand it so, that the sale of 2 big ferries in 2023 / 2024 is the condition for the Tirrenia-Moby merger deal.
So MSC can in this case not do what they want.
 

[hhvferry]

I had understand it so, that the sale of 2 big ferries in 2023 / 2024 is the condition for the Tirrenia-Moby merger deal.
So MSC can in this case not do what they want.
 

They can and they will. Even if it just means buying the ships for GNV they will do that.

[hhvferry]

As was expected Moby have now filled in the final blanks and replaced the Moby Orli's September sailings on the Genoa - Bastia service with the Moby Corse meaning the Corse will, after all, complete the full season on this route.

Both the Orli and the Moby Dada will therefore have spent the summer out of use which may well tie back to reports that their Russian connections meant Moby were having difficulty insuring or certifying them.

[hhvferry]

MSC's acquisition of 49% of the Moby group has now been completed.

It might be remembered that originally the reports were that MSC's stake was going to be lower but could increase over time to 49%. The following news item notes that, "it seemed that Aponte had initially taken a 25% stake, reserving the right to then increase it to 49%... instead [that] happened practically immediately...

In the end, the Luxembourg-based 'Sas Shipping Agencies Services Sarl' therefore paid not only the €82m intended for the settlement and write-off with 'Tirrenia in Amministrazione Straordinaria' but also a further €68m, allowing the group founded by Gianluigi Aponte to directly gain a 49% stake in Moby".

Link: [In Italian] The Aponte family's MSC purchases 49% of Moby

[dogan]

Here are a few pictures of MOBY ships spotted this summer :


Moby Corse leaving Genova on 13th August. She's missing the "MOBY" marking on her hull, but the place is still lighted !


Moby Aki leaving Genova on 13th August.



Moby Vinci arriving in Genova in the morning of 14th August.


Moby Baby Two arriving in Piombino on 18th August.



Moby Kiss on her way to Piombino from Elba on 21st August.


Moby Kiss arriving in Portoferraio (Elba) on 21st August.


Moby Niki arriving in Portoferraio (Elba) on 21st August.



Bastia in Piombino harbour on 21st August.


Moby Ale in Piombino harbour on 21st August. I'm amazed she's still operating !



Moby Vincent leaving Livorno on 22nd August.
 

[hhvferry]

Thank you for the pictures. For all the company's faults Moby's fleet remains diverse and interesting (to the enthusiast at least).

[ryanh]

Did the Moby Vinci always have no forward facing windows since built, or were these blanked out? Looks very odd to me. 

[MarkoPolo]

Did the Moby Vinci always have no forward facing windows since built, or were these blanked out? Looks very odd to me. 

All those Tirrenia's high speed ferries, though very similar to MInoan's "Fincantieri" Palaces, were built without front windows. Don't know why.