From 29 February, the vessel Europalink will join the ferry Kydon Palace on the twice-daily service between Italy and Greece

The Grimaldi Group will offer even more transport capacity and comfort on its connections between Italy and Greece: from next 29 February, the Neapolitan company will deploy the vessel Europalink on the twice-daily Brindisi-Igoumenitsa service. It is the ro-pax unit (i.e. dedicated to the mixed transport of rolling freight and passengers) with the greatest cargo capacity ever deployed in the Adriatic Sea. The new ship will join another modern ro-pax unit, the Kydon Palace, on the line where the Grimaldi Group offers two regular daily departures from each of the two ports.

The Italian-flagged Europalink can transport 930 passengers and 3,900 linear meters of rolling freight, equal to 220 trucks. Compared to the ship Igoumenitsa, that she will replace on the line, she can transport 20% more passengers and approximately 50% more trucks on each voyage.

Added to this significant increase in capacity is the enhanced service quality offered to passengers and drivers: the Europalinkhas 201 cabins (with 632 total beds) of various types (inside, ocean-view and junior suites), all with air conditioning and en suite facilities, some equipped for passengers with reduced mobility. Available for passengers are also two lounges with 75 comfortable reclining seats, a self-service restaurant, two bars, a large shop, a play area for children, a sauna and a slot machine area.

“Grimaldi strengthens the carriers and the carriers strengthen the port. A key formula for maritime economy, applied for 12 years in the port of Brindisi by the Neapolitan company which has never spared effort and commitment, increasingly implementing routes with effective, comfortable and eco-sustainable connections“, commented Ugo Patroni Griffi, Chairman of the Port System Authority of the Southern Adriatic Sea (AdSPMAM). “The introduction of the Europalink, a ro-pax vessel whose features are designed to guarantee comfort to passengers, including truck drivers, represents a significant step forward in optimizing maritime transport, improving the service offered and increasing the appeal of our port, an important gateway for the motorways of the sea and a multifunctional hub in the Mediterranean basin“.

“The introduction of the Europalink on the twice-daily Brindisi-Igoumenitsa ro-pax line represents a new upgrade for an already effective and competitive service, which has become an essential bridge for truly efficient and sustainable transport between Italy and Greece in terms of both economic and environmental aspects”, declared Grimaldi Group Managing DirectorEmanuele Grimaldi. “This innovation fits well into our broader investment strategy in Greece which, among other milestones, led us to acquire the majority stake in the Port of Igoumenitsa last year. Overall, our presence will facilitate the realization of the full potential of the Greek port, through the improvement of its services and the use of increasingly larger and more modern ships on the routes that connect it to Italy”, concluded Emanuele Grimaldi.

The wide network of motorways of the sea operated by the Grimaldi Group significantly expands the reach of the Brindisi-Igoumenitsa link: for example, through transshipment in the Apulian port, trucks coming from Greece can continue by sea towards Northern Italy or Sicily on the Ravenna-Brindisi-Catania ro-ro line, and vice versa.

The Grimaldi Group is also active on the Ancona-Igoumenitsa route for the transport of freight and passengers between Italy and Greece. Both for this service and for the Brindisi-Igoumenitsa connection, additional calls in Corfu are scheduled during the Easter period and the summer season. Between the two shores of the Adriatic, the company also operates the Venice-Bari-Igoumenitsa-Patras service, dedicated to the exclusive transport of rolling freight with the use of the largest ro-ro ships in the world.