Grimaldi Lines
The Company
Grimaldi Lines is the main brand through which the Grimaldi Group offers cargo and passenger transport services in the Mediterranean Sea. The Shipping Company operates with state-of-the-art cruise ferries and modern ferries on Italian domestic routes to/from Sardinia and Sicily and on international routes connecting Italy with Greece, Spain, Tunisia and Morocco.
Minoan Agencies is the official agent of the Company and specialises in the sale of passenger maritime services, providing assistance with its booking centre.
A young and avant-garde fleet
Grimaldi Lines has the largest fleet in the Mediterranean Sea, with new generation, safe and environmentally friendly ferries. The Company is particularly attentive to the issue of environmental sustainability and has made and planned significant investments with the prospective goal of sailing and transporting goods and passengers with zero emissions. All Grimaldi Lines routes are operated by modern ferries, with an average age of only 10 years. They are furnished with attention to every detail and equipped with many quality services for a relaxing and enjoyable crossing.
Visit the fleet section for more information on Grimaldi Lines ferries.
Attention to the environement
Grimaldi Lines is particularly attentive to environmental issues. The Grimaldi Group was one of the first companies to equip all its ships with scrubbers - sophisticated systems to reduce harmful particles from exhaust gases. The flagships Cruise Roma and Cruise Barcellona have also been equipped with huge lithium batteries that power the ferries during docking in port and reduce pollutant emissions to zero.
Destinations
By clicking on the map or visiting the destinations page you can find all routes and connections to the various destinations. Alternatively, you can find a detailed list of all routes at the bottom. In each section you'll find departure times, ships used and lots of other useful information. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact our call centre in Ancona.
Prestigious certifications
Grimaldi Lines is a founding member of the Clean Shipping Alliance, with which it is committed to implementing new IMO regulations on sulphur emissions.
In addition, the Grimaldi Group has ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 (for the environment) quality certification and in 2012.
The history of Grimaldi Lines
The origins
The Grimaldi Group's adventure began in Palermo in 1947, when the "Sicula Oceanica S.A." was founded by the brothers Luigi, Mario, Ugo, Aldo and Guido, the children of Amelia Lauro, wife of Angelo Grimaldi and beloved grandchildren of the shipowner Achille Lauro. In the beginning the fleet was made up of cargo ships used during the First World War and purchased at low cost by the Grimaldi family. The first ship was purchased by the United States and christened with the name "Orione" and used to transport goods by sea.
The first transatlantic voyages
In the following years the demand for transatlantic maritime connections increased exponentially and the Grimaldi brothers rode the demand by opening the sea transport of passengers on the routes from the Mediterranean to America with the purchase of the modern and comfortable steamships "Auriga", "Centauro" and "Lucania".
The economic boom of the 60s
In the early 1960s, in the midst of an economic boom, steamships were gradually removed from the fleet and replaced with modern bulk carriers, which resulted in an increase in the transport of goods.
1969 is a key year in the growth and affirmation of the Grimaldi brand. In fact, a new line connection between Italy and the UK was inaugurated, specifically designed for the transport of vehicles. Within a few years, the Company became a point of reference for several car manufacturers who entrusted it with the transport of vehicles from the Mediterranean to Northern Europe.
From that moment to the end of the century the Grimaldi Group consolidated its position as well as growing very rapidly thanks to the inauguration of new routes for the transport of rolling goods not only within the European continent but also from Europe to West Africa and from North Europe to South America.
The 2000s
The modern period is the one in which the Company started to follow an expansive policy, buying new vessels and opening new maritime lines.
Starting from 2004, the European "Motorways of the Sea" programme was embraced with the creation of a dense network of maritime connections able to offer itself as an eco-sustainable alternative to the road transport of trucks, containers and vehicles. To achieve this objective, in addition to acquiring new ships, Grimaldi Lines acquired several companies, the most important of which were Finnlines in 2006 and Minoan Lines in 2008.
Today the company connects the major Italian ports to Sardinia, Sicily, Spain, Greece, Malta, Tunisia and Morocco.
