News from Spanish Operators

News from Spanish Operators

New Partner for Baleria 

From Lloyd’s List (www.lloydslist.com) 

French container shipping group CMA CGM is to go into partnership with Spain’s Balearia group to operate ferry services between Europe and North Africa. The French group will be bringing to the partnership the ferry activities of Morocco’s Comanav group, which it acquired under the Moroccan government’s privatisation programme last year. Alicante-based Balearia is leader in the ferry trade between mainland Spain and the Balearic islands but moved into the Gibraltar Strait ferry trade in 2003. Last year, it took over Buquebus Espana and is waiting to take delivery in September of the first of six ships ordered under a €300m fleet investment programme. It currently has a fleet of 11 fast and conventional ferry vessels and, in 2006, carried more than two million passengers. 

New Routes for Trasmed 

From ShipPax Information (www.shippax.se) 

Acciona Trasmediterannea has announced that it will start two new high speed routes this summer. The first, linking Denia with San Antonio on Ibiza will take only 2 hours, stepping up the intense competition with Balearia. Another new route will link Almeria with Nador, slashing many hours off the existing conventional ferry route to Morocco. Taking only 3 hours, the line initiates the next stage in Trasmed's ambitious expansion plans which are being implemented despite Acciona's apparent interest in selling the company.