Tirrenia is a privately-owned Italian shipping company contracted by the Ministry of Transportation to run ferry services between Italy's mainland and its major islands. It currently operates a fleet of seven vessels.
History
Tirrenia Società Anonima di Navigazione was founded in 1936, resulting from the nationalization of many privately-owned Italian lines. The company gathered a fleet of 55 ships. When World War II broke out, the number of lines were reduced. By 1942, 50 ships were sunk during the armed conflicts in the Mediterranean sea.
After World War II, the few ships surviving the conflict were used to connect Italian islands, mainly Sardinia, to the mainland. The company became public and its name was changed to Tirrenia di Navigazione S.p.A. In 1965, the company launched the production of fully-fledged ferries, the Poet class. In the 1970s, ships were gradually replaced by ferries and the company developed its freight activities. In 1975, Tirrenia bought the Malta Express ferry. Since the end of the 1980s, the company replaced its older units, most of which were obsolete or too expensive to operate and were then scrapped, with faster ones capable of reaching 35–40 knots.
On 23 December 2009, the Italian government, after having subsidised the company for some years, put Tirrenia on the market through its privatisation agency Fintecna. Sixteen companies joined the bidding, including SNAV, Grandi Navi Veloci, Grimaldi Lines, Moby Lines, Ustica Lines, Corsica Ferries and Mediterranea Holding (including Regione Siciliana and Alexis Tomasos). Mediterranea Holding ended up alone when all the other bidders withdrew and on 28 July 2010 were declared the winner of the bidding for Tirrenia and Siremar. On 4 August, Fintecna announced that the sale would not happen, as Mediterranea Holding had not shown up for signing. On 12 August, the company officially entered receivership, as requested by commissioner Giancarlo D'Andrea.
An agreement was then made for Tirrenia to be taken over by Compagnia Italiana di Navigazione (Cin) in 2012. However, in May 2012 the competition authority opened an investigation into whether a dominant position in routes to Sardinia would be created. Tirrenia was privatised in 2012.
In 2014, the company moved from its historic Naples headquarters of Rione Sirignano to Calata Porta di Massa, Interno Porto. In 2015, Tirrenia was entirely acquired by Vincenzo Onorato and became part of the Onorato Armatori group. Pietro Manunta was named president and Massimo Mura Managing Director. Vincenzo Onorato also owns the other ferry company of Naples, Moby Lines. In 2019, Tirrenia raised its prices, leading to reactions from the weakened local competition.
Tirrenia group
Tirrenia Group included until 2010 the following company: Siremar (Sicilia Regionale Marittima). Connects Sicily with the Aeolian Islands, Aegadian Islands, Ustica, Lampedusa and Pantelleria.
Fleet
Historical fleet
Type Regione (Passenger ship) Campania Felix (1953–1972) Sardegna (1953– ?) Sicilia (1952–1988) Calabria (1952–1988) (1953–1979) Type Città (Passenger ship) Citta Di Napoli (1961–1987) Città di Nuoro (1962–1988) Type Regional (Ro-Pax) La Maddalena (1966–1988) Arbatax (1966–1988) Carloforte (1976–1986) Limbara (1978–1988) Isola Di Caprera (1986–1988) Ichnusa (1986–1988) Type Poeta (Ro-Pax) Boccaccio (1970–1999) Carducci (1970–1999) Leopardi (1971–1994) Manzoni (1971–1999) Petrarca (1971–1999) Pascoli (1971–1999) Deledda (1978–1994) Verga (1978–1997) Type Valletta (Ro-Pax) La Valletta (1971–1976) Type Staffetta (Ro-Ro) Staffetta Jonica (1973–1978) Staffetta Adriatica (1973–1992) Staffetta Tirrenica (1973–1993) Type Espresso (Ro-Pax) Malta Express (1976–1988) Type Tutto Merci (Ro-Ro) Staffetta Ligure (1979–1988) Staffetta Mediterranea (1979–1988) Type Strada (Ro-Pax) Emilia (1979–2006) Domiziana (1979–2011) Flaminia (1980–2012) Type Strada Trasformata (Ro-Pax) Aurelia (1980–2012) Nomentana (1979–2012) Clodia (1979–2012) Type Sociale (Ro-Pax) Arborea (1987–2004) Caralis (1988–2000) Torres (1988–2004) Type Capo (Ro-Pax) Capo Spartivento (1987–2001) Capo Sandalo (1988–2000) Capo Carbonara (1988–2004) Type Campania (Ro-Ro) Campania (1988–2001) Type Tutto merci (Ro-Ro) Sardegna (1988–2006) Calabria (1989–2006) Sicilia (1990–2006) Type Viamare (Ro-Ro) Via Tirreno (1996–2001) Lazio (2000–2012) Type Toscana (Ro-Pax) Toscana (1994–2012) Type Aquastrada (HSC) Guizzo (1993–2001) Scatto (1994–2002) Type Jupiter (Ro-Pax HSC) Aries (1997–2011) Taurus (1997–2011) Scorpio (1998–2011) Capricorn (1998–2011)
Routes
Sardinia
Genoa↔Porto Torres
Livorno↔Cagliari (Cargo only) Civitavecchia↔Olbia Naples↔Cagliari (Cargo only)