Grimaldi Lines say they are victim of a scam

Grimaldi Lines have posted their misfortune with a ship charter on their Facebook page. The Livorno - Barcelona -Tangier route had to be suspended after it had been discovered that the chartered vessel had problems with some certificates.

Earlier, the intended vessel IKARUS PALACE was withdrawn and renamed CRUISE SMERALDA. She was put on the route between Livorno and Olbia, where Grimaldi and Onorato are heavily competing.

To find a suitable replacement vessel was not easy, and Grimaldi ended up chartering the 1973-built CARIBBEAN GALAXY from Atlantic Blue Seaways.

The Italian Facebook text says, "Unfortunately, the (charter) negotiation was not successful. We have discovered problems of certificates related to the seaworthiness of the vessel, from which we had not been informed."

As a partial solution ro-pax FINNEAGLE (2,500 lane meter and 192 cabins) has been sent south and started to operate on Barcelona - Tangier Med, dropping Livorno. Passengers who booked on Tangier Med - Livorno have now to change vessel in Barcelona.