This is reported by the Italian shipping media Shipping Italy. According to the media, an appraisal of SANTA CRUZ’s market value will now be carried out, after which the Genoa-based shipbroker Fertonani Shipbrokers has been tasked with selling the 47-year-old, 19,600 GT ferry, which has capacity for 1,240 passengers and 400 cars.

The recent owner of SANTA CRUZ was the newly established company Ferry Med Srl, which had intended to operate the ferry on behalf of the Algeria-registered company L’Aures on routes between Italy and Algeria. According to Shipping Italy, Ferry Med were intended to be part of the broader Italian political initiative known as the “Mattei Plan for Africa.”

The long-term project envisaged the purchase of additional RoPax vessels to establish a new network of passenger and RoRo routes linking Italy, France, and Spain with Algeria. Meanwhile, the Algeria market has seen increased activity, particularly from Algérie Ferries and GNV, which has added a connection from southern France.

Additionally, the newcomer Nouris Elbahr Ferries launched a service with the ferry CRACOVIA between Marseille and Algiers. MOBY CORSE was sold by Moby Lines in September 2024 for a reported price of EUR 6.2 million. Moby Lines acquired the ferry, originally built as DANA ANGLIA for DFDS, back in 2009 from Brittany Ferries.

© Shippax