The Grimaldi Group has announced a new, important contribution for the territorial continuity between Sardinia and mainland Italy. Starting from next 23 September, the Neapolitan company will launch the Civitavecchia-Arbatax-Cagliari link for the transport of freight and passengers, according to the company's release.
The new line will connect Civitavecchia with the Sardinian capital three times a week, providing two intermediate calls in the port of Arbatax in each of the two directions. Notably, departures are scheduled from Civitavecchia to Cagliari every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday at 20.00, and from Cagliari to Civitavecchia every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 20.00. The schedule also includes departures from the port of Arbatax every Tuesday and Thursday (at 02.00) to Civitavecchia, and on Wednesdays and Sundays (at 06.00) to Cagliari.
The new schedule will boost a network of links connecting the main Sardinian ports to the rest of Italy, which the Neapolitan company has long been committed to strengthening. Since June, the Group has included in this network the twice-weekly line connecting Cagliari with Naples and Palermo (both ways), having won the related ministerial tender. Overall, thanks to the Grimaldi network, the South of Sardinia will be able to benefit from domestic maritime connections seven days a week. In addition, the Group will thus offer its customers maritime services between the port of Civitavecchia and all the main ports of the island (Cagliari, Olbia and Porto Torres).
On the Civitavecchia-Arbatax-Cagliari line, the Grimaldi Group will deploy its modern ro/pax ferry Catania. This Italian-flagged vessel can carry over 2,200 linear meters of rolling freight (cars, vans, trucks, semi-trailers, etc.) and up to 955 passengers. Available for the latter there are 93 cabins of various types (inside, oceanview and superior-class), all with air conditioning and en suite facilities, some equipped for passengers with reduced mobility and for pets traveling in tow, as well as a comfortable lounge with reclining seats. The various on-board facilities include à la carte and self-service restaurants, 24-hour bar service, a shop and a video games area.
The Catania is also equipped with systems that reduce its environmental footprint, such as exhaust gas cleaning systems for cutting sulphur and particulate emissions and the silicone coating of the hull, which increases the fuel efficiency of the ship.
In general, the Catania has technical features similar to those of the motor vessel Corfù, which was also built by the Visentini shipyard and is now deployed on the aforementioned Naples-Cagliari-Palermo line. Like the latter, also the new Civitavecchia-Arbatax-Cagliari line was entrusted to the Grimaldi Group by the Italian Ministry of Sustainable Infrastructure and Mobility, after having been the subject of numerous tenders where no bids were received.
The Neapolitan company will start operating the connection for six months, concretely responding to the huge demand for freight and passenger transport services to and from the Center and South of Sardinia, pending a new ministerial tender that will aim to ensure maritime continuity for another five years.
The Grimaldi Group currently offers various maritime services to and from Sardinia, which include the historic Civitavecchia-Porto Torres-Barcelona connection and other regular lines for the combined transport of freight and passengers such as Livorno-Olbia, Civitavecchia-Olbia and Naples-Cagliari-Palermo. In addition, it operates numerous freight services connecting Porto Torres with Genoa and Cagliari with Genoa, Livorno, Salerno and Valencia/Sagunto.