Blu Navy, increase in passengers

Genoa - The service operated by Blu Navy on the Portoferraio (Li) - Piombino (Li) maritime route ended on Sunday, with the ferry Acciarello, as was the ferry service between Santa Teresa di Gallura (OT) and Bonifacio (Corsica, France), which was served by the ship Ichnusa. The final overall figure is 584,000 passengers transported, a number that the company considers satisfactory and in line with initial forecasts. The service to the Island of Elba started on 7 April: in just over six months the Acciarello carried a total of 460,000 passengers (+5% on 2016) on 1,833 journeys. There were also good results on the maritime route between Sardinia and Corsica, with 124,000 passengers carried (+29 % on 2016) between Santa Teresa di Gallura and Bonifacio, where the Ichnusa entered service on 2 March. The Ichnusa has once again confirmed its reliability in the Straight of Bonifacio, an area where strong winds and a rough sea can make navigation very difficult, even in the summer. Both Acciarello and Ichnusa are owned by Blu Navy: the latter was acquired in March 2016. Both ships are now scheduled for ordinary maintenance work at the docks. “But we don’t want to stop here this time, our goal remains to be able to send a second ship to Elba during the summer season, which would make it economically sustainable to provide continuous service, even in the winter season,” Luigi Negri, Chairman of BN di Navigazione Spa and a key shareholder, explained.