ANEK Lines

ANEK Lines (Ανώνυμη Ναυτιλιακή Εταιρεία Κρήτης, Anonymi Naftiliaki Eteria Kritis, Anonymous Shipping Company of Crete) is one of the largest passenger shipping companies in Greece.[8] It was founded in 1967 as a community-based company by residents of Crete. It operates passenger ferries, mainly on the Piraeus–Crete and Adriatic Sea routes.[9]

In December 2023, ANEK Lines was acquired by Attica Group,[2] continuing operations as the fourth cruise line subsidiary of Attica Group.

History

After the Typaldos Lines car ferry SS Heraklion capsized due to negligence on 8 December 1966, protests broke out in Crete. The ship sank on her way from Chania to Piraeus, resulting in the death of more than 200 people.[10] In the aftermath, several hundred Cretans—including traders, freelancers, pensioners, and farmers—founded a multi-shareholder shipping company following a proposal by the Association of Economists of the Chania Prefecture, supported by the Metropolitan of Kissamos and Selino, Irineos Galanakis.

ANEK Lines was founded on 10 April 1967, with its head offices in Chania; initially, only native Cretans were permitted to hold stock in the company. The company's first ferry, Kydon, began serving the Piraeus–Chania route in 1970. This was followed in 1973 by the ferries Candia and Rethymo, which sailed on the Piraeus–Heraklion route. In 1978, the ferry Kriti began daily service on the Piraeus–Chania route.

The company expanded its fleet and routes throughout the late 1980s and 1990s. In 1987, the ferry Aptera began serving the Piraeus–Chania route, and a new route between Crete and Thessaloniki was briefly established.[11] In 1989, the ferries Lato and Lissos began serving the Patras–Corfu/Igoumenitsa–Ancona route, and a new blue-yellow corporate identity was introduced as the ferry Kydon was sold. The company's new flagship, El. Venizelos, began serving the Greece–Italy route in 1992, while Talos served the Patras–Trieste route. Although a Patras–Igoumenitsa–Bari route was opened in 1994, it ceased operations the following year.[11] In 1997, Kriti I and Kriti II began a new non-stop Patras–Ancona service.[11]

In 1998, ANEK Lines increased its share capital and initiated an initial public offering (IPO).[12] The company's stocks began trading on the Athens Stock Exchange on 21 January 1999. During this period, the ferry Sophocles V began operating the Patras–Trieste route. The company also expanded through acquisitions, purchasing 50% of the share capital of LANE (Ag. Nikolaos) and assigning the ferry Talos to it; merging with Rethymniaki to integrate the ships Prevelis and Arkadi; founding ANEK Lines Italia s.r.l. with a 51% stake; purchasing 16.5% of NEL Lines;[13] and founding ANEN with a 20% stake.[11]

By 2000, ANEK Lines had increased its shares in DANE to 41.9%, bought 50% of ETANAP, and acquired 62% of Lefka Ori A.B.E.E. The ferry Lefka Ori was purchased, renovated, and deployed on the Patras–Ancona route. That same year, ANEK signed a contract with the Norwegian shipyard Fosen Mek to build two new vessels. The first, Olympic Champion, was delivered in 2000, reducing the travel time for the Igoumenitsa–Ancona route to 15 hours. The second, Hellenic Spirit, was delivered in 2001. Consequently, Kriti I and Kriti II were redeployed to the Patras–Trieste and Ravenna–Catania routes,[11] and later to the Piraeus–Heraklion service in 2002.[11] ANEK also established online booking connections and set up a RO-RO operation, ANEK Cargo, in 2003.[11]

Significant restructuring occurred in 2005. ANEK sold its 16.5% stake in NEL Lines to Edgewater Holdings and sold the ferry Aptera.[14] A Patras–Venice route was added,[12] and the company relocated its administrative services to a new company-owned facility in Chania.[12] In 2007, a new establishment was inaugurated in Piraeus.[12] Throughout 2008, new vessels entered service: Prevelis on the Piraeus–Paros–Naxos–Ios–Santorini line, Lissos between Piraeus and Chios–Mytilini, and Elyros between Piraeus and Chania. In December 2008, Lloyd's List awarded ANEK "The Best Passenger Line of the Year 2008".[12]

In April 2010, ANEK established a subsidiary, Aigaion Pelagos Thalassies Grammes Shipping Company, to operate East Aegean routes. On 1 June 2011, ANEK formed a joint venture with Attica Group (Superfast, Blue Star Ferries) named ANEK-Superfast for the Patras–Igoumenitsa–Ancona and Piraeus–Heraklion routes.[12] Under this agreement, Olympic Champion was redeployed to Heraklion. In subsequent years, Lato and Ierapetra L. were deployed on the Bari–Durrës line. A major fire occurred on Ierapetra L. in November 2014, causing substantial damage. During the 2014 Libyan conflict, Elyros housed the Libyan House of Representatives off the coast of Tobruk.[15] In 2015, ''El. Venizelos'' was used to transport Syrian refugees arriving in Chios and Lesbos.

In 2023, ANEK Lines was acquired by the Attica Group.[16]

Fleet

The ANEK Lines fleet is composed of six motor Ro-Ro/passenger ferries, of which three are in use, two on long-term charter, and one is laid up.

Former fleet

• Kydon 1968–1989 (scrapped)
• Candia 1973–2000 (scrapped in 2011 as Jabal Ali 1)
• Rethymnon 1973–2000 (scrapped in 2009 as Jabal Ali 2)
• Zakros 1977–1985 (scrapped)
• Kriti 1978–1996 (scrapped in 2004 as Express)
• Aptera 1985–2005 (scrapped in 2011 as Morning Sun)
• Lato 1987–2015 (scrapped in 2018 as Talaton)
• Lissos 1987–2011 (scrapped in 2011 at Alang, India)
• Talos 1995–1999 as Ierapetra L 2008–2015 (as Aqua Blue for Seajets since 2016)
• Kriti I 1996–2025 (sold for scrap in 2025)
• Kriti II 1996–2025 (sold for scrap in 2025)
• Arkadi 1999–2002 (sank as Pella for Arab Bridge Maritime Company in the Red Sea in 2011)
• Olympic Champion 2000–2023 (as Superfast III for Superfast Ferries since 2024)
• Hellenic Spirit 2001–2024 (as Superfast IV for Superfast Ferries since 2025)
• Coraggio 2012–2013 (as Athena Seaways for DFDS Seaways since 2013)
• Forza 2012–2016 (as Forza for Acciona Transmediterranea since 2016)
• Audacia 2013–2014 (as Rizhao Orient for a Chinese company since 2014)
• Norman Atlantic 2014–2014 (caught fire on 28 December 2014 near Corfu. Laid up for 4 years in Bari; scrapped in Aliaga in 2019)
• Asterion 2016–2018 (as Connemara for Brittany Ferries since 2018)

ANEK-Superfast

On 7 June 2011, ANEK Lines and Superfast Ferries created a joint venture for the Piraeus–Heraklion and the Patras–Igoumenitsa–Ancona routes. This involved two RO-PAX ships on the first route (the ANEK-owned Olympic Champion and the Superfast-owned Superfast XII) and three on the second route (the ANEK-owned Hellenic Spirit and the Superfast-owned Superfast VI and Superfast XI).[21]

Routes

• Greece domestic
• Piraeus–Chania (Elyros and Kissamos)
• Piraeus–Heraklio (Asterion II)

Affiliates

ANEK Group comprises ANEK Lines, its subsidiaries, and companies in which it holds a minority stake greater than 10%:

Former affiliates and investments:

• ANEK HOLDINGS S.A. (Greece, Crete - Chania): 99.5%, tourism, participation in other companies, consulting, etc.[12]
• ΑΝΕΚ LINES ITALIA srl (Italy, Ancona): 49%, factoring and representation of shipping companies[12]
• LANE S.A. (Lane Lines, Greece, Crete - Ag. Nikolaos): 50.11%, passenger ferry shipping[12]
• AIGAION PELAGOS - THALASSIES GRAMMES SHIPPING COMPANY (Crete, Chania): 99.90%, sailing company under Law 959/79[12]
• T.C. SAILING (Greece, Crete - Chania): 97.5% sailing company under Law 959/79[12]
• ETANAP S.A. (Greece, Crete - Chania/Stylos): 50%, production and distribution of bottled water[12]
• LEFKA ORI S.A. (Greece, Crete - Chania/Stylos): 62%, production and trade of plastic bottles and packaging products[12]
• CHAMPION FERRIES Ltd (Marshall Islands): 70%, shipping[22]

• NEL Lines 16.5% (shares sold 2005 to Edgewater Holdings)[13]
• DANE Sea Lines 41.87% (stopped operations in August 2004 after financial difficulties)[23]
• RETHYMNIAKI (took over and finally merged into ANEK Lines in 1999)[12]
• ANEN 19.36%

Accidents and incidents

On 28 August 2018, at 23:45 (UTC+03:00), ''El. Venizelos'', a ferry in ANEK's fleet, caught fire soon after leaving Piraeus for Chania, with 875 passengers and 140 crew members on board. The ferry was able to return to Piraeus with no injuries.[24]

External links

• Official website
• ANEK Lines (ΑΝΕΚ) - Athens | (capital.gr profile)