La Méridionale

La Méridionale is a French shipping company. The company's three vessels serve the Corsican ports of Bastia, Ajaccio and Propriano and Porto Torres in Sardinia. The fleet is exclusively composed of mixed vessels (freight and passengers). It is part of the STEF group and, together with the former SNCM[1], provides passage to Corsica.

La Méridionale
IndustryMaritime Transport
(passengers and freight)
Founded1931
FounderHenri et Félix Rastit
Headquarters
Marseille
,
France
Revenue €109 million
Number of employees
500 employees
ParentSTEF
Websitelameridionale.fr

History

La Méridionale is the result of the "Compagnie méridionale de navigation", the oldest shipping company serving Corsica; it celebrated its 80th anniversary in 2011[2].

1931 - 2011

"La Compagnie méridionale de navigation" was born from the marriage of Mr. Giannoni's daughters and the Rastit brothers in 1931.[3] This association created the company's links with Corsica.

At first, the company transported petroleum products and general cargo. In 1970 it adopted the Roll-on/roll-off style and strengthened the Corsica-Continent links.

At the beginning of 1990, La Méridionale was the leading French shipping company in the Mediterranean and France's second largest operator of passenger ships at the national level.[2]

In 1992, the company joined the STEF-TFE group and the following year outfitted the Kalliste. It obtained both ISM and ISO 9002 certifications. In November 2001, it renewed its public service concession with SNCM between Marseille and Corsica.[2]

2011-

In 2011, following the arrival of the ship Piana, existing ships Girolata, Kalliste and Scandola were repainted and "La Compagnie méridionale de navigation" (known as CMN) changed its logo to La Méridionale.

At the end of 2016, the Girolata was repainted and work was carried out to install a ballast water treatment system.[4] The same modifications were made to the Kalliste in 2017.

On 1 January 2017, La Méridionale began weekly service between Propriano (Corsica) and Porto Torres (Sardinia).[5]

Ship Flag Built Entered Service Gross tonnage Length Beam Passengers Vehicles Service speed Current status
Piana 2011 2011 42,180 GT 180 m 30,5 m 750 200 27 knots In service
Girolata 1995 2002 28,417 GT 177,30 m 27 m 816 200 24 knots In service
Kalliste 1993 1993 30,718 GT 165 m 29 m 550 160 19 knots In service
Liverpool Seaways 1997 2020 21,856 GT 186 m 25 m 340 200 21.5 knots In service

Lines and current fleet

La Méridionale's vessels make round trips between Marseille and Bastia (Piana), Ajaccio (Girolata), Propriano (Kalliste) and Sardinia (Kalliste). Sea crossings are made at night, with one departure every evening. La Méridionale has three mixed vessels (passengers and freight) operated under the French flag:

Corsica - Continent:

Lines Duration Vessel Frequency
Marseille ↔ Bastia 12 hours on average Piana Daily
Marseille ↔ Ajaccio 12 hours on average Girolata Daily
Marseille ↔ Propriano 15 hours on average Kalliste Daily

Other companies

References
  1. "Adieu Maritima Ferries, bonjour Corsica Linea". Corsematin. La Provence. March 23, 2016. Retrieved January 22, 2019.
  2. "La Méridionale, la plus ancienne compagnie" [La Méridionale, the Oldest Company] (in French). corsematin.com. 5 April 2010.
  3. "La Méridionale (CMN)" (in French). noos.fr. Retrieved 11 January 2016.
  4. "La Méridionale change de look et traite ses ballasts" [La Méridionale changes its look and upgrades its ballasts]. www.lemarin.fr (in French). Retrieved 2016-12-22.
  5. "Le retour de la CMN entre Propiano et Porto Torres" [The Return of CMN between Propiano and Porto Torres]. 2016-12-22. Retrieved 2016-12-22.
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