Messina celebrates 90th birthday with new vessels

Italian ro-ro shipping line Ignazio Messina celebrated a double milestone in Johannesburg last week – its 90th anniversary which coincided with a $300m investment in new vessels for the SA trade route. The line recently placed an order with the South Korean Daewoo Shipyard for four of the biggest ro-ro container vessels in the world. The first – the Jolly Diamante – was delivered last month and will shortly begin operating on the SA route. This will be followed by the Jolly Perla early next year. “It’s the first step in the renewal and expansion of our fleet ,” Genoa-based CEO Stefano Messina told FTW in Johannesburg last week. “We realise that the recession is not behind us but the newbuilding market today offers shipping lines opportunities that will not last forever.” The highly technologically advanced vessels are fitted with state-of-the-art antipollution systems. They are 240 metres long and 387.5 metres wide with maximum capacity of 3000 TEUs and more than 6 000 lane metres. “This is a significant increase on current capacity and signals our commitment to the SA trade, which has played a key role in the company’s 90-year history,” Messina said. Founded in 1921 by Stefano Messina’s grandfather, Ignazio Messina is a family business that has been perpetuated from generation to generation, with the fourth generation now coming on board. . South Africa has always been an important market for the line, says Messina, underscored by the decision in 1994 to create Ignazio Messina SA. It currently comprises a staff of 30 headed up in Johannesburg by Captain Tonino D’esposito.