Coastal shipping sources considered the decision of Grimaldi Group to add 2 more ships to the Greece-Italy line as a "declaration of war."
On Friday, February 5, Grimaldi announced it was doubling the number of its ferries on the Adriatic route, with two sailings between Ancona Italy and Patras Greece, and the other 2 between Ancona and Igoumenitsa Greece.
Grimaldi Line's move aims to increase further the brand's share in this market, which was previously dominated by Greek ferry companies. They currently control no more than 40% of it.
The pandemic has not affected the Adriatic route much, as it saw vehicle traffic fall 8% in 2020, while traffic on the domestic routes of Greece fell 36%.