ANEK Lines on:
[Wikipedia]
[Google]
[Amazon]
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. It was founded in 1967 by numerous shareholders who were inhabitants of
In Crete, protests broke out after the Typaldos Lines car ferry capsized due to a series of violations of safety regulations. The ship sank on her way from Chania to Piraeus on 8 December 1966, resulting in the death of more than 200 people.
In the aftermath, a few hundred Cretans (traders, free-lancers, pensioners, farmers), following a proposal by the Association of Economists of the Chania Prefecture with the support of the Metropolitan of Kissamos and Selinos, and Irineos Galanakis, implemented their idea to found a multi-shareholder shipping company.
Therefore, on
*1967 - On 10 April, ANEK Lines was founded with its head offices located at Chania. At the beginning only born Cretans could hold stocks in ANEK Lines
*1970 - The company's first F/B vessel ''Kydon'' started servicing the route Piraeus-Chania
*1973 - The F/B's ''Candia'' and ''Rethymo'' started servicing the route Piraeus-Iraklion
*1978 - The F/B ''Kriti'' started daily servicing the route Piraeus-Chania
*1987 - The F/B ''Aptera''started servicing the route Piraeus-Chania
**New route Crete-Thessaloniki started (route closed then suddenly)
*1989 - The F/B's ''Lato'' and ''Lissos'' started servicing the route Patras-Corfu/Igoumenitsa-Ancona
**New blue-yellow corporate identity introduced
**The F/B ''Kydon'' was sold
*1992 - ANEK Lines new flagship the F/B ''El. Venizelos'' started servicing the route Greece-Italy.
**F/B ''Talos'' started servicing the route Patras-Trieste
*1994 - New route opened, Patras-Igoumenitsa-Bari, but already ceased the following year
*1997 - The F/B's ''Kriti I'' & ''Kriti II'' started new nonstop Patras-Ancona service
*1998 - Share-capital increase and initial public offering (IPO) for the company's stocks in the Athens Stock Exchange
**F/B "Sokofles V" starts operating the route to Northern Italy (Patras-Trieste)
**Take over some stakes in DANE
*1999 - The company's stocks started trading on the Athens Stock Exchange on 21 January
**ANEK Lines purchases 50% of the share-capital of LANE (Ag. Nikolaos), with the assignment of the F/B ''Talos''
**ANEK Lines merge with RETHYMNIAKI and integrate their ships F/B ''Prevelis'' and F/B ''Arkadi'' into the fleet
**ANEK Lines ITALIA s.r.l.was founded. ANEK Lines holds 51% of its shares
**ANEK Lines buys 16.5% of NEL Lines
**ANEN was founded. ANEK Lines holds 20% of its shares
*2000 - The F/B ''Lefka Ori'' was purchased, fully renovated and started servicing the route Patras-Ancona
**ANEK Lines increase its shares to 41,9% of the share-capital of DANE
**ANEK Lines buys 50% of the share-capital of ETANAP
**ANEK Lines buys 62% of the share-capital of LEFKA ORI A.B.E.E.
**Contract signed with the Norwegian shipyard Fosen Mek Shipyard for the shipbuilding of two new buildings (first time for ANEK) with delivery dates October 2000 and May 2001 with an option for two more
**Delivery of the newly constructed ''Olympic Champion'' servicing the route Patra - Ancona which completes the route Igoumenitsa - Ancona in 15 hour
**ANEK Lines increases its share-capital (25% = 9.5 billion drachmas / 27.88 million EUROs)
**The F/B's ''Candia'' and ''Rethymno'' are sold
**ANEK Lines increases its share-capital in NEL to 19.05%
*2001 - Established online connections to the international booking systems START, MERLIN, AMADEUS and SIGMA
**Delivery of the second newly constructed H/S/F ''Hellenic Spirit'' servicing along with the H/S/F ''Olympic Champion'' the route Patra - Igoumenitsa - Ancona reducing the travelling time from Igoumenitsa - Ancona to 15 hours
**The former Patras-Ancona operating ships, ''Kriti I'' and ''Kriti II'', were deployed then on Patras-Triest and Ravena-Catania (''Kriti I'')
*2002 - The F/B's ''Kriti I'' & ''Kriti II'' deployed on the Piraeus-Heraklion service
*2003 - ANEK Lines set up a ro/ro operations called ANEK CARGO for the routes Piraeus–Heraklion, Patras–Bari and Patras–Venice
*2005 - In May ANEK sold its 16.5% shares in NEL Lines to Edgewater Holdings with a €0.5 million profitANEK Lines SA, 2005 annual report
**In November the F/B ''Aptera'' was sold with a €2.5 million net profit
**The new Patras-Venice route is added to the route to Northern Italy
**The construction of the company's building is completed as well as the relocation of administrative services to the company-owned, functional establishment in Chania(Karamanli avenue former Souda Avenue)
*2007 - In February the company's latest establishment in Piraeus is inaugurated, housing the Directorate of Commercial Exploitation, the Directorate of Technical Services and the Piraeus main agency
*2008 - In April the P/S-F/S ''Prevelis'' entered service on the Piraeus-Paros-Naxos-Ios-Santorini line
** In July 2008 the P/S-F/S ''Lissos'' entered service between Piraeus and Chios-Mytilini
** In September 2008 the P/S-F/S ''Elyros'' entered service between Piraeus and Chania
** In December 2008 ANEK was awarded a prize as "The Best Passenger Line of the Year 2008" during the 5th Greek Shipping Awards ceremony hosted by Lloyd's List
*2010 - In April, ANEK established a new subsidiary AIGAION PELAGOS THALASSIES GRAMMES SHIPPING COMPANY (Chania), to charter and operate the east Aegean and specifically the Piraeus-Syros-Mykonos-Ikaria-Fourni–Samos route and in September this new company undertook the Heraklion route which it is servicing by chartering Parent Company's vessels
*2011 - On 1 June, ANEK Lines started a 3-year joint service agreement with Attica Group (Superfast, Blue Star Ferries) for the route Patras–Igoumenitsa–Ancona and Piraeus–Irakleion under the name ANEK-Superfast. Therefore, ANEK deploy its ferry ''Olympic Champion'' from the Ancona service (now a joint venture operations with ANEK's ''Lefka Ori'' and the Superfast VI and XI) to the Irakleio service (now a joint venture operations with '' Superfast XII'')
*2012 - On 14 June, F/B ''Lato'' deployed in the international line Bari–Durrës in cooperation with Adriatica Lines for the summer season.
*2014 - F/B ''Ierapetra L.'' deployed in the international line Bari–Durrës in charter from ANEK Italia for year-round service. A major engine-room fire on 29 November 2014 when underway with crew only aboard caused substantial damage to the ship which returned to Brindisi Italy. No injuries or fatalities occurred. The vessel is currently out of operation
*2014 - Due to the 2014 Libyan conflict, Libya's
Official websiteANEK Lines (ΑΝΕΚ) - Athens , (capital.gr profile)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Anek Lines Transport companies established in 1967 Companies listed on the Athens Exchange Ferry companies of Greece Shipping companies of Greece Greek companies established in 1967
Crete
Crete ( ; , Modern Greek, Modern: , Ancient Greek, Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the List of islands by area, 88th largest island in the world and the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, fifth la ...
. It operates passenger ferries, mainly on the Piraeus–Crete and Adriatic Sea routes.
In December 2023, ANEK Lines was acquired by Attica Group
Attica Holdings S.A. is an operator of international ferry services in Europe. Attica Group's operations include its subsidiaries Superfast Ferries, which began in 1995 with the launch of its first ships, Superfast I & Superfast II, and Blu ...
, continuing operations as the fourth cruise line subsidiary of Attica Group.
History
In Crete, protests broke out after the Typaldos Lines car ferry capsized due to a series of violations of safety regulations. The ship sank on her way from Chania to Piraeus on 8 December 1966, resulting in the death of more than 200 people.
In the aftermath, a few hundred Cretans (traders, free-lancers, pensioners, farmers), following a proposal by the Association of Economists of the Chania Prefecture with the support of the Metropolitan of Kissamos and Selinos, and Irineos Galanakis, implemented their idea to found a multi-shareholder shipping company.
Therefore, on
*1967 - On 10 April, ANEK Lines was founded with its head offices located at Chania. At the beginning only born Cretans could hold stocks in ANEK Lines
*1970 - The company's first F/B vessel ''Kydon'' started servicing the route Piraeus-Chania
*1973 - The F/B's ''Candia'' and ''Rethymo'' started servicing the route Piraeus-Iraklion
*1978 - The F/B ''Kriti'' started daily servicing the route Piraeus-Chania
*1987 - The F/B ''Aptera''started servicing the route Piraeus-Chania
**New route Crete-Thessaloniki started (route closed then suddenly)
*1989 - The F/B's ''Lato'' and ''Lissos'' started servicing the route Patras-Corfu/Igoumenitsa-Ancona
**New blue-yellow corporate identity introduced
**The F/B ''Kydon'' was sold
*1992 - ANEK Lines new flagship the F/B ''El. Venizelos'' started servicing the route Greece-Italy.
**F/B ''Talos'' started servicing the route Patras-Trieste
*1994 - New route opened, Patras-Igoumenitsa-Bari, but already ceased the following year
*1997 - The F/B's ''Kriti I'' & ''Kriti II'' started new nonstop Patras-Ancona service
*1998 - Share-capital increase and initial public offering (IPO) for the company's stocks in the Athens Stock Exchange
**F/B "Sokofles V" starts operating the route to Northern Italy (Patras-Trieste)
**Take over some stakes in DANE
*1999 - The company's stocks started trading on the Athens Stock Exchange on 21 January
**ANEK Lines purchases 50% of the share-capital of LANE (Ag. Nikolaos), with the assignment of the F/B ''Talos''
**ANEK Lines merge with RETHYMNIAKI and integrate their ships F/B ''Prevelis'' and F/B ''Arkadi'' into the fleet
**ANEK Lines ITALIA s.r.l.was founded. ANEK Lines holds 51% of its shares
**ANEK Lines buys 16.5% of NEL Lines
**ANEN was founded. ANEK Lines holds 20% of its shares
*2000 - The F/B ''Lefka Ori'' was purchased, fully renovated and started servicing the route Patras-Ancona
**ANEK Lines increase its shares to 41,9% of the share-capital of DANE
**ANEK Lines buys 50% of the share-capital of ETANAP
**ANEK Lines buys 62% of the share-capital of LEFKA ORI A.B.E.E.
**Contract signed with the Norwegian shipyard Fosen Mek Shipyard for the shipbuilding of two new buildings (first time for ANEK) with delivery dates October 2000 and May 2001 with an option for two more
**Delivery of the newly constructed ''Olympic Champion'' servicing the route Patra - Ancona which completes the route Igoumenitsa - Ancona in 15 hour
**ANEK Lines increases its share-capital (25% = 9.5 billion drachmas / 27.88 million EUROs)
**The F/B's ''Candia'' and ''Rethymno'' are sold
**ANEK Lines increases its share-capital in NEL to 19.05%
*2001 - Established online connections to the international booking systems START, MERLIN, AMADEUS and SIGMA
**Delivery of the second newly constructed H/S/F ''Hellenic Spirit'' servicing along with the H/S/F ''Olympic Champion'' the route Patra - Igoumenitsa - Ancona reducing the travelling time from Igoumenitsa - Ancona to 15 hours
**The former Patras-Ancona operating ships, ''Kriti I'' and ''Kriti II'', were deployed then on Patras-Triest and Ravena-Catania (''Kriti I'')
*2002 - The F/B's ''Kriti I'' & ''Kriti II'' deployed on the Piraeus-Heraklion service
*2003 - ANEK Lines set up a ro/ro operations called ANEK CARGO for the routes Piraeus–Heraklion, Patras–Bari and Patras–Venice
*2005 - In May ANEK sold its 16.5% shares in NEL Lines to Edgewater Holdings with a €0.5 million profitANEK Lines SA, 2005 annual report
**In November the F/B ''Aptera'' was sold with a €2.5 million net profit
**The new Patras-Venice route is added to the route to Northern Italy
**The construction of the company's building is completed as well as the relocation of administrative services to the company-owned, functional establishment in Chania(Karamanli avenue former Souda Avenue)
*2007 - In February the company's latest establishment in Piraeus is inaugurated, housing the Directorate of Commercial Exploitation, the Directorate of Technical Services and the Piraeus main agency
*2008 - In April the P/S-F/S ''Prevelis'' entered service on the Piraeus-Paros-Naxos-Ios-Santorini line
** In July 2008 the P/S-F/S ''Lissos'' entered service between Piraeus and Chios-Mytilini
** In September 2008 the P/S-F/S ''Elyros'' entered service between Piraeus and Chania
** In December 2008 ANEK was awarded a prize as "The Best Passenger Line of the Year 2008" during the 5th Greek Shipping Awards ceremony hosted by Lloyd's List
*2010 - In April, ANEK established a new subsidiary AIGAION PELAGOS THALASSIES GRAMMES SHIPPING COMPANY (Chania), to charter and operate the east Aegean and specifically the Piraeus-Syros-Mykonos-Ikaria-Fourni–Samos route and in September this new company undertook the Heraklion route which it is servicing by chartering Parent Company's vessels
*2011 - On 1 June, ANEK Lines started a 3-year joint service agreement with Attica Group (Superfast, Blue Star Ferries) for the route Patras–Igoumenitsa–Ancona and Piraeus–Irakleion under the name ANEK-Superfast. Therefore, ANEK deploy its ferry ''Olympic Champion'' from the Ancona service (now a joint venture operations with ANEK's ''Lefka Ori'' and the Superfast VI and XI) to the Irakleio service (now a joint venture operations with '' Superfast XII'')
*2012 - On 14 June, F/B ''Lato'' deployed in the international line Bari–Durrës in cooperation with Adriatica Lines for the summer season.
*2014 - F/B ''Ierapetra L.'' deployed in the international line Bari–Durrës in charter from ANEK Italia for year-round service. A major engine-room fire on 29 November 2014 when underway with crew only aboard caused substantial damage to the ship which returned to Brindisi Italy. No injuries or fatalities occurred. The vessel is currently out of operation
*2014 - Due to the 2014 Libyan conflict, Libya's House of Representatives
House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entities. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often ...
has been housed on the ANEK's ferry ''Elyros'' which has been moored off the coast of Tobruk
Tobruk ( ; ; ) is a port city on Libya's eastern Mediterranean coast, near the border with Egypt. It is the capital of the Butnan District (formerly Tobruk District) and has a population of 120,000 (2011 est.)."Tobruk" (history), ''Encyclop� ...
in eastern Libya
Libya, officially the State of Libya, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to Egypt–Libya border, the east, Sudan to Libya–Sudan border, the southeast, Chad to Chad–L ...
*2015 - ANEK operates the ''Sophocles V'' as ''Kydon'' on the Piraeus-Chania. The ''Olympic Champion'' returns to the Adriatic, and the ''El. Venizelos'' operates in the Northern Aegean in order to transport Syrian refugees arriving in Chios
Chios (; , traditionally known as Scio in English) is the fifth largest Greece, Greek list of islands of Greece, island, situated in the northern Aegean Sea, and the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, tenth largest island in the Medi ...
and Lesvos
Fleet
The ANEK Lines fleet is composed of six motor Ro-Ro/passengerferries
A ferry is a boat or ship that transports passengers, and occasionally vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A small passenger ferry with multiple stops, like those in Venice, Italy, is sometimes referred to as a water taxi or water bus.
...
, of which three are in use, two on long term charter and one is laid up.
Laid up
On long term charter to Foreign Companies
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'' forSuperfast Ferries
Superfast Ferries is a Greece-based ferry company founded in 1993 by Pericles Panagopoulos, Pericles Panagopulos and Alexander Panagopoulos, Alexander Panagopulos. Superfast Ferries is a member of Attica Group and operates 5 car-passenger fer ...
since 2024)
*''Hellenic Spirit'' 2001-2024 (as ''Superfast IV'' for Superfast Ferries since 2025)
*''Coraggio'' 2012-2013 (as ''Athena Seaways'' for DFDS Seaways
DFDS Seaways is a Danish shipping company that operates passenger and freight services across northern Europe. Following the acquisition of Norfolkline in 2010, DFDS restructured its other shipping divisions (DFDS Tor Line and DFDS Lisco) in ...
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
Corfu ( , ) or Kerkyra (, ) is a Greece, Greek island in the Ionian Sea, of the Ionian Islands; including its Greek islands, small satellite islands, it forms the margin of Greece's northwestern frontier. The island is part of the Corfu (regio ...
. Laid up for 4 years in Bari
Bari ( ; ; ; ) is the capital city of the Metropolitan City of Bari and of the Apulia Regions of Italy, region, on the Adriatic Sea in southern Italy. It is the first most important economic centre of mainland Southern Italy. It is a port and ...
; scrapped in Aliaga in 2019)
*''Asterion'' 2016-2018 (as ''Connemara'' for Brittany Ferries since 2018)
ANEK-Superfast
On 7 June 2011 ANEK Lines andSuperfast Ferries
Superfast Ferries is a Greece-based ferry company founded in 1993 by Pericles Panagopoulos, Pericles Panagopulos and Alexander Panagopoulos, Alexander Panagopulos. Superfast Ferries is a member of Attica Group and operates 5 car-passenger fer ...
created a joint venture for the Piraeus
Piraeus ( ; ; , Ancient: , Katharevousa: ) is a port city within the Athens urban area ("Greater Athens"), in the Attica region of Greece. It is located southwest of Athens city centre along the east coast of the Saronic Gulf in the Ath ...
-Heraklion
Heraklion or Herakleion ( ; , , ), sometimes Iraklion, is the largest city and the administrative capital city, capital of the island of Crete and capital of Heraklion (regional unit), Heraklion regional unit. It is the fourth largest city in G ...
and the Patra-Igoumenitsa
Igoumenitsa () is a coastal city in northwestern Greece. It is the capital of the regional unit of Thesprotia.
Igoumenitsa is the chief port of Thesprotia and Epirus, and one of the largest passenger ports of Greece, connecting northwestern Main ...
-Ancona
Ancona (, also ; ) is a city and a seaport in the Marche region of central Italy, with a population of around 101,997 . Ancona is the capital of the province of Ancona, homonymous province and of the region. The city is located northeast of Ro ...
routes with two RO-PAX ships on the first route (the ANEK-owned ''Olympic Champion'' and the Superfast-owned '' Superfast XII'') and three in the second route (the ANEK-owned ''Hellenic Spirit'' and the Superfast-owned '' Superfast VI'' and '' Superfast XI'').
Routes
*Greece domestic **Piraeus
Piraeus ( ; ; , Ancient: , Katharevousa: ) is a port city within the Athens urban area ("Greater Athens"), in the Attica region of Greece. It is located southwest of Athens city centre along the east coast of the Saronic Gulf in the Ath ...
–Chania
Chania (, , ), also sometimes romanization of Greek, romanized as Hania, is a city in Greece and the capital of the Chania (regional unit), Chania regional unit. It lies along the north west coast of the island Crete, about west of Rethymno ...
(''Elyros'' and ''Kissamos'')
**Piraeus
Piraeus ( ; ; , Ancient: , Katharevousa: ) is a port city within the Athens urban area ("Greater Athens"), in the Attica region of Greece. It is located southwest of Athens city centre along the east coast of the Saronic Gulf in the Ath ...
– Heraklio (''Asterion II'')
Affiliates
ANEK Group comprises ANEK Lines, its subsidiaries, and companies in which it holds a minority stake greater than 10%: *ANEK HOLDINGS S.A. (Greece, Crete - Chania): 99.5%, tourism, participation in other companies, consulting, etc. *ΑΝΕΚ LINES ITALIA srl (Italy, Ancona): 49%, factoring and representation of shipping companies *LANE S.A. (Lane Lines, Greece, Crete - Ag. Nikolaos): 50.11%, passenger ferry shipping *AIGAION PELAGOS - THALASSIES GRAMMES SHIPPING COMPANY (Crete, Chania): 99.90%, sailing company under Law 959/79 *T.C. SAILING (Greece, Crete - Chania): 97.5% sailing company under Law 959/79 *ETANAP S.A. (Greece, Crete - Chania/Stylos): 50%, production and distribution of bottled water *LEFKA ORI S.A. (Greece, Crete - Chania/Stylos): 62%, production and trade of plastic bottles and packaging products *CHAMPION FERRIES Ltd (Marshall Islands): 70%, shippingANEK Lines, 2005 Annual Report, page 19 Former affiliates and investments: *NEL Lines 16.5% (shares sold 2005 to Edgewater Holdings) *DANE Sea Lines 41.87% (stopped operations in August 2004 after financial difficulties) RETHYMNIAKI (took over and finally merged into ANEK Lines in 1999) ANEN 19.36%Accidents and incidents
On 28 August 2018, at 23:45 ( UTC+03:00), ''El. Venizelos'', one of ANEK's fleet, caught fire soon after leavingPiraeus
Piraeus ( ; ; , Ancient: , Katharevousa: ) is a port city within the Athens urban area ("Greater Athens"), in the Attica region of Greece. It is located southwest of Athens city centre along the east coast of the Saronic Gulf in the Ath ...
for Chania
Chania (, , ), also sometimes romanization of Greek, romanized as Hania, is a city in Greece and the capital of the Chania (regional unit), Chania regional unit. It lies along the north west coast of the island Crete, about west of Rethymno ...
, with 875 passengers and 140 crew members on board. The ferry was able to return to Piraeus, with no injuries.
References
External links
Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Anek Lines Transport companies established in 1967 Companies listed on the Athens Exchange Ferry companies of Greece Shipping companies of Greece Greek companies established in 1967