Blue Star Maritime S.A., operating under the brand name Blue Star Ferries, is a

Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...

-based company founded in 1993 which provides

ferry 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 ...

services between the Greek mainland and the Aegean Islands. Blue Star Ferries is the biggest ferry company in Greece, serving more than 20 destinations. Its fleet is composed of 12 modern ferries whose course speeds range from 23 to 30 knots. Blue Star Ferries is a

subsidiary A subsidiary, subsidiary company, or daughter company is a company (law), company completely or partially owned or controlled by another company, called the parent company or holding company, which has legal and financial control over the subsidia ...

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 ...

along with

Hellenic Seaways Hellenic Seaways is a Greece-based ferry company founded in 1984. Hellenic Seaways is a subsidiary of Attica Group along with Blue Star Ferries and Superfast Ferries. History ''Ceres Hellenic Shipping Enterprises'' owned by the Livanos fam ...

and

Superfast 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 ...

History

Blue Star Ferries was founded in 1965 as Strintzis Lines by the Strintzis family from

Lixouri Lixouri () is a town and a municipality in the island of Kefalonia, the largest of the Ionian Islands of western Greece. It is the main town on the peninsula of Paliki, and the second largest town in Kefalonia after Argostoli and before Sami. It is ...

Kefalonia Kefalonia or Cephalonia (), formerly also known as Kefallinia or Kephallonia (), is the largest of the Ionian Islands in western Greece and the 6th-largest island in Greece after Crete, Euboea, Lesbos, Rhodes and Chios. It is also a separate regio ...

. The company was rebranded as Blue Ferries in 2000 following Attica Enterprises' acquisition of a 48% stake in the company. Blue Star Ferries is a sister company of Superfast Ferries, as both are part of Attica Group and have had partnership in some routes, such as

Rosyth Rosyth () is a town and Garden City in Fife, Scotland, on the coast of the Firth of Forth. Scotland's first Garden city movement, Garden City, Rosyth is part of the Greater Dunfermline Area and is located 3 miles south of Dunfermline city cen ...

–

Zeebrugge Zeebrugge (; from , meaning "Bruges-on-Sea"; , ) is a village on the coast of Belgium and a subdivision of Bruges, for which it is the modern port. Zeebrugge serves as both the international port of Bruges-Zeebrugge and a seafront resort with ...

and presently

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 ...

. In 2000, the company took delivery of two

roll-on/roll-off Roll-on/roll-off (RORO or ro-ro) ships are cargo ships designed to carry wheeled cargo, such as cars, motorcycles, trucks, semi-trailer trucks, buses, Trailer (vehicle), trailers, and railroad cars, that are driven on and off the ship on their ...

(RO/RO) ferries built at the

Dutch Dutch or Nederlands commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands ** Dutch people as an ethnic group () ** Dutch nationality law, history and regulations of Dutch citizenship () ** Dutch language () * In specific terms, i ...

shipyard

Van der Giessen de Noord Van der Giessen de Noord () was a shipyard, shipbuilding company that mainly built ferry, ferries, located in Krimpen aan den IJssel, a town in the western Netherlands. The yard was especially suited to the construction of large Ship, vessels due ...

. In 2006, Blue Star Maritime S.A. purchased the

Dodecanese The Dodecanese (, ; , ''Dodekánisa'' , ) are a group of 15 larger and 150 smaller Greek islands in the southeastern Aegean Sea and Eastern Mediterranean, off the coast of Anatolia, of which 26 are inhabited. This island group generally define ...

ferry company DANE Sea Lines. Blue Star Ferries ordered two ferry-type ships at Daewoo Shipyards in

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...

. The first ferry, named ''Blue Star Delos'', was delivered in the first 10 days of October 2011, and the second, ''Blue Star Patmos'', in July 2012. ''Blue Star Delos'' is currently on the route Piraeus–

Paros Paros (; ; ) is a Greek island in the central Aegean Sea. Part of the Cyclades island group, it lies to the west of Naxos (island), Naxos, from which it is separated by a channel about wide. It lies approximately south-east of Piraeus. The Co ...

–

Naxos Naxos (; , ) is a Greek island belonging to the Cyclades island group. It is the largest island in the group. It was an important centre during the Bronze Age Cycladic Culture and in the Ancient Greek Archaic Period. The island is famous as ...

–

Ios Ios, Io or Nio (, ; ; locally Nios, Νιός) is a Greek island in the Cyclades group in the Aegean Sea. Ios is a hilly island with cliffs down to the sea on most sides. It is situated halfway between Naxos and Santorini. It is about long an ...

–

Thira Santorini (, ), officially Thira (, ) or Thera, is a Greece, Greek island in the southern Aegean Sea, about southeast from the mainland. It is the largest island of a small, circular archipelago formed by the Santorini caldera. It is the sou ...

, and ''Blue Star Patmos'' on the route Piraeus–

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 ...

–

Mytilini Mytilene (; ) is the capital of the Greek island of Lesbos, and its port. It is also the capital and administrative center of the North Aegean Region, and hosts the headquarters of the University of the Aegean. It was founded in the 11th ...

(

Lesvos Lesbos or Lesvos ( ) is a Greek island located in the northeastern Aegean Sea. It has an area of , with approximately of coastline, making it the third largest island in Greece and the eighth largest in the Mediterranean. It is separated from A ...

Current fleet

Blue Star Ferries currently operates a fleet of 10 vessels.

Conventional ferries

RO/RO cargo ships

Former fleet

As Strinzis Lines

*''Kephalinia'' (1965–1993), scrapped as ''Zachara'' in 2005 *''Ionion'' (1972–1978), sank in Gramvousa, Crete in 1992 *''Ionian Star'' (1976–1990), scrapped as ''Tian Kun'' in 2001 *''Ionian Glory'' (1981–1989), scrapped in 2012 at

Alexandria, Egypt Alexandria ( ; ) is the List of cities and towns in Egypt#Largest cities, second largest city in Egypt and the List of coastal settlements of the Mediterranean Sea, largest city on the Mediterranean coast. It lies at the western edge of the Nile ...

*''Eptanisos'' (1984–2000), scrapped as ''Pollux 1'' at

Gadani Beach, Pakistan Gadani Beach is a beach on the Arabian Sea located near the Hub River and Cape Monze in Gadani, Hub District, Balochistan, Pakistan. Gadani Beach is the location of Gadani ship-breaking yard, which was once one of the world's largest ship ...

in 2004 *''Ionian Victory'' (1984–1986), scrapped as ''Jin Hu'' in 2004 *''Delos'' (1986–1997), scrapped in 2011 * ''Ionian Sun'' (1986–2001), scrapped as ''Merdif'' in 2004 at Alang, India *''Ionian Island'' (1987–2000), scrapped as ''Merdif 1'' in 2010 at Alang, India *''Ionian Galaxy'' (1987–2000), scrapped as ''Merdif 2'' in 2011 at Alang, India *''Ionian Fantasy'' (1988–1991): while serving as ''Ionian Sea'' (1991–1993), caught fire while laid up under the name ''Leros'' at Elefsina, Greece; scrapped at

Aliağa Aliağa () is a municipality and district of İzmir Province, Turkey. Its area is 379 km2, and its population is 104,828 (2022). The town is situated at about north of İzmir. Aliağa has a large port, mainly for oil and bulk cargo. Its e ...

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

in 2001 *''Ionian Harmony'' (1989–1990), scrapped as ''Caly'' in 2013 at Alang, India *''Ezio'' (1986-2007), scrapped as ''Al Masam'' in

Alang Alang is a census town in Bhavnagar district in the Indian state of Gujarat. Because it is home to the Alang Ship Breaking Yard, Alang beaches are considered the world's largest ship graveyard. Demographics As of the 2001 Indian census, Al ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

2009 *''Superferry'' (1991–2001), scrapped as ''Mahabba'' in

Chittagong Ship Breaking Yard Chittagong Ship Breaking Yard () is located in Faujdarhat, Sitakunda Upazila, Bangladesh along the Sitakunda coastal strip, north-west of Chittagong. Handling about a fifth of the world's total. It was the world's largest ship breaking yard, ...

in 2021 *''Superferry II'' (1993–2000), serving as ''SuperStar'' for

Seajets Seajets is a Greek/ Cypriot ferry company founded in 1989 by Marios Iliopoulos and his father Panagiotis. Seajets operates a fleet of passenger, freight ferry and cruiseferry services in the Aegean Sea. Seajets is one of Greece's leading ferry co ...

since 2021 *''Ionian Star'' (1994–1999), serving as ''Denia Ciutat Creativa'' for Balearia since 2016 *''Kefalonia'' (1995–2000), serving as ''Kefalonia'' for

Levante Ferries Levante Ferries is a Greece-based ferry company which was established in 2014. Today, a fleet of four ferries serves the transportation needs of the islands Zakynthos, Cephalonia and Ithaca (island), Ithaca. Routes Currently, Levante Ferries is ...

since 2018 *''Ionian Bridge'' (1996–2000), scrapped as ''Duba'' in 2021 at Alang, India *''Sea Jet 1'' (1998–2000), serving as ''Super Jet'' for

since 2004 *''Ionian Victory'' (1998–2000), scrapped as ''Ionian Sky'' in 2020 at Aliağa, Turkey *''Sea Jet 2'' (1999–2000), serving as ''Seajet 2'' for

since 2006 *''Superferry Hellas'' (1999–2000), will be serving as Lefka Ori for Superfast Ferries in 2024

As Blue Ferries and Blue Star Ferries

*''Blue Bridge'' (2000–2004), scrapped as Duba in 2021 at Alang, India *''Blue Galaxy'' (2000–2001), scrapped as ''Merdif 2'' in 2011 at Alang, India *''Blue Island'' (2000–2001), scrapped as ''Merdif 1'' in 2010 at Alang, India *''Blue Sky'' (2000–2004), scrapped as ''Ionian Sky'' in 2020 at Aliağa, Turkey *''Kefalonia'' (2000–2004), serving as ''Kefalonia'' for

since 2018 *''Sea Jet 1'' (2000–2003), serving as ''Super Jet'' for

since 2004 *''Sea Jet 2'' (2000–2006), serving as ''Seajet 2'' for

since 2006 *''Blue Aegean'' (2001–2002), scrapped as ''Mahabba'' in 2021 at Colombo, Sri Lanka *''Superferry II'' (2000–2011), serving as ''SuperStar'' for

since 2021 *'' Blue Star Ithaki'' (2000–2014), serving as ''

MV Fundy Rose MV ''Fundy Rose'' is a Roll-on/roll-off, RORO passenger ship owned by the Government of Canada, which entered service with Bay Ferries in 2015 between Saint John, New Brunswick, Saint John, New Brunswick, and Digby, Nova Scotia, Digby, Nova Scot ...

'' for Bay Ferries since 2014 * ''Blue Horizon'' (2000-2023), serving as ''Lefka Ori'' for

since 2024 * ''Blue Galaxy'' (2015-2024), serving as ''Kissamos'' for

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. It was founded in 1967 by nu ...

since 2024

Routes

Piraeus–Cyclades

–

Santorini Santorini (, ), officially Thira (, ) or Thera, is a Greek island in the southern Aegean Sea, about southeast from the mainland. It is the largest island of a small, circular archipelago formed by the Santorini caldera. It is the southern ...

(''Blue Star Delos'') *

–

– Irakleia– Schoinousa–

Koufonisia Koufonisia () are a small island complex and a former community in the Cyclades, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Naxos and Lesser Cyclades, of which it is a municipal unit. The municipal unit has an ar ...

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Amorgos Amorgos (, ; ) is the easternmost island of the Cyclades island group and the nearest island to the neighboring Dodecanese island group in Greece. Along with 16 neighbouring islets, the largest of which (by land area) is Nikouria Island, it compr ...

(''Blue Star Naxos'') *

–

Syros Syros ( ), also known as Siros or Syra, is a Greece, Greek island in the Cyclades, in the Aegean Sea. It is south-east of Athens. The area of the island is and at the 2021 census it had 21,124 inhabitants. The largest towns are Ermoupoli, Ano S ...

–

Tinos Tinos ( ) is a Greek island situated in the Aegean Sea. It forms part of the Cyclades archipelago. The closest islands are Andros, Delos, and Mykonos. It has a land area of and a 2021 census population of 8,934 inhabitants. Tinos is famous amo ...

–

Mykonos Mykonos (, ; ) is a Greek island, part of the Cyclades, lying between Tinos, Syros, Paros and Naxos. The island has an area of and rises to an elevation of at its highest point. At the 2021 census, there were 10,704 inhabitants, most of ...

(''Blue Star Paros'')

Piraeus–Dodecanese

–

Patmos Patmos (, ) is a Greece, Greek island in the Aegean Sea. It is famous as the location where, according to Christian belief, John of Patmos received the vision found in the Book of Revelation of the New Testament, and where the book was written. ...

–

Leros Leros (), also called Lero (from the Italian language), is a Greek island and municipality in the Dodecanese in the southern Aegean Sea. It lies from Athens's port of Piraeus, from which it can be reached by a nine-hour ferry ride or by a 45-min ...

–

Kos Kos or Cos (; ) is a Greek island, which is part of the Dodecanese island chain in the southeastern Aegean Sea. Kos is the third largest island of the Dodecanese, after Rhodes and Karpathos; it has a population of 37,089 (2021 census), making ...

–

Rhodes Rhodes (; ) is the largest of the Dodecanese islands of Greece and is their historical capital; it is the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, ninth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Administratively, the island forms a separ ...

(''Blue Star 2'') *

–

Astypalaia Astypalaia (Greek Language, Greek: Αστυπάλαια, ), is a Greece, Greek island with 1,334 residents (2011 census). It belongs to the Dodecanese, an archipelago of fifteen major islands in the southeastern Aegean Sea. However, many scholars ...

–

Fournoi Fournoi Korseon (), more commonly simplified as Fournoi (), anciently known as Corsiae or Korsiai (), Corseae or Korseai (Κορσεαί), Corsia or Korsia (Κορσία), and Corassiae (Κορασσίαι), form a complex or archipelago of sm ...

–

Ikaria Ikaria, also spelled Icaria (; ), is a Greece, Greek island in the Aegean Sea, 10 nautical miles (19 km) southwest of Samos. Administratively, Ikaria forms a separate municipality within the Ikaria (regional unit), Ikaria regional unit, ...

–

Leipsoi Leipsoi (, also: ''Lipsi''; anciently, Lepsia, , ) is an island south of Samos and to the north of Leros in Greece. It is well serviced with ferries passing between Patmos and Leros and on the main route for ferries from Piraeus. Leipsoi is a sm ...

–

Kalymnos Kalymnos (; ) is a Greek island and municipality in the southeastern Aegean Sea. It belongs to the Dodecanese island chain, between the islands of Kos (south, at a distance of ) and Leros (north, at a distance of less than ): the latter is lin ...

–

Nisyros Nisyros, also spelled Nisiros (; ), is a volcanic Greek island and municipality located in the Aegean Sea. It is part of the Dodecanese group of islands, situated between the islands of Kos and Tilos. Its shape is approximately round, with a ...

–

Tilos Tílos (; ) is a small Greek island and municipality located in the Aegean Sea. It is part of the Dodecanese group of islands, and lies midway between Kos and Rhodes. In 2021, the island had a population of 746 people. Along with the uninhabited ...

–

Symi Symi, also transliterated as Syme or Simi (), is a Greece, Greek island and Communities and Municipalities of Greece, municipality. It is mountainous and has the harbour town of Symi and its adjacent upper town Ano Symi, as well as several smaller ...

–

Kasos Kasos (; , ), also Casos, is a Greek island municipality in the Dodecanese. It is the southernmost island in the Aegean Sea, and is part of the regional unit Karpathos-Kasos. The capital of the island is Fri. , its population was 1,223. ...

–

Karpathos Karpathos (, ), also Carpathos, is the second largest of the Greek Dodecanese islands, in the southeastern Aegean Sea. Together with the neighboring smaller Saria Island it forms the municipality of Karpathos, which is part of the regional unit ...

–

Kastellorizo Kastellorizo or Castellorizo ( ; ), officially Megisti (), is a Greek island and municipality of the Dodecanese in the Eastern Mediterranean.Bertarelli, 131 It lies roughly off the south coast of Turkey, about southeast of Athens and east of R ...

(''Blue Star Patmos'') *

–

Anafi Anafi or Anaphe (; ) is a Greek island community in the Cyclades. In 2021, it had a population of 293. Its land area is . It lies east of the island of Thíra (Santorini). Anafi is part of the Thira regional unit. History According to mytholo ...

–

– Diafani–

Chalki Halki ( ; alternatively ''Chalce'' or ''Chalki'') is a Greek island and municipality in the Dodecanese archipelago in the Aegean Sea, some west of Rhodes. It has an area of . It is part of the Rhodes regional unit. It has a permanent population ...

–

Sitia Sitia (Latin language, Latin and Italian language, Italian) or Siteia (, ) is a port town and a municipality in Lasithi, Crete, Greece. The town has 11,166 inhabitants and the municipality has 20,438 (2021). It lies east of Agios Nikolaos, Cre ...

(''Blue Star Chios'')

Piraeus–Northeast Aegean Sea

–

Mesta The ''Mesta'' () was a powerful association protecting livestock owners and their animals in the Crown of Castile that was incorporated in the 13th century and was dissolved in 1836. Although best known for its organisation of the annual migrat ...

–

Mytilene Mytilene (; ) is the capital city, capital of the Greece, Greek island of Lesbos, and its port. It is also the capital and administrative center of the North Aegean Region, and hosts the headquarters of the University of the Aegean. It was fo ...

(''Blue Star 1'') *

–

Fournoi Korseon Fournoi Korseon (), more commonly simplified as Fournoi (), anciently known as Corsiae or Korsiai (), Corseae or Korseai (Κορσεαί), Corsia or Korsia (Κορσία), and Corassiae (Κορασσίαι), form a complex or archipelago of sm ...

–

Samos Samos (, also ; , ) is a Greek island in the eastern Aegean Sea, south of Chios, north of Patmos and the Dodecanese archipelago, and off the coast of western Turkey, from which it is separated by the Mycale Strait. It is also a separate reg ...

–

Limnos Lemnos ( ) or Limnos ( ) is a Greek island in the northern Aegean Sea. Administratively the island forms a separate municipality within the Lemnos regional unit, which is part of the North Aegean region. The principal town of the island and ...

–

Kavala Kavala (, ''Kavála'' ) is a city in northern Greece, the principal seaport of eastern Macedonia and the capital of Kavala regional unit. It is situated on the Bay of Kavala, across from the island of Thasos and on the A2 motorway, a one-and ...

(''Blue Star Myconos'')

Media

One of Blue Star Ferries' boats took the role of ''Princess Myrto'' on the Greek

TV show A television show, TV program (), or simply a TV show, is the general reference to any content produced for viewing on a television set that is broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, and cable, or distributed digitally on streaming platfo ...

''Θα Σε Δω Στο Πλοίο'' (literally translated: ''I'll See You on the Ferry'') broadcast by

Alpha TV Alpha TV is a Greece, Greek free-to-air channel, one of the biggest stations in Greece. The station features a mix of Greek and foreign shows with an emphasis on information. The studios are located in Kifissia and Pallini. Alpha TV is owned by A ...

, a Greek channel, from 2000 to 2002. The majority of the filming for this series was on the boat itself except for on-location filming of the characters on holiday or on leave. This is still being broadcast in certain Greek-speaking countries, including

Cyprus Cyprus (), officially the Republic of Cyprus, is an island country in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Situated in West Asia, its cultural identity and geopolitical orientation are overwhelmingly Southeast European. Cyprus is the List of isl ...

Controversy

On September 5, 2023, a 36 year old passenger of Blue Horizon, owned by Blue Star Ferries, on his effort to catch the ship on time, fell overboard and drowned at the port of Piraeus. The company initially denied any responsibility claiming that the man slipped, but video footage that was released later showed clearly that he was pushed off the ship's hatch by crew members. At that time the ship was departing with her propellers full ahead and the man drowned due to heavy turbulence. The video showed that the ship continued her course and the crew neither offered help nor reported "man overboard" as should. After the video was released on social media the ship, who had continued her voyage to Crete, was ordered to return to the port where the captain and the responsible crew members were arrested by the port police.

References

Παρουσίαση Blue Star Patmos

Παρουσίαση Blue Star Delos

External links

*{{commonscatinline
Official WebsiteBlue Star Ferries' ships videos
Ferry companies of Greece Companies based in Athens Transport companies established in 2000 Greek brands