Having completed the acquisition of four fully containerized ships in 2023 and divested some of its con-ro vessels, Ignazio Messina is now putting these ships to work. The Jolly Rosa, the first in line, officially commenced operations at the company's Genoese maritime terminal on January 29, 2024. The ship is ready to embark on journeys to the Middle East and the Arabian Gulf, although its debut coincides with a challenging time for routes transiting the Suez Canal.
The intimate ceremony on January 29 also served as a platform to announce further acquisitions of “modern ships for sale in the market, which will not only carry containers but will continue to transport exceptional items, project cargo, and roll-on/roll-off cargoes”, as stated in a company press release. Thus, Ignazio Messina will continue its shift toward container shipping while maintaining its roll-on/roll-off services.
Andrea Gais, the company president, explained that this ceremony marks the completion of the first phase of the repositioning program, a plan that “draws strength from the commercial network established over the years and a collaborative relationship with shippers and freight forwarders in the region where the new ships operate”. Ignazio Messina is targeting a broad region encompassing the Arabian Gulf countries and the Indian subcontinent (India and Pakistan), viewing the latter as a burgeoning production alternative to China.
The next chapter of expansion will “materialize shortly with the acquisition of additional full-container units with greater transport capacity to be deployed on our historic and established routes”, added Gais. The company's pivot is also supported by the emergence of container terminals in the Middle East, which favor fully cellular ships due to economies of scale.
The Jolly Rosa is 260 meters long and 32 meters wide, with a gross tonnage of 42,112 tons and a transport capacity of 4,387 TEUs, including 360 refrigerated units. Registered with the Genoa Port Authority's maritime department, the ship is commanded by Captain Galli of Naples, coordinating a crew of 23 seafarers, including 14 Italians. Other container ships in Ignazio Messina's fleet have capacities ranging from 4,387 to 4,600 TEUs, including the Jolly Giada, a sister ship of the Jolly Rosa, and the twin ships Jolly Argento and Jolly Oro.
