GNV ferries bets on Barcelona with its most modern ship

The San Beltrán dock, the waters within the U formed by the Barcelona, San Beltrán, and Poniente piers, presented a splendid and very homogeneous appearance this Tuesday morning: three GNV or Grandi Navi Veloci ferries occupied a good part of the mooring line.

The Excellent, recently arrived from Sète, was preparing to depart for Tangier Med. Another, the Fantastic, arrived from Genoa to then also continue its journey to Morocco's most modern port, and the third vessel of the Italian shipping company, the GNV Bridge, was presented to society hours before embarking on its first commercial voyage Barcelona-Palma, with which this division of the MSC Group fully enters the peninsula-Balearic market, in direct competition with two classics of travel between Barcelona and the islands: Trasmediterránea, currently within the orbit of the Grimaldi group, and Baleària, the Dénia shipping company that is currently operating with four daily vessels in this market.

The GNV Bridge shone at mooring 20A, next to the start of the Porta d'Europa bridge, from where it will operate starting tonight on its daily Barcelona-Palma-Barcelona voyages, a line that three times a week will extend south, performing the Barcelona-Palma-Ibiza-Barcelona triangulation. It also shone because the ship is a new construction, delivered to the company this June by Cantiere Navale Visentini, a shipyard in Veneto specialized in the construction of this type of vessel.

"It is very important for us that the ship with which they start this new commitment to Barcelona is the newest in their fleet. It gives us prestige," José Alberto Carbonell, general director of the port since 2009, told The New Barcelona Post yesterday, who has closely followed, with his characteristic discretion, all of GNV's movements for its landing in the city, an option that was an open secret in the sector, although the MSC subsidiary did not make it official until last May 5, when it confirmed that the Bridge would have the head of its lines in Barcelona and that a second ship, the GNV Sealand, would do the same from Valencia, also operating direct lines with Palma and triangular ones passing through Ibiza.

New president

One of the people who this Tuesday were especially happy while observing and asking about all the details of the ship, was Damià Calvet, new president of the port since last week in what was his first public act in office, as it also was for Joan Pere Gómez Comes, his chief of staff and institutional relations. He arrives at the port after almost five years serving as director of Ports de la Generalitat de Catalunya, that is, all those on the coast except Barcelona and Tarragona, which belong to the state port network, although in both facilities the power to appoint the president is left to the Govern, hence with his experience as Minister of Territory and Sustainability, the current Catalan executive's choice for the capital's port has been Calvet.

With his experience as Minister of Territory and Sustainability, the current Catalan executive's choice for the capital's port has been Calvet

The new president had Matteo Catani, CEO of GNV, as his host on board, who showed him all the details of a ship that has more than two and a half linear kilometers to transport wheeled cargo in its holds, can carry a thousand passengers and has 157 interior, exterior and even several suites"I believe that what distinguishes us in our sector is the onboard service. Since the company's founding in the early 90s, it was a fixation for us to stand out in that," commented Catani, adding that in recent times the fleet has grown in parallel with that of the container ship parent company, MSC Cargo, and the Cruises division, MSC Cruises. The GNV ferries fleet currently consists of 19 vessels operating 26 routes between seven Mediterranean countries: Italy, Spain, France, Albania, Tunisia, Morocco, and Malta.

Traditions and commissioners

As is tradition in the maritime world, there was an exchange of mementos between the ship's captain and the port president: it is customary that on the first visit to a city, the port authority presents a commemorative plaque in remembrance of that day. In Barcelona's case, a metope with the city's profile is usually given, which then adorns the crew area. In the other direction, the captain gives a similar memento to the port representative; in this case, Captain Roberto Tiné presented a plaque with the shipping company's logo to Calvet in the presence of the onboard commissioner, Nicolo Canzonieri, and the ship's doctor, Dr. Attalo Floco.

In Barcelona's case, a metope with the city's profile is usually given, which then adorns the crew area

Canzonieri commented toThe New Barcelona Postthat his role as commissioner is identical to that of a hotel director, as all ships have three main pillars: the bridge crew, the engine crew, and the passenger service crew"The first two are essential for the operation of the ship and correct navigation, although passengers do not see them. The impression that the passenger takes away from their trip with us is that of the onboard service: the bars, restaurants, cabins, solarium, information service, or shops," clarified Irene Parmeggiani, GNV's communication director. "For all of that, to ensure that passengers get a good impression of our ships, accommodation, and onboard services, we have a specific position, which in the case of the GNV Bridge is held by Commissioner Canzonieri," Parmeggiani concluded.

Respect for competition

During his speech, in addition to reviewing the history of his company and its commitment to Barcelona since 1998, the CEO of the shipping company commented that he was very proud to enter the Spanish market, which in the area of goods has grown remarkably, and this allows for a safe entry. "We have come here with a good resume, we come to learn and improve the market. We come to stay and we greatly respect the two operators that have been in the market for years, just as we expect them to respect us," he emphasized.

The CEO of the shipping company commented that he was very proud to enter the Spanish market, which in the area of goods has grown remarkably, and this allows for a safe entry

For his part, the new president of the Port Authority of Barcelona underlined the weight that a shipping company like GNV has and the importance for the port of having a new operator in a strategic market with a strong relationship with the territory such as the Balearic Islands, as he also wanted to highlight the importance of starting the route with a new and efficient ship "to minimize environmental impact, something fundamental."

The event ended with an Italian-style lunch where pesto pasta, the typical sauce of Liguria, the Italian region with its capital in Genoa, home to this shipping company that has been committed to Barcelona and its motorways of the sea since 1998, was not missing.