With the summer season fast approaching there is plenty of interest in the Mediterranean Sea, especially in the freight ferry business. As tourist numbers soar in the summer months, demand for supplies massively increases. This is especially the case on the many islands dotted around the Mediterranean.
Freightlink offer the best rates on our Mediterranean routes, as well as an extensive network to ensure you can make your deliveries on time and as efficiently as possible.
Greece
We offer over 20 ferry routes connecting Greece, the Greek Islands, Italy, Malta & Turkey for freight, HGV and van couriers. Consisting of hundreds of inhabited islands, travel by sea is required for all deliveries to the large Greek islands including Patras, Rhodes and Corfu.
As party islands and popular family holiday destinations, there are plenty of import opportunities. We can offer regular, reliable travel to these main destinations, with all routes offering at least one crossing per day. The main operators in Greece are Grimaldi Lines and Minoan Lines, which are able to connect major cities between Turkey, Italy and Greece, offering flexibility and choice for drivers.
Minoan Lines has recently announced that its ultra-modern high speed ferry Santorini Palace will begin its daily sailings on the Heraklion (Crete) – Cyclades islands route as of April 25, 2019. More specifically, during April 25 – May 14, and October 7 – 27, Santorini Palace will operate the route Heraklion – Santorini – Paros – Mykonos, opening up a direct route from Crete to the main Greek tourist islands.
Italy
There are over 45 ferry routes connecting Italy to Spain, Greece, Africa and Albania. The most popular routes for freight, HGV and van couriers include Genoa - Valletta, Livorno - Valletta, Anconca - Igoumenitsa and Salerno - Catania. The main operators in Italy include Grimaldi Lines and Tirrenia who, combined, offer great direct routes to Italy from Spain and Sardinia.
Italy, located right in the centre of the Mediterranean Sea, is perfectly positioned for access to countries that are further east and south, as well as having it's own massive tourist demand for imported goods especially throughout the summer months.
Around a year ago, Tirrenia operated two ships with limited transport capacity to service various Catania-related routes. The frequency of services ranged from every two days to two weeks, depending on the specific route. However, a year later, the facilites onboard Tirrenia vessels have grown exponentially, motivated by an increase in consumer demand. This led to small wins which further motivated the group to invest further, with the reintroduction of the Napoli route and more frequent sailings across the board. This demonstrates great development in routes across the Mediterranean and really is the place to get your foot in the door early.
Spain
There are over 25 ferry routes connecting Spain to the UK, Canary Islands, the Mediterranean and Africa. The most popular routes for freight, HGV and van couriers include Ibiza - Barcelona, Ciutadella - Barcelona, Portsmouth - Santander and Santa Cruz de Tenerife - Cadiz.
The main operators for these routes are Balearia and Transmediterranea, as well as Grimaldi Lines. With Grimaldi Lines it is also possible to move from Spain and Portugal directly to Greece, Turkey, Balkans area and Sicily thanks to the “Long Bridge” system. This allows transport companies travelling on the Barcelona – Civitavecchia ferry route to continue on to Greece, departing from Brindisi, or to Sicily departing from Salerno. The benefit is a discounted tariff, which is valid for the two maritime trips. Leaving from Barcelona, trucks arriving in Civitavecchia will find connections from Brindisi to Igoumenitsa and Patras or, if directed to Sicily, from Salerno to Palermo and Catania. The Long Bridge tariffs of Grimaldi Lines are the easiest solution to perform transport in a fast, reliable and competitive way.
For more information on the routes available in the Mediterranean and for the best prices on offer, check out our Mediterranean Ferry Routes guide.