With the arrival of the vessel Freya in the port of Cagliari on 25 June 2025, soon to be renamed Grendi Star from August, the Grendi Group is consolidating its presence in Sardinia and reinforcing its maritime connections with the mainland. Measuring 192 metres in length and offering a cargo capacity of 2,800 linear metres, the ship is scheduled to enter regular service on 26 June on the Marina di Carrara–Cagliari route, bringing a significant boost to both overall capacity and transit times. It represents the fourth vessel in the company’s fleet, a substantial investment that reaffirms its commitment to ensuring territorial continuity with the island while providing a more efficient logistics service. Built in 2017 by the Visentini shipyards, the new ro-ro vessel is equipped with exhaust gas cleaning systems, or scrubbers, which markedly reduce sulphur oxide emissions and thus contribute to lowering the environmental impact of maritime operations.
At the same time, the Group has announced a seasonal increase in services on the Marina di Carrara–Olbia route. Operating on this line will be the Estraden, a 163-metre vessel with a cargo capacity of 2,260 linear metres, fitted with an innovative wind-assisted navigation system using two rotors. With four weekly departures in each direction, the service has been adjusted to meet the island’s summer demand, particularly from the agri-food and livestock sectors.
“The Grendi Group’s investment plan in Sardinia focuses on increasing weekly sailings and introducing more modern ships with greater energy efficiency and higher cargo capacity, in line with the company’s environmental sustainability goals and its ongoing commitment to pursuing positive-impact logistics,” said Antonio Musso, CEO of Grendi Trasporti Marittimi. Strengthening domestic links, he added, is a strategic choice to ensure continuity and efficiency in national trade and takes on particular significance at a time when global supply chains are under strain due to rising geopolitical tensions.
