Measuring approximately 168.5 metres in length after being lengthened, with a gross tonnage exceeding 30,000 tonnes, the GNV Azzurra was designed to combine passenger transport with cargo capacity, representing a generation of ferries.

The ro-pax vessel GNV Azzurra (IMO 7826790, MMSI 247237700 - sailing under the flag of Italy) is preparing to leave the fleet of the MSC-controlled ferry company permanently. GNV has confirmed that the vessel has been sold for scrapping and, according to the available information, it will be towed to Aliaga, Turkey — one of the main Mediterranean hubs for ship recycling — at the end of October. Although its retirement from service had already been scheduled, the fire that broke out in the engine room on 19 June ultimately ended its career, as the resulting damage was evidently deemed not economically viable to repair.

The accident occurred while the ship was sailing from Porto Torres 

The accident was reported to have occurred while the ship was sailing from Porto Torres to Genoa, off the coast of Corsica, with passengers and crew on board. Although the fire was extinguished that evening, propulsion system failure left the ferry unable to manoeuvre independently. The French and Italian authorities coordinated assistance operations and the ship's return to Sardinia under tow. Following an investigation by the Porto Torres Port Authority, the ship was towed to Genoa on 24 June.

 Azzurra's exit from the fleet

Matteo Catani's company has stressed that Azzurra's exit from the fleet at the end of the last summer season was already part of GNV's fleet programme, regardless of recent events. As a result, the disposal of the vessel will not change the company's plans. Launched in 1980 and delivered from the Öresundsvarvet shipyard in Landskrona, Sweden, in June 1981, the vessel entered service as the Wasa Star on routes between Finland and Sweden. She later sailed for the Larvik Line and the Color Line as the Peter Wessel, linking Norway and Denmark.

Related: GNV announces growth in passengers (2%) and rolling stock (5%) in the first 9 months of 2026

Acquisition of Italian Snav.

In 2008, the Italian company Snav acquired it, renaming it Snav Toscana and beginning a new phase of operations in the Mediterranean. It was used on several national routes, including those from Civitavecchia to Sicily and Sardinia. It was subsequently integrated into Grandi Navi Veloci's operations and renamed GNV Azzurra in 2017.

 The ferry alternated passenger services 

In subsequent years, the ferry alternated between passenger services and occasional deployments as a hotel ship. Examples of this include hosting Spanish police officers in Tarragona in 2017, accommodating workers at an energy plant in the Shetland Islands in 2014, and most recently serving as floating accommodation in Brindisi during the G7 summit in June 2024. In 2025, it returned to the Genoa–Porto Torres route before being temporarily redeployed to Genoa to accommodate personnel from the USS Mount Whitney while it underwent repairs.

The design of the GNV Azzurra.

Measuring approximately 168.5 metres in length after being lengthened, with a gross tonnage exceeding 30,000 tonnes, the GNV Azzurra was designed to combine passenger transport with cargo capacity, representing a generation of ferries. If confirmed, its scrapping at Aliaga will bring to an end a career that began in Northern Europe and continued for nearly four decades in the Mediterranean.

Source: Shipping Italy 

#GNV Azzurra Ferry#Genoa–Porto Torres route #Snav #GNV's fleet programme #Matteo Catani's company#demolition# USS Mount Whitney