Golden Star Ferries, a Greek passenger ship company owned by the Stefanou brothers, has replaced all three vessels it sold in 2021 with more modern tonnage.
Its latest buy, revealed on Tuesday, is the 12,895-gt Volcan de Taburiente (built 2006), which was previously with Spain’s Naviera Armas Trasmediterranea.
Golden Star Ferries did not disclose the price for the ship, which was built at Spanish yard Astilleros Ria de Vigo.
Principal Dimitris Stefanou told TradeWinds he could not disclose the price due to confidentiality reasons.
He added that this is an “expensive” ship, in line with his company’s policy to buy “few but good, quality ships”.
As with the other ferries and bulkers they own, the Stefanou brothers’ paid for the ship out of their own funds.
Golden Star Ferries had been left with two ships in 2021, after selling to Greek peer Marios Iliopoulos’ Seajets its three high-speed ferries and its pioneer vessel, the 4,986-gt ropax Superferry II (built 1974).
The company quickly started growing again.
TradeWinds reported in February 2022 how Golden Star Ferries spent $7.3m on Kawasaki Kinkai Kisen’s 13,886-gt Andros Queen (ex-Silver Queen, built 1998).
About a year later, the Stefanou brothers went shopping again, buying the 6,554-gt Golden Princess (ex-Gotlandia II, built 2006) from Sweden’s Rederi AB Gotland for about $7.2m.
Their latest acquisition, the Volcan de Taburiente, is among the bigger ships in the Golden Star Ferries fleet of five ropaxes.
It is expected to start service for its new owner in September, following refittings to adjust it to Greek market requirements, Golden Star Ferries said.
“The new acquisition will be one of the newest and most modern ships employed on Greek seas,” it said.
Naviera Armas is Spain’s largest ropax operator. In 2021, it embarked on a partnership with the Grimaldi Group of Italy.
