The long crossing from China has come to an end: Moby Fantasy, the "largest passenger ferry built so far in the world" , the company says, has arrived in Sardinia and is ready for its maiden voyage on the Olbia-Livorno route.
Released in mid-May from the Chinese Guangzhou Shipyard, the new flagship of the Moby fleet is in the Costa Smeralda for the official presentation and christening ceremony (tonight at pier 9 by Giorgia Palmas and Giancarlo Siani and in the presence of an excellent of Italian sport such as Sofia Goggia, who acts as «godmother» ), then it will enter service on the section between the Sardinian and Tuscan airports . Tomorrow, Sunday 18 June, the first voyage under the command of the Genoese Massimo Pinsolo and with his 119 crew members.
It will also soon have a sister ship called the Legacy. Blue whale painted on the side, Moby Fantasy is 237 meters long and 32 wide, for a gross tonnage of 69,500 . The company says it has a capacity of 3,000 passengers (which can be accommodated in 441 cabins «all with cruise ship standards») and 3,850 linear meters of rolling cargo . With its over 3,800 linear meters of garage «it can carry up to 1,300 cars or 300 trucks ». Cruising speed of 23.5 knots, with peaks of 25.
Its entry into service, says Moby, will have important repercussions on both the Tuscan and Sardinian territory, "generating an employment impact of 500 new jobs between direct and induced ".
Furthermore, it has a green propulsion that allows savings in terms of emissions "of over 50% compared to traditional ferries used on similar lines" .
(Unioneonline/L)