Tenders
€140 million Pontine Islands ferry tender draws no bids for a third time
Italy's Lazio Region received no offers in its third attempt to tender subsidised ferry links to Ponza and Ventotene, worth up to €140.86 million. Laziomar runs the services under a bridging contract that lasts to the end of the year.
Source: Shipping Italy (opens in a new tab)
Lazio Region's third attempt to award its subsidised ferry services to the Pontine Islands of Ponza and Ventotene has failed, with no offers received when the tender launched this summer closed a few days ago.
The contract was for five years, extendable by two and a half, with a maximum value of €140.86 million excluding VAT. It covered ro-pax and ro-ro links from Formia to Ponza and Ventotene and fast services from Anzio and Formia, totalling more than 200,000 nautical miles across three seasonal timetables.
Bidders had to supply at least three 200-passenger fast craft capable of 30 knots, three ro-pax ferries for 500 passengers with 60 lane metres of vehicle space, and a ro-ro with at least 120 lane metres. LNG, hybrid or electric propulsion earned extra points, and the winner would have had to take on the outgoing operator's staff of almost 140.
The services are currently run by Laziomar, which has operated them since 2014 and continues under a bridging contract extended to the end of the year.