en La M%C3%A9ridionale

La Méridionale
Formerly	Compagnie méridionale de navigation (1931–2011);
Industry	Maritime Transport; (passengers and freight)
Founded	1931; 93 years ago
Founder	Henri et Félix Rastit
Headquarters	Marseille, France
Revenue	€109 million
Owner	Independent (1931–92); STEF (1992–2023); CMA CGM (2023–present);
Number of employees	500 employees
Website	lameridionale.fr

La Méridionale is a French shipping company that provides passage to Corsica. After being managed by STEF, the passenger ferry operator was acquired in May 2023 by the CMA CGM Group.^[1]^[2]

The company's three vessels serve the Corsican ports of Bastia, Ajaccio and Propriano, and Porto Torres in Sardinia. The fleet is exclusively composed of mixed vessels (freight and passengers).

History

The entity currently known as La Méridionale began its history with the formation of the Compagnie méridionale de navigation, the oldest carrier serving Corsica.^[3] This company emerged when the children of the Giannoni and Rastit families got married in 1931, which resulted in the creation of links with the region.^[4]

At first, the company transported petroleum products and general cargo. In 1970 it adopted the Roll-on/roll-off style and strengthened the Corsica-Continent links.

At the beginning of 1990, La Méridionale was the leading French shipping company in the Mediterranean and France's second largest operator of passenger ships at the national level.^[3] After joining the STEF group in 1992, it outfitted the Kalliste the following year and obtained both ISM and ISO 9002 certifications.

In November 2001, it renewed its public service concession with SNCM between Marseille and Corsica.^[3] A decade later, following the arrival of the ship Piana and existing ships Girolata, Kalliste and Scandola were repainted, La Compagnie méridionale de navigation (known as CMN) changed its logo to La Méridionale.

At the end of 2016, the Girolata was repainted and work was carried out to install a ballast water treatment system^[5] - the same modifications were made to the Kalliste the following year. On 1 January 2017, La Méridionale began weekly service between Propriano (Corsica) and Porto Torres (Sardinia).^[6]

In May 2023, the STEF group sold the shipping company to the CMA CGM group.

Ship	Built	Entered Service	Gross tonnage	Length	Beam	Passengers	Vehicles	Service speed	Current status
Piana	2011	2011	42,180 GT	180 m	30,5 m	750	200	27 knots	In service
Girolata	1995	2002	28,417 GT	177,30 m	27 m	816	200	24 knots	In service
Kalliste	1993	1993	30,718 GT	165 m	29 m	550	160	19 knots	In service
Pelagos	1997	2020	21,856 GT	186 m	25 m	340	200	21.5 knots	In service

Lines and current fleet

La Méridionale's vessels make round trips between Marseille, Corsica (Ajaccio and Porto Vecchio) and Morocco. Sea crossings to Corsica are made at night, with one departure every evening. La Méridionale has four RO-Pax operated under the French flag. From April 2024, crossings between Toulon and Ile Rousse will be operated.^[7]

Routes	Duration	Vessel	Frequency
Marseille ↔ Ajaccio	12 hours on average	Piana	On alternate day
Marseille ↔ Porto Vecchio	12 hours on average	Girolata	On alternate day
Toulon ↔ Ile Rousse	12 hours on average	Kalliste	3x weekly
Marseille ↔ Tanger Med	40 hours on average	Pelagos	2x weekly