MSC may acquire stake in Messina

The world’s second largest container carrier, Geneva, Switzerland-based Mediterranean Shipping Company, may acquire a stake in Ignazio Messina & Co.    Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) may acquire a stake in Ignazio Messina & Co., a Genoa, Italy-based operator of container/roll-on, roll-off ships (con-ro).
    MSC said in a statement that last week it met with representatives from Messina and Italian bank Banca Carige “in connection with the potential synergies between the two companies’ respective core businesses.”
   The companies “will continue their dialogue with the objective to reach an agreement between them.”
   Founded in 1921, Messina owns eight, 45,200 DWT con-ro container ships that have 3,000 TEUs of capacity and 6,350 lane meters of ro-ro cargo capacity.
   Geneva, Switzerland-based MSC is the world’s second largest container carrier, following Maersk Line of Denmark. MSC has a fleet of 191 owned and 296 chartered ships with nearly 2.9 million TEUs of capacity, while Messina has a fleet of eight owned and four chartered ships with a combined capacity of 2,215 TEUs, according to industry analyst Alphaliner.
   Messina’s website says it charters both containerships and ro-ro ships.