FIVE vessels owned by ferry operator Moby have been listed by the Court of Milan on an Italian auction site, just days after the Italian Competition and Market Authority (AGCM) ruled the Mediterranean Shipping Co’s stake in the operator could erode competition.

MSC subsidiary Shipping Agencies Services bought the minority stake in Moby, which runs ferry services between the Italian mainland and the islands of Sicily, Sardinia and Corsica, back in 2022 when the operator was facing insolvency.

But AGCM opened an investigation in November 2024 due to competition concerns, as SAS also owns Grandi Navi Veloci, which competes on some routes with Moby.

Its minority stake in Moby “could have led to a deterioration in competitive dynamics” on routes where the two compete, AGCM said.

SAS will therefore sell its 49% stake back to the original owner (and majority stakeholder) Onorato Armatori in a deal accepted by the competition authority.

AGCM said a “package of assets” would be sold to repay the loan issued to Moby by SAS.

The five vessels listed by the court on auction site Parvadomus are Moby Aki (IMO: 9299393), Moby Wonder (IMO: 9214367), Moby Ale Due (IMO: 9222522), Athara (IMO: 9263655) and Janas (IMO: 9222534).

Moby Aki and Moby Wonder must be chartered back to Moby for a period of 15 years at a daily rate of €15,000 ($17,200) per day.

The successful bidder must not change the name of the vessels.