Company estabilished
in 1982 by Mr Marangopoulos, started its services with
the F/B “Lady M”. Mainly based on Ancona and Patras
ports, in her first years linked also the italian
port with Heraklion, in Crete and the turkish
ports of Kusadasi and Marmaris.
In 1990 the “Duchess M” entered the fleet, first substituting the Queen M, then launching the new and successful Brindisi line together with “Baroness M”. In
1991 season the “Crown M” arrives from Norway, plyed on a
weekly service from Ancona to Cyprus diverting via Igoumenitsa,
Patras, Crete and Rhodes. In 1994 one of the worst errors of
Marlines, the ceasing of Brindisi services for calling at Bari, leaving a market in which they could be
competitive also nowadays, serving Corfu, Igoumenitsa,
Patras and Cesme. The
following year the daily service to Patras was
discontinued serving only Corfu and Igoumenitsa,
leaving the Patras line to the “Charm M” only two
days a-week. In 1996 this service also ceased in favour of Greece - Cyprus - Israel line, abandoned in 1997. The Bari - Igoumenitsa
line was served daily in 1997 and 1998, but from 1999 reduced to four sailings
per week, operated by the “Duchess M”, renamed “Balbek”
in 2000. The Ancona Line was served by Crown M and
Dame M in 1995 to Corfu, Igoumenitsa and Patras and by the “Countess M” to Heraklion,
served the following year by “Charm M”, then in 1997, the last season, was plyed by “Crown M” and “Dame M”, with the slowest
timetables ever possible but announcing for 1998 a direct service to Patras
in 18 hours. In 1998 Superfast Ferries launched a 19
hours direct timetable to Patras and Minoan Lines a
20 hour one stopping at Igoumenitsa on the way to Patras, but Marlines didn’t even put the “Dame M” on the
announced line to Turkey from Ancona. So, from the very interesting fleet of
seven ships operated in 1994, the “Grace M” didn’t ever served the for the
company, scrapped in 2003 without any alteration of her appearance as Ferry Nagato, the fabulous “Dame M” was for a short spell on
Greece - Cyprus - Israel line for Salamis Lines being then chartered various
times, the “Crown M” is laid up at Eleusis without a
bright future, the “Baroness M” was scrapped after some Indonesian services ,
the “Countess M” traded for a while between Brindisi
and Cesme, was laid up in 2003 and then sent to Aliaga, the “Charm M” was scrapped in 2003 after being
destroyed by fire in 2002, the “Duchess M” is the only one still in service for
the company. On summer 2001 the “Duchess M” was again deployed on Bari – Corfu – Igoumenitsa line,
announcing from autumn her new deployment on an Italy – Albania line calling at
Durres. Another announcement from the company’s
website tells of the discussion to build four new high speed ferries for the
Italy – Greece lines: could it be the truth or it will be like that happened in
1998? Unfortunately it seems that it’s the same story of 1998 season… moreover
for 2002 Marlines has also left Greece, serving Bari and Kotor in Montenegro or Durres in Albania with the “Duchess M”.
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