Baja Ferries
A Mexican shipping company operating passenger and cargo ferry services across the Sea of Cortez.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
Baja Ferries is a Mexican maritime transportation company focused on ferry services across the Sea of Cortez, linking the Baja California peninsula with mainland Mexico. Its headquarters are in La Paz, Baja California Sur. The company provides combined passenger, vehicle, and freight transportation, using vessels designed to carry rolling cargo as well as travelers and automobiles. The operating company was established in 2003 by Mariano Ruano Boza to serve connections between the Mexican states of Baja California Sur and Sinaloa. Its principal commercial role has been to provide a maritime alternative to the long overland route around the Gulf of California, supporting both local mobility and the movement of goods to and from the peninsula. The business has also been associated with Transportadora GEOS, a trucking subsidiary intended to complement ferry transportation with road freight services. The wider business history predates the creation of the Baja Ferries brand. French shipowner Daniel Berrebi began developing Mexico-related shipping activities in the early 1990s after obtaining import and export contracts connected with Alstom. Following the implementation of the North American Free Trade Agreement in 1994, his activities expanded into freight services between Mexico and the United States and, from 1996, along Mexico's western coast. Passenger operations began in 2001 with a high-speed service between La Paz and Topolobampo in Sinaloa. Baja Ferries formally entered service in 2003 with the charter of the mixed roll-on/roll-off vessel California Star. A second vessel, the Coromuel, joined the fleet the next year and was later renamed Sinaloa Star. Fleet development subsequently included the Chihuahua Star, acquired in 2007; the Mazatlan Star, introduced in 2010; the La Paz Star, added in 2013; and later vessels including México Star and Baja Star. The fleet has therefore changed through a combination of purchases, charters, renamings, transfers, and retirements. The company has also pursued activities outside its core Mexican routes. In the middle of the 2010s, Baja Ferries participated in efforts surrounding the restructuring and proposed acquisition of the French ferry operator SNCM. It later became involved with the Corsican consortium Corsica Maritima and the creation of Corsica Linea, including vessel chartering arrangements. These initiatives did not replace Baja Ferries' Mexican focus, and the company eventually withdrew from the Corsican project. Baja Ferries has experienced the operational risks associated with a vessel-based business. In 2016, the former Chihuahua Star, then operating for the related America Cruise Ferries business under the name Caribbean Fantasy, suffered a serious fire in the Caribbean. The vessel was subsequently sold for scrap. Baja Ferries later replaced that capacity with Baja Star, a car ferry purchased from Rizhao Ferries in China. After initially being offered on the charter market, Baja Star entered Baja Ferries' Mexican service at the end of 2019. The brand's positioning is primarily functional and regional: dependable sea transport for passengers, cars, trucks, and other wheeled cargo between Baja California Sur and the mainland. Public reference material does not establish a separate consumer-goods brand portfolio, a stock-market listing, or a current parent company. Its identifiable business scope is maritime ferry transportation, supported by logistics and trucking capabilities.
History
Baja Ferries' origins lie in maritime activities developed in Mexico by French shipowner Daniel Berrebi. In 1991, Berrebi obtained import and export contracts for Mexico connected with Alstom. After NAFTA entered into force in 1994, he established an initial freight route between Mexico and the United States and expanded along Mexico's western coast from 1996. Passenger transportation followed in 2001, when a high-speed vessel was commissioned for a route between La Paz and Topolobampo, Sinaloa. The Baja Ferries company was created in 2003 by Mariano Ruano Boza to organize ferry transportation between Baja California Sur and Sinaloa. Its first vessel was California Star, a mixed ship with approximately 2,100 linear metres of rolling capacity chartered from the Italian shipyard Visentini. A second ferry, Coromuel, joined in 2004 and was later renamed Sinaloa Star. Fleet renewal continued in 2007, when the company acquired the car ferry Victory from Grandi Navi Veloci and renamed it Chihuahua Star. In 2010, Baja Ferries acquired the former SNCM vessel Monte Cinto and renamed it Mazatlan Star. The arrival of Mazatlan Star enabled Chihuahua Star to move in 2011 to America Cruise Ferries, another Daniel Berrebi-associated company operating Caribbean routes between Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic. In 2013, Baja Ferries added the former Strada Corsa, acquired in Italy after the bankruptcy of its prior owner, and placed it into service as La Paz Star. The company then expanded its corporate ambitions beyond Mexico. In November 2014 it sought to acquire SNCM, which had entered court-supervised proceedings in France. Its proposals contemplated concentrating on subsidized Marseille–Corsica services and developing routes toward North Africa, including Morocco. The offer was changed several times as the process was delayed, and an attempted common front with the STEF Group did not continue. The takeover ultimately went to Corsican transporter Rocca. From January 2016, Baja Ferries joined the Corsica Maritima consortium, another SNCM bidder, and participated in the creation of Corsica Linea. It chartered Stena Carrier for the new operator's Marseille–Corsica competition with the successor to SNCM. After the consortiums merged in April 2016, Baja Ferries withdrew from the project. The Stena Carrier later entered the Baja Ferries fleet in 2018 under the name México Star. Another chartered roll-on/roll-off vessel was also associated with the business as Cabo Star before overseas chartering. The former Chihuahua Star, operating in the Caribbean as Caribbean Fantasy for America Cruise Ferries, caught fire in August 2016. The vessel's damage was severe enough that it was sold for scrap in 2017. Baja Ferries subsequently replaced the ship with Baja Star, a 170-metre car ferry purchased from the Chinese operator Rizhao Ferries. Baja Star was initially made available in the charter market and joined Baja Ferries' own routes toward the end of 2019. Across its development, Baja Ferries has remained centered on Sea of Cortez transportation. Its service model combines passenger travel with the movement of cars, trucks, and commercial freight, while its associated trucking activities provide an additional logistics link. The available reference material does not identify a public listing, a current parent company, or a current chief executive.
- 2019
Baja Star enters company service
[1]The 170-metre car ferry Baja Star, purchased from Rizhao Ferries, joins Baja Ferries routes after an initial charter-market period.
- 2018
México Star joins the fleet
[1]Stena Carrier enters the Baja Ferries fleet under the name México Star.
- 2016
Corsica Linea involvement and vessel fire
[1]The company joins the Corsica Maritima consortium and participates in the early Corsica Linea project; in the same year, the related Caribbean Fantasy, formerly Chihuahua Star, suffers a major fire.
- 2014
SNCM acquisition bid
[1]Baja Ferries enters the process to acquire SNCM but ultimately loses the bid to Rocca.
- 2013
La Paz Star is introduced
[1]The former Strada Corsa enters service under the La Paz Star name after acquisition in Italy.
- 2010
Mazatlan Star joins the fleet
[1]The former Monte Cinto is acquired from SNCM and renamed Mazatlan Star.
- 2007
Chihuahua Star replaces Sinaloa Star
[1]Baja Ferries acquires Victory from Grandi Navi Veloci and introduces it as Chihuahua Star.
- 2004
Second vessel joins the fleet
[1]Coromuel joins the fleet and is later renamed Sinaloa Star.
- 2003
Baja Ferries is founded
[1]Mariano Ruano Boza establishes Baja Ferries, and California Star inaugurates the company's mixed passenger and cargo operations.
- 2001
Passenger service begins
[1]A high-speed vessel begins passenger operations between La Paz and Topolobampo.
Products and positioning
Regional maritime transportation and logistics provider connecting Baja California Sur with mainland Mexico.
Maritime passenger transportation · 2001
Passenger ferry services
Baja Ferries operates passenger transportation across the Sea of Cortez, principally connecting Baja California Sur with mainland destinations in Sinaloa. The service provides a maritime alternative to lengthy land travel around the Gulf of California and is integrated with vehicle and cargo operations on mixed ferries.
Ro-ro transportation · 2003
Vehicle and roll-on/roll-off ferry services
The company uses car ferries and mixed roll-on/roll-off vessels to transport automobiles, trucks, and other wheeled units. This capability supports personal travel while also moving commercial vehicles and freight between the peninsula and mainland Mexico.
Cargo transportation · 2003
Freight and logistics transportation
Baja Ferries' cargo proposition includes the maritime movement of rolling freight and is complemented by the associated Transportadora GEOS trucking business. Together, these activities connect sea crossings with road-based freight distribution.
Brand decisions
2019
Deployment of Baja StarProduct launchBackground
The company needed replacement capacity after the loss of the vessel formerly known as Chihuahua Star in related Caribbean operations.
Action taken
Baja Ferries acquired the 170-metre car ferry Baja Star from Rizhao Ferries and placed it on its Mexican routes after an initial charter period.
Aftermath
Baja Star became part of the company's operating fleet and strengthened its vehicle and cargo capacity.
2016
Participation in the Corsica Linea projectStrategyBackground
After the SNCM process, Baja Ferries joined the Corsica Maritima consortium, which was pursuing a competing ferry structure in Corsica.
Action taken
The company participated in the launch of Corsica Linea and chartered a roll-on/roll-off vessel for the project.
Aftermath
Following a merger of the consortiums in April 2016, Baja Ferries withdrew from the initiative.
2014
Bid for SNCMM&ABackground
SNCM entered court-supervised restructuring, creating an opportunity for competing buyers to propose new operating plans for its ferry business.
Action taken
Baja Ferries submitted and revised an acquisition proposal focused on Marseille–Corsica public-service routes and possible Maghreb expansion.
Aftermath
The offer was rejected, and the acquisition was awarded to the Rocca group.
Sources1 sources
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