Messina Line
An Italian maritime shipping brand specializing in containerized, roll-on/roll-off and project cargo services across the Mediterranean, Africa and the Middle East.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
Messina Line is the maritime shipping division of the Italian company Ignazio Messina & C., a long-established Genoa-based carrier whose history began in 1921. The business initially operated under the name Giuseppe Messina Tabuso and focused on moving perishable goods from Sicily to ports in northern Italy. After the company moved its office to Genoa, it expanded beyond its original domestic role, opening routes toward Libya and other Mediterranean destinations. In 1929 it adopted the name Ignazio Messina & C. and subsequently undertook postal carriage for the Italian Post Office on services to North Africa and Libya. The carrier broadened its network during the 1930s. Services were added to the Red Sea, Port Sudan, Saudi Arabia and East Africa, followed over time by connections involving Algeria, Lebanon and West Africa. The Second World War caused significant fleet losses, but the company rebuilt and enlarged its fleet in the post-war period. This rebuilding established the broad geographic and cargo specialization that continues to distinguish the Messina operation. Messina Line’s contemporary business is centered on maritime transport and distribution rather than on a single conventional container-carrier model. Its fleet has included ConRO vessels, which combine container capacity with roll-on/roll-off capability. Containers can be carried on the weather deck, while vehicles, trailers, machinery and other rolling or static cargo can be loaded below deck through a quarter-stern ramp. The cargo mix includes shipping containers, automobiles, trucks, trailers, Mafi roll trailers, heavy construction equipment and other project or general freight. This configuration supports customers whose cargo cannot be handled efficiently by standard cellular container ships alone. The company’s core services cover the Mediterranean and links between Europe and East, South and West Africa and the Middle East. Additional destinations can be reached through transshipment arrangements. Messina Line also owns a container terminal within the port of Genoa, giving the group an important port-side asset at its home base. The fleet has been described as comprising approximately 21 owned and chartered ships with aggregate container capacity of about 41,000 TEU, although fleet composition changes as vessels are acquired, chartered or sold. Ownership changed materially in February 2017, when Mediterranean Shipping Company acquired a 49 percent stake in Ignazio Messina & C. The transaction made MSC a minority owner rather than a full owner of the Messina business. From 2018, the two companies began certain cooperative activities, including vessel chartering. This relationship connects Messina Line’s specialist ConRO and project-cargo capabilities with the wider resources of one of the world’s major container-shipping groups. Messina Line vessels owned by the company traditionally carry names beginning with “Jolly” and ending with an Italian color, such as Jolly Cristallo, Jolly Perla and Jolly Quarzo. Several vessels associated with the brand have also been involved in serious maritime accidents, including the loss of Jolly Rubino in 2002, the sinking of Jolly Amaranto in 2010, a fatal collision involving Jolly Grigio in 2011 and the 2013 Jolly Nero accident in Genoa. These incidents form part of the company’s documented operational history but do not by themselves establish a current corporate finding of wrongdoing. In 2023, three Messina vessels were sold to the United States Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration and renamed Cape San Juan, Cape Starr and Cape Sable. A fourth vessel, Jolly Diamante, had been sold several months earlier and renamed Liberty Power. The sales were described as part of a replacement program intended to preserve fleet capacity. Messina Line remains positioned as a specialist multipurpose maritime carrier serving trade lanes linking Europe, the Mediterranean, Africa and the Middle East.
History
Messina Line traces its origins to 1921, when Giuseppe Messina Tabuso established a small shipping operation focused on distributing perishable goods from Sicily to ports in northern Italy. The business later moved its office to Genoa, a major Italian maritime center, and expanded its route network toward Libya. In 1929 the company adopted the name Ignazio Messina & C. and entered into a closer relationship with Italian public services by carrying postal traffic for the Italian Post Office to North Africa and Libya. The company’s geographic scope widened substantially during the 1930s. It added services toward the Red Sea, including Port Sudan, Saudi Arabia and East Africa, and later developed connections with Algeria, Lebanon and West Africa. These routes helped transform the company from a regional Sicilian distributor into an international Mediterranean and intercontinental carrier. The Second World War caused multiple fleet losses. In the post-war period, the business rebuilt and enlarged its ships and gradually restored its network. Messina Line’s operating model developed around multipurpose vessels capable of handling both containers and rolling cargo. Its ConRO ships can carry containers on deck and vehicles, trailers, machinery and other rolling freight below deck, with loading through a quarter-stern ramp. This equipment allows the carrier to serve customers moving cargo that is too large, heavy or operationally unsuitable for standard container-only services. The company has also maintained a container terminal in the port of Genoa. The modern network is concentrated in the Mediterranean and in trade lanes linking Europe with East, South and West Africa and the Middle East. Further destinations can be reached through transshipment. The fleet has been reported at approximately 21 owned and chartered vessels and around 41,000 TEU of container capacity, though those figures are subject to fleet changes. Company-owned vessels traditionally use the “Jolly” naming convention followed by an Italian color. A major ownership development occurred in February 2017, when Mediterranean Shipping Company acquired 49 percent of Ignazio Messina & C. MSC therefore became a minority owner of the parent company rather than replacing the Messina organization outright. From 2018, Messina and MSC undertook cooperative activities, including vessel chartering. The brand’s maritime history also includes several serious incidents. Jolly Rubino was attacked in Iran in 1987 and later lost after an engine-room fire in 2002. Jolly Rosso was investigated in 1990 in relation to allegations of toxic-material smuggling after being abandoned near Cosenza. Jolly Amaranto sank near Alexandria in 2010 during severe weather, although its crew survived. In 2011, Jolly Grigio collided with a fishing boat in Naples, killing two fishermen. In 2013, Jolly Nero struck a pilotage tower in Genoa, resulting in nine deaths and four injuries. Fleet renewal became visible in 2023, when three vessels were sold to the United States Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration and renamed Cape San Juan, Cape Starr and Cape Sable. Jolly Diamante had been sold earlier and renamed Liberty Power. The sales were described as part of a replacement plan designed to preserve overall fleet capacity. Messina Line continues to operate as a specialist maritime brand within Ignazio Messina & C., combining liner shipping, container handling and roll-on/roll-off logistics across its established Mediterranean, African and Middle Eastern markets.
- 2023
Three vessels transferred to the U.S. Maritime Administration
[1]Jolly Cristallo, Jolly Perla and Jolly Quarzo are sold and renamed Cape San Juan, Cape Starr and Cape Sable as part of fleet replacement.
- 2018
Operational cooperation with MSC begins
[1]The two companies begin cooperative activities, including vessel chartering.
- 2017
MSC takes a minority stake
[1]Mediterranean Shipping Company purchases 49 percent of Ignazio Messina & C.
- 1935
Red Sea and East African routes added
[1]The network expands toward Port Sudan, Saudi Arabia and East Africa, followed by additional African and Middle Eastern links.
- 1929
Company adopts the name Ignazio Messina & C.
[1]The company changes its name and receives postal-carriage work serving North Africa and Libya.
- 1921
Business begins as Giuseppe Messina Tabuso
[1]The shipping operation begins by moving perishable goods from Sicily to ports in northern Italy.
Products and positioning
A specialist Italian multipurpose carrier combining container shipping with roll-on/roll-off and project-cargo capabilities on Mediterranean, African and Middle Eastern routes.
Maritime freight service
ConRO shipping
Messina Line’s ConRO operations combine container transport with roll-on/roll-off loading. Containers can be carried on the weather deck, while vehicles, trailers, machinery and other rolling or static freight can be loaded below deck through a quarter-stern ramp. This configuration is suited to mixed cargo flows and oversized equipment that may not fit the operating model of a conventional container ship.
Maritime freight service
Mediterranean liner services
The company’s Mediterranean services connect ports within the region and support the movement of containers, vehicles, trailers, machinery and general cargo. The Mediterranean is the historic geographic core of the business and also provides a platform for onward services toward Africa and the Middle East.
International shipping service
Europe–Africa and Europe–Middle East services
Messina Line operates trade lanes between Europe and destinations in East, South and West Africa, North Africa and the Middle East. Some additional locations are reached through transshipment. The network reflects the company’s historical development from Mediterranean and North African services into longer-distance regional routes.
Port and terminal service
Genoa container-terminal services
The group owns a container terminal within the port of Genoa, providing a port-side infrastructure element alongside its shipping operations. The terminal supports the company’s home-port presence and its handling of containerized and mixed freight.
Controversies
2013
Jolly Nero Genoa port accident
Jolly Nero struck the pilotage tower in Genoa while manoeuvring in the port basin. The accident killed nine people and injured four. The event led to legal and public scrutiny concerning the circumstances of the collision and port operations.
1990
Jolly Rosso toxic-material investigation
Jolly Rosso was investigated after being found abandoned near the coast of Cosenza in connection with allegations involving the smuggling or transport of toxic materials.
Brand decisions
2023
Sell and replace selected vesselsStrategyBackground
Messina Line sold several large vessels while seeking to preserve the overall capacity of its fleet.
Action taken
Jolly Cristallo, Jolly Perla and Jolly Quarzo were sold to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration and renamed Cape San Juan, Cape Starr and Cape Sable. Jolly Diamante had been sold earlier and renamed Liberty Power.
Aftermath
The vessels were intended to be replaced so that the fleet could retain a similar capacity profile.
Reported sale price per vessel. Approximately USD 90 million per vessel (2023)
2017
Accept a 49% investment from MSCM&ABackground
Ignazio Messina & C. sought a strategic relationship with a major global container carrier while retaining a substantial independent ownership position.
Action taken
Mediterranean Shipping Company acquired a 49 percent stake in Ignazio Messina & C., the parent company of Messina Line.
Aftermath
The investment was followed by cooperation between the companies, including vessel chartering from 2018.
Recent events
- 2023
Three Messina vessels sold to the U.S. Maritime Administration[1]
M&A
Jolly Cristallo, Jolly Perla and Jolly Quarzo were sold to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration and renamed Cape San Juan, Cape Starr and Cape Sable. The vessels were intended to be replaced to maintain fleet capacity.
- 2018
Messina Line and MSC begin cooperative activities[1]
Other
The two shipping groups began cooperation that included vessel-chartering activities following MSC’s minority investment in Ignazio Messina & C.
- 2017
Mediterranean Shipping Company acquires a 49% stake in Ignazio Messina & C.[1]
M&A
Mediterranean Shipping Company became a minority owner of Ignazio Messina & C., the parent company of Messina Line, through the purchase of a 49 percent stake.
- 2011
Jolly Grigio collides with fishing boat in Naples[1]
Other
Jolly Grigio collided with a fishing boat while sailing toward Marseille from Naples harbour. Two fishermen died and the smaller vessel sank.
- 2010
Jolly Amaranto sinks near Alexandria[1]
Other
A severe storm caused Jolly Amaranto to list and sink in shallow water near Alexandria, Egypt. All 21 crew members were rescued, while the vessel and its cargo were lost.
- 2002
Jolly Rubino lost after an engine-room fire[1]
Other
Jolly Rubino was lost at sea near South Africa after a fire began in the engine room.
- 1987
Jolly Rubino attacked in Iranian waters[1]
Other
The vessel was attacked in Iran, injuring several crew members and prompting intervention by the Italian Navy.
Sources1 sources
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