Shipping Line Histories

Lauro Lines

(Est. 1912)

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Lauro Lines:

Achille Lauro inherited his first ships in 1912, and built up a substantial fleet of freighters before the Second World War. After the wawr he ventured into the emigrant market, with the converted freighters Ravello, Olimpia and Napoli. These were very basic conversions , and still largely retained a freighter appearance. His first actual passenger ship was the Surriento, an ex-Grace Line passenger ship bought in 1949. During the 1950s, Achille Lauro was a multi millionaire, known as the "King of Naples", and owner of a fleet of 50 ships.

The Napoli entered service in 1948 between Mediterranean and Australia, changing to the South American route in 1951. She was converted back to a freighter in 1960 and was scrapped in 1971.

In 1964 the Oranje (formerly of Nederland Line) was sold to Achille Lauro, who renamed her Angelina Lauro. As with fellow Dutch liner Willem Ruys / Achille Lauro, conversion was seriously delayed by a fire. Angelina Lauro finally re-entered service from Europe to Australia and New Zealand in 1966. In 1972 she became a full time cruise ship. In 1978 Angelina Lauro was chartered to Costa Line. The Willem Ruys had been sold to Achille Lauro in 1964. She was renamed after her new owner as Achille Lauro, but did not enter service until April 1966 following a fire during conversion work. The route she served on was from Northern Europe (Bremerhaven, Rotterdam and Southampton) to Genoa, Sydney and Wellington. This service operated until 1972 when the Achille Lauro became a full time cruise ship. Sadly Lauro Lines were in significant financial difficulties by the late 1970s and the Achille Lauro was arrested in Tenerife in 1982. She lay there for a year, until the Italian Government arranged to have her brought back to Genoa. After a further year in lay up, a joint charter arrangement for Mediterranean cruises was made between Lauro Lines and Chandris Lines. However Chandris pulled out after the high profile hijacking incident in October 1972. Lauro Lines struggled on until 1987. The Achille Lauro continued in service until November 1994 when she caught fire during a Genoa to South Africa cruise. The ship was abandoned and sank two days later. However she was the most famous member of the Lauro Lines fleet.

By the 1970s the empire was falling apart and it was managed by his son Ercole Lauro. The line collapsed in 1980, followed two years later by the death of its founder.

StarLauro Cruises:

Lauro Lines was sold to the Geneva based Mediterranean Shipping Company in 1987 and renamed as StarLauro Cruises. The Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) was founded in 1970 by Captain Gianluigi Aponte when he bought his first ship. Since then the shipping line has grown from being a small regular ship operator to become one of the world's largest shipping lines. MSC Italian Cruises was created as a subsidiary in 1988 after the company purchased Lauro Lines. The corporate headquarters of MSC is based in Geneva, Switzerland.

Mediterranean Shipping Cruises (MSC):

In 1995 StarLauro Cruises was renamed Mediterranean Shipping Cruises (MSC) and restyled to distance itself from the Achille Lauro disaster. As a result the Lauro brand disappeared forever due to mergers in the shipping industry and globalisation.

But more recently it has styled itself as MSC Italian Cruises (MSC Crociere Italiane S.A.). In 1997, MSC Cruises signed an order for the construction of two new ships with a capacity of around 2000 passengers, MSC Lirica and MSC Opera, respectively inaugurated in April 2003 and June 2004 by Sophia Loren.

MSC Italian Cruises:

With the introduction of the first new MSC ship in 2003, the company took yet another strategic step: creating a new logo. The MSC acronym, inserted at the centre of wind rose, symbolises the central role that the guest plays in the world of MSC Cruises. On the other hand, the wind rose represents the diverse horizons towards which the company has projected itself in order to reach the objectives set for the next few years.

MSC Cruises is making its significant mark on the market, with an increasingly competitive fleet offering a wide range of itineraries and products in the best all-Italian tradition of hospitality and quality services. In the space of a few years the company has grown considerably, becoming known the world over as the only Italian cruise company able to meet the needs of those who wish to travel “Italian-style”, without renouncing on a touch of internationality. Indeed, an all-Italian style has always been the distinguishing feature of the MSC Cruises fleet, in terms of hospitality, furnishings, design, cuisine, atmosphere and a careful eye to its guests – perfect expressions of Italian refinement, and ideal ingredients for a unique cruise. As of March 2008 MSC Italian Cruises is the third-largest cruise operator in the world, after Carnival Corporation & PLC and Royal Caribbean International

MSC - Mediterranean Shipping Company S.A.
http://www.mscgva.ch

MSC Italian Cruises S.A.
http://www.msccruises.com