The French Secretary of State for Transport, Dominique Bussereau, and the Spanish Minister for Infrastructure, Magdalena Alvarez, have signed a bilateral agreement to operate vessels between France and Spain.
Grimaldi and Louis Dreyfus Armateurs will operate a new Ro-Pax service between Nantes-Saint Nazaire (NSN) and Gijon. The service will begin with three sailings per week with a 2,200-lane-metre ship capable of carrying 600 passengers. This service will commence in September and will, over time, increase the frequency of its sailings to four times a week.
The new services have been granted a subsidy of US$37.8 million for five years.
Grimaldi and Louis Dreyfus Armateurs already operate a service between Toulon and Civitavecchia.