Blue Star Sets Record Passenger Number

On hand to award the 500,001 passenger on Blue Star’s Piraeus-Chania route were company executives, including Attica Enterprises’ (Blue Star’s major shareholder) chief executive officer, Alexander Panagopoulos (right).

Blue Star Ferries announced that it broke the half a million mark in passengers carried on its Piraeus-Chania route. On March 24 the Greek ferry line’s electronic Check-in system on board encountered the route’s 500,001 passenger as she boarded with her ticket in hand.

The Blue Star passenger was awarded with a free ticket on the route. A ticket that is good for a full year and good for as many trips as she wishes. The route’s Blue Star 2 has just completed a full year on the route, which it inaugurated with record sailing times. Blue Star 2 quickly became the most popular ferry on the route and continues to hold that distinction. Passengers are so pleased with the ship’s quality services that passenger traffic has increased over the period as has incoming tourism to Chania.

Blue Star executives say that because of the vessel’s speed -28 miles per hour- and the modern construction of the new vessel, the company has been able to change the status quo in ferry travel on the route for both Chania citizens and visitors to the island city.

The Blue Star Ferries group (Strintzis Lines) showed steady growth last year with an increase of 49.1% in passengers carried to the Greek islands, compared with the year before, 47.4% more private vehicles carried and 32.4% more freight units. Earnings before interest and depreciation rose by 31.4% to 31 million euros last year, against the year before, and net profit for the group rose 22% to 4.9 million euros.