page_title: ANEK Lines
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: ANEK Lines / History
caption_attribution_description: Nederlands: Veerboot Kriti II van de Griekse rederij Anek Lines in de haven van Heraklion (Kreta, Griekenland) English: Ferryboat Kriti II of Anek Lines in the harbour of Heraklion (Crete, Greece) Français&#160;: Le ferry Kriti II de la compagnie Anek Lines dans le port d'Héraklion (Crète, Grèce) Information about the vessel may be found at IMO 7814058. A ship can change name and flag state through time, but the IMO number remains the same through the hull's entire lifetime. As a result, it can be useful to identify a ship by using the IMO number.
context_page_description: ANEK Lines is one of the largest passenger shipping company in Greece. It was founded in 1967 by numerous shareholders who were inhabitants of Crete. It operates passenger ferries, mainly on Piraeus-Crete and Adriatic Sea lines.
  Today the company is listed on the Athens Stock Exchange and 37.5% owned by Cyprus-based Sea Star Capital PLC.
  Also Amalia Vardinoyannis holds a 26.9% stake through her holding company Varmin.
context_section_description: In Crete protests broke out after the Typaldos Lines car ferry SS Heraklion capsized due to a series of safety regulations violations. The ship sank on her way from Chania to Piraeus on 8 December 1966, resulting in the death of more than 200 people.
  In the aftermath a few hundreds of Cretans (traders, free-lancers, pensioners, farmers) following a proposal by the Association of Economists of the Chania Prefecture and the support of the Metropolitan of Kissamos and Selinos, Irineos Galanakis, implement their idea to found a multi-shareholder shipping company.
  Therefore, on
  1967 - April 10, ANEK Lines was founded with its head offices located at Chania. At the beginning only born Cretans could hold stocks in ANEK Lines.
  1970 The company's first F/B vessel Kydon started servicing the route Piraeus-Chania
  1973 The F/B's Candia and Rethymo started servicing the route Piraeus-Iraklion
  1978 The F/B Kriti started daily servicing the route Piraeus-Chania
  1987 The F/B Apterastarted servicing the route Piraeus-Chania
  New route Crete-Thessaloniki started (route closed then suddenly)
  1989 The F/B's Lato and Lissos started servicing the route Patras-Corfu/Igoumenitsa-Ancona
  New blue-yellow corporate identity introduced
  The F/B Kydon was sold.
  1992 ANEK Lines new flagship the F/B El. Venizelos started servicing the route Greece-Italy.
  F/B Talos started servicing the route Patras-Trieste
  1994 New route opened, Patras-Igoumenitsa-Bari, but already ceased the following year
  1997 The F/B's Kriti I & Kriti II started new nonstop Patras-Ancona service
  1998 Share-capital increase and Initial public offering (IPO) for the company's stocks in the Athens Stock Exchange
  F/B "Sokofles V" starts operating the route to Northern Italy (Patras-Trieste)
  Take over some stakes in DANE
  1999 The company's stocks started trading on the Athens Stock Exchange on 21 January 1999
  ANEK Lines purchases 50% of the share-capital of LANE (Ag. Nikolaos), with the assignment of the F/B Talos.
  ANEK Lines merge with RETHYMNIAKI and integrate their ships F/B Prevelis and F/B Arkadi into the fleet
  ANEK Lines ITALIA s.r.l.was founded. ANEK Lines holds 51% of its shares
  ANEK Lines buys 16.5% of NEL Lines
  ANEN was founded. ANEK Lines holds 20% of its shares
  2000 The F/B Lefka Ori was purchased, fully renovated and started servicing the route Patras-Ancona.
  ANEK Lines increase its shares to 41,9% of the share-capital of DANE
  ANEK Lines buys 50% of the share-capital of ETANAP
  ANEK Lines buys 62% of the share-capital of LEFKA ORI A.B.E.E.
  Contract signed with the Norwegian shipyard Fosen Mek Shipyard for the shipbuilding of two new buildings (first time for ANEK) with delivery dates October 2000 and May 2001 with an option for two more.
  Delivery of the newly constructed Olympic Champion servicing the route Patra - Ancona which completes the route Igoumenitsa - Ancona in 15 hours.
  ANEK Lines increases its share-capital (25% = 9.5 billion drachmas / 27.88 million EUROs)
  The F/B's Candia and Rethymno are sold
  ANEK Lines increases its share-capital in NEL to 19.05%
  2001 Established online connections to the international booking systems START, MERLIN, AMADEUS and SIGMA
  Delivery of the second newly constructed H/S/F Hellenic Spirit servicing along with the H/S/F Olympic Champion the route Patra - Igoumenitsa - Ancona reducing the travelling time from Igoumenitsa - Ancona to 15 hours.
  The former Patras-Ancona operating ships, Kriti I and Kriti II, were deployed then on Patras-Triest and Ravena-Catania (Kriti I)
  2002 The F/B's Kriti I & Kriti II deployed on the Piraeus-Heraklion service
  2003 ANEK Lines set up a ro/ro operations called ANEK CARGO for the routes Piraeus–Heraklion, Patras–Bari and Patras–Venice
  2005 in May ANEK sold its 16.5% shares in NEL Lines to Edgewater Holdings with a €0.5 million profit
  in November the F/B Aptera was sold with a €2.5m. net profit
  the new Patras-Venice route is added to the route to Northern Italy
  the construction of the company´s building is completed as well as the relocation of administrative services to the company-owned, functional establishm
caption: F/B Kriti II
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