Discover the Janas: Ratings & Maritime News

The ferry vessel formerly known as 'Janas' is set to be rebranded as 'GNV Altair' following its acquisition by GNV in December 2025. This significant purchase, made during an auction, included sister ships 'Athara' and 'Moby Ale Due'. The 'GNV Altair' is scheduled to commence operations on routes to Algeria starting February 21, 2026, featuring two weekly services: one to Bejaia and another to Algiers. The ship arrived at the port of La Spezia on January 14. Prior to its service launch, the 'GNV Altair' will undergo a series of targeted refurbishments to meet GNV's high operational and quality standards. Efforts will focus on enhancing the passenger experience and boosting the overall efficiency of the vessel.

In a significant development for the maritime industry, the Court of Milan has announced that five ferries, including the notable 'Moby Aki' (IMO: 9299393), 'Moby Wonder' (IMO: 9214367), 'Moby Ale Due' (IMO: 9222522), 'Athara' (IMO: 9263655), and the 'Janas,' are set to be auctioned next week. The auction is expected to start with a bidding price of €229.9 million for this single lot. Notably, both the 'Moby Aki' and 'Moby Wonder' will require a charter back to Moby for a duration of 15 years, with a daily rental fee of €15,000 (approximately $17,200). This auction comes on the heels of a ruling by the Italian Competition and Market Authority (AGCM), which expressed concerns that the stake held by Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) in Moby could potentially disrupt competition within the maritime sector. Following this ruling, MSC opted to divest its interest in the Italian ferry operator. In 2022, a subsidiary of MSC, Shipping Agencies Services (SAS), acquired a minority stake in Moby when the company faced financial troubles. However, due to the AGCM's investigation initiated in November 2024 surrounding competitive concerns—particularly related to SAS’s ownership of Grandi Navi Veloci (GNV), a rival on several routes—the authority mandated this divestiture. Consequently, SAS is set to sell its 49% stake back to Onorato Armatori, a transaction that has received approval from the competition authority, ensuring a more balanced competitive landscape in the region.

On November 4, 2017, the ferry 'Janas' experienced an allision with a stationary cargo vessel while navigating the busy port of Livorno at approximately 9:30 p.m. The vessel was preparing to depart towards Olbia when the collision occurred. Fortunately, all 456 passengers on board the 'Janas' were unharmed, enabling a prompt return to port for necessary investigations. Following the thorough checks, the ferry was cleared to resume its voyage and finally set sail from Livorno at 3 a.m. on November 5.

On the evening of February 20, 2017, a chaotic scene unfolded aboard the ferry 'Janas' as 63 deported immigrants instigated a riot during its journey from Cagliari to Naples. The situation escalated as the migrants caused extensive damage to several cabins, intimidating around 200 other passengers on board. Reports indicate that one mobile phone was stolen and physical altercations occurred, with frightened passengers locking themselves in their cabins while others attempted to breach these safe havens. Authorities were contacted, and upon docking in Naples, the riotous migrants were promptly arrested. A thorough search of the ferry was conducted to ensure no individuals were hiding within the vessel's compartments. The 'Janas' departed from Naples back to Cagliari at 7:20 p.m. on February 21. Interestingly, many of the rioters were part of a larger group of 112 Algerian immigrants who had recently arrived on the southern coast of Sardinia. Of the 63 detained individuals from the riot, 29 were subject to expulsion orders, 32 were legal immigrants, while 2 lacked any form of identification. The latter two were taken to police headquarters for identification procedures to determine their immigration status. For further details and photographs of the incident, you can visit Italian news sources: [La Stampa](http://www.lastampa.it/2017/02/21/italia/cronache/traghetto-tirrenia-devastato-da-immigrati-a-bordo-per-il-rimpatrio-GWlGYbCwmoV3iHoLIqzChK), [GDS](http://gds.it/2017/02/21/notte-incubo-sul-traghetto-furti-e-molestie-da-un-gruppo-di-migranti_631906/), [Il Giornale](http://www.ilgiornale.it/news/politica/cagliari-napoli-notte-paura-traghetto-ostaggio-dei-migranti-1367342.html), [Fidelity House](http://news.fidelityhouse.eu/cronaca/traghetto-della-tirrenia-preso-in-ostaggio-260640.html), [Newsly](http://www.newsly.it/traghetto-tirrenia-cagliari-napoli-migranti), and [La Nuova Sardegna](http://lanuovasardegna.gelocal.it/regione/2017/02/21/news/caos-sul-traghetto-l-ad-di-tirrenia-niente-danni-ne-lesioni-alle-persone-1.14914915?refresh_ce).