document imprimé depuis le site frenchlines.com le August 30, 2008, 12:07 pm

---

print version

1948 : Covenant between the State and the Compagnie Générale Transatlantique™ for the exploitation of the Corsican lines.

1969 : Creation of the Compagnie Générale Transméditerranéenne (CGTM), resulting from the merging of activities in the Mediterranean of the Compagnie Générale Transatlantique™ and the Compagnie de Navigation Mixte.

1969-1975: Setting up of the company, difficult circumstances from 1973, notably because of :

• the gradual introduction by the State of the system of territorial continuity between mainland France and Corsica. The company was not allocated the financial means, compensating for the limitation of profits inferred by the measures taken to achieve this (reduced fares in favour of passengers and goods).
• the major increase in fuel costs due to the petroleum crisis in 1973 and 1974.
• development of competition on the North African shipping routes due to the growth of air transport and the creation of the Compagnie Tunisienne de Navigation and the Compagnie Algérienne de Navigation.

1976 : Restructuring of company capital notably with the participation of the SNCF (French national railways). The CGTM takes the name of the Société Nationale Maritime Corse-Méditerranée (SNCM) of which the capital is distributed as follows :

• Compagnie Générale Maritime (CGM) 75%
• Société Nationale des Chemins de Fer Français (SNCF) 25%

The participation of the SNCF will be reduced to 20% and that of the CGM increased to 80% following an increase in the SNCM’s capital in 1978.
A covenant is signed between the State and the SNCM for a duration of 25 years. In addition to it are conditions of contract which define the obligations of the SNCM as regards the service of the Corsican lines for which the company assures a public service (fares, fleet, frequency of service).The covenant also defines how the company is granted with financial compensation calculated on the basis of propositions made by the company, which are subject to partial indexing.
At this date the SNCM assured :

• The transport of passengers, with or without their vehicles and goods to Corsica (public service),
• The transport of passengers, with or without their vehicles and goods to Algeria and Tunisia all year round and Sardinia in the summer season.

The SNCM also exercises the following activities : customs broker, forwarding agent, general representation of foreign companies, travel agencies (Sotramat), tour-operators (Ferrytour) and naval repairs. The SNCM holds 40% of the capital of SUDCARGOS.

1976-1982 : Renewal of the fleet with the ferries Napoléon, Cyrnos, Esterel, Corse as well as Liberté and the roll-on roll-off cargo ships Monte-Stello, Monte-Cinto, Monte-Rotondo, Ardèche and L'Aude.

1986 : Implementation of the 1982 laws giving a special status to the Corsican region and making provision for the transfer of skills from the State for the Islands services. Signing of a covenant between the SNCM and the Office des Transports de la Région de Corse for the period between 1986-1990. These documents specify, modify and complete the covenant passed with the State in 1976 which remains.

1987 : Development of new products : organisation of mini-cruises and congresses out of the summer season. Increase of travel agency activities.

1989-1990 : Offensive strategy in the face of the fall in traffic and the competition from other shipping lines and airline companies.
Bringing into service of the car-ferry Danielle Casanova. Lengthening of Cyrnos renamed ‘Ile de beauté’ and of Liberté. Bringing into service of the multi-purpose roll-on roll-off cargo ship, Monte d'Oro.
Creation of the Bastia-Livourne line, exploited by the subsidiary Corsica Marittima.

1991 : Covenant signed between the SNCM and the Office des Transports de la Région de Corse for the period between 1991-1995.

1992-1995 : Continuation of the company’s development despite the fall in traffic of passengers going to Corsica ; the accent is put on the improvement in productivity in the context of measures defined by the company plan. The renewal of the fleet is undertaken with the order of a liner, a multi-purpose cargo ship and 'Navires à Grande Vitesse' (NGV) (high speed ships) destined for the short crossings departing from Nice. In 1994, the bringing into service of the multi-purpose roll-on roll-off cargo ship, Paglia Orba.

1996 : Bringing into service of Napoléon Bonaparte, on the Corsican service departing from Marseille. The installations on this ship are particularly comfortable. She transports 2150 passengers and 708 vehicles at a speed of 23 knots. Also brought into service, the high speed ships, NGV Asco and NGV Aliso (530 passengers and 150 cars transported at a commercial speed of 37 knots).
Covenant signed between the SNCM and the Office des Transports de la Région de Corse for the period between 1996-2001.
Stabilisation of Corsican traffic which had been on the decrease in recent years.
The financial results are burdened with debt as in 1995 due to insufficient profits and the weight of new investments.

1997-1998 : Resumption of activities in Corsica which in June 1998 leads the company to order a third NGV of a larger capacity to be delivered in the year 2000. This ship will transport 1000 passengers and 280 vehicles.
The SNCM is also preparing for due dates which are approaching for : the liberalisation of national coastal shipping from January 1999 and in the year 2001, the end of the public service concession which the company has benefited from since 1976.
A new company plan has been drawn up which will allow for the necessary evolutions to enable the SNCM to be chosen at the end of the invitations to tender which will be carried out by Corsica in order to define the new concessionary companies.