What Ignazio Messina & C does

Ignazio Messina & C. S.p.A. is a privately held, family-owned Italian liner shipping company founded in 1921 and headquartered in Genoa. It operates MessinaLine, a scheduled liner service connecting the Mediterranean with Africa, the Middle East, and India, calling at over 50 ports across 40 countries. The service is backed by an owned fleet of seven Full Container vessels (up to 6,300 TEU each) and one Ro-Ro vessel (Jolly Blue), flying the Italian or Madeira flag, plus a diversified container fleet including standard dry units, Open Top, Flatrack, refrigerated containers equipped with Daikin Zestia Active CA technology, and roll trailers with up to 100-ton payload capacity.

The company's core product is scheduled container and Ro-Ro ocean carriage, augmented by Special Cargo handling for project cargo, heavy lift and out-of-gauge loads, rolling cargo, and yachting. End-to-end reach beyond the port is provided through Messina Multimodal (pre- and on-carriage to 100+ inland destinations) and Messina Terminal, creating an integrated logistics stack. Commercial workflow is digitized through the Messina Online platform, which handles booking, transport ordering, VGM entry, empty container pickup, and B/L and invoice access.

Revenue is generated primarily through transaction-based shipping fees on container, Ro-Ro, and project cargo moves, supplemented by multimodal managed-service fees. Go-to-market is enterprise field sales delivered via the "Hand to Hand Approach" — direct, personalized commercial contact through 19 wholly-owned branch offices across Europe, Africa, and India, plus an agency network in 30+ additional markets. Target customers are enterprise shippers in manufacturing/trading, automotive and heavy equipment, industrial project, perishables/cold chain, and yachting segments. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed, with multi-year contract billing cadence. The company is privately held under continuous Messina family leadership with no external institutional investors.

Name

Ignazio Messina & C

Legal name

Ignazio Messina & C. S.p.A.

Website

https://messinaline.it

Company type

Private

Founded year

1921

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Ignazio Messina & C. is a family-owned Italian liner shipping company founded in 1921 that operates an owned fleet of seven container ships and one Ro-Ro vessel, providing container, project cargo, rolling cargo, and cold-chain services across the Mediterranean, Africa, Middle East, and India.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Maritime Shipping Services

NAICS

Deep Sea Freight Transportation (483111)

SIC

Deep Sea Foreign Transportation Of Freight (4412)

akta.pro primary industry

Project & OOG/Breakbulk Ocean Forwarding (Out-of-Gauge, RoRo) (TLACABAH)

Keywords

• Container shipping services
• Maritime logistics
• Project cargo handling
• Reefer container transport
• Multimodal freight services

Headquarters

HQ city

Genoa

HQ country

Italy

HQ region

Europe

Offices19 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Infrastructure, Personnel, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Container Shipping Services: Full Container (Lo-Lo) vessel services for standard and specialized cargo including dry containers, reefer containers, and special equipment. Revenue generated through container shipping rates based on cargo volume, weight, and route.
2. Ro-Ro Vessel Services: Roll-on/Roll-off vessel services for vehicles, heavy equipment, and rolling cargo. Revenue generated through vessel space booking and handling fees.
3. Project Cargo Services: Specialized heavy lift and out-of-gauge cargo handling including industrial plants, transformers, wind turbine components, railway wagons, and yachts. Revenue from complex logistics solutions and specialized equipment usage.
4. Multimodal Logistics Services: End-to-end logistics integration through Messina Multimodal, extending services beyond port to inland destinations. Pre-carriage and on-carriage services covering over 100 inland destinations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Ignazio Messina & C. operates MessinaLine, a B2B liner shipping service offering regular sailings to over 50 ports in 40 countries across the Mediterranean, Africa, Middle East, and India, using an owned fleet of 7 Full Container vessels and 1 Ro-Ro vessel. Core offerings include container shipping (Lo-Lo) for standard, reefer, and special cargo, Ro-Ro transport for vehicles and rolling stock, project cargo and heavy-lift logistics for out-of-gauge items, and integrated multimodal inland logistics via Messina Multimodal. Specialized equipment (flatracks, open-tops, refrigerated Daikin Zestia containers, Mafi trailers) and direct branch presence in destination markets underpin the offering.

Product overview

Ignazio Messina & C operates MessinaLine, a comprehensive maritime shipping platform comprising liner shipping services connecting Mediterranean, Africa, Middle East, and India. The portfolio includes an owned container fleet with specialized equipment (standard dry, Open Top, Flatrack, Reefer), 8 owned vessels (7 Full Container ships up to 6,300 TEU and 1 Ro-Ro), Special Cargo handling for project cargo and rolling cargo, and the Messina Multimodal service for end-to-end logistics extending to 100+ inland destinations. All operations are managed through the Messina Online digital platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Messina Line: Commercial brand for Ignazio Messina & C. liner shipping services connecting Mediterranean, Africa, Middle East, and India.

Products and services

• MessinaLine Liner Shipping Services Core liner shipping service providing regular scheduled sailings to over 50 ports in 40 countries across the Mediterranean, Africa, the Middle East, and the Indian Subcontinent, sold under the MessinaLine brand to enterprise shippers.
• Owned Vessel Fleet (Full Container + Ro-Ro Vessels) Owned fleet comprising 7 Full Container vessels (Jolly Rosa, Jolly Giada, Jolly Clivia, Jolly Oro, Jolly Argento, Jolly Bianco, Jolly Verde) with capacity up to 6,300 TEU each, plus 1 Ro-Ro vessel (Jolly Blue, 710 TEU), flying the Italian or Madeira flag.
• Container Fleet Rental Owned container equipment fleet for shipment of cargo, including 20' Box, 40' Box HC, 40' Pallet Wide dry units, Open Top containers, Flatrack (20'/40' Standard and High Cube), refrigerated containers (20' Reefer, 20' Reefer HC, 40' Reefer HC with Daikin Zestia Active CA), and roll trailers (20', 40', 50', 60', 62') with payload capacities up to 100 tons.
• Special Cargo Services Specialized handling and transport of project cargo, heavy lift and out-of-gauge loads (industrial plants, transformers, wind turbine components, railway wagons), rolling cargo (vehicles, agricultural and construction equipment), and yachts using owned Lo-Lo vessels, Mafi trailers, and flatrack containers.
• Messina Multimodal Inland Logistics End-to-end multimodal logistics service extending the shipping line beyond port operations to final destination, providing pre-carriage and on-carriage (truck and rail) transport to over 100 inland destinations across the company's served markets.
• Cold Chain Reefer Transport Temperature-controlled reefer container shipping with 40' High Cube refrigerated containers equipped with Daikin Zestia technology and Active Controlled Atmosphere (Active CA) systems with DC converters for absolute temperature precision, remote controllability, and reduced energy consumption/CO2 emissions; capacity up to 23 Euro pallets or 20 industrial pallets per reefer.
• Messina Online Digital Booking Platform Customer-facing digital platform enabling shippers to manage bookings, order land transport, enter VGM (Verified Gross Mass) information, request empty container pickup, and access Bill of Lading documentation and invoices in PDF format with online payment capability.
• Ro-Ro (Roll-on/Roll-off) Vessel Services Roll-on/Roll-off shipping service using the owned Jolly Blue vessel (710 TEU) for transporting brand-new vehicles (cars, trucks), agricultural and construction vehicles, and rolling cargo requiring drive-on/drive-off handling.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 50 ports in 40 countries across 3 continents
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Messina MultimodalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIntegration partner for end-to-end logistics services. Messina Multimodal extends the shipping company's reach beyond ports to over 100 inland destinations, providing pre-carriage and on-carriage services. This partnership enables true door-to-door logistics coverage.
• Messina TerminalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPort terminal operations partner ensuring direct control over the logistics chain at origin and destination points. Works in synergy with Messina Multimodal for integrated logistics management.
• DaikincoreTechnology or IntegrationTechnology provider for refrigerated containers. Daikin Zestia technology equipped in 40' High Cube reefer containers with Active CA (Active Controlled Atmosphere) systems and DC converters for precision temperature control in cold chain transport.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Arkas Line: Turkish privately-owned container line serving Mediterranean, Black Sea, and West Africa. Direct comparable in being a regional mid-sized container carrier with family/private ownership and similar Mediterranean-Africa trade lane focus.
• d'Amico Società di Navigazione: Italian family-owned shipping company operating product tankers and container vessels. Comparable in being a privately-held Italian shipping firm with long-term strategic horizon and Mediterranean focus.
• ZIM Integrated Shipping: Israeli container liner with strong Mediterranean and regional niche positioning. Comparable in being a mid-sized regional container specialist rather than a global mega-carrier, with similar focus on premium and specialized services.
• Borchard Lines: European container line specializing in Mediterranean and North Europe services. Comparable regional container specialist with similar European private ownership structure and Mediterranean focus.
• Grimaldi Lines: Italian family-owned shipping group with similar Mediterranean and West Africa container and Ro-Ro services. Direct competitor in Mediterranean-Africa container and vehicle carrier lanes, with comparable owned-fleet, family-controlled model.
• Tarros Group: Italian shipping and logistics group specializing in Mediterranean and container/Ro-Ro services to Mediterranean and East Africa. Direct competitor on similar trade lanes with comparable size and family ownership.

Broad incumbents

• Hapag-Lloyd: German global container line serving Med and Africa routes. Comparable in operating container liner services but at much larger scale (250+ vessels); serves similar Mediterranean-Africa shipper base.
• CMA CGM: French global container carrier with strong Mediterranean and Africa-Asia networks. Significant overlap on Mediterranean-Africa and Mediterranean-India lanes but operates globally with 600+ vessels; broad incumbent peer.
• MSC (Mediterranean Shipping Company): World's largest container shipping line and a Geneva-based company with Italian shipping roots. Overlaps on every Mediterranean trade lane but operates at massively greater scale (700+ vessels); a broad incumbent benchmark rather than direct niche competitor.

Emerging players

• Sallaum Lines: European Ro-Ro and container specialist serving Mediterranean and West Africa vehicle and project cargo. Directly comparable in specializing in rolling cargo and vehicles on Mediterranean-West Africa routes.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInit.linkedin.com/company/ignazio-messina-&-c.-s.p.a.
• Instagraminstagram.com/messinaline_official
• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Ignazio Messina & C