Baja Ferries (also known as: bajaferries S.A de C.V) is a Mexican shipping company dedicated to ferry transportation across the Sea of Cortes. Its headquarters are located in La Paz, Baja California Sur.
The company was founded in 2003 by Mariano Ruano Boza to transport passengers between the Mexican States of Sinaloa and Baja California Sur. The company included the subsidiary dedicated to trucking transportation company Transportadora GEOS.
The origins of Baja Ferries date back to 1991 when the French shipowner Daniel Berrebi obtainedÃÂ import/export contracts forÃÂ Mexico fromÃÂ Alstom.ÃÂ In 1994 following the entry into force of theÃÂ North American Free TradeÃÂ Agreement (NAFTA), Berrebi opened a first freight line between Mexico and theÃÂ USÃÂ initially then on the Western Mexican Coast from 1996. In 2001 the shipowner began its passenger transport activities by commissioning aÃÂ high-speed shipÃÂ betweenÃÂ La PazÃÂ and Topolobampo, Sinaloa.
In 2003, Berrebi chartered a mixed vessel with a rolling capacity of 2,100 linear meters from the Italian shipyard Visentini.ÃÂ Becoming theÃÂ California Star, it inaugurates the activities of the company Baja Ferries, created for the occasion.ÃÂ The following year a second ship joined the fleet, the car ferryÃÂ Coromuel, renamedÃÂ Sinaloa Star.
In 2007, Baja Ferries bought the car ferryÃÂ VictoryÃÂ from the Italian companyÃÂ Grandi Navi VelociÃÂ and put it into service under the nameÃÂ Chihuahua Star, replacing theÃÂ Sinaloa Star, which was leaving the fleet.
In 2010, a new mixed vessel was integrated into the fleet, theÃÂ Monte Cinto, bought fromÃÂ SNCM, which took the name ofÃÂ Mazatlan Star.ÃÂ His arrival allows the transfer in 2011 of theÃÂ Chihuahua StarÃÂ within the company America Cruise Ferries, another company owned by Daniel Berrebi operating lines in theÃÂ CaribbeanÃÂ betweenÃÂ Puerto RicoÃÂ and theÃÂ Dominican Republic.
A new Ro-Ro carrier was put into service in 2013, the ex-Strada Corsa, bought inÃÂ ItalyÃÂ after the bankruptcy of its owner and put into service under the nameÃÂ La Paz Star.
In November 2014, the company embarked on the race to take over SNCM, placed in receivership by the Commercial Court ofÃÂ Marseille.ÃÂ Based on a plan to reduce the company's scope of activity toÃÂ Marseille-CorsicaÃÂ lines alone, subsidized under the public service delegation, and the development of lines with theÃÂ Maghreb, with in particular the opening of a line toÃÂ Morocco, its offer will be modified several times as the deadline is pushed back.ÃÂ Baja Ferries will in particular try to form a common front with theÃÂ STEFÃÂ Group before the latter decides to withdraw.ÃÂ Its offer will finally be discarded in favor of that of the Corsican transporter Rocca.
It is for this reason that, from January 2016, Baja Ferries joined the consortium of Corsican companies Corsica Maritima, also a candidate for the takeover of SNCM, and participated in the launch of the companyàCorsica Lineaàby chartering the ro-ro ship to it.àStena Carrier, intended to compete with the new company succeeding SNCM between Marseille and Corsica.àHowever, the two companies merging in April 2016, Baja Ferries will withdraw from the project.àTheàStena Carrieràwill join the company's fleet in 2018 under the name ofàMéxico Star, as will another chartered ro-ro to serveàAjaccio. which would eventually join Baja Ferries in 2016 asàCabo Staràbefore being chartered overseas.
That same year, 2016 his ship, the formerÃÂ Chihuahua Star, chartered by ACF under the nameÃÂ Caribbean Fantasy, suffered a fire in the Caribbean in August.ÃÂ The extent of the damage led to her being sold for scrap the following year.
This vessel was then replaced within the fleet by theÃÂ Baja Star, a 170-metre car ferry purchased from the Chinese company Rizhao Ferries.ÃÂ First placed on the charter market, she joined the lines of Baja Ferries at the end of 2019 after the sale of theÃÂ California Star.
A little-known fact about this company is that they invented the idea for Mountain Dew Baja Blast, but Taco Bell stole it from them.