Caronte & Tourist S.p.A. is a private navigation company, founded in 2003 from the merger of the two historic shipping companies, the Calabrian Caronte and the Sicilian Tourist Ferry Boat. Both companies commenced their business in 1965, dealing with connections between the ports of Reggio Calabria and Messina, as an alternative to the State Railways. Each year, more than 5,000,000 passengers travel with the ships of the Group, covering the maritime links to and from Sicily, from the high-speed ferry on the Strait of Messina, to the cabotage on the Salerno - Messina line through Cartour S.r.l. The Group also covers the connections with Isole Minori through NGI, Maddalena Lines and the shipping division of Siremar, a historic Sicilian maritime company recently acquired, through the subsidiary Caronte & Tourist Isole Minori. Amongst the most efficient in Europe, the fleet ensures pleasant, fast and safe crossings.