The Board of Directors of Attica Enterprises S.A. announced the launch of Superfast  Ferries` new Baltic Sea two-ship service between Germany and Sweden . Superfast Ferries inaugural sailing followed the naming ceremony of Superfast IX which took place last Friday at the new Superfast Ferries terminal in the port of Sodertalje. Swedish world-class swimmer, Mrs Therese Alshammar, silver Olympic medallist and world record holder in 50m and 100m freestyle from the world championships in Athens 2000, named Superfast IX in a special ceremony held at the port of Sodertalje.

Superfast IX will operate on the new Germany-Sweden route between the port of Sodertalje, in the greater Stockholm area and the port of Rostock, Germany, in a sailing time of only 18 hours. Her sister vessel Superfast X will be delivered in the beginning of next month, to join in the new two-ship service. Both Superfast IX and Superfast X have been constructed at Howaldtswerke Deutsche Werft shipyard in Kiel, Germany, the same shipyard which also built Superfast VII and Superfast VIII, that trade on the Germany-Finland direct service since the summer of 2001 with great success.

During the naming ceremony, Alexander Panagopulos, President and Managing Director of Superfast Ferries S.A., said: "We are very proud to be here today, standing in admiration next to the latest addition to the Superfast family of vessels, the ninth in a series of twelve Superfast Ferries, of what have by now become the familiar red and white ships of the European seas. Superfast Ferries is the first ferry operator within the borders of the European Union to cross its territorial boundaries and set foot in another sea, demonstrating, and occasionally testing, the real integration of our Europe."

Superfast IX and Superfast X each have a capacity of 626 passengers and garage decks for 110 large trucks and at the same time 115 private vehicles. Superfast IX and Superfast X have an overall length of 203.3 m., width of 25.0 m, draft of 6.5 m and a maximum speed in excess of 30 knots.

Equipped with the latest navigation and communication technology, the two Finnish ice-class 1A Super new cruise-class ferries of Attica Enterprises will offer 5-star comfort to their passengers and amenities to include a la carte and smorgasbord-buffet Restaurants, Bars, a panoramic live music Dancing Lounge, Casino, Video Games Room, Card Room, Shops and Boutiques, Conference Rooms and Business Centre, Children`s Playroom, Satellite Television and Internet facilities.

Superfast ÉX is the third in a series of four vessels, destined for the Baltic Sea routes, delivered to Attica Enterprises. The Superfast Baltic service was inaugurated on May 17th, 2001 with the deployment of Superfast VII joined by Superfast VIII on 16th July, 2001 in the Germany-Finland service. Superfast ÉX and Superfast X complete the Superfast Ferries four-ship daily service connecting Finland and Sweden to Germany and vice versa.

Superfast Ferries as of May 2002 will inaugurate a new two-ship direct ferry service between Rosyth in Scotland and Zeebrugge in Belgium. With the new Superfast service, Scotland will be directly connected to mainland Europe with daily overnight crossings between Rosyth and Zeebrugge employing a journey time of only about 17.5 hours.