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The Augustea Group is owned and controlled by the Cafiero, a family originally from Meta di Sorrento, a small town of ship-owners and seafarers situated in the Bay of Naples, whose shipping interests date back to the 17th century.

Historically, Sorrento has always been an important shipping centre: since early Greek and Roman times adventurous people, from this area, navigated the Mediterranean and even beyond. Over the centuries, the Sorrento shipping community thus became an economic pillar of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies and, later, of the Italian maritime industry.

The Cafiero family shipping interests go back to 1629, when Pietro Antonio Cafiero established a charitable fund for the release of sailors captured by pirates. Today, another member of the family, Pietro Antonio Cafiero, ocean-going master, is member of the board of Augustea.

Early in the 19th century Salvatore Cafiero founded the local Sailors' Mutual Society and became director of the "Steamship Navigation Company of the Sorrento Peninsula". In 1850, the shipping interests of the Cafiero family were entered into Lloyd's Register.

In 1955 Salvatore Cafiero, Captain with Lauro’s fleet and for many years in charge of the chartering department, founded the company “Augustea” to participate in the development of petrochemical ports of Augusta and Syracuse, in the eastern coast of Sicily, by providing harbour towage services.

In 1964, Salvatore Cafiero added the deep-sea shipping business at the towing activities and continued to develop both businesses until he died in 1982.

The generation that followed continued and expanded his work, promoting and consolidating the international growth of the Group.

Today, Mr. Raffaele Zagari is the group Chairman and Chief Executive Officer.

Augustea Group Timeline

1955

·    Salvatore Cafiero establishes Augustea to provide towage services in the Sicilian port of Augusta (Italy)

1963

·    Augustea expands its towage activities to other Sicilian ports and also starts operating a deep-sea cargo vessel fleet

2000

·    Augustea acquires Argentinean dry bulk operator Marifran Internacional from the Dreyfus Group

2004

·    Augustea acquires Anchor Marine Transportation, UK’s largest operator of deep sea barges

2007

·    Augustea and Oceanbulk set up AOM, a joint venture to expand the dry cargo business

2011

·    Augustea Bunge Maritime Ltd (ABML) is established with Bunge, a leading commodities trader

2013

·    Augustea and ABML set up ABY, a joint venture with the private equity firm York Capital Management

2014

·    ABY and Oceanbulk Maritime (50/50) acquired the dry cargo division of Deiulemar Shipping Spa

2016

·    Augustea Holding Spa and Rimorchiatori Riuniti Spa finalised a deal to sell the whole share capital of Augustea Imprese Marittime e di Salvataggi Spa to the Genoese Group

2018

·    The investments held in Maltese companies owning 16 bulk carrier ships were sold in exchange for a package of shares in Star Bulk Carriers Corp., a company listed on the NASDAQ exchange in New York

2021

·    A new technical management company, Iblea Ship Management Ltd, was incorporated to provide technical services on the dry bulk shipping market

 Last updated on October, 2023