MS Pascal Paoli

On January 5, 2016, Pascal Paoli was transferred to the Maritime Corse Méditerranée, a new entity succeeding SNCM following its takeover by the Corsican businessman Patrick Rocca.

On February 3, after a technical stop at the Tunisian yards of Menzel Bourguiba, the ship arrived in Marseilles without any commercial markings.

The ship is named after Pasquale Paoli (April 6, 1725 – February 5, 1807), a Corsican patriot, statesman and military leader who was at the forefront of resistance movements against the Genoese and later French rule in Corsica.

The ship arrived in the vicinity of Bastia around 11 pm but did not approach, as the striking sailors wished, and spent the night a few cable lengths from port.

In the early hours of September 28, after authorities had taken a decision overnight, members of the Hubert and GIGN commando, with five helicopters, took possession of the ship.