The shipping company Siremar, officially Sicilia Regionale Marittima, was founded in 1975 to improve shipping connections between Sicily and the surrounding smaller islands such as the Aeolian Islands, the Egadi Islands, Ustica and Pantelleria.
Its foundation followed a phase of restructuring of Italian ferry traffic after the Second World War and was part of efforts to promote regional development and integration.
After the war, ferry services were initially resumed using pre-war steamships. In 1954, the newly founded Navisarma took over traffic to the Aeolian Islands, while Si.Re.Na (Siciliana di Navigazione) operated the remaining island routes. These organizations were the result of state subsidies and new tenders in accordance with the Postal Services Act of 1953.
In 1974, Si.Re.Na united all services under its umbrella and in 1975 they were taken over by the newly founded Siremar, which also inherited most of Si.Re.Na's ships.
Originally a subsidiary of Tirrenia di Navigazione, Siremar was sold in 2011 and is now part of Compagnia delle Isole. This ownership structure includes shares from the Sicilian region, regional companies and the Lauro Group from Naples.