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Agoudimos Lines was operating on cargo services for a lot of years before starting passenger services in 1989. Their first ship, the “Kapetan Alexandros”, was enrouted on Rafina – Andros – Tinos – Mykonos service with an uncommon blue-painted hull. On 1992 a new ferry was purchased, the “Penelope A”, far lager and modern than “Kapetan Alexandros”, which was transferred from Cyclades line to a new service linking Brindisi to Patras via Corfu and Igoumenitsa; however, the link to Patras came very fast to an end, and services stopped at Igoumenitsa. After eight years of services, however, the “Penelope A” was sold to the new Minoan Flying Dolphins, which acquired with the ship, also the licence to operate from Rafina to Cyclades; then the company acquired a new ferry, renamed “Penelope A”, which was put on BrindisiIgoumenitsa service, replacing the “Kapetan Alexandros”, which starter a new route from Bari to Durres in Albania. It was very rare to hear about Agoudimos Lines to purchase and operate other ferries than the known two ones, but on winter 2003 two ships were purchased at little time-distance, the “Blue Sky” from Attica Enterprises - Blue Star Ferries and the “Express Penelope”, once a time the “Penelope A”, from Hellas Ferries. The first one was renamed “Ionian Sky” and deployed on Brindisi – Corfu – Igoumenitsa line, the second one another time “Penelope A” and another time on RafinaCyclades. It is funny to notice that Agoudimos Lines owned two ferries with the same name at the same moment, but this was possible because the two ferries were flying two different flags. At the end of 2004 two sister ferries from Shin Nihonkai Ferry of Japan, were purchased, the “New Akashia” and the “Ferry Lavender”, respectively renamed “Ionian Glory” and “Ionian King”, even if the first one is only operated by Agoudimos Lines, being owned by Endeavor Shipping of the Cephalonian shipowner Vangelis Gianetatos. Far larger than the actually owned ferries, were intended to start a new Bari – IgoumenitsaPatras service from June 2005, however some delays made the service starting only at the end of August, even if with a great success, as it seems; the “Ionian Glory” was also renamed to “Ionian Queen”, a better-indicated name to operate in pair with a ferry called “Ionian King”! On summer 2005 also another new fact happened to Agoudimos Lines: the Bahamas-flagged “Penelope A” entered the Hellenic Register of Shipping as “Penelope” for a five-years service from Thessaloniki to Crete (Heraklion) both via Sporades and Cyclades islands, replacing the Minoan Lines service, and via Samos, Kalymnos, Kos, Rhodes, Karpathos and Kassos islands. After having relocated the Northern Aegean services several times, leaving also from Kavala and mainly serving the islands of Limnos, Lesvos, Chios, Samos and Ikaria, Agoudimos Lines closed down the service early in 2008; this year many things changed among Agoudimos Lines services. The joint-venture with Endeavor Shipping came to an end, so the “Ionian Sky” was relocated to Patras – Cephalonia – Igoumenitsa – Bari line in order to maintain a daily schedule with the “Ionian King”; the “Penelope” was moved to Igoumenitsa – Corfu – Brindisi line replacing the “Ionian Sky” and a new ferry was introduced, the “Ionian Spirit”. This one, a member of the well-know “Papenburger” class of ferries, started a new Brindisi – Corfu – IgoumenitsaPaxi service. On 2009 some other changes were made to Agoudimos services: the “Kapetan Alexandros A”, after nearly 48 years of life, was sold for scrap, being replaced on the lucrative Brindisi – Vlore line by the “Ionian Spirit”; the Bari line was reduced to a single-ship service, operated by the “Ionian King”, offering four sailings a-week (one only to Igoumenitsa), with the “Ionian Sky” and the “Penelope” operating from Brindisi to Corfu, Igoumenitsa and Zakinthos once a week on Summer. These routes were confirmed for 2010, when Agoudimos made a partnership with Ventouris Ferries; anyway this wasn’t enough to help the company getting out its bad moment, due also to the economical crisis which affects Greece, so at the beginning of 2011 the flagship “Ionian King” was sold, leaving Agoudimos Lines only with its services from Brindisi to Corfu, Igoumenitsa, Zakinthos and Vlore with the “Ionian Sky”, “Penelope” and “Ionian Spirit”, plus the classical Rafina line operated by the “Penelope A” and a seasonal service from Bari to Durres. During 2012 the company operated only three vessels: the “Penelope A” on her usual service plus the “Ionian Spirit” and the “Ionian Sky” out of Brindisi, the first one to Vlore and the latter to Corfu and Igoumenitsa; anyway, the Albania line stopped on September, and the Italy – Greece line was very short, operating only from July 6th to September 10th; the following season was the last one viewing an Agoudimos ferry sailing, after the charter of the “Ionian Sky” and the end of Albanian line: the “Penelope A” struggled to maintain the Rafina – Andros – Tinos – Mykonos between various difficulties, when was finally arrested in September 2013, bringing the company to its end.

 

AGOUDIMOS LINES's datas

 

F/B Ionian Glory (2005)

F/B Ionian King (2005-11)

F/B Ionian Queen (Endeavor Lines) (2005-07)

F/B Ionian Sky (2004à)

F/B Ionian Spirit (2008à)

F/B Kapetan Alexandros (1989-94)

F/B Kapetan Alexandros A (1994-2009)

F/B Penelope (2005à)

F/B Penelope A (1992-99; 2004à)

F/B Penelope A (2000-05)

 

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THE FAMILY PHOTOALBUM

 

Agoudimos Lines – Funnel of “Ionian King”, Perama, 05/08/05

 

Agoudimos Lines – Funnel of “Ionian King”, Igoumenitsa, 30/05/06

 

Agoudimos Lines – Funnel of “Ionian Spirit”, Piraeus, 25/06/08

 

Agoudimos Lines – Particular of ship name on “Ionian King”, Perama, 05/08/05

 

Agoudimos Lines – Particular of ship name on “Ionian King”, Patras, 03/09/07

 

Agoudimos Lines – Particular of ship name on “Ionian Spirit”, Piraeus, 25/06/08

 

Agoudimos Lines – Particular of ship name on “Penelope”, Perama, 27/05/06

 

Agoudimos Lines – Particular of ship name on “Penelope A”, Rafina, 11/08/10

 

Agoudimos Lines – Company livery on “Ionian Sky”, Igoumenitsa, 05/08/10

 

Agoudimos Lines – Company livery on “Ionian Spirit”, Piraeus, 25/06/08

 

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