F/B Poseidon Express

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F/B POSEIDON EXPRESS

Photo © George Kobeos, Piraeus #11747

Ship	Poseidon Express (1989) ΠΟΣΕΙΔΩΝ ΕΞΠΡΕΣ	Building Spec.	Cantiere Navale di Pietra Ligure, Pietra Ligure, Italy, 1974 – N° 13 (Finished at Compagnie Generale d’Entretien et de Reparation, Le Havre, France)
Call Sign		IMO Number	7227073
GRT	7.824	DWT	1.866
Dimensions	135,3 x 20,71 x 5,9	Engines	2 Atlantique – Pielstick 16PC3V-480, 17.650 kW
Speed	23,6 knots	Passengers	1.300
Beds	424	Cars	280
Lane Metres	220	Sister ships
Registry Port	Piraeus	Flag	Greece
Former Names/Own.	Provence – C.G.T. Compagnie Générale Transméditerranéenne 06/1974-03/1976 Provence – S.N.C.M. Société Nationale Corse Méditerranéenne 03/1976-1989
New Names/Owners	Bel Air – Beacon Marine 08/1997-07/1999 Scrapped at Aliaga(Turkey) as “Bel Air” in June 1999
Line

The “Provence” was the first vessel of a two-ship order placed by French Government to the shipyard of Pietra Ligure, in Italy; this vessel, and the “Languedoc”, the second sister, were intended to be used on France – Corsica services, but after the launching of the “Provence” the yard went bankrupt and the unfinished hull was towed to Le Havre, where was completed. Unluckily, the “Languedoc” remained only on papers, so the “Provence” was finally a unique ship. After 15 years of service for the state-owned French companies CGTM and SNCM, the “Provence” arrives in Greece in 1989, acquired by Arkadia Lines for the line Piraeus - Paros - Naxos - Ios - Santorini. The intention was to refit her as a cruise ferry and flagship of the fleet, intention reached perfectly with the refit due in Perama in 1990: two lifeboats each side were removed: one substituted by life rafts, the other by the great stern superstructure; the side ramps at stern were welded. Was anyway employed in her service also for a brief spell in her original shape, being already fitted by French with restaurant, self service, disco and swimming pool; on each side of her car decks was equipped with cabins and airplane type seats rooms. She was the best of all the ships employed on that line, contrasted only in 1996 by the coming of “Ariadne” at the beginning of April; her success wasn’t based only on her excellent service and furnitures, but over all on her speed, which, in a time where Blue Star Ferries weren’t known yet, reached 23 knots per hour, connecting Piraeus and Paros in only 4 hours and 30 minutes. The interesting match against the “Ariadne”, however, stopped only twenty days after the beginning: on 20th April of that year the ship, after gaining the permission to enter in Paros harbour, struck a reef to avoid the “Naias Express” and began to be flooded; all cargo and passengers were discharged , but the ship capsized the following day in front of the quay. The ship was then refloated and towed to Eleusis, an operation which ended only the 8th of July. As far as I saw when I looked at her condition in Paros, she seemed to be not very damaged and I thought she could come back to service after repairs, considering that she was only 22 years old at that time; however she was laid up at Eleusis and declared a Total Constructive Loss at the end of 1996; after about three years of lay-up beside her former fleet mates, was sold for scrap on 1999 Summer.