F/B Diagoras - Rhodes

You are in: HOME > COMPANIES 2.0 > LETTER “D” > DANE SEA LINE > DIAGORAS (2001-06)

F/B DIAGORAS

Photo © Apostolos Kaknis, Piraeus, 11/07/05 #1698

Ship	Diagoras (2001) ΔΙΑΓΟΡΑΣ	Building Spec.	Naikai Zosen, Setoda, Japan, 1990 – N° 548
Call Sign	SXAM	IMO Number	8916126
GRT	9.834	DWT	3.348
Dimensions	141,54 x 23 x 5,4	Engines	2 Niigata – Pielstick 12c, 9.753 kW
Speed	21 knots	Passengers	1.400
Beds	436 in 141 cabins	Cars	400
Lane Metres	900	Sister ships	Princess of the South
Registry Port	Rhodes	Flag	Greece
Former Names/Own.	New Tosa – Osaka Kochi Tokkyu Ferry 1990-09/2000 Lindos – Dane Sea Line 09/2000-09/2001
New Names/Owners	Diagoras – Blue Star Ferries 07/2006à
Line

She arrived in Greece in October 2000 after 10 years of service in Japan as “New Tosa”, named “Lindos” and rebuilt at Perama yards to be converted as a passenger ferry from her previous ro/pax configuration. After the refit, entered services on 16/09/01 with the name “Diagoras”, chosen by Anek Board; Diagoras was a Rhodes-born boxer which lived in 5^th century B.C. and winner of many editions of ancient Olympic Games. Also the sons of Diagoras were successful boxers and his figure gives also the name to the main football team of Rhodes, the Diagoras F.C., which actually plays in Greek Football League, the second level of Greek Football Championship. Deployed on both late afternoon departures to Kos and Rhodes and the early afternoon departure to Patmos, Leros, Kalymnos, Kos and Rhodes, sometimes calling also at the smaller islands on that route (Nissiros, Tilos, Symi), proved to be very successful, but during May 2002 six companies which worked on her refit at Perama asked her arrest to the Piraeus Court due to unpaid works, as long as Dane Sea Line was again in financial difficulties. Between November 2002 and January 2003 she served also ANEK connections to Heraklion, probably due to the intention to secure incomings for the company; same happened between November 2003 and February 2004, this time mainly sailing to Rethymnon. On Spring 2004 Dane Sea Line was again affected by big financial troubles, leaving the “Diagoras” as the only ferry serving the Dodecanese after the mechanical troubles of her fleet-mates “Patmos” and “Rodos”; the one-ship service stopped anyway in June 25^th, 2004, when the seafarers blocked the ferry owing a great amount of money from the company; at the end of September 2004 the stop was definitive, when the ship was arrested due to the unpaid contributions to the Greek Seafarers Provisional Fund and Piraeus Court stated to auction her. The auction took place on October 13^th 2004, but no one made any offer, even if there were strong rumours of an interest of Attica Enterprises, owner of Superfast Ferries and Blue Star Ferries, in buying this ferry, offering around 15 million Dollars. While the auctions continued without a buyer, on June 2005 the Greek Government announced that DANE won the tender for a subsidied route from Thessaloniki to Samos, Kos and Rhodes. This unbelievable notice led to the beginning of speculations about a comeback of the “Diagoras” to service, and Dane Sea Line asked the Piraeus Court to lift up the arrest on the ship, granting to the Government also that if the ship weren’t ready for the beginning of the service, they would have introduced “Aptera” of parent company ANEK on the service. Anyway the Piraeus Court didn’t release the ship, and the route was awarded to Agoudimos Lines and its “Penelope”. On July 5^th, 2006, the ship was auctioned again, and the auction was won by Blue Star Ferries, which maintained the former named and deployed the vessel to Dodecanese services.