F/B Leros - Piraeus

You are in: HOME > COMPANIES 2.0 > LETTER “D” > DANE SEA LINE > LEROS (1997-1998)

F/B LEROS

Dressed with Grand Pavois for Agios Nikolaos holiday – Photo © Antonios Lazaris #11760

Ship	Leros (1997) ΛΕΡΟΣ	Building Spec.	Italcantieri S.p.A., Castellammare di Stabia, Italy, 1968 – N° C648
Call Sign	SXIH	IMO Number	6813485
GRT	5.477	DWT	1.965
Dimensions	126,35 x 19,21 x 5,47	Engines	2 Wärtsilä 12V32, 8.742 kW
Speed	18 knots	Passengers	1.200
Beds	362	Cars	300
Lane Metres	420	Sister ships	Al Salam Taba I (scrapped in 2004) Saudi Moon II (sunk in 1982) Sindibad I (sunk in 1992) The Calypso (scrapped in 2013)
Registry Port	Piraeus	Flag	Greece
Former Names/Own.	Canguro Bruno – Traghetti Sardi 1968-10/1982 Chartered to Trasmediterranea* 1978* Yum – Fagez 10/1982-12/1988 Ionian Fantasy – Strintzis Lines 12/1988-1991 Chartered to Allways* Lines 1989* Ionian Sea – Strintzis Lines 1991-05/1993 Bihar – Co.Tu.Nav. Tunisia Ferries* 05/1993-10/1993 (charter)* Ionian Sea – Strintzis Lines 10/1993-1994 Dimitra – Aktoploiki Maritime/D.A.N.E. (50% owned by each shipowner) 1995-97 Operated by G.A. Ferries* 1995-1996*
New Names/Owners	Scrapped at Aliaga (Turkey) in March 2001 as “Leros”
Line

She was built in 1968 by Fincantieri for Traghetti Sardi, which put her on Sardinia trade. First sold to Fagez, an Arab company which operated the line Suez - Jeddah, the ship was able to survive her Red Sea days without sinking, a very rare exploit. At the end of 1988 was purchased by Strintzis Lines, renamed “Ionian Fantasy” and chartered for 1989 season to Allways Lines, then was deployed on Strintzis’s Adriatic services until 1993, when she was chartered to Co.Tu.Nav. as their “Bihar”. At the end of the charter was renamed again “Ionian Sea”, a name she took first between 1991 and 1993, sailing on a new Aegean route from Piraeus to Cyclades and Dodecanese. At the end of 1994 was sold to Aktoploiki Maritime (G.A. Ferries) and Dane Sea Line (50% each one), entered in service in 1995 for G.A. Ferries with the name “Dimitra”, linking Piraeus and Rhodes via Syros, Paros, Naxos, Patmos, Leros, Kalymnos, Kos, Nissiros, Tilos, Symi and sometimes also Kastelorizo. In 1997 Dane Sea Line bought the Agoudimos stake in the ship, which continued to sail on the same services as “Dimitra”, but wearing DANE livery and being named “Leros”, continuing the tradition to name the ships after Dodecanese islands; the ferry anyway, even entirely owned by DANE, continued to have Piraeus as her homeport, instead of the most common “Rhodes” for Dane Sea Line vessels. On 14/12/98, when in Piraeus laid up for repairs, a fire broke out on the ship, it seems due to a candle which was burning in a crew cabin: there were no casualties, but the ferry was badly damaged by the fire, also because, due to the works carried on the ferry, the fire extinguishing system was not working; the “Leros” was finally scrapped in 2001. It’s curious to notice how much the destiny played with the five “Canguro” sisters: actually only one of these is still sailing, after being converted to a cruise-ship, while only another one reached the scrapyard with her own power; we know about the fire of the “Leros”, then the last two sisters sank in the “sea cemetery” of the world, the Red Sea. It’s also very interesting to notice that every ferry of this family sailed in the Red Sea.