F/B Ouranos - Limassol

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F/B OURANOS

Photo © Michele Lulurgas, Igoumenitsa, 31/05/06 #4209

Ship	Ouranos (1999)	Building Spec.	Flender Werft – N° 559 Lübeck, Germany, 1967
Call Sign	9HFI6	IMO Number	6704402
GRT	11.621	DWT	3.076
Dimensions	138 x 21,5 x 5,5	Engines	4 Pielstick 12PC2-V400, 18.390 kW
Speed	24 knots	Passengers	1.200
Beds	556 in 193 cabins	Cars	280
Lane Metres	456	Sister ships	Atlas Han
Registry Port	Valletta	Flag	Malta
Former Names/Own.	Tor Hollandia – Tor Line 04/1967-11/1975 Ariadne – Minoan Lines 11/1975-05/1999 Chartered to General National Maritime Co. of Lybia* 01/1997-03/1997*
New Names/Owners	F. Diamond – F Lines (Fashion TV) 02/2007-06/2010 F. Diamond – Messrs Cemsan Gemi Sokum 06/2010-09/2010 Scrapped at Aliaga (Turkey) in September 2010 as “Diamond”
Line

Originally named “Tor Hollandia”, was engaged on long crossings between Amsterdam, Immingham and Goteborg for Tor Line. After eight years of service, in November 1975 was sold to Minoan Lines, which took her in Greece under the name “Ariadne”: this was the beginning of 24 years of service for the Cretan company, sailing on almost all the routes effected by Minoan, even in Adriatic Sea or in Aegean Sea. The fleet-renovation program of Minoan Lines led the company to sell the “Ariadne” in March 1999 to Fragline, which renamed her “Ouranos”, replacing the same-named ferry which was sold in the meantime to Azores islands Government. Under Fragline ownership, the “Ouranos” had a very usual timetable, sailing on Brindisi – Corfu – Igoumenitsa line daily, leaving Brindisi on evening and Corfu / Igoumenitsa in the morning, being appreciated by both ferry lovers and simple passengers for her good maintainance by the crew. Her only shade during the Fragline service was a detention of 4 days on March 30^th, 2004 at Igoumenitsa, at the beginning of her season. Probably tired after many years of struggling on a very competitive line like the Brindisi – Corfu – Igoumenitsa, the company put the “Ouranos” on sales lists for years, and finally find a buyer in 2007, when the owner of Fashion TV, Mr Michel Adam Lisowski, decided to enter the cruise-market by branding a ship with Fashion TV marks. The “Ouranos” took the “F Diamond” name and was refitted to meet very stylish standards, becoming very glamour by the fitting of mirrors, spot-lights and Plasma-screens throughout the vessels, with new bars and restaurants, refitted cabins and without altering the garage, which, according to the plans of the owners, had to host fashion shows performed by twenty-five models, which were living aboard the ship, dancing on the runway on the music played by the resident DJ. The 2007 summer was spent cruising between the fashion locations of Genoa, Cannes, Portofino, Ibiza, before leaving to Asia, where she called at Dubai, Singapore, Hong Kong, Ho Chi Minh City to host fashion events and parties there. When she was back in Europe, in 2008, was repainted in a distinctive “total black” look, which led the specialists of yacht-chartering, which offered her on their websites, to use the nickname “Black Diamond”. After having spent the 2008 Summer cruising out Sardinia, was detained in Genoa for eight days on October 9^th, 2008, having found 21 deficiences. After this arrest, the “F Diamond” was used in Genoa as a location for parties, causing also the protest of local bars and pubs, which lost much affair; later the owner planned to use the ship as a fashion outlet, but this didn’t materialize, as long as the ferry was arrested by Genoa court for unpaid bills by the owner. This was the beginning of the road to the Court Auction, which happened finally in September 2010, when she was awarded to Turkish buyers which planned to use her as a floating hotel. The bad luck which followed the ferry after the purchase by Fashion TV anyway, didn’t left her also in Turkish hands, so the new owners decided anyway to use her former original sister as hotel, scrapping the glorious “Diamond” after 43 years of life.