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F/B SANTA MARIA I
Official G
LINES photo #8524
Ship
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Santa Maria I (2007)
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Building
Spec.
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Fincantieri
– Cantieri Navali Italiani – N° 5865
Ancona,
Italy, 1989
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Call Sign
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A8OL9
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IMO
Number
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8705709
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GRT
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10.977
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DWT
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2.300
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Dimensions
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122 x 19,4 x 5,31
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Engines
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2
Fiat-GMT A420.6H, 7.059 kW
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Speed
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15 knots (max 17 knots)
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Passengers
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842
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Beds
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348 in 158 cabins
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Cars
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276
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Lane Metres
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400
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Sister Ships
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Laurana
Palladio
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Registry Port
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Monrovia
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Flag
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Liberia
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Former Names/Own.
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Sansovino – Adriatica Navigazione 1989-04
Chartered to Siremar Sicilia Regionale Marittima 2003
Chartered to Adria Ferries 2004
Sansovino – Siremar Sicilia Regionale Marittima 2004-10/2007
Chartered to Tirrenia divisione Adriatica 2004
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New
Names/Own.
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Adriatica King – Albanian Ferries 12/2010à
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Line
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Launched as the “Sansovino”
by Fincantieri Ancona in
1989, entered in service for Adriatica Navigazione linking the two shores of Adriatic Sea on the
short routes between Italy, Jugoslavia and Albania. Later employed for a
period on Brindisi – Greece services, from 1996 was employed back
full-time on cross-Adriatic services between Ancona, Bari, Durres, Bar, Dubrovnik and Split. Being redundant on
Summer 2003, was chartered to the State-Owned sister company Si.Re.Mar.; later in 2004 was then chartered to Adria Ferries and finally sold to Si.Re.Mar,
even if she sailed for a last spell on Adriatic routes under the Sicilian
company’s livery. Her Sicilian period lasts four years, divided between Milazzo – Aeolian Islands – Naples service, Porto Empedocle – Linosa – Lampedusa islands line and frequent lay-ups, due to the
unsuitability of the “Sansovino” to Si.Re.Mar. routes; in the meantime the ferry was constantly
on sales lists and frequently rumoured to be sold to Greek interests, a fact
which didn’t materialized. The ship was finally sold at the end of 2007 to the
Greek shipowner Gourdomychalis,
not well-known in ferry scene. The ferry left Palermo to Greece under the much
Italian name of “Santa Maria I”, and her Liberian flag suggests a future
employment out of Greek seas; this circumstance came into reality when the
company announced the Bari – Durres route for the ship, a line on which the
ferry was extremely successful as the “Sansovino” of Adriatica and competing also with her “heirs” of Tirrenia – Adriatica. When
arrived in Perama, the ferry was refitted: apart of
normal mantainance works, which were badly needed
because of the long lay-up which preceeded the sale,
the ferry was repainted with the new livery, much similar to the previous one
apart for the stern zone, entirely blue-painted, in my opinion, with very bad
taste; on the other side, unfortunately, the company lacked to add the two
lifeboats removed by Si.Re.Mar, in order to be
allowed again to carry the same passengers the ship carried as the “Sansovino”, but lacked also to upgrade the interiors of the
vessel, which are fairly outdated and poor as all the Italian State ferries of
the same period, adding only a small Casino and creating the A-la Carte
Restaurant in part of Self Service area. After her deployment, she performs
three/four sailings per week between Bari and Durres, departing at 23.00 and
arriving the next day at 07.00; it is interesting to notice that almost all her
competitors on the route are or were related to Italian State-owned companies:
of course the Tirrenia sisters “Domiziana”,
“Flaminia” and “Nomentana”,
but also the former Adriatica vessels “Grecia” and “Venezia” belonging
to Halkydon Shipping. Another interesting fact to be
underlined is that the “Santa Maria I”, at the moment of her deployment is far
the youngest ferry on the Bari – Durres line with her 19 years of age, compared
with an average age of the competitors of 31,8 years, with the “Flaminia” as the younger one (27) and the “Duchess M” as
the older (38). On August 2008 the ship itineraries were suspended due to
engine troubles happened to the ferry, a great damage to the company who had
lost the ferry during the most important period of the year; these problems
weren’t anyway solved in a short time, and the “Santa Maria I” continued to
remain laid up, switching various berths in Piraeus area. Finally, on December
2010 was sold to Albanian interests, which renamed her “Adriatica
King”, obviously for Bari – Durres line.
ADRIATICA NAVIGAZIONE F/B Sansovino – Photo © Greecefinikunda
ADRIATICA NAVIGAZIONE F/B Sansovino – Photo © Gunnar Menzer
SIREMAR F/B Sansovino – Photo © Maria Cristina Margheri,
Ancona, 02/04/05 #1625
SIREMAR F/B Sansovino – Photo © Maria Cristina Margheri,
Ancona, 02/04/05 #1628
Photo
© Apostolos Kaknis, Perama, 06/11/07 #7878
Photo
© Apostolos Kaknis, Perama, 06/11/07 #7879
Official G LINES photo
Photo
© Erald Spahiu, Bari, 17/12/07 #8393
Photo
© Erald Spahiu, Bari, 21/01/08 #8394
Photo
© Erald Spahiu, Bari, 21/01/08 #8396
Photo
© Erald Spahiu, Bari, 21/01/08 #8397
Photo
© Erald Spahiu, Bari, 21/01/08 #8398
Photo
© Erald Spahiu, Bari, 21/01/08 #8401
Photo
© Erald Spahiu, Bari, 21/01/08 #8404
Photo © Erald
Spahiu, Bari, 21/01/08 #8405
ALBANIAN FERRIES F/B Adriatica
King – Photo © Godra, Bijela,
25/07/11 #11730
ALBANIAN FERRIES F/B Adriatica
King – Photo © Godra, Bijela,
25/07/11 #11731
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