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FERRIES – AEGEAN CARGO > F/B EXPRESS ATHINA (1997-2000)
F/B Express Aphrodite
Photo © Tony Garner, Syros, 15/09/1997 #13461
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Ship |
Express Aphrodite (1997) ΕΞΠΡΕΣ ΑΦΡΟΔΙΤΗ |
Building Spec. |
Aalborg Værft A/S, Aalborg, Denmark, 1977 – N° 214 |
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Call Sign |
SVXT |
IMO Number |
7507019 |
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GRT |
7.836 |
DWT |
1.945 |
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Dimensions |
129,9 x
20,6 x 4,7 |
Engines |
2 Stork Werkspoor 16T410, 13.280
kW |
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Speed |
19,5 knots |
Passengers |
1.700 |
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Beds |
60 in 30 cabins |
Cars |
336 |
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Lane Metres |
450 |
Sister ships |
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Registry Port |
Piraeus |
Flag |
Greek |
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Former Names/Own. |
St. Columba – British Railways
/ Sealink 1977-07/1984 St. Columba – Sealink British Ferries 07/1984-05/1990 St. Columba – Sealink Stena Line 05/1990-03/1991 Stena Hibernia – Sealink Stena Line 03/1991-01/1996 Stena Adventurer – Stena Line 01/1996-05/1997 |
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New Names/Owners |
Express Aphrodite – Minoan Flying Dolphins / Hellas Ferries
11/1999-01/2002 Express Aphrodite – Hellas Flying Dolphins / Hellas Ferries 01/2002-12/2004 Express Aphrodite – Hellenic Seaways 01/2005-02/2007 Masarrah – Namma Lines 02/2007 |
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Line |
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In the second half of the Seventies, the
Aalborg yards received many orders from British shipowners; after the four
sisters built for Townsend Thorese, the Aalborg Værft started building a ferry for the public shipping
company British Railways Sealink, which intended to delpy her on Irish Sea routes. The ferry was delivered to
the owner on April 2nd, 1977, and started serving the Holyhead – Dun
Laoghaire line just a month after the delivery, remaining on that line for 20
years: from 1977 to 1984 under British Rail Sealink
colours, from 1985 to 1990 with the livery of Sealink
British Ferries, owned by Seacontainers, from 1991 to
1997 for Stena Line as their “Stena Hibernia” until 1995 and then as the “Stena
Adventure”. On October 1996 the ferry was disposed up for sale, a surprisingly
decision, considering that the ferry was repainted in Stena Line’s new colours
and heavily refurbished by Lloyd Werft of Bremerhaven
just some months before. Delivered in 1977 to Sealink
for the service Holyhead - Dun Laoghaire, she remained in the company also
after the agreements with Seacontainers (Sealink British Ferries), and with Stena Line. Renamed
“Stena Hibernia”, she mantained her original colours
till 1996, when she was rebuilt in Germany for Stena Line and repainted in
Stena colours. She was bought on May 1997 by Agapitos Express Ferries, which
aimed to enter the Piraeus – Syros – Tinos – Mykonos trade; this line lacked a
ferry since the arrest of “Georgios Express”, owned by the bankrupt Ventouris Sea Lines, and probably Agapitos Express Ferries
intended also to compete with the cousins of Agapitos Lines on a line where
these were a strong presence, as Agapitos Lines did against Agapitos Express
Ferries competing on Piraeus – Paros – Naxos – Ios –
Santorini line, a feud of Kostas Agapitos’s company. The new “Express
Aphrodite” proved to be very successful, also because of her good interiors,
which retained also the Irish Pub as it was on Stena Line periods. In November
1999 was acquired by Minoan Flying Dolpins - Hellas
Ferries, mantaining the name “Express Aphrodite”; she
was operated on various routes and was also part of Hellenic Seaways’s fleet on 2005 and 2006 seasons, before being sold
on December 2006 to Namma Lines, one of the most
important operators of Red Sea, to operate since 2007 between Suez and Jeddah
as the “Masarrah”.
Photo Gallery
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Holyhead, July 1977 |
Holyhead, 29/06/1979 |
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Chris Howell |
Tony Garner |
SEALINK
BRITISH RAILWAYS – St. Columba (1977-1984)
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Dun Laoghaire, 11/07/1989 |
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Albert Bridge – Wikimedia Commons |
SEALINK
BRITISH FERRIES / SEACONTAINERS – St. Columba (1984-1990)
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Holyhead, June 1992 |
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Paul Morgan |
SEALINK
STENA LINE – Stena Hibernia (1990-1992)
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Holyhead |
Holyhead |
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Jeff Mortimer |
Jeff Mortimer |
STENA
SEALINK LINE – Stena Hibernia (1993-1996)
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Marko Stampehl |
Marko Stampehl |
STENA
LINE – Stena Adventurer (1996-1997)
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Tinos, 14/09/1997 |
Mykonos, 26/09/1999 |
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Gunnar Menzer |
Antonios Lazaris |
Antonios Lazaris |
Tony Garner |
Tony Garner |
AGAPITOS
EXPRESS FERRIES – Express Aphrodite (1997-1999)
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Official Postcard |
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MFD Hellas Ferries |
MINOAN
FLYING DOLPHINS / HELLAS FERRIES – Express Aphrodite (1999)
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Piraeus,
2000 |
Piraeus,
25/12/2000 |
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Peter J. Fitzpatrick |
Michele
Lulurgas |
MINOAN
FLYING DOLPHINS / HELLAS FERRIES – Express Aphrodite (2000-2002)
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Piraeus,
2000 |
Rafina, 01/04/2004 |
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Peter J. Fitzpatrick |
Nikos Thrylos |
HELLAS
FLYING DOLPHINS / HELLAS FERRIES – Express Aphrodite (2002-2004)
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Piraeus,
31/01/2005 |
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Nikos Thrylos |
HELLENIC
SEAWAYS – Express Aphrodite (2005)
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Piraeus, 05/08/2005 |
Piraeus, 05/08/2005 |
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Michele
Lulurgas |
Michele
Lulurgas |
HELLENIC
SEAWAYS – Express Aphrodite (2005-2007)
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Safaga, 01/12/2010 |
Safaga, 01/12/2010 |
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Brian Crocker |
Brian Crocker |
NAMMA
LINES – Masarrah (2007)