F/B Phivos - Piraeus

F/B PHIVOS

Photo © Michele Lulurgas, Piraeus, 07/01/07 #5606

Ship	Phivos (2004) ΦΟΙΒΟΣ	Building Spec.	Hijos de J. Barreras S.A., Vigo, Spain, 1980 – N°1455
Call Sign	SXUU	IMO Number	7825978
GRT	5.287	DWT	1.188
Dimensions	99,52 x 17,01 x 4,25	Engines	2 Deutz RBV 12M350, 6.432 kW
Speed	18 knots	Passengers	1.300
Beds		Cars	120
Lane Metres		Sister ships	Bahia de Malaga Ilha Azul Princess Victoria
Registry Port	Piraeus	Flag	Greek
Former Names/Own.	Punta Europa – ISNASA Islena de Navigacion S.A. 1980-98 Punta Europa – Balearia 1998-03 Charter a Euroferrys* 1998-99* Charter a UMAFISA Union Maritimia Formentera Ibiza S.A.* 2000-01* Punta Europa – TRIS Traghetti Isole Sarde 2003 Punta Europa – Enermar 2003-04
New Names/Owners
Line	Piraeus - Aegina

The “Punta Europa” is the first of two sisters ordered by ISNASA to Barreras yards of Vigo, Spain; two more sisters were ordered instead at Santander yards. Among the four new-bouilt vessels delivered to the company for 1980 summer for their services leaving Algeciras to Tangier, Morocco, and Ceuta, in Spanish Morocco, was the only having her name not entitled to a bay but to Punta de Europa, the Cape of Gibraltar. The ship is basically a day-ferry, with a spacious garage due to the absence of central engine-casing and with two fixed mezzanine decks for the cars on port side and starboard. The ferry remained under ISNASA colours until 1998, when th company passed to Balearia; that time the “Punta Europa” was chartered immediately to Euroferrys, which operated her for a year, then to UMAFISA before starting a long period of lay-up ended only in 2003, when the ferry was towed to Genoa to be delivered to the new owner, the Italian company Enermar. In fact the deal for the purchase of the ferry was done by TRIS, another Italian company, which intended to use her and the sister “Bahia de Ceuta” between Piombino, Italian mainland, and Portoferraio, the main harbour of Elba Island; anyway the permissions to operate the service were initially deniened and this led Enermar, which took over the TRIS fleet after the bankruptcy of the company, to abandon the project to serve Elba island. After another year of lay-up, this ship was bought by the Greek shipowner Lefakis, which deployed her on Piraeus – Aegina line after a long refit lasted a year. The ferry demonstrated to be very successful, particularly appreciated for her impressive interior and maybe the most preferred ferry among those serving the lucrative Piraeus – Aegina link; actually she seems to be different from the sister “Athina”, nowadays better known as the “Ilha Azul” only for the funnel (painted with Lefakis brand instead of Kostas Agapitos one) and for the lack of cabins and self service, which were instead fitted on the “Athina”.