H/S/F SUPERFAST IX
Photo ©
Photolab.de
|
Ship |
Superfast IX
(2002) |
Building Spec. |
2002 at HDW
yards, |
|
Call Sign |
SYZD |
IMO Number |
9211509 |
|
GRT |
30.285 |
DWT |
5.525 |
|
Dimensions |
203,9 x 25 x
6,4 |
Engines |
4 Wartsila – Sulzer, 47.999 kW |
|
Speed |
27,1 knots, max
30,4 |
Passengers |
717 |
|
Beds |
|
Cars |
900 |
|
Lane Metres |
1.908 |
Sister Ships |
|
|
Registry Port |
Piraeus |
Flag |
Greek |
|
Former Owners |
|
Former Names |
|
|
New Owners |
|
New Names |
|
|
Line |
Zeebrugge - Rosyth |
||
She entered in Superfast
Fleet on 08/01/2002, connecting Rostock with the
Swedish port of Södertälje, leaving Rostock on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday at 15.00 coming
back from Sweden on Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 18.00, connecting
Stockholm’s suburbs with Germany in only 18 hours. This service, however,
didn’t have the same success of the Rostock – Finland
service, especially with freight market, a vital figure considering that all
the new Greek ferries are more addressed to cargo service rather than passenger
ones; this time Superfast did not gain some clients
from TT Line and their services Travemunde – Trelleborg and Rostock – Trelleborg, so Attica Enterprises decided to “temporaily” suspend the services between Rostock and Södertälje, diverting
the “Superfast IX” and her sister on Scotland –
Belgium line, where they are actually deployed. The doubt is over the temporaily suspension of Södertälje
line: after the sale of “Superfast III” and “Superfast IV” to TT Line Australia, the deployment of the
new Flender twins between Ancona,
Igoumenitsa and Patras and
the reconfirm of “Superfast V” and “Superfast VI” on the direct link Ancona
– Patras, Superfast lack
two ferries to put on this line: my sensation is that the Germany – Sweden
service would be closed for many time! Some years ago I saw in the Superfast Ferries’s Patras port agent a model of a Ferry terminal designed for
drive-through operations also of the upper vehichle
deck, a common feature design of all Superfast
vessels. This terminal was realized in the Rosyth
port and is shown in a following photo; on another one by our friend Sebastiaan Toufekoulas we can see
the bow mooring at Zeebrugge.
Photo © Micke Asklander, Södertälje, 11/01/2002
The Rosyth ferry terminal, Photo © photolab.de
Photo ©
Sebastiaan Toufekoulas, Zeebrugge,
Photo ©
Photolab.de