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February 8, 2012 11:16 pm | 
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Picture of the week: Nordlandia
The Nordlandia (ex-Olau Hollandia) at Helsinki, January 2008.
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Tags: nordlandia, olau hollandia
Picture of the Week | Administrator | February 5, 2012 10:32 am | Comments (0)
Farewell Svealand, Stena Seatrader, Seatrade
The realities of the Ventouris Ferries business on the Igoumenitsa route are clear from these moves – this is a company which is predominantly focussed on freight and the passenger market they most enjoy is “camping on board” in which passengers drive their camper vans aboard and, for the most part, stay there. Freight drivers are, of course, welcome but there doesn’t seem to be much desire to cater for motorists, less still foot passengers, and the company website reflects this, barely mentioning the Bari-Igoumenitsa route and instead being almost totally dedicated to the more mainstream Bari-Durres (Albania) operation.
At peak season, and with the limited space aboard the Seatrade, it proved rather difficult to find tickets for her on our crossing but we managed to secure a pair of places on deck. Having observed the ship’s arrival at Igoumenitsa from Bari in the morning we sailed over to Corfu for the day, returning to embark a couple of hours before the scheduled departure time at which point the loading of freight was already in full swing. The difficulties of squeezing a near-full load of freight and camper vans onto the ship were demonstrated by the prolonged period over which this process took – having commenced at around 5pm the ship did not depart until past 10pm, over an hour late.
Below are some pictures from one of the more memorable crossings of 2011.
Link: Stena Seatrader, 1995 profile deckplan
The Seatrade, arriving from Bari in the morning, reverses onto her berth in Igoumenitsa.
The offices of Milano Travel, Ventouris Ferries' local agents, where they display a fine selection of images of scrapped Ventouris ships in the Polaris, Athens and Siren.
Boarding the Seatrade over the main vehicle deck with the base of the railway lines still clearly visible. Until very late in the ship's Stena ownership the rails remained intact, with wooden boarding surrounding them - they were removed in 2007.
Embarking foot passengers ascended all the way to the top freight deck to the former aft docking bridge...
... latterly in use as a reclining seat lounge.
Seen from the Seatrade is Igoumenitsa's international ferry terminal.
Some lorries were also squeezed in up here...
In a bid to increase the ship's passenger capacity, a pair of charming 'lounges' were added on former open deck space, just aft of the bridge wings - here is the starboard side version.
The recesses beneath the lifeboats provided a small area of traditional outside deck space.
Aft of the saloons on decks 7 and 8 were a variety of cabins, many of which had been spruced up by Stena in the ship's 2007 refit.
At some stage the ship lost her small sauna, which is seen here in late 2006, before both the final Stena and Ventouris refits.
Forward on Deck 8 was the former cafeteria, complete to the end with its Stena 'Truckers Lounge' identity.
Truckers Lounge bar counter; out of picture to the right is the small, enclosed, cafeteria servery area.
Another view, looking across from the starboard side.
The deck below, Deck 7, featured this lower lounge.
Ventouris installed this small additional lounge, complete with bar and reception desk, aft of the forward saloon on Deck 7.
Time to head below decks...
The cabins on Deck 2 were used until very near the end in the Stena days but, with Ventouris, they were abandoned and derelict.
Moving back up a deck, Deck 3 was the main freight deck.
This still bore many clear signs that the ship had once been a train ferry.
Deck 3 - looking aft from adjacent to the centre casing.
On board the ship during the Stena days, before the railway lines were properly removed.
Later in the crossing, this view shows the stern door closed with some of the tourist traffic collected in Corfu just in front.
The second freight deck, Deck 5.
In one part of this deck the charred deckhead appeared to indicate that, at some stage, there had been a lorry fire.
Returning to the top freight deck via the funnel casing.
Some interesting gas cylinders could be found here...
... test stamped March 1972.
Seatrade Miscellany
Seatrade Miscellany
Seatrade Miscellany
Seatrade Miscellany
Seatrade Miscellany
Seatrade Miscellany
Seatrade Miscellany
Back on the top vehicle deck, with loading still progressing slowly.
Other, more mainstream, competitors came and went as we slowly squeezed our heavy load of freight on board.
Night fell and the bolted-on plastic seating areas turned a lovely shade of blue, a lighting choice more commonly associated with landlords trying to drive away drug addicts.
The engines are ramped up for departure and a huge plume of acrid smoke comes out of the old ship's funnel.
The ship's bell.
Sunrise the following morning - it comes as no surprise to learn we are running four hours late.
Those passengers who have spent the night wrapped up against the cold on the aft docking bridge wing wake to the first signs of another beautiful day.
Down on Deck 5 the difficulties in loading the ship are shown in just how tightly packed together the lorries are.
Time to get the camping stove out and cook breakfast...
Finally the great port of Bari is in sight; we are headed for the modern terminal used by the Greek ferries and cruise ships but on the berths at the older terminal are vessels on routes to Albania, Croatia and Montenegro. From left to right: Bari (ex-St Anselm), Riviera Adriatica (ex-Daedalus), Ionian Sky, Ankara and Sveti Stefan (ex-Cornouailles).
The Superfast II, deployed on the Patras-Igoumenitsa-Bari route, overtook us shortly after sunrise and is already fully unloaded by the time we approach our berth.
Embarkation of the Bari pilot.
Safely on the berth - four hours, forty minutes late.
Fin.
Tags: bari, corfu, igoumenitsa, sea project, seatrade, stena seatrader, svea link, svealand, svealand av malmo, ventouris ferries
Farewell to... | Administrator | January 7, 2012 6:48 pm | Comments (1)
That Was The Year That Was – 2011
In the times of plenty, old favourites would head south for long and, hopefully, fruitful careers. Today, with the Greek economy in particular in ruins, no home can be found for them there. Instead, the scrap yard beckons all too soon and the production line of replacement new ships has all but dried up. Those which did appear in 2011 often seemed to be more dysfunctional than historic.
The veterans which survive often seem to be clinging on, just one unpaid subsidy away from the end. Happily, if you look in the right hidden corners, more than a few remain, shyly eking out a living at the margins of the ferry industry. 2010 was spent saying farewell to some quite well known, doomed, elderly ships; the ferry year of 2011, perhaps more than ever before, was focussed on the marginal, the half-forgotten, the never-remembered.
Based purely on subjective feelings on the 66 ships sailed on or visited in 2011, here are some of the bests and worsts of the year.
Like a trip through space: Abel Matutes
The well documented difficulties of the Spirit of Britain somewhat preclude her from taking this title and the only other 2011 newbuild sailed upon was the functional but somewhat derivative Stena Transporter. New to me this year, however, were Balearia’s 2010-built Abel Matutes and SF Alhucemas. Like the Martin i Soler two years ago, these Spanish-built ferries capture a suitably stylish sense of adventure with hints of practical luxury. The Abel Matutes is a large ro-pax whilst the ‘Alhucemas’ is more like a smaller version of the Martin i Soler. Although neither is perfect, they represent an appropriately modern vanguard for the Spanish ferry industry in the second decade of this century.
Stena Superfast VII leaving Belfast
The lack of a particularly vintage crop of new vessels leaves the Stena Superfasts as the most impressive ferries newly sampled this year. Whereas in their previous incarnations the pair were comfortable and pleasant overnight ships the new-found, peculiar genius of Figura has seen them transformed into something quite special. Alongside the new port in Cairnryan they form the centrepiece of a determined attempt to wrest back Stena’s lost dominance on the North Channel – a project which deserves to succeed, if nothing else than for its breathtaking boldness. One does wonder if (or over how long a period) the revamped operation can possibly repay all the investment.
On the down side, see also ‘Worst food’ below.
The Rosella at Mariehamn
I found the work done by Viking Line to the Rosella somewhat underwhelming. The surviving bits of the ship’s original interiors are clearly much smarter than the new – it’s that bit too apparent that the designers were working to a strict budget. The conversion of former cabins on Deck 4 to public toilets by the expediency of removing the bunks and adding a “W.C.” sign outside the en-suite sums this one up.
The veteran Maria Maddalena at Ponza.
The Maria Maddalena was built in 1955 as the Ærøskøbing for Danish domestic service between her namesake hometown and Svendborg. Sold after just four years, she has spent the past half century in Italian coastal service, and now serves the remote island of Ponza for SNAP. This little ship is a remarkable survivor and, on board, retains more than could be expected of her original outfit, from the wooden planked vehicle deck to the vintage bridge.
When boarding the Ionian King for a departure from Brindisi to Corfu, Igoumenitsa and Zante in August the ship was surprisingly busy. Having planned to sleep, in line with Brindisi tradition, beneath the stars we found that we were able to negotiate a quite beneficial ‘cash only’ price for a cabin at the purser’s desk. This turned out to be a quite swish Japanese original, complete with shoji screens and Shin Nihonkai blankets. By the time we finally awoke the following morning, with our intermediate ports of call long behind us, we found the ship virtually and delightfully deserted for the eight hour leg to the so-called party island. Further exploration of this big and beautiful overnight ferry reconfirmed my previous thoughts: that the Ionian King and Ionian Queen were truly the finest ferries on the southern Adriatic. Sadly, within weeks, the ‘King’ had left Europe and returned to Japan for operation as a neo-cruise ship between Shanghai and Nagasaki. This sailing was the perfect way to say goodbye.
Leaving Zante on the Ionian Star; even the rusty hulk of the long laid-up Odysseas Elytis must be better than this.
The very next sailing after the Ionian King was Tyrogalas’ Ionian Star from Zante to Kyllini. In contrast, this ship was filled to the brim to the degree that many motorists retreated to their cars whilst for many of the rest of us the only ’seats’ to be found were the stairs leading up from the car decks. An unpleasant experience.
Spirit of Britain: before and after
The generally decrepit Seatrade of Ventouris Ferries was probably the most unsettling ferry sailed on this year. However, the disgraceful decline of the outside decks on P&O’s brand new Spirit of Britain between my first sailing in January and most recent in October outdo even the most lackadaisical of Greek operators. Despite the ship’s widely-reported operational problems, there can be few excuses for this lack of basic maintenance.
Special mention should also be made of the small but stinky brown deposit left on the wall by the lavatory of our otherwise clean bathroom aboard Polferries’ Scandinavia. Whoops.
Not so Taste-y: Stena Superfast VIII
No self service. Just fast food. In a box. Even the menu in the Plus Lounge on the Stena Superfasts has been dumbed down. A big, big shame.
Elsewhere, the Marrakech was predictably dismal whilst both of the ships of St Peter Line struggled badly to produce much edible on the smörgåsbord front.
Stena Lagan: dessert selection
It might seem unlikely, but the restaurant on board the Stena Lagan conjured up the most memorable ferry meal of the year on a December sailing between Belfast and Birkenhead. Moderately priced and perfectly formed, one can only hope that this hidden treat isn’t brought into line with the rest of the Stena fleet anytime soon. Honourable mentions also to the Scandinavia and to the Pride of Rotterdam.
The Bore
Biggest disappointment
On a hot July evening we found ourselves one of three parties overnighting on the Bore, now in static use in Turku. The lack of ventilation, musty cabins and more than occasional power cuts made for a memorable, if not particularly comfortable, stay. Much remained to be done but, in the ship’s defence, her owners admitted that one of the reasons it was so difficult to book a stay on board was that they had yet to complete all the work they wanted to before having the full, formal launch.
Seafrance Rodin
So. Farewell then.
I have always felt an affinity for Seafrance; for here, Wightlink apart, were the last true inheritors to the Sealink tradition – including the strikes, the sometimes off-hand (or worse) service and even some of the ships. It contradicts received wisdom to call them a success, but on the surface they were: who, following the end of Sealink in 1996, would have imagined it would be Seafrance rather than Stena that, at their peak, would accommodate as much as 45% of Dover-Calais freight.
However, the whole project was built on financial sand and the end has come as violently for the company as it has for the two ships upon which it was founded: just after the Seafrance Renoir and Seafrance Cezanne headed for the beaches of Turkey, Seafrance stopped sailing. I travelled on the ‘Moliere’ days before the end; unlike deadly crossings earlier in the year on the ‘Rodin’ and ‘Berlioz’, here everything was open, the restaurant served decent food and, if you let yourself day dream just a little, maybe there was a future after all. It was not to be.
Unlike Seafrance and their early ships I cannot say I have great memories of the Romilda (ex-Free Enterprise VIII) but I feel I should at least make mention of her demise. She always seemed to appear on the horizon about thirty minutes beyond which queuing in one of the quayside cattle pens stopped being bearable; arrivals were always just after hoteliers and barkeeps had gone to bed; and the ship was always just that fraction more dilapidated than can be endearing. But still, this was a ship with a heart and when both sailed on routes through the western Cyclades, there was the happy opportunity to compare the Romilda to her longstanding rival, through both British and Greek careers, the Agios Georgios (ex-Hengist). Her familiar presence in Piraeus will be missed.
The Romilda, July 2008.
Tags: abel matutes, aeroskobing, ærøskøbing, balearia, bore, ionian king, ionian star, maria maddalena, romilda, rosella, seafrance, seatrade, sf alhucemas, snap, snip, spirit of britain, stena lagan, stena superfast
Year in review | Administrator | December 27, 2011 3:24 pm | Comments (2)
Tags: calais, spirit of britain
Picture of the Week | Administrator | December 17, 2011 12:03 pm | Comments (1)
Tags: seafrance berlioz
Picture of the Week | Administrator | November 6, 2011 7:18 pm | Comments (0)
Things seen – October 2011
The Munster of 1968.
The Stena Nordica of 1965 at Gothenburg.
What, meanwhile, has become of the ‘Nordica’’s sister, the first Stena Danica? The ship saw lengthy service after 1969 as the Lucy Maud Montgomery in Canada before disposal in 1999. The most recent images I can find of her are as the Lady Caribe I, laid up in Key West in the early 2000s. In late 2007 Shippax reported her sold to “Dominican buyers” but there the trail goes cold.
The Lovrjenac seen during her terminal lay up at Mali Losinj in August 2008. The bridge of her similarly retired fleetmate, the Novalja, can be seen to the left.
The Lissos.
© hhvferry.com
The Kefalonia.
Hengist (as Agios Georgios)
Horsa (as Penelope A)
Vortigern (as Milos Express)
Tags: agios georgios, aqua maria, b+i, boulogne, chandris, daliana, dfds, dieppe, duke of lancaster, elli t, endeavor lines, eptanisos, ero, estonia, falaise, ga ferries, gothenburg, greek island hopping, hengist, horsa, jadrolinija, jens bang, kefalonia, lady caribe i, lissos, lovrjenac, marchioness of graham, marina, masarrah, mawaddah, milos express, munster, namma lines, naxos, nehaj, new hiyama, newhaven, peljescanka, penelope a, piraeus, romilda, samothraki, santorini, sfakia i, stena danica, stena nordica, strintzis, suilven, the azur, tor anglia, viking sally, villandry, vortigern, wasa king
Things seen | Administrator | October 30, 2011 10:19 pm | Comments (5)
Picture of the week: Villa
Villa arriving at Villa san Giovanni. Click for larger image.
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Tags: bluvia, villa, villa san giovanni
Picture of the Week | Administrator | September 28, 2011 9:07 pm | Comments (0)
Separated at Birth
The Superstar leaving Tallinn.
The Moby Aki.
It is unusual in the ferry industry for sisterships to be ordered from the same shipyard by unrelated operators. Whilst there is often a degree of plagiarism in design and the same yard or naval architects may return to previously-used solutions or styles time and again, by and large new passenger ships are so expensive and relatively risky an investment that to buy a generic design is unusual. This did not, however, dissuade Tallink from picking out the successful Moby Lines speedy ro-pax design and ordering their own green-painted version, the 2008-delivered Superstar.
Moby Lines already had a trio of ships in the class, the Korean-built Moby Wonder and Moby Freedom of 2001 and the subsequent Moby Aki, derived from the same plans and built, like the Superstar, at the Ancona shipyard of Fincantieri. Whereas the Superstar was destined for the relatively brief two hour hop from Tallinn to Helsinki, the Moby ships operate on a variety of routes, from the 4.5 hour duration Olbia-Piombino or Genoa-Bastia links to 10 hour overnight sailings from Olbia to Genoa and back. The Moby vessels are therefore dual function day/night ships with plenty of cabin berths but also with enough public spaces to cope, just about, with a full load on a day sailing.
The Superstar under construction in Ancona, July 2007.
The Superstar at Tallinn.
The Moby Aki leaving Olbia on a day sailing to Piombino.
A quick perusal of the General Arrangement plans for the ‘Aki’ compared to the ‘Wonder’ and ‘Freedom’ reveals almost identically laid-out passenger spaces – the only difference of note being approximately 15 additional cabins where the first pair had an extended lower level to the signature three-deck forward lounge; this change was subsequently incorporated into the earlier sisters. More significant differences can be found in the engine arrangements, where the ‘Aki’ and the Superstar have their Wartsila engines arranged four abreast whereas, whilst similarly-specified, the Korean sisters have theirs in pairs fore and aft of each other.
As built, the Moby Aki had a significantly greater incorporation of the Looney Tunes theme throughout the ship – again the ‘Wonder’ and ‘Freedom’ have had this overlaid in subsequent refits. The interior design of the original pair was prepared by Figura, best known as the house designers for Stena Line, and this formed the basis for the ‘Aki’ but the work on this ship was instead co-ordinated by Carlo Ciribi. Intriguingly, this architect was retained by Tallink to work on the Superstar but, although there is a general Italian theme in decor which one might expect to be somehow traceable to her Moby sisters, in fact this is a nod to the country of her build and the ship bears no resemblance in decor to her Moby sisters. The general arrangement has, however, largely been carried over intact save for Deck 6 where the bulk of what is primarily a cabin deck in the original design instead houses a large shopping centre and a Business Lounge.
The Moby Wonder at Genoa in September 2004, in her original livery - inside and out there was at this stage still minimal reference to Looney Tunes.
The Superstar on her berth in Helsinki.
The Moby Wonder in her current livery at Civitavecchia.
Moby Freedom leaving Bastia.
The images below show how Tallink have taken the bare bones of the original design, dispensed with anything cartoony, and created a pleasant if very slightly austere ship. Whilst she perhaps lacks the higher build quality and interior flourishes of her more bespoke Helsinki-built fleetmate, the Star, the Superstar is still an efficient and pleasant way to cross the Gulf of Finland. The Moby trio meanwhile are busy, hard working ships which overtly cater to a family market with all the positive and negative aspects that involves. On board, the ships are somewhat unsubtle in design but – at least when not totally full and on a sunny day – they are comfortable, speedy and popular.
Moby Wonder
Moby Aki
Superstar
Starting on Deck 10, the Moby ships feature a small whale-shaped swimming pool aft of the deck bar (seen on Moby Aki).
This image of the same area on the Superstar shows painted steel deck only, the swimming pool being one of the more notable features not carried over from the Moby vessels; the arrangement of the outside decks is otherwise essentially identical.
Deck Bar (Moby Freedom)
(Superstar)
Outside deck - starboard side (Moby Aki).
Superstar - which sometimes has the look of a ship whose funnel was installed the wrong way around.
Moving inside, right aft on Deck 10 is the upper level of the aft bar. On the Moby ships this is a Sports Bar, as pictured on Moby Wonder.
Aboard the Superstar this is the Leonardo da Vinci Bar.
(Moby Wonder)
(Superstar)
The lower level of the Sports Bar on the Moby Aki.
(Superstar)
(Moby Aki)
(Superstar)
(Moby Freedom)
(Superstar)
(Moby Freedom)
(Superstar)
On the port side, just forward of the aft bar, is the self service restaurant, seen here on the Moby Aki.
The same area on the Superstar is the Buffet Toscana and has slightly more sophisticated detailing.
(Moby Aki)
Superstar - which has enclosed booth seating inboard of the main open-plan space.
To starboard is a lengthy open-plan space stretching forward along which a variety of facilities are laid out. At the aft end of can be found the children's play area - seen here on the relatively Looney Tunes free Moby Freedom.
(Superstar)
(Moby Aki)
Adjacent to the play area, the Moby ships have a modest-sized shop, as seen on the Moby Freedom.
The Superstar has a much larger shopping complex down on Deck 6 leaving the equivalent space free for this Hamburger bar.
(Moby Aki)
(Superstar)
Forward again is this coffee bar (Moby Aki).
The equivalent area on the Superstar.
The same area on the Moby Aki looking aft.
(Superstar)
Just aft of the forward bar, on the starboard side, is the 'ACME Pizzeria' (Moby Aki).
On the Superstar this space is 'Pizza Roma'; the pizza counter has been relocated out of shot to the left.
Amidships stairwell at Deck 8 level (Moby Aki).
(Superstar)
On the opposite side of the ship to the pizzeria is the small formal restaurant - what was the 'Time Out Restaurant' on the 'Wonder' and 'Freedom' (as pictured) became the 'Grand Prix Restaurant' on the Moby Aki but the decor was little changed.
Superstar's equivalent, the Fellini a la carte.
The signature facility aboard this class of ships is the three-tier forward lounge, seen here on the Moby Aki.
(Superstar)
The bar area at the top level of the forward lounge (Moby Freedom).
(Superstar)
(Moby Aki)
(Superstar)
(Moby Aki)
(Superstar)
(Moby Aki)
(Superstar)
Accessed from the lower level (Deck 6) of the Superstar's forward lounge is the somewhat remote information desk; aft of this are a series of passenger spaces, which replace cabins and a small aft reclining seat lounge on Deck 6 of the Moby ships.
Aft of the reception area is the Business Lounge.
Business Lounge.
Deck 6 - adjacent to the lifeboat recess (Moby Freedom).
(Superstar)
Aft of the Business Lounge on the Superstar are arcades port (seen here) and starboard inboard of which is part of the shopping complex.
Superstar - starboard side arcade.
On the Moby ships the aft lobby on Deck 6 connects to the escalator used by foot passengers boarding over the stern and a perfunctory reception desk can be found here.
The equivalent space on the Superstar, seen from the starboard side.
Countering both the remoteness of the shopping centre's Deck 6 location and the low deck height of what was designed as a cabin deck, the Superstar features cut away sections in the deckhead to create these mini-atria.
Standard four-berth outside cabin on the Moby Freedom - designed by Figura, this shares recent Stena practice of having an oversized lower bed.
A similar room on the Superstar.
Moby Freedom
Tags: fincantieri, moby aki, moby freedom, moby lines, moby wonder, superstar, tallink
Blog posts | Administrator | September 24, 2011 10:10 pm | Comments (2)
Tags: earl godwin, moby baby, moby lines, piombino, svea drott
Picture of the Week | Administrator | September 11, 2011 11:18 pm | Comments (1)
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