Friday, May 25, 2007

EXPRESS SANTORINI IN LISBON





The Greek passenger RoRo ferry EXPRESS SANTORINI arrived Lisbon yesterday 24 May 2007 to start her ATLÂNTICO LINE summer charter in the Azores inter-islands ferry service. The EXPRESS SANTORINI arrived early in the morning and docked at the Alcântara dock at the same berth used in the sities and early seventies by the old Empresa Insulana passenger liners FUNCHAL and ANGRA DO HEROÍSMO.
The EXPRESS SANTORINI will now be submitted to Port State Control and The Portuguese Shipping Board (IPTM) inspections prior to a positioning voyage to the Azores e early June. In the Azores the Greek ferry is going to operate as a running mate to the ILHA AZUL that has already started the 2007 ferry season chartered by ATLÂNTICO LINE from her owners TRANSMAÇOR.
Prior to this charter, the EXPRESS SANTORINI was fitted with a new Portside side door that will enable her to operate in the Azores ports. The EXPRESS SANTORINI was built in 1974 at Nantes, France, as the CHARTRES for French Railways SNCF to operate between Calais / Bologne and Dover /Folkestone. In 1992 she was chartered by the French Government for use as a transport associated with the first Gulf War and in 1993 she was sold to Greek interests and renamed EXPRESS SANTORINI. She is 115.4 m long has 4.590 GT and can take 1737 Pax, 280 cars and 9 lorries. Although built 33 years ago, she is still a fine ship and probably the best ferry to operate in the Azores so far.
ATLÂNTICO LINE has ordered a new fleet of Passenger Ferries to be built by VIANAYARDS and introduced in 2008.
Text and images copyright L.M.Correia. For other posts and images, check our archive at the right column of the main page. Thanks for your visit and comments. You are most welcome at any time - Luís Miguel Correia

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