MS Theofilos

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Theofilos at Piraeus, Greece in 2012
History
Name
  • 1975–1985: Nils Holgersson
  • 1985–1994: Abel Tasman
  • 1994–1995: Pollux
  • 1995–2022: Theofilos[1]
  • 2022–2022: Ilos
Owner
Operator
Port of registry
Route
Ordered1974
BuilderNobiskrug, Rendsburg
Yard number682
Launched26 October 1974
Completed1975
Maiden voyageMay 1975
In serviceMay 1975
Out of service2014-2022
Identification
FateScrapped in Aliağa, Turkey in 2022.
General characteristics
Tonnage
Length148.9 m
Beam23.3m
Draught5.5 m.
Ice class1A
Installed power
Speed21 knots (39 km/h; 24 mph)[1]
Capacity
  • 1,800 passengers
  • 470 vehicles[1]

The MS Theofilos was a passenger/vehicle ferry built at the Nobiskrug shipyard in Rendsburg, Germany in 1975.

History

Australian National Line (ANL) announced they would be pulling out of the Bass Strait run, so the Australian Federal Government gave the Tasmanian Government the capital required to buy a suitable ferry, in compensation for placing the environmentally-sensitive Gordon River off-limits to Hydro Tasmania power generation schemes. This ship turned out to be the Nils Holgersson (3) from the TT-line (Germany), which also came with an option to buy her sister ship Peter Pan (2) one year later (which never came to pass).[2]

Nils Holgersson at Kiel.
Nils Holgersson at Kiel Canal.

The ship was named after

Brunsbuttel, but had to continue through the Kiel Canal, and into Kiel where she docked. The Tasmanian Government sent police to West Germany to end the dispute and get the ship underway, but on arrival the police were powerless in West Germany. So the Tasmanian Government had to change laws to empower them to resolve the problem, and she resumed her trip and left Kiel on 18 May 1985.[2]

She then sailed to Australia, going straight to Devonport and not via Queensland and New South Wales as had been planned. She started on the Devonport–Melbourne route on 1 June 1985 from Melbourne. Her former Captain Rudolf Schonfeldt, sailed with the ship to Australia from Germany to advise the crew, unfamiliar with the new ship.[2]

In 1993, she was laid up following the arrival of the much larger

Limnos.[2]

On 28 June 2008, Theofilos ran aground on a reef of rocks of the island of Oinousses about 10 nm from the island of Chios. She suffered serious damage to her port side hull, a 15–20 metres slash causing flooding of a water tight compartment, she subsequently developed a 2.5 degree list. The ship was repaired, with an estimated cost to Nel Lines underwriter, The West of England Shipowners of €5 million. Once the repairs were completed, she returned to normal service on 16 May 2009.[2]

Since January 2018 Theofilos has been laid up at Elefsina Greece (Near Athens) following her owners declaring bankruptcy.[2] Since January 2020 she is under the flag of Togo. The ship was laid-up in terrible condition since 2020 in Perama, Greece and after two years of laid-up the ship sold for scrap in Aliaga, Turkey under the name Ilos in 2022.

Sister ship

In 1986 the M/S Peter Pan (2) was renamed Robin Hood to free the name for the larger Peter Pan (3) (later

El Salam Maritime) and renamed Ouzoud. She then operated under Comanav for six years on the 48-hour route from Genoa (Italy) – Tangier (Morocco). In January 2010, it was reported[citation needed
] that Ouzoud has been sold to India for demolition.

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g Asklander, Micke. "M/S NILS HOLGERSSON. (1975)". Fakta om Fartyg (in Swedish). Retrieved 2014-01-15.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Bruce, Mitchell. "Abel Tasman". Ferries of Tasmania. Retrieved 2019-12-08.

External links

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