MS Wawel
History | |
---|---|
Name |
|
Port of registry | Nassau, Bahamas[1] |
Builder | Kockums Varv AB, Sweden[1] |
Yard number | 569[1] |
Launched | 1 December 1979[2] |
Identification |
|
General characteristics | |
Tonnage | 8,919 GRT[1] |
Length | 163.51 m (536 ft 5 in)[1] |
Beam | 23.04 m (75 ft 7 in)[1] |
Draught | 28.4 m (93 ft 2 in)[1] |
Propulsion | 2 x Sulzer 7RLA56[1] |
Speed | 19 knots (35 km/h; 22 mph) [1] |
MS Wawel is a ferry launched in 1979 as the Scandinavia.[3] She spent a large part of her career serving the Dover-Calais cross channel ferry route with successive operators. She is currently in service with Polferries as Wawel.
Early years
Wawel started life as Scandinavia, ordered by and for
Sealink to Stena
Following the purchase by Sealink British Ferries she was renamed to Fiesta and undertook some charter work in Africa. After only a few trips, Fiesta's crew resigned due to worries over piracy near Lagos, Nigeria and she was consequently laid up in the Fal.[4] Sealink eventually decided to use the two vessels, in a pooling agreement with SNCF to provide a joint service running between Dover and Calais.[4] As a result of this decision, Fiesta and her sister, now named Fantasia were sent to Lloyd Werft, Bremerhaven in June 1989 to be converted from freight carriers to passenger carriers.[4] As part of the pooling agreement, Fantasia was to be given to SNCF, as a result of this, whilst at Bremerhaven, the two vessels swapped names.[4] Fantasia returned to Dover on 8 March 1990, her owners had in the meantime been acquired by Stena Line. The joint services were renamed initially to Sealink Stena Line, under the new branding, in October 1990 it was announced that Fantasia would become Stena Fantasia.[4]
In December 1990 she was sent to
In 1993, Stena Fantasia became the first cross-channel ferry to carry a McDonald's restaurant, having been installed during a refit at Bremerhaven that year.[4] In July 1995 SNCF announced their intention to withdraw from the pooling agreement which had been set up in 1989 to operate a new service under the name of SeaFrance from 1996. As a result of this, Stena Sealink Line dropped the 'Sealink' to become Stena Line as of 31 December 1995.[2] Stena Fantasia continued service with Stena Line and transferred on 10 March 1998 to the newly formed joint venture of P&O Stena Line with the merger of P&O European Ferries and Stena Lines eastern channel routes.[6] As a result of this change, and the new companies attempt to merge the two fleets, the P&O Stena 'Brand World' was rolled out across the fleet, this included the renaming of all vessels in the new fleet, Stena Fantasia consequently became P&OSL Canterbury during her December 1998 refit.[7]
Under
Post P&O
In March 2004, the new owners GA Ferries renamed the vessel Alkmini A, operating a service between
Sister ships
Wawel had two sister ships:
- SeaFrance Cézanne - scrapped in Alang, India, October 2011.
- Zenobia - capsized on maiden voyage in June 1980.
References
Notes
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "M/F Wawel". Ferry-site.dk. Retrieved 21 June 2010.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Fantasia". DoverFerryPhotos.co.uk. Archived from the original on 12 September 2007. Retrieved 21 June 2010.
- ^ a b "Fantasia". SimplonPC.co.uk. Retrieved 21 June 2010.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Fantasia Part One". HHVFerry.com. Retrieved 21 June 2010.
- ^ "SeaFrance Cezanne". SimplonPC.co.uk. Retrieved 21 June 2010.
- ^ "Report into the Merger of P&O and Stena Line AB". Monopolies and Mergers Commission. Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 March 2010. Retrieved 23 June 2010.
- ^ a b c d e f "Fantasia Part Two". HHVFerry.com. Retrieved 23 June 2010.
- ^ a b c "Fantasia Part Three". HHVFerry.com. Retrieved 23 June 2010.
- ^ "M/F Wawel | Polferries".
Bibliography
- Hendy, John (1990). Fantasia. Staplehurst, Kent: Ferry Publications. ISBN 0951350625.
External links
Media related to IMO 7814462 at Wikimedia Commons