Two former Irish Sea Ferries facing the end

Started by giftgrub, February 16, 2014, 09:05:56 PM

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giftgrub

Two one time Irish Sea ferries the former St. Christoper/Stena Antrim/ Ibn Batouta  and former Stena Nordica/Rene Astrid/Al Mansour a part of the bankrupt Comanav fleet are likely to be auctioned for scrap.

http://www.yabiladi.com/articles/details/22857/port-d-algeciras-veut-debarrasser-bateaux.html

The St Christoper was the "Blue Peter" vessel of the final four Sealink vessels built in H&W and would be the first of this quartet to be scrapped. It was built for Dover-Calais but made its debut on the Irish Sea, at both Dun Laoghaire and Rosslare before taking up its main route. (For Blue Peter a large mural was designed by the TV show and put up in the restaurant - memory a bit hazy)

The Stena Nordica is one of the Rickmers built quartet that included the Stena Normandica / St Brendan and it served for both Sealink and B&I Line from Rosslare, it will also be the first of that series of vessels to be scrapped.

As well as serving on the Irish Sea, both ships also sailed out of Dover for quite a few years.

Details on the fleet:

http://www.ferry-site.dk/ferrycompany.php?Rid=277&lang=en


Stena Nordica Details:

http://www.faktaomfartyg.se/stena_nordica_1975.htm

http://www.doverferryphotosforums.co.uk/mv-reineastrid2/

http://www.simplonpc.co.uk/StenaNordica1975.html

St Christoper Details:

http://www.doverferryphotosforums.co.uk/mv-st-christopher-past-and-present/

Images of the St Christoper and the other three vessels in the "Saint Class" built in H&W for Sealink

http://www.flickr.com/photos/scottmackey/sets/72157623456676798/

More information on the St Christoper

http://www.hhvferry.com/stchris1.html

http://www.hhvferry.com/stchris2.html

http://www.hhvferry.com/doversaints.html

Steven

Very sad news and it seems way too early for either vessel to be heading for the beach.  Unfortunately though, given they have been sitting idle for two years its probably not economically viable to get them back into service.  I remember fondly watching Reine Astrid entering Ostend when there on a school trip (she was much easier on the eye than the jumboised PME and PMC, in fact I think the Rickmers "shoe boxes" still look quite modern) and of course being from Belfast I will always have a connection with the former saints.  It will be a very, very sad day when the ex St David/Stena Caledonia hits the beach!
Steve in Belfast (suburbia)

Flickr: www.flickr.com/tarbyonline

ernst

they can maybe be saved depending on if any non breaker buy them
if they wil be sold to the very low prices we have seen on most auctions 1 mio usd or lower then even some money is needed they can still be cheap ferries to reuse

giftgrub

Quote from: emship on February 17, 2014, 08:00:10 AM
they can maybe be saved depending on if any non breaker buy them
if they wil be sold to the very low prices we have seen on most auctions 1 mio usd or lower then even some money is needed they can still be cheap ferries to reuse

Ernst, your optimism is to be appreciated, but I doubt very much any of the fleet will sail again, after being laid up for two years with probably no maintenance being carried out as the owners were bust, they are definitely not in the best condition.

Steven

At the very least a major overhaul would be required (like with Stena Allegra following her layup), plus there is also the fact that given the state of the operator they where last with they where probably a little neglected even before they where laid up.  The climate they have been sitting idle in probably wont have helped matters either.
Steve in Belfast (suburbia)

Flickr: www.flickr.com/tarbyonline

larry

These guys also own the former "Stena Nordica" that served in Rosslare/Pembroke/Fishguard routes, she is currently laid up in a damaged state after a collision, i think its almost 4 years shes laid up now maybe a little less, I would assume this development will send her the way of the breakers too, assuming she hasnt headed there already.

Collision-course

Both the former Stena Nordica and Stena Antrim are in the process of being declared abandoned.

ernst

The most possible will be scrapping as we have seing with a lot  of ships the last years
there a no greeks back who buy cheap and rebuild , we will I am afraid of a ship masacre next year



Quote from: giftgrub on February 17, 2014, 08:17:29 PM
Quote from: emship on February 17, 2014, 08:00:10 AM
they can maybe be saved depending on if any non breaker buy them
if they wil be sold to the very low prices we have seen on most auctions 1 mio usd or lower then even some money is needed they can still be cheap ferries to reuse

Ernst, your optimism is to be appreciated, but I doubt very much any of the fleet will sail again, after being laid up for two years with probably no maintenance being carried out as the owners were bust, they are definitely not in the best condition.

larry

I'm not sure the extent of the damage to Nordica but I do know she's damaged, this would make it more or less certain she will be crushed, sad end but she was quite old too, that being said a very handsome ship

Steven

Both are still at Algericas according to AIS.  Ibn Batouta had quite a bit of work done a few years back, making her compliant to the Stockholm agreement and AFAIK she still has her internal ramps, etc.  However, her future may depend on how well she has fared during the layup.  Still, if Larks manages to make it back into service there may be hope yet!
Steve in Belfast (suburbia)

Flickr: www.flickr.com/tarbyonline

Steven

#10
The latest articles I can find was posted on the 21st of March.  They are in Spanish and google translate is being even more confusing in its translations than usual (anyone who has been on a Spanish beach holiday probably knows 'puerto' means port - but not google!).

Anyway, the gist from what I can gather is unless COMARIT/COMANAV cough up Eur 386,038.58 owed to the port within 15 days (of the article I assume), then the ships will be auctioned off to the highest bidder.  I assume this means they have been declared abandoned now (the second article mentions someone being appointed to declare the abandonment), and their fates could be decided in a little more than 12 days depending on how quickly the auction can be held.  If anyone fancies translating this, go ahead!

Quotehttp://www.europasur.es/article/maritimas/1733914/la/apba/reclama/comarit/y/comanav/ferry/euros/tasas.html

http://andaluciainformacion.es/campo-de-gibraltar/390167/comarit-comanav-debe-386000-euros/



Ibn Batoutta definitely has internal ramps, maybe this can save her?  Not sure about the others, though Al Mansour (ex Reine Astrid, Stena Nordica) was built 1975 so is getting on in her years.  After some digging last night it appears the former Stena Nordica did return to service after her collision and sailed up until mid 2012 so she appears not to be in as bad a state as earlier feared.  Pics of the crash on Fakta om Fartyg:

http://faktaomfartyg.se/extra_bilder/al_mansour_ciudad_de_malaga_krock_1.htm
Steve in Belfast (suburbia)

Flickr: www.flickr.com/tarbyonline

Steven

#11
A nice wee pic of Al Mansour and Boughaz I came across

https://www.flickr.com/photos/jortegafigueiral/7024664469/in/photostream/

Also, it appears the auctions of COMANAV assets are beginning, in France at least.  Marrakech is to be auctioned on 7th April (she is currently in the port of Sete)

http://www.lereporter.ma/economie/actualite-economie/2430-le-marrakech-aux-enchères-le-7-avril
Steve in Belfast (suburbia)

Flickr: www.flickr.com/tarbyonline

Steven

Quote from: Steven on March 30, 2014, 06:38:46 PM
Also, it appears the auctions of COMANAV assets are beginning, in France at least.  Marrakech is to be auctioned on 7th April (she is currently in the port of Sete)

http://www.lereporter.ma/economie/actualite-economie/2430-le-marrakech-aux-enchères-le-7-avril
For those interested, Marrakech sold for Eur 1.24m.  A price low enough to be easily recouped in scrap apparently.

http://languedoc-roussillon.france3.fr/2014/04/07/le-marrakech-vendu-aux-encheres-sete-454361.html (en Francais)
http://maritimenews.ma/index.php/croisiere/3064-une-mysterieuse-societe-domiciliee-a-casablanca-s-adjuge-le-marrakech (in French)

Have also read elsewhere that IMTC (who operate Le Rif - ex Stena Galloway, Galloway Princess ) have been having financial trouble as well, and now operate just Le Rif and Atlas.  Im not sure how serious the problems really are, but it would appear that they have had difficulty "paying the bills" for a few years now and have had to dispose of assets following them being seized.  The papers are questioning if they will go the same way as COMARIT/COMANAV, the following are in French and from the past couple of months.

http://www.lejournaldetanger.com/article.php?a=4691
http://www.lejournaldetanger.com/article.php?a=4460
http://www.leconomiste.com/article/904020-tangermedimtc-un-sc-nario-la-comarit

Still can't find any update on Al Mansour and Ibn Batouta
Steve in Belfast (suburbia)

Flickr: www.flickr.com/tarbyonline

larry


Steven

Quote from: larry on April 11, 2014, 02:30:40 PM
any further news on this?
Not that I am aware off, but the longer it drags on the less likely it is we will see them in further service.  Given that it appears the crew have not been paid I doubt they are in very good condition at all, especially mechanically having not moved for a couple of years.

Marrakech appears to have been bought by a morrocan consortium, but what their intentions are I don't know.
Steve in Belfast (suburbia)

Flickr: www.flickr.com/tarbyonline