MV Al Arabia
History | |
---|---|
Name: | MV Al Arabia |
Owner: | none - scrapped |
Port of registry: | Moroni, Comoros |
Route: | none-scrapped |
Builder: | Belliard Hoboken |
Launched: | 1975 |
Christened: | 1975: Prinses Maria Esmeralda, 1995 + 1998 Wisteria, 1997+2000 Beni Ansar, 2007 Aquaba Express, 2007 Al Arabia |
In service: | 1975 |
Out of service: | 2007 |
Fate: | scrapped in India |
General characteristics | |
Tonnage: | 12,046 gross register tons (GRT) |
Length: |
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Beam: |
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Depth: |
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Installed power: | 18.200 |
Propulsion: | 2 * Pielstick 18PC2V400[1][2] |
Speed: | 21 kn (38.9 km/h) |
Capacity: | 1475/1250 passengers |
The MV Al Arabia was a roro-ferry who has seen service on several routes. It was built for the Belgium state-owner operator Regie voor Maritiem Transport België as the Prinses Maria Esmeralda. She sailed on the Oostend-Dover route.
Under the name Wisteria she also sailed on the route Oostend-Ramsgate and on the Almeria to Nador line. This 1975 built ship is a sistership of the MV Eurovoyager and MV Larkspur. You shouldn't mix-up this Wisteria with the current, 1978 built, MV Wisteria that sails on the Almeria-Nador route for FerriMaroc or Acciona Trasmediterránea
History
In 1975 the Belliard Shipyard built the ship under dock-number 877. The ship was ordered by the state-owned operator Regie voor Maritiem Transport België. She was christened Prinses Maria Esmeralda. She sailed on the Dover-Oostend route.
In 1995 the ship was sold to Transeuropa Ferries en christened MV Wisteria and started sailing on Oostend-Ramsgate
During some summers the ship was chartered to ferry-operators between Spain and Morocco and Tunisia. Since 2000 it moved permanently to run on the Almeria to Nador route until it was sold for scrap in 2007 to India [2]
Sisterships
![](../I/m/Eurovoyager-arriving-Almeria.jpg)
The Prinses Maria Esmeralda was one of three sisterships ordered by RMT. In 1978 the Prins Albert came into service and is now sailing as the MV Eurovoyager for Comarit/Comanav from Almeria to Al Hoceima.[3](see picture left)
The other sister ship was the Princesse Marie Christine, currently the MV Primrose also sailing for Comarit/Comanav on routes between Almeria and Morocco.[4]
References and footnotes
- ↑ Data also based on details sistership Primrose op Website Transeuropa Ferries, retrieved 7 August 2010
- 1 2 The Ferry Site on MV Al Arabia, visited 8 August 2010
- ↑ The Ferry site on the MV Eurovoyager, checked 8 August 2010
- ↑ The Ferry site on MV Primrose, Visited 21 August 2010