MS Clipper Ranger
Encyclopedia
MS Clipper Ranger is a ferry built in 1998, currently in service with Seatruck Ferries
on the Heysham
- Larne
route.
. She was named after Lembitu of Lehola
, a 12th century Estonian leader. On 20 April 1998 she was chartered by P&O European Ferries for use in the Irish Sea
. On 2 September 1998 she was chartered by Dart Line for use on the Dartford
- Vlissingen route and renamed Dart 7 in January 1999. On the 15 September 1999 she was chartered by International Atlantic Line for use on the Southampton
- Bayonne
route and renamed Lembitu once again. In November 1999 she was chartered by Okänt Rederi for use between Marseille
and North Africa. In March 2000 she was chartered by P&O Irish Sea Freight for use on the Liverpool
- Dublin route, and renamed Celtic Sun. In October 2001 the charter ended and she reverted to the name Lembitu once again, being chartered by Norse Merchant Ferries
for use on the Heysham
- Dublin route. In December 2001 she returned to Estonian Shipping Co., ans was put into service on the Tallinn
- Helsingfors - Rostock
route. She was then in service with Scandlines
on the same route. In January 2005 she was chartered by Channel Freight Ferries for use on the Southampton
- Radicatel route. In March 2005 she was chartered by Norse Merchant Ferries for use on the Belfast
- Heysham
route. In April 2005 she was sold to Elmira Shipping of Piraeus
, Greece
and in the same month was registered under the Maltese flag for Challenge Shipping Ltd., Valletta
, Malta
, being renamed RR Challenge at the same time. In 2005 she was chartered by Seatruck Ferries
for use on the Heysham
- Warrenpoint
route. She was sold to Attica Enterprise of Piraeus in September 2005 and purchased by Seatruck on 1 October 2005, being renamed Challenge at the same time. She was registered to Challenge Shipping Co. Ltd on behalf of Clipper Denmark A/S on 13 February 2008. Challenge was renamed Clipper Ranger in 2008 and was subsequently put on the Heysham
- Larne
route.
Seatruck Ferries
Seatruck Ferries is a UK based freight-only ferry company which commenced services in 1996. It is part of the Clipper Group, a shipping company based in The Bahamas. The company operates out of five ports on the Irish Sea, including Heysham and Liverpool....
on the Heysham
Heysham
Heysham is a large coastal village near Lancaster in the county of Lancashire, England. Overlooking Morecambe Bay, it is a ferry port with services to the Isle of Man and Ireland. Heysham is the site of two nuclear power stations which are landmarks visible from hills in the surrounding area...
- Larne
Larne
Larne is a substantial seaport and industrial market town on the east coast of County Antrim, Northern Ireland with a population of 18,228 people in the 2001 Census. As of 2011, there are about 31,000 residents in the greater Larne area. It has been used as a seaport for over 1,000 years, and is...
route.
History
MS Lembitu was built by Astilleros de Huelva and launched in 1998 for the Estonian Shipping Co., TallinnTallinn
Tallinn is the capital and largest city of Estonia. It occupies an area of with a population of 414,940. It is situated on the northern coast of the country, on the banks of the Gulf of Finland, south of Helsinki, east of Stockholm and west of Saint Petersburg. Tallinn's Old Town is in the list...
. She was named after Lembitu of Lehola
Lembitu of Lehola
Lembitu was an ancient Estonian elder of Sakala County and military leader in the struggle against conquest of the Estonian lands by the German Livonian Brothers of the Sword at the beginning of the 13th century...
, a 12th century Estonian leader. On 20 April 1998 she was chartered by P&O European Ferries for use in the Irish Sea
Irish Sea
The Irish Sea separates the islands of Ireland and Great Britain. It is connected to the Celtic Sea in the south by St George's Channel, and to the Atlantic Ocean in the north by the North Channel. Anglesey is the largest island within the Irish Sea, followed by the Isle of Man...
. On 2 September 1998 she was chartered by Dart Line for use on the Dartford
Dartford
Dartford is the principal town in the borough of Dartford. It is situated in the northwest corner of Kent, England, east south-east of central London....
- Vlissingen route and renamed Dart 7 in January 1999. On the 15 September 1999 she was chartered by International Atlantic Line for use on the Southampton
Southampton
Southampton is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest...
- Bayonne
Bayonne
Bayonne is a city and commune in south-western France at the confluence of the Nive and Adour rivers, in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department, of which it is a sub-prefecture...
route and renamed Lembitu once again. In November 1999 she was chartered by Okänt Rederi for use between Marseille
Marseille
Marseille , known in antiquity as Massalia , is the second largest city in France, after Paris, with a population of 852,395 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Marseille extends beyond the city limits with a population of over 1,420,000 on an area of...
and North Africa. In March 2000 she was chartered by P&O Irish Sea Freight for use on the Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
- Dublin route, and renamed Celtic Sun. In October 2001 the charter ended and she reverted to the name Lembitu once again, being chartered by Norse Merchant Ferries
Norse Merchant Ferries
Norse Merchant Ferries was an Irish Sea ferry company that operating passenger and freight RORO services between England the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.-History:...
for use on the Heysham
Heysham
Heysham is a large coastal village near Lancaster in the county of Lancashire, England. Overlooking Morecambe Bay, it is a ferry port with services to the Isle of Man and Ireland. Heysham is the site of two nuclear power stations which are landmarks visible from hills in the surrounding area...
- Dublin route. In December 2001 she returned to Estonian Shipping Co., ans was put into service on the Tallinn
Tallinn
Tallinn is the capital and largest city of Estonia. It occupies an area of with a population of 414,940. It is situated on the northern coast of the country, on the banks of the Gulf of Finland, south of Helsinki, east of Stockholm and west of Saint Petersburg. Tallinn's Old Town is in the list...
- Helsingfors - Rostock
Rostock
Rostock -Early history:In the 11th century Polabian Slavs founded a settlement at the Warnow river called Roztoc ; the name Rostock is derived from that designation. The Danish king Valdemar I set the town aflame in 1161.Afterwards the place was settled by German traders...
route. She was then in service with Scandlines
Scandlines
Scandlines is a major German-Danish ferry operator.It consists of a parent company, Scandlines AG, and under this parent company a German subsidiary named Scandlines Deutschland GmbH and a Danish subsidiary named Scandlines Danmark A/S...
on the same route. In January 2005 she was chartered by Channel Freight Ferries for use on the Southampton
Southampton
Southampton is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest...
- Radicatel route. In March 2005 she was chartered by Norse Merchant Ferries for use on the Belfast
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
- Heysham
Heysham
Heysham is a large coastal village near Lancaster in the county of Lancashire, England. Overlooking Morecambe Bay, it is a ferry port with services to the Isle of Man and Ireland. Heysham is the site of two nuclear power stations which are landmarks visible from hills in the surrounding area...
route. In April 2005 she was sold to Elmira Shipping of Piraeus
Piraeus
Piraeus is a city in the region of Attica, Greece. Piraeus is located within the Athens Urban Area, 12 km southwest from its city center , and lies along the east coast of the Saronic Gulf....
, Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
and in the same month was registered under the Maltese flag for Challenge Shipping Ltd., Valletta
Valletta
Valletta is the capital of Malta, colloquially known as Il-Belt in Maltese. It is located in the central-eastern portion of the island of Malta, and the historical city has a population of 6,098. The name "Valletta" is traditionally reserved for the historic walled citadel that serves as Malta's...
, Malta
Malta
Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
, being renamed RR Challenge at the same time. In 2005 she was chartered by Seatruck Ferries
Seatruck Ferries
Seatruck Ferries is a UK based freight-only ferry company which commenced services in 1996. It is part of the Clipper Group, a shipping company based in The Bahamas. The company operates out of five ports on the Irish Sea, including Heysham and Liverpool....
for use on the Heysham
Heysham
Heysham is a large coastal village near Lancaster in the county of Lancashire, England. Overlooking Morecambe Bay, it is a ferry port with services to the Isle of Man and Ireland. Heysham is the site of two nuclear power stations which are landmarks visible from hills in the surrounding area...
- Warrenpoint
Warrenpoint
Warrenpoint is a small town in County Down, Northern Ireland. It lies on the northern shore of Carlingford Lough and is separated from the Republic of Ireland by a narrow strait. The town sprang up within the townland of Ringmackilroy...
route. She was sold to Attica Enterprise of Piraeus in September 2005 and purchased by Seatruck on 1 October 2005, being renamed Challenge at the same time. She was registered to Challenge Shipping Co. Ltd on behalf of Clipper Denmark A/S on 13 February 2008. Challenge was renamed Clipper Ranger in 2008 and was subsequently put on the Heysham
Heysham
Heysham is a large coastal village near Lancaster in the county of Lancashire, England. Overlooking Morecambe Bay, it is a ferry port with services to the Isle of Man and Ireland. Heysham is the site of two nuclear power stations which are landmarks visible from hills in the surrounding area...
- Larne
Larne
Larne is a substantial seaport and industrial market town on the east coast of County Antrim, Northern Ireland with a population of 18,228 people in the 2001 Census. As of 2011, there are about 31,000 residents in the greater Larne area. It has been used as a seaport for over 1,000 years, and is...
route.
External links
- Photos of the ship under various names.