MV Ancona
Encyclopedia
MV
Ancona is a car-passenger ferry
owned by Blue Line International
and operated on their service linking Ancona
, Italy to Split, Croatia. She was built in 1966 by Lindholmens varv in Gothenburg
, Sweden for Rederi AB Svea
as MS Svea. As Svea she was used on the joint Sweden—United Kingdom service operated by Ellerman's Wilson Line, Swedish Lloyd and Rederi AB Svea. In 1969 Svea was sold to Swedish Lloyd and renamed MS Hispania. In 1972 she was renamed MS Saga. In 1978 she was sold to Minoan Lines
following the closure of Swedish Lloyd's passenger services and renamed MS Knossos. In 1998 she passed to Diler Lines, becoming their MS Captain Zaman II. In 2003 she was sold to Blue Line and received her current name. She was sold for scrap in October 2010.
, Swedish Lloyd and Ellerman's Wilson Line decided to establish a joint service between Sweden and the United Kingdom, appropriately named England-Sweden Line, abbreavited ELS. Each participant company had a new ship built for the service; Rederi AB Svea and Swedish Lloyd opted to order two identical sister ships ( and MS Svea) from Gothenburg
's Lindholmens varv, while Ellerman's Wilson ordered a slightly smaller vessel from Camell Laird in Birkenhead
. Swedish Lloyd also ordered a third ship of the Saga/Svea design for their UK—Spain
service.
All three ships built for the UK—Sweden service were based on an essentially traditional concept with subdued and luxurious interior fittings and without full-height car decks, with a service speed of 18 kn (35.28 km/h; 21.92 mph). Rederi AB Svea's Svea was launched from drydock
on 3 March 1966, and delivered to her owners on 27 October of the same year.
. On 30 October 1966 she made an introductory cruise around the Stockholm archipelago
. Subsequently she sailed back to Gothenburg, and entered service on the Gothenburg—Hull
route on 10 November 1966, running parallel to Ellerman's Wilson Line's Spero, while Swedish Lloyd's Saga sailed on the Gothenburg—Tilbury
route.
From early on the ELS service faced fierce competition from Tor Line, who had also initiated a UK—Sweden service in 1966. Unlike the ELS ships, Tor Line's and featured modern furnishings, full-height car decks and had a service speed of 22 kn (43.12 km/h; 26.79 mph). Possibly due to the high level of competition Rederi AB Svea decided to withdraw from the joint UK—Sweden service in March 1968, when Svea was sold to Swedish Lloyd for a delivery in 1969.
shipyard for rebuilding for UK—Spain service. In April 1969 she was renamed Hispania and entered service on the Southampton
—Bilbao
route, running parallel to her sister ship Patricia. On 29 November 1970 Hispania was moved to the Gothenburg—Tilbury service, running parallel to Saga. During the off-season Swedish Lloyd marketed round trips on their ships as four-day mini cruises, making Hispania and her sister ships some of the first cruiseferries
in the world.
Competition from Tor Line remained fierce on the line service, and in February 1972 the joint ELS service was radically cut down: on 7 February Swedish Lloyd sold Saga to Stena Line
, and Hispania was in turn renamed Saga. On 25 February Ellerman's Wilson Line withdrew Spero from the service, leaving Saga (ex-Svea) as the sole ship of the England-Sweden Line.
In 1975—1976 Tor Line introduced notably larger and faster sister vessels and to the UK—Sweden service. The Saga could not compete with the more modern tonnage, and on 2 September 1977 Swedish Lloyd abandoned the Gothenburg—Tilbury service. The Southampton—Bilbao service had been abandoned a month before, and as a result both Saga and Patricia were laid up at Lindholmens varv in Gothenburg.
. On 6 April 1978 she was renamed Knossos and subsequently entered service on Minoan Lines Piraeus
—Heraklion
route. On 16 September 1980 the ship suffered an engine room fire while in Piraues. In 1985 she again sailed parallel to one of her sister ships, when Minoan Lines acquired Festos, ex-Saga.
In 1988 Knossos was moved to the Piraeus—Chania
service, where she remained until October 1995 when Minoan Lines decided to abandon the route. Knossos was laid up until March 1996, when she started sailing on the Patras
—Igoumenitsa
—Corfu
—Ancona
service. The following year the service was shortened to Igoumenitsa—Corfu—Ancona, with calls at Corfu omitted during the northern hemisphere
winter season.
—Odessa
route. In August of the same year the route of the ships was altered into Brindisi
—Igoumenitsa. During the northern hemisphere summer seasons of 2001 and 2002 Captain Zaman II was chartered to COMANAV for service between Nador
and Seté
. Following the end of her 2002 charter to COMANAV Captain Zaman II was laid up at Tuzla
, Turkey.
. The ship was renamed Ancona and entered service on Blue Line's Ancona
—Split service on 1 April 2003. During the northern hemipshere summer season the service also included occasional calls at Hvar
and Vis
.
Ship prefix
A ship prefix is a combination of letters, usually abbreviations, used in front of the name of a civilian or naval ship.Prefixes for civilian vessels may either identify the type of propulsion, such as "SS" for steamship, or purpose, such as "RV" for research vessel. Civilian prefixes are often...
Ancona is a car-passenger ferry
Ferry
A ferry is a form of transportation, usually a boat, but sometimes a ship, used to carry primarily passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo as well, across a body of water. Most ferries operate on regular, frequent, return services...
owned by Blue Line International
Blue Line International
Blue Line International is a ferry company owned by the Croatia-based SEM Maritime Company . It operates two car/passenger ferries between Croatia and Italy...
and operated on their service linking Ancona
Ancona
Ancona is a city and a seaport in the Marche region, in central Italy, with a population of 101,909 . Ancona is the capital of the province of Ancona and of the region....
, Italy to Split, Croatia. She was built in 1966 by Lindholmens varv in Gothenburg
Gothenburg
Gothenburg is the second-largest city in Sweden and the fifth-largest in the Nordic countries. Situated on the west coast of Sweden, the city proper has a population of 519,399, with 549,839 in the urban area and total of 937,015 inhabitants in the metropolitan area...
, Sweden for Rederi AB Svea
Rederi AB Svea
Stockholms Rederi AB Svea was a Swedish shipping company founded in the 1870s...
as MS Svea. As Svea she was used on the joint Sweden—United Kingdom service operated by Ellerman's Wilson Line, Swedish Lloyd and Rederi AB Svea. In 1969 Svea was sold to Swedish Lloyd and renamed MS Hispania. In 1972 she was renamed MS Saga. In 1978 she was sold to Minoan Lines
Minoan Lines
Minoan Lines is one of the dominant passenger ferry companies in Greece, sailing between Piraeus and Crete and in the Adriatic Sea, between Patras and various Italian ports. The company was founded in May 1972...
following the closure of Swedish Lloyd's passenger services and renamed MS Knossos. In 1998 she passed to Diler Lines, becoming their MS Captain Zaman II. In 2003 she was sold to Blue Line and received her current name. She was sold for scrap in October 2010.
Concept and construction
In the mid-1960s Rederi AB SveaRederi AB Svea
Stockholms Rederi AB Svea was a Swedish shipping company founded in the 1870s...
, Swedish Lloyd and Ellerman's Wilson Line decided to establish a joint service between Sweden and the United Kingdom, appropriately named England-Sweden Line, abbreavited ELS. Each participant company had a new ship built for the service; Rederi AB Svea and Swedish Lloyd opted to order two identical sister ships ( and MS Svea) from Gothenburg
Gothenburg
Gothenburg is the second-largest city in Sweden and the fifth-largest in the Nordic countries. Situated on the west coast of Sweden, the city proper has a population of 519,399, with 549,839 in the urban area and total of 937,015 inhabitants in the metropolitan area...
's Lindholmens varv, while Ellerman's Wilson ordered a slightly smaller vessel from Camell Laird in Birkenhead
Birkenhead
Birkenhead is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral in Merseyside, England. It is on the Wirral Peninsula, along the west bank of the River Mersey, opposite the city of Liverpool...
. Swedish Lloyd also ordered a third ship of the Saga/Svea design for their UK—Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
service.
All three ships built for the UK—Sweden service were based on an essentially traditional concept with subdued and luxurious interior fittings and without full-height car decks, with a service speed of 18 kn (35.28 km/h; 21.92 mph). Rederi AB Svea's Svea was launched from drydock
Ship naming and launching
The ceremonies involved in naming and launching naval ships are based in traditions thousands of years old.-Methods of launch:There are three principal methods of conveying a new ship from building site to water, only two of which are called "launching." The oldest, most familiar, and most widely...
on 3 March 1966, and delivered to her owners on 27 October of the same year.
1966—1969: Rederi AB Svea
Following delivery to Rederi AB Svea, Svea sailed from Gothenburg to her port of registry StockholmStockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
. On 30 October 1966 she made an introductory cruise around the Stockholm archipelago
Stockholm archipelago
The Stockholm archipelago is the largest archipelago of Sweden, and one of the largest archipelagos of the Baltic Sea.-Geography:The archipelago extends from Stockholm roughly 60 kilometers to the east...
. Subsequently she sailed back to Gothenburg, and entered service on the Gothenburg—Hull
Kingston upon Hull
Kingston upon Hull , usually referred to as Hull, is a city and unitary authority area in the ceremonial county of the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It stands on the River Hull at its junction with the Humber estuary, 25 miles inland from the North Sea. Hull has a resident population of...
route on 10 November 1966, running parallel to Ellerman's Wilson Line's Spero, while Swedish Lloyd's Saga sailed on the Gothenburg—Tilbury
Tilbury
Tilbury is a town in the borough of Thurrock, Essex, England. As a settlement it is of relatively recent existence, although it has important historical connections, being the location of a 16th century fort and an ancient cross-river ferry...
route.
From early on the ELS service faced fierce competition from Tor Line, who had also initiated a UK—Sweden service in 1966. Unlike the ELS ships, Tor Line's and featured modern furnishings, full-height car decks and had a service speed of 22 kn (43.12 km/h; 26.79 mph). Possibly due to the high level of competition Rederi AB Svea decided to withdraw from the joint UK—Sweden service in March 1968, when Svea was sold to Swedish Lloyd for a delivery in 1969.
1969—1978: Swedish Lloyd
Swedish Lloyd took over Svea on 7 January 1969, when the ship arrived at the Burmeister & WainBurmeister & Wain
Burmeister & Wain was a large established Danish shipyard and leading diesel engine producer headquartered in Copenhagen, Denmark. Founded by two Danes and an Englishman, its earliest roots stretch back to 1846. Over its 150-year history, it grew successfully into a strong company through the end...
shipyard for rebuilding for UK—Spain service. In April 1969 she was renamed Hispania and entered service 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...
—Bilbao
Bilbao
Bilbao ) is a Spanish municipality, capital of the province of Biscay, in the autonomous community of the Basque Country. With a population of 353,187 , it is the largest city of its autonomous community and the tenth largest in Spain...
route, running parallel to her sister ship Patricia. On 29 November 1970 Hispania was moved to the Gothenburg—Tilbury service, running parallel to Saga. During the off-season Swedish Lloyd marketed round trips on their ships as four-day mini cruises, making Hispania and her sister ships some of the first cruiseferries
Cruiseferry
A cruiseferry is a ship that combines the features of a cruise ship with a Ro-Pax ferry. Many passengers travel with the ships for the cruise experience, staying only a few hours at the destination port or not leaving the ship at all, while others use the ships as means of...
in the world.
Competition from Tor Line remained fierce on the line service, and in February 1972 the joint ELS service was radically cut down: on 7 February Swedish Lloyd sold Saga to Stena Line
Stena Line
Stena Line is one of the world's largest ferry operators, with ferry services serving Scotland, Sweden, Northern Ireland, Denmark, Norway, England, Wales, Ireland, Germany, the Netherlands and Poland. Stena Line is a major unit of Stena AB, itself a part of the Stena Sphere, a grouping of Stena AB,...
, and Hispania was in turn renamed Saga. On 25 February Ellerman's Wilson Line withdrew Spero from the service, leaving Saga (ex-Svea) as the sole ship of the England-Sweden Line.
In 1975—1976 Tor Line introduced notably larger and faster sister vessels and to the UK—Sweden service. The Saga could not compete with the more modern tonnage, and on 2 September 1977 Swedish Lloyd abandoned the Gothenburg—Tilbury service. The Southampton—Bilbao service had been abandoned a month before, and as a result both Saga and Patricia were laid up at Lindholmens varv in Gothenburg.
1978—1998: Minoan Lines
In March 1978 Saga was sold to the Greece-based Minoan LinesMinoan Lines
Minoan Lines is one of the dominant passenger ferry companies in Greece, sailing between Piraeus and Crete and in the Adriatic Sea, between Patras and various Italian ports. The company was founded in May 1972...
. On 6 April 1978 she was renamed Knossos and subsequently entered service on Minoan Lines 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....
—Heraklion
Heraklion
Heraklion, or Heraclion is the largest city and the administrative capital of the island of Crete, Greece. It is the 4th largest city in Greece....
route. On 16 September 1980 the ship suffered an engine room fire while in Piraues. In 1985 she again sailed parallel to one of her sister ships, when Minoan Lines acquired Festos, ex-Saga.
In 1988 Knossos was moved to the Piraeus—Chania
Chania
Chaniá , , also transliterated Chania, Hania, and Xania, older form Chanea and Venetian Canea, Ottoman Turkish خانيه Hanya) is the second largest city of Crete and the capital of the Chania peripheral unit...
service, where she remained until October 1995 when Minoan Lines decided to abandon the route. Knossos was laid up until March 1996, when she started sailing on the Patras
Patras
Patras , ) is Greece's third largest urban area and the regional capital of West Greece, located in northern Peloponnese, 215 kilometers west of Athens...
—Igoumenitsa
Igoumenitsa
Igoumenitsa , is a coastal city in northwestern Greece. It is the capital of the regional unit Thesprotia. Its original ancient name used to be Titani....
—Corfu
Corfu
Corfu is a Greek island in the Ionian Sea. It is the second largest of the Ionian Islands, and, including its small satellite islands, forms the edge of the northwestern frontier of Greece. The island is part of the Corfu regional unit, and is administered as a single municipality. The...
—Ancona
Ancona
Ancona is a city and a seaport in the Marche region, in central Italy, with a population of 101,909 . Ancona is the capital of the province of Ancona and of the region....
service. The following year the service was shortened to Igoumenitsa—Corfu—Ancona, with calls at Corfu omitted during the northern hemisphere
Northern Hemisphere
The Northern Hemisphere is the half of a planet that is north of its equator—the word hemisphere literally means “half sphere”. It is also that half of the celestial sphere north of the celestial equator...
winter season.
1998—2003: Diler Lines and COMANAV
In February 1998 Knossos (as well as Festos) was sold to Ferro Ferryboat & RoRo Transport. Knossos was renamed Captain Zaman II, while Festos became Captain Zaman I. Both ships entered service on Turkey-based Diler Lines' IstanbulIstanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
—Odessa
Odessa
Odessa or Odesa is the administrative center of the Odessa Oblast located in southern Ukraine. The city is a major seaport located on the northwest shore of the Black Sea and the fourth largest city in Ukraine with a population of 1,029,000 .The predecessor of Odessa, a small Tatar settlement,...
route. In August of the same year the route of the ships was altered into Brindisi
Brindisi
Brindisi is a city in the Apulia region of Italy, the capital of the province of Brindisi, off the coast of the Adriatic Sea.Historically, the city has played an important role in commerce and culture, due to its position on the Italian Peninsula and its natural port on the Adriatic Sea. The city...
—Igoumenitsa. During the northern hemisphere summer seasons of 2001 and 2002 Captain Zaman II was chartered to COMANAV for service between Nador
Nador
Nador is a city located in the northeastern Rif region of Morocco. The city is a Mediterranean port on the Bḥar Ameẓẓyan lagoon , and it is the major trading center in the region for fish, fruit, and livestock...
and Seté
Sète
Sète is a commune in the Hérault department in Languedoc-Roussillon in southern France. Its inhabitants are called Sétois....
. Following the end of her 2002 charter to COMANAV Captain Zaman II was laid up at Tuzla
Tuzla
Tuzla is a city and municipality in Bosnia and Herzegovina. At the time of the 1991 census, it had 83,770 inhabitants, while the municipality 131,318. Taking the influx of refugees into account, the city is currently estimated to have 174,558 inhabitants...
, Turkey.
2003-2010: Blue Line
On 17 January 2003 Captain Zaman II was sold to the Croatia-based SEM Maritime for service with their subsidiary Blue Line InternationalBlue Line International
Blue Line International is a ferry company owned by the Croatia-based SEM Maritime Company . It operates two car/passenger ferries between Croatia and Italy...
. The ship was renamed Ancona and entered service on Blue Line's Ancona
Ancona
Ancona is a city and a seaport in the Marche region, in central Italy, with a population of 101,909 . Ancona is the capital of the province of Ancona and of the region....
—Split service on 1 April 2003. During the northern hemipshere summer season the service also included occasional calls at Hvar
Hvar
- Climate :The climate of Hvar is characterized by mild winters and warm summers. The yearly average air temperature is , 686 mm of precipitation fall on the town of Hvar on average every year and the town has a total of 2800 sunshine hours per year. For comparison Hvar has an average of 7.7...
and Vis
Vis (town)
Vis is a town on the Vis island of the same name in Croatia. It has a population of 1960 residents . It is the center of the Vis municipality and part of Split-Dalmatia County.-History:...
.