MV Mariam
Encyclopedia
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MV Mariam is a Bolivian-flagged
Flag State
The flag state of a commercial vessel is the state under whose laws the vessel is registered or licensed.The flag state has the authority and responsibility to enforce regulations over vessels registered under its flag, including those relating to inspection, certification, and issuance of safety...
passenger ferry with a . Built in 1982 at Westermoen Hydrofoil
Westermoen Hydrofoil
Westermoen Hydrofoil was a shipyard located in Mandal, Norway, who has specialized in high speed craft, and pioneered many designs.The yard was established in 1961 by Toralf Westermoen, who had also started Westermoen Båtbyggeri og Mek Verksted...
shipyard, the ship is a catamaran
Catamaran
A catamaran is a type of multihulled boat or ship consisting of two hulls, or vakas, joined by some structure, the most basic being a frame, formed of akas...
29 metre in length with a capacity of about 200 passengers. Built as Venture 84, the ship was in service with the French ferry operator Emeraude Lines
Emeraude Ferries
Emeraude Ferries was a shipping company which operated vehicle and passenger ferries between the french city of Saint-Malo and the Channel Islands. The company ceased trading in May 2006 following strong competition and difficulties in finding a suitable vessel for the 2006 season.-History:Emeraude...
from 1983 to 1996, serving a route between the Channel Islands
Channel Islands
The Channel Islands are an archipelago of British Crown Dependencies in the English Channel, off the French coast of Normandy. They include two separate bailiwicks: the Bailiwick of Guernsey and the Bailiwick of Jersey...
and France. From 1996 to 2008, the ship was operated by Cypriot ferry operator Fergün Denizcilik as Fergün Express III.
, the ship is Lebanese
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
-owned and operated as medical aid cargo ship which, in August 2010, was intended to sail to the Gaza Strip
Gaza Strip
thumb|Gaza city skylineThe Gaza Strip lies on the Eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea. The Strip borders Egypt on the southwest and Israel on the south, east and north. It is about long, and between 6 and 12 kilometres wide, with a total area of...
to break Israel's four-year blockade of Gaza.
Design and construction
The ship, built as Venture 84, is a WestamaranWestamaran
The Westamaran is a pioneer type of passenger transport high speed catamarans developed by Westermoen Hydrofoil in 1973. The craft was highly successful, and introduced a new era of passenger transport along the Norwegian coast and elsewhere....
W95 catamaran
Catamaran
A catamaran is a type of multihulled boat or ship consisting of two hulls, or vakas, joined by some structure, the most basic being a frame, formed of akas...
. The Westamaran line was designed by Herald Heinriksen of Westermoen Hydrofoil
Westermoen Hydrofoil
Westermoen Hydrofoil was a shipyard located in Mandal, Norway, who has specialized in high speed craft, and pioneered many designs.The yard was established in 1961 by Toralf Westermoen, who had also started Westermoen Båtbyggeri og Mek Verksted...
of Mandal, Norway. Featuring asymmetrical hulls, the Westamaran models were designed as a replacement for hydrofoils, and were considered more seaworthy in Norwegian waters and easier to operate than hydrofoils. The immediate predecessor of the W95, the W86, has been called a "breakthrough" for high-speed craft in Norway, and according to Bjørn Foss of More and Romsdal College
Molde University College
Molde University College - Specialized University in Logistics is a Norwegian specialized university located in Molde. The university offers higher education in business administration, transport economics, logistics, information technology, and health sciences.Degrees are offered both at...
, Westamaran catamarans "dominated the fast ferry market in Norway" for several years. Westmaran ships have seen use world-wide.
The W95 has a maximum cruising speed of 28 knots, powered by two 1800 horsepower main engines that consume up to 625 litres of fuel per hour.
History
Venture 84 entered service as a vessel of the French ferry operator Emeraude LinesEmeraude Ferries
Emeraude Ferries was a shipping company which operated vehicle and passenger ferries between the french city of Saint-Malo and the Channel Islands. The company ceased trading in May 2006 following strong competition and difficulties in finding a suitable vessel for the 2006 season.-History:Emeraude...
in April 1983, and was renamed Trident. While Emeraude Lines would go on to operate several W95 ferries, Trident had the distinction of being the only ship the company ever bought new from the builder. The company's advertising mentioned the ship's "large air-conditioned passenger saloon with a panoramic view and bar". Trident was used mainly for the route from Saint Malo to Saint Helier
Saint Helier
Saint Helier is one of the twelve parishes of Jersey, the largest of the Channel Islands in the English Channel. St. Helier has a population of about 28,000, roughly 31.2% of the total population of Jersey, and is the capital of the Island . The urban area of the parish of St...
, on a 70 minute schedule with a daytrip fare of 195 French Francs. In 1986, the ship was renamed Trident III, often written Trident 3. The ship continued the Channel Islands-France service until 1996 when it was purchased by ferry operator Fergün Denizcilik of Kyrenia
Kyrenia
Kyrenia is a town on the northern coast of Cyprus, noted for its historic harbour and castle. Internationally recognised as part of the Republic of Cyprus, Kyrenia has been under Turkish control since the Turkish invasion of Cyprus in 1974...
, Cyprus.
Renamed Fergün Express III, the ship joined a ferry service that had been operating since 1986. In January 2008 the ship was withdrawn from its class at the Türk Loydu classification society
Classification society
A classification society is a non-governmental organization that establishes and maintains technical standards for the construction and operation of ships and offshore structures...
for reasons including an overdue survey. In August 2009, the ship was purchased by shipowner Ghassan El Assaad el Bakri of Tripoli, Lebanon
Tripoli, Lebanon
Tripoli is the largest city in northern Lebanon and the second-largest city in Lebanon. Situated 85 km north of the capital Beirut, Tripoli is the capital of the North Governorate and the Tripoli District. Geographically located on the east of the Mediterranean, the city's history dates back...
and renamed Ladi Faten. In August 2010, it was sold to "undisclosed interests", reflagged under the Cambodian flag of convenience
Flag of convenience
The term flag of convenience describes the business practice of registering a merchant ship in a sovereign state different from that of the ship's owners, and flying that state's civil ensign on the ship. Ships are registered under flags of convenience to reduce operating costs or avoid the...
, and renamed Jounieh Star. The ship has recently been registered
Ship registration
Ship registration is the process by which a ship is documented and authorised by some country; it is usual to say that the ship sails under the flag of the country of registration . International law requires that every merchant ship be registered in a country, called its flag state...
under the Bolivian and Jordanian flags.
As
Mariam the ship is known as Mariam or St. Mariam. It is currently a LebaneseLebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
medical aid cargo ship which, in August 2010, was intended to sail to the Gaza Strip
Gaza Strip
thumb|Gaza city skylineThe Gaza Strip lies on the Eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea. The Strip borders Egypt on the southwest and Israel on the south, east and north. It is about long, and between 6 and 12 kilometres wide, with a total area of...
to break Israel's four-year blockade of Gaza. It sails under the Bolivian
Bolivian
Bolivian may refer to:* Something of, or related to Bolivia** Demographics of Bolivia** Culture of BoliviaBolivian is a citizen of Bolivia...
flag
Ship registration
Ship registration is the process by which a ship is documented and authorised by some country; it is usual to say that the ship sails under the flag of the country of registration . International law requires that every merchant ship be registered in a country, called its flag state...
. The ship carries 50 women, mostly from Lebanon
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
, but also a group of American nuns. Its actions are coordinated by Lebanese lawyer Samar al Hajj. According to The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
, the women on board have all adopted the ship's name and call themselves "Mariam."
Its first mission, in late August 2010, was delayed because Cyprus
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
would not allow it (and its sister ship the Naji Alali) to sail through its waters; because Lebanon is still officially at war with Israel, the ship cannot go to Gaza directly from Lebanon and would have to sail through a third country. Israeli Minister of Foreign Affairs Avigdor Lieberman was unequivocal in his insistence that the Mariam not reach Gaza: "Our position is absolutely clear and firm – under no conditions or provocations can any flotilla or ship harm our country's political independence and reach the Gaza Strip."
, representatives of the Mariam voyage are in talks with Greece to use a Greek port for departure to Gaza.