MS SeaFrance Cézanne
 As the SeaFrance Cézanne in July 2008 | |
| Career | |
|---|---|
| Name: |
SeaFrance Cézanne (1996-Present) Fiesta (1990-1996) Channel Seaway (1989-1990) Fantasia (1988-1989) Trapezitza (1981-1988) Soca (1980-1981) Ariadne (1980)[1] |
| Owner: | Societé Propietaire des Navaires |
| Operator: |
SeaFrance (1996-Present) SNCF (1990-1996) Sealink British Ferries (1988-1990) DFDS Seaways (1988) Callitzis (1986-1988) MedLink (1981-1986) UMEF(1980-1981) Rederi AB Nordö (1980)[1] |
| Port of registry: | Calais, 22x20px France [1] |
| Ordered: | 23 February 1979 [2] |
| Builder: | Kockums Varv AB, Sweden [1] |
| Yard number: | 568 [1] |
| Launched: | 13 October 1979 [2] |
| Christened: | 13 October 1979 [2] |
| In service: | February 1980 [2] |
| Out of service: | 14 February 2009 [3] |
| Identification: | IMO number: 7806099 [1] MMSI Number: 227010200 Callsign: FNBK [2] |
| General characteristics | |
| Tonnage: | 8,920 gross register tons (GRT) [1] |
| Length: | 163.51 m (536.5 ft) [1] |
| Beam: | 23.04 m (75.6 ft) [1] |
| Draught: | 28.4 m (93.2 ft) [1] |
| Propulsion: | 2 x Sulzer 7RLA56 [1] |
| Speed: | 20 kn (37.0 km/h) [1] |
MS SeaFrance Cézanne is a ferry launched in 1979 as the Ariadne [4]. Starting life in the Mediterranean, she has spent the majority of her career serving the Dover-Calais cross channel ferry route with successive operators, Sealink, SNCF & SeaFrance and was taken out of service in February 2009.
Early Years
The SeaFrance Cézanne started life as the Ariadne, ordered by and for Rederi AB Nordö, Malmö for services in the Eastern Mediterranean. She was launched at the Kockums Varv AB shipyard in Malmö, Sweden on 13 October 1979 [2] and delivered to Rederi AB Nordö in January 1980. In February 1980, she was renamed Soca opening a service between Koper, Yugoslavia and Tartous, Syria [5] with UMEF. On 7 June 1980, the Soca's sister ship, Zenobia capsized on her maiden voyage roughly 2km away from Larnaca, Cyprus, this precipitated the end of Rederi's Yugoslavia to Syria service [5]. In late 1981 the two remaining vessels Soca and her sister Scandinavia were sold to Bulgarian So Mejdunaroden Automobile Transport (SOMAT) and the Soca was renamed Trapezitza [2]. Under SOMAT ownership, the Trapezitza was operated using the MedLink brand running trans-Mediterranean services to the Middle East [5].
SNCF
In October 1988, under charter to DFDS Seaways [2], the Trapezitza and her sister, which had been renamed Tzarvetz was purchased by Sealink British Ferries [2][5] and renamed initially to Fantasia and Fiesta respectively. After a short refit in Bremerhaven in 1989 the Fantasia was again renamed Channel Seaway and began operating a freight service between Dover and Calais. Sealink eventually decided to use the two vessels, in a pooling agreement with SNCF to provide a joint service running between Dover and Calais [5]. As a result of this decision, the Channel Seaway and her sister, now named Fiesta were sent to Lloyd Werft, Bremerhaven in October 1989 to be converted from freight carriers to passenger carriers [2]. As part of the pooling agreement, the Channel Seaway was to be given to SNCF, as a result of this, whilst at Bremerhaven, the two vessels swapped names, the Channel Seaway becoming the Fiesta [5]. The Fiesta returned to Calais on 13 May 1990, however due to French industrial action, did not enter service until 9 July 1990 [5]. In 1989 ownership of the vessel transferred to Societé Nouvelle d'Armement Transmanche (SNAT)[6] and then in 1990, SNCF transferred the operations to Societé Propietaire des Navaires (SPN) [6]. In August 1990, SPN and Sealink British Ferries signed an extension of 5 years to their pooling agreement on board the Fiesta in Dover harbour [5]. The early 90's was a difficult time for the Fiesta, her services frequently being interrupted by industrial action, most notably in June/July 1991, April 1992 and February 1995 [5].
SeaFrance
In July 1995, SPN & SNAT announced their intention to terminate the pooling agreement from 31 December [3]. On 1 January 1996 SNCF' new SeaFrance service began, with the Fiesta, which was renamed to SeaFrance Cézanne in her Janaury 2006 refit [3]. The service initially ran as three ships, the SeaFrance Cézanne, the SeaFrance Renoir and the SeaFrance Nord Pas-De-Calais, later being joined by the SeaFrance Monet and the SeaFrance Manet [3]. On 22 March 2000, during thick fog, the SeaFrance Cézanne was holed on the port side, which later required attention at Dunkerque.
Following the introduction of the SeaFrance Rodin in 2001 and the SeaFrance Berlioz in 2005, the SeaFrance Cézanne was relegated to freight only duties alongside the SeaFrance Nord Pas-De-Calais [3]. Following the publication of a revised schedule in 2006, she was promoted back to passenger duties, maintaining this position until the introduction of the SeaFrance Moliere in late 2008 where she was again relegated to freight only crossings. In early 2009, she was permanently withdrawn from service on 12 February [3] and was laid up in Dunkerque two days later [2].
Sister Ships
The SeaFrance Cézanne has two sister ships;
- Stena Fantasia - Operating as the Wawel Swinoujscie-Ystad with DFDS & Polferries
- Zenobia - Capsized outside Larnaca, Cyprus on 7 June 1980.
References
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 "M/F SeaFrance Cezanne". Ferry-site.dk. http://www.ferry-site.dk/ferry.php?id=7806099&lang=en. Retrieved 28 June 2010.
- ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 "SeaFrance Cézanne". DoverFerryPhotos.co.uk. http://www.doverferryphotos.co.uk/pastandpresent/cezanne.htm. Retrieved 28 June 2010.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 "Fiesta Part Two". HHVFerry.com. http://www.hhvferry.com/fiesta_2.html. Retrieved 28 June 2010.
- ↑ "SeaFrance Cézanne". SimplonPC.co.uk. http://www.simplonpc.co.uk/SeaFranceCezanne.html. Retrieved 28 June 2010.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 5.7 5.8 "Fiesta Part One". HHVFerry.com. http://www.hhvferry.com/fiesta_1.html. Retrieved 28 June 2010.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 "SNCF". SimplonPC.co.uk. http://www.simplonpc.co.uk/SNCF1.html. Retrieved 28 June 2010.
| IMO 7806099
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