F/B Domiziana - Napoli

f/b domiziana

Photo © Davide Tognolini

Ship	Domiziana (2003)	Building Spec.	Fincantieri yards, Castellammare di Stabia, Italy, 1979 – N° 4347
Call Sign	ITNA	IMO Number	7602089
GRT	12.575	DWT	3.250
Dimensions	147,99 x 25, 4 x 6,1	Engines	2 Fincantieri-GMT A420 16V. 14.120 kW
Speed	20,5 knots	Passengers	2.000
Beds	568	Cars	645
Lane Metres	850	Sister Ships	Adriatica Aurelia Clodia Flaminia Nomentana
Registry Port	Naples	Flag	Italian
Former Names/Own.	Domiziana – Tirrenia Navigazione 1979-03
New Names/Own.	Domiziana – Tirrenia Navigazione divisione Adriatica 2004à
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Built for Tirrenia in 1979, was lengthened by 12 metres in 1986 by Fincantieri yards of Trieste: the ferry was literally cut at midship and a section if 12 metres was added, so the overall length raised from 136 metres to 148 and the passenger capacity raised until the present figure of 2.000. Originally part of “Strada” class, was then one of the six sisters built in Castellammare di Stabia yard, but in 2002 the “Aurelia”, “Clodia” and “Nomentana” were upgraded to meet the standards of Tirrenia newbuildings entered in service since 1999, so actually the “Domiziana” is a full sister only to “Flaminia” and “Emilia”. At one side, this is a good thing, because the transformed ferries of Strada class have a very heavy appearance; on the other side however the “Flaminia” was considered the worst ferry inspected in Europe when the German ADAC carried its annual safety inspection among ferries sailing in Baltic, North Sea, Irish Sea, Channel, Western and Eastern Mediterranean sea, and probably the “Domiziana” is on the same level of her sister sailing from Civitavecchia to Olbia. After having spent her career mainly between Genoa and Porto Torres in Sardinia, on 2003 the “rich cousin” of Naples gave the “Domiziana” like a charity to Venice-based company and, confirming that for Italian Minister of Finances the Adriatica is son of a minor God, the ferry sails from Bari to Durres in full Tirrenia livery, creating in traveller’s minds the doubt to have not studied well Geography some years before or to have joined a wrong boarding port. Not a ship who attracts the eye for her beauty, her internal spaces don’t improve very much my impression, after having seen a few shots; especially the seats seems to have been stolen from a 2nd class train. If we think that when in 1960 Adriatica linked Italy and Greece, the Piraeus – Crete link was covered by the “Heraklion”, “anek” seemed to be a bad word in a strange language and “minoan” was only a fabulous period of Greek history…

The “Domiziana” before the 1986 rebuilding, photo from Peter Asklander’s collection by courtesy of Micke Asklander

The “Domiziana” on refit work at Naples dry dock – Photo © Seawolf, Naples, 03/06/05 #1619

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