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F/B Espresso Grecia

Photo from Commis’s collection # 6299

Launched in 1973 at Luigi Orlando Yards of Leghorn, Italy, she could be considered the “mother” of modern ro/paxes, being built by the leader yards of these years in building freight ferries. She took this name in 1980, but was part of Adriatica fleet from 1976, being chartered from Trans Tirreno Express. As “Espresso Grecia” was deployed on Italy – Greece services for a decade, mainly on the direct Brindisi – Patras line, sailing in pair with the hystorical “Appia”, the chartered “Espresso Olbia” and, more recently, the “Tiepolo” and the “Sansovino”. She left Greece routes in early 90s, redeployed on Albania routes, a new market for the Venice-based company, first sailing from Ancona, later from Trieste to Durres, the line where the ferry remained also after the sale to Halkydon Shipping, of 1999, marketed by Agemar, the former Adriatica port agent of Trieste. Among the photos of the ferry you can find also one of the first shots of my “shipspotter” career: the photo is not so clear, but I’m not a great photographer nowadays and I wasn’t also when I was thirteen years old! However, the photo is taken from the swimming pool area of Ionian Island, awaiting her 21.00 departure to Patras; as you can see, there are two glasses on the handrail: I’m wondering what was the end of that glasses two hours later (if I remember well the scheduled sailing of “Espresso Grecia” for Durres was at 19.00) and if exists nowadays a ferry aboard which you can have a drink on the open deck in a glass and not in a plastic or paper cup!!!

Photo Gallery

ADRIATICA – Espresso Grecia (1980-1999)

HALKYDON SHIPPING – Grecia (1999-2010)

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