F/B Laurana - Venezia

f/b laurana

Photo © Gunnar Menzer

Ship	Laurana (1992)	Building Spec.	Fincantieri – Cantieri Navali Italiani, Palermo, Italy, 1992 – N° 5908
Call Sign	ICEL	IMO Number	9011014
GRT	10.977	DWT	2.300
Dimensions	122 x 19,4 x 5,31	Engines	2 Fiat-GMT 6c., 7.059 kW
Speed	15 knots (max 17 knots)	Passengers	1.100
Beds	348 in 158 cabins	Cars	276
Lane Metres	400	Sister Ships	Palladio Santa Maria I
Registry Port	Venice	Flag	Italian
Former Names/Own.
New Names/Own.	Laurana – Siremar Sicilia Regionale Marittima 2004à Chartered to Tirrenia divisione Adriatica* 2004-05*
Line

If anyone would like to know where the taxes payed by Italians were dissipated, we can look at this ferry. She is one of the three Adriatica sisters, differing from the older pair only by building yard (Fincantieri Ancona instead of Palermo) and building year, three years later. Obviously an outdated ship also at her launch, in 1992, was able to manage only a 17 knots maximum speed, where many older Adriatic ferries were able to sail at 20/22 knots; also on Brindisi line many ferries of H.M.L. were faster. Being ceased the situations that led to design this way the “Palladio” class, the project had to be changed to adapt the ferry to Greek service; the modifications carried on this third sister instead were ridiculous: a different mooring equipment, two little windows on side wings and two air intakes at the top of the funnels. To underline how much outdated was the “Laurana” in 1992, I can report the expression of a good friend of mine: “In the meantime of “Laurana”’s delivery from Palermo yards, the Apuania yards were completing the “Majestic”, the first Italian cruise-ferry!”. Moreover, always being curious to know why these ferries had the hull black-marketed in some spots, I discovered that this ship lacks directional propellers, so sometimes she needs tug assistance to approach the quay, then the black marks are prevoked by the tyres put on the tugs. Soon put on Brindisi - Corfu - Igoumenitsa – Patras she departed from Italy at 22.30, arriving in Patras at 18.30 after 19 hours and after every other competitor. Was diverted for the first time from that line on 1997 to Bari - Durres route, replaced on original link by the Palladio. Back on the same Italy - Greece link the following year, was finally put between Italy and Albania one year later, also because she was too slow to compete on Italy - Greece line. Of course she had a very miserable speed for a ship launched only five years before. I’ve heard that Adriatica has planned to sell “Laurana” and her sisters, it seems, without any new purchase or order, This thing in former Finmare group is very strange: Tirrenia has a lot of newbuildings (including the “Vincenzo Florio”), they introduced the fast monohulls “Aries”, “Taurus”, “Guizzo” and “Scatto” types to fight SNCM and Tourship and, when Corsica - Sardinia Ferries and Moby Lines ordered new high-speed cruise ferries from Orlando yards and Daewoo in Korea, they ordered a same type of ship at Fincantieri; Adriatica is no more competitive on Italy - Greece lines, struggling against SEM and Jadrolinija on Croatian link and is the only big company operating to Albania. For my opinion it would be a great idea to remark the Italian tradition on Adriatic routes. Anyway, on 2004 Adriatica was cancelled and the Adriatica services passed to Tirrenia; the Durres line was then performed by the older sisters “Emilia” and “Domiziana” while the “Laurana” was moved to Ancona – Split line. After this summer service was repainted in Si.Re.Mar.’s colours at Ravenna yards and transferred to the Sicilian operator to serve the smaller islands around Sicily.

Photo © Dominik Wagner, Ancona, 09/04/04

Photo © Erald Spahiu, Ancona #8386

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