F/B Palladio - Venezia

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f/b palladio

Photo from Commis’s collection, Venice #5967

Ship	Palladio (1989)	Building Spec.	Fincantieri – Cantieri Navali Italiani, Ancona, Italy, 1989 – N° 5864
Call Sign	ICZE	IMO Number	8705694
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	Adriatica King Laurana
Registry Port	Venice	Flag	Italian
Former Names/Own.
New Names/Own.	Palladio – Siremar Sicilia Regionale Marittima 2004à Chartered to Tirrenia* divisione Adriatica 2004*
Line

Introduced in 1989, was the first of a pair of sisters, while later also a third sister vessel joined the family. The ferry was designed under the “economy” keyword: her internal spaces and furnishings have a quite low-quality standards, recalling the poor design of some 1960s’s costructions, even if they were sometimes appreciated; her mechanical standard was very poor: no double-bottom hull, no stern thrusters, no bow thrusters and, above all, a cruise speed of 15/16 knots, while the top speed was 17, a feature chosen to have very-low operating costs on services where a great speed was not required as those operated at the time of the delivery: Trieste – Durres, Trieste – Zadar, Venice – Zadar, Venice – Split, Ancona – Zadar, Ancona – Split, Ancona – Dubrovnik – Bari; but if the low speed was not a problem on the routes operated in monopoly service or with the older vessels of Strintzis Lines and Jadrolinija as competitors, it became so when, a few years later, was redeployed on the Italy - Greece link together with the sister “Sansovino”. The question is, anyway, how was it possible that the ferry costed 90 billions of Italian Lires in 1989, which, according to Istat, the Italian National Institute for Statistics, are 85 millions Euros of 2009. In 1994, after the introduction of F/B Egitto Express on Brindisi routes, was substituted on her originary link Brindisi - Corfu - Igoumenitsa by the “Sansovino” and placed on Bari - Durres line. Again on Italy - Greece in 1997 replacing F/B Laurana (Brindisi - Corfu - Igoumenitsa - Patras), soon returned to Italy - Albania line, which was operated with F/B Laurana until June 2003 when, after the sale of “Espresso Venezia” and the disposal of “Sansovino” to the Sicilian local operator Si.Re.Mar., was diverted on Ancona services, sailing to Split, Bar and Durres, then, from July 2004, sailing only to Split; the strong rumours that wanted her to be acquired by Ventouris family to link Rafina with Andros, Tinos, Mykonos, Ikaria and Samos remained only rumours. On September 2004 was repainted with Siremar colours, being transferred to the Sicilian company part of Tirrenia Group which links Sicily with smaller islands of Sicily district. The ferry was also equipped with stern thrusters; she started serving the Porto Empedocle – Linosa – Lampedusa line in December after a short final spell in Adriatic between Ancona and Split; that service lasted only a week when, due to problems occurred to the ferry “Vincenzo Florio”, was moved on Naples – Palermo service of Tirrenia; however her trailer capacity was not adequate and, after a month, was back in Siremar hands where she serves alternatively the Naples – Eolie islands – Milazzo or the Porto Empedocle – Linosa – Lampedusa lines. On this latter service the “Palladio” was involved in an incredible accident: on March 6^th, 2010, during the mooring operations at Porto Empedocle, the stern ramp opened itself, probably due to a broken rope, and falled sinking into the sea, just between the ferry and the quay: luckily the hull of the ferry was not damaged and the passengers were later safely disembarked by a side door, being only forced to wait 24 hours to get back their cars which were “trapped” in the garage of the ferry. These accidents must be seriously considered: what could have been happened if the ferry had lost the stern ramp at sea, sailing in waters which are often very rough like those of Sicily Channel?

Ship plan from Jeanburlon’s collection #6448

Photo © Fleet File Rotterdam, Split, 1989 #8170

Photo © Michele Lulurgas, Corfu Island, 12/07/97 #24

Photo © Douglas Cromby, Corfu, 15/07/97 #11778

Photo © Michele Lulurgas, Patras Port, 01/09/97 #25

Palladio

Photo © Gunnar Menzer

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