F/B Express Olympia

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F/B EXPRESS OLYMPIA

Ship	Express Olympia (1990) ΕΞΠΡΕΣ ΟΛΥΜΠΙΑ	Building Spec.	Jos L. Meyer Werft, Papenburg Ems, Germany, 1973 – N°570
Call Sign	SXMU	IMO Number	7310258
GRT	4.477	DWT	1.982
Dimensions	109,15 x 17,25 x 4,7	Engines	2 Crossley – Pielstick 12PC2VMK5, 8.531 kW
Speed	19,5 knots	Passengers	1.500
Beds	298 in 70 cabins	Cars	300
Lane Metres	414	Sister ships	Ajman 1 (scrapped in 2004) Apollo Boughaz Fagr (scrapped in 2002) Ionian Spirit Jamaa II Puerto Vallarta Sinaloa Star (scrapped in 2008)
Registry Port	Piraeus	Flag	Greek
Former Names/Own.	Viking 4 – Rederi AB Sally (Viking Line) 1973-80 Earl Granville – William & Glynn Industrial Leasing Ltd 1980-84 Chartered to Sealink* UK 1980-84* Earl Granville – Sealink British Ferries 1984-90
New Names/Owners	Express Olympia – Agapitos Express Ferries 1992-00 Express Olympia – Minoan Flying Dolphins / Hellas Ferries 2000-01 Express Olympia – Hellas Flying Dolphins / Hellas Ferries 2001-05 Express Olympia – Hellenic Seaways 2005 Scrapped at Alang (India) in 2005 as “Express O”
Line

Delivered to Viking Line on 16 June 1973 for the service Stockholm - Mariehamn (Aland) - Turku, is one of eight sister-ships built at Meyer yards of Papenburg, Germany. Five of these sisters were painted under Viking Line’s livery, a consortium formed by Finnish and Swedish shipowners to link these nations; among these vessels three were built for the Aland-based Rederi AB Sally and two for the Swedish Rederi AB Slite; the remaining three sisters were instead delivered to Mexican interests. This ferry was the sixth of eight sisters built, the last sister for both Viking Line and Redery AB Sally; another interesting tale is that the only Viking Line consortium member which hadn’t ordered any vessel from Meyer Werft, the Finnish SF Line AB, is the only one which didn’t declared bankruptcy and which is nowadays the only shipowner behind Viking Line’s marks. Two days after her first commercial sailing, on July 22^nd, 1973, she collided with the dock at Stockholm, the first of a long serie of accidents which occurred throughout the ferry’s live, without reporting serious damages. In 1979 was moved to Kapellskar - Mariehamn - Nadendal service. In 1980 was sold to a British company, which chartered the ferry to the State-Owned British Rail – Sealink for ten years, when she was intended to serve Guernsey and Jersey sailing from Portsmouth. Before entering in service for the British company, the ferry was heavily refitted at Schichau Seebeckwerft yards of Bremerhaven: the main engines Smit – Bolnes V314HDK were replaced by two new Crossley – Pielstick engines, two fins AEG Denny Brown were fitted and also some new internal arrangements were made: the Cafeteria and some cabins were removed in order to fit some new rest seats. The 1981 is surely the “anno horribilis” of the ferry: on June 10^th she had a black-out, on June 22^nd had a fire in engine room, on July 20^th she hit the dock in Saint Helier, on September 9^th many cars carried on garage deck were damaged due to a storm. In 1984 the company was bought by Seacontainers, which changed the company name to “Sealink British Ferries”; the “Earl Granville” was again refitted, this time only internally, at Aalborg Vaerft in Denmark, under the “Bateau de luxe” standards: the cabins and the cafeteria were again fitted in their original place, and the restaurant got a new furnishing. Back again on Channel Islands’s traffic, she reached also Cherbourg port, in France, where she collided with the breakwater on August 19^th, 1989, causing a cut of 14 metres in the hull. Between 1984 and 1990 she served for short spells also Harwich – Hoek Van Holland line, between Great Britain and Holland, and Liverpool – Dun Laoghaire plus Stanraer – Larne between Great Britain and Ireland. Being the ferry redundant for the company, in 1989 Mercandia A/S was very close to her purchase, but the companies didn’t came to an agreement; the ferry remained in British ownership until December 1990, when she was bought by Agapitos Bros for the Piraeus – Syros – Paros – Naxos – Ios – Santorini – Anafi line. Taken over by Agapitos Express Ferries in 1992, she remained on the same service till November 1999, when she was acquired by Minoan Flying Dolphins for the Piraeus - Paros - Naxos - Ikaria - Fourni - Samos line. On September 2004 Hellas Ferries decided to sell the ferry, which was laid up at the end of Summer season; she was sold for scrap in June 2005, when the company had already changed its name to “Hellenic Seaways”, heading to Alang under the name “Express O”.