You are in: HOME > COMPANIES 2.0 > LETTER “A” > AGAPITOS LINES > F/B AIGAION (1976-1992)

F/B AIGAION

AGAPITOS BROS FB Aigaion 03_George Giannakis

Photo © George Giannakis #6148

 

Ship

Aigaion (1976)

AIΓΑΙΩΝ

Building Spec.

Cockerill Ougree,

Hoboken, Belgium, 1958 – N°794

Call Sign

SXEV

IMO Number

5025586

GRT

4.555

DWT

1.099

Dimensions

116,85 x 15,96 x 3,89

Engines

2 Sulzer 12MD-510, 7.061 kW

Speed

21 knots

Passengers

985

Beds

135

Cars

160

Garage

 

Sister Ships

 

Registry Port

Piraeus

Flag

Greek

Former Names/Own.

Artevelde – Regie voor Maritiem Transport (R.M.T.) 1958-76

New Names/Owners

Aigaion – Agapitos Express Ferries 10/1992-02/1996

Sank in 1996 as “Aigaion”

Line

 

 

 

One of the first Belgian car-ferries, was delivered in 1958 to Belgian State-owned R.M.T. from Hoboken-based Cockerill yards to serve Oostende – Dover route. From an external look she’s undoubtely Belgian: long sleek hull, tight and low draught, plus the relatively high speed of 21 knots, a top speed these years. The Dover – Oostende line lasted until 1974, sixteen years of service with two collisions, before being used as training ship at Antwerp and then laid up as spare ship until 1976, when she was sold to Agapitos Brothers. For the Greek company started linking Piraeus with Kos and Rhodes, calling enroute alternatively at Tinos, Mykonos, Paros, Naxos and Kalymnos; after only few months anyway she moved to Ikaria – Samos line, first calling at Syros, Tinos and Mykonos, then at Syros, Paros and Naxos, finally reducing her calls before Ikaria and Samos only to Paros port, where the ship grounded in 1983. In 1989 she was transferred to Piraeus – Paros – Naxos – Ios – Santorini line, the most lucrative Cyclades service, where she remained also after the takeover by Agapitos Express Ferries in 1992. Before being transferred to Agapitos Express Ferries, anyway, the “Aigaion” was involved in one of the most epic tales of Greek shipping. The ship was scheduled to leave Piraeus at 8.15 in the morning to Paros, Ios and Santorini, 45 minutes later than the newly-introduced “Daliana” of GA Ferries, which called also at Naxos on her way to Santorini and then from Santorini to Heraklion. The “Aigaion” usually called before the “Daliana” at Ios, but not that day: the “Daliana” managed to dock before the Belgian veteran, which was forced to wait until the “Daliana” had left for Santorini, as long as no more than a ferry could dock at once in Ios. It seems that the master of “Daliana” mocked up the captain of the “Aigaion”, which promised him to overtake the “Daliana”. This was fairly impossible, and when “Aigaion” entered the Santorini Caldera coming from Ios, the “Daliana” was exiting  the Caldera sailing southbound to Heraklion, having already called at Santorini. Unexpectedly, the master of the “Aigaion” changed the track and pointed the South exit of the Caldera, instead of docking to Athinios port of Santorini, and, forcing the engines of the “Aigaion”, managed to pass the “Daliana” and, after having accomplished his “mission”, turned around and went back to Athinios with a large delay! Taken out of service in 1994, having reached the 35 years age limit, the company intended to convert her as a cruise-ship, being the age limit only over ferries; anyway during refit works the ferry caught fire and sank.

 

Photo Gallery

 

RMT SEALINK FB Artevelde 01_Brian Fisher 78

Dover

Brian Fisher

 

SEALINK R.M.T. – Artevelde (1970-1976)

 

 

Immagine che contiene acqua, esterni, barca, nave

Descrizione generata automaticamente

AGAPITOS LINES FB Aigaion 01_Pavlos Protopapas

Piraeus, 20/06/1983

Piraeus

Dalla collezione di

Tony Garner

Pavlos Protopapas

Chris Howell

 

AGAPITOS BROS – Aigaion (1976-1992)

 

 

AGAPITOS EXPRESS FERRIES FB Aigaion 01_Kostas Sotiriadis

Kostas Sotiriadis

 

AGAPITOS EXPRESS FERRIES – Aigaion (1992-1996)

 

AGAPITOS LINES                        HOME