F/B Countess M - Valletta

F/B COUNTESS m

Photo from MARLINES’s 1998 brochure

Ship	Countess M(1986)	Building Spec.	1968 at Bretagne yard, Nantes, France N° 16/109
Call Sign		IMO Number	6809678
GRT	10.093	DWT	2.439
Dimensions	134,63 x 21,24 x 4,83	Engines	2 De Bretagne - Pielstick 7.413 kW
Speed	17 knots	Passengers	1.600
Beds	652	Cars	300
Lane Metres	435	Sister Ships	Millennium Express II
Registry Port	Valletta	Flag	Malta
Former Owners	P&O Normandy Ferries 1967-85	Former Names	Leopard 1968-85
New Owners	Five Stars Lines 2000 Megastars Lines 2001-04 Scrapped in India 2004	New names	Sidon 2000 Dimitra A 2000 Mega I 2001-02 Talya I 2002-04
Line

One of Marlines’s historical vessels, entered the fleet in 1987, linking Ancona and Patras via Igoumenitsa along with “Princess M”. Her refit was very interesting, both for the balcony at the forward end of superstructure and for the increased passenger accommodations at the stern, which can be underlined wieving also photos of her sister “Viscountess M / Charm M”, which is less altered from former appearance under P&O Normandy Ferries’s management. From 1993 served also Corfu on her way from Patras to Ancona, then in 1994 was put on Bari - Patras line with “Duchess M” and soon changed her service to Bari - Igoumenitsa - Corfu - Bari. In 1995 was back in Ancona services, linking the Doric port every Saturday to Patras, Heraklion and Kusadasi in Turkey. In 1996 re-opened an old Marlines link, the Piraeus - Heraklion - Rhodes - Limassol - Haifa line, departing from Greece on Thursday facing the “Nissos Kypros” of Salamis Lines. The service was not very successfull, so this ship was back in Adriatic on 1998 season on Bari - Igoumenitsa line remaining on this service until 1999, when she was laid up in Eleusis. Renamed “Sidon” in earlier 2000, was sold to Five Stars Lines and operated as “Dimitra A” from Brindisi to Igoumenitsa, along with her fleet mates “Poseidon” and “Brindisi” which runned also to Patras. Sold again in 2001 to Megastars Lines, was deployed Brindisi – Cesme service, renamed “Mega I” on her first year, and in 2002 again renamed “Talya I”, always on the same route for the same operator. Was expected back in service in 2003, but she didn’t moved from Eleusis, probably due to mechanical problems, then was sold for scrap in Alang on 2004 spring.

P&O NORMANDY FERRIES F/B Leopard - Photo from Pieter Inpijn’s collection

TOWNSEND THORESEN F/B Leopard - Photo by courtesy of Micke Asklander

The “Countess M” in her first years of services - Photo by courtesy of Daniele Miglio

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