F/B Rodos - Rhodes

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F/B RODOS

Photo © Carsten Dettmer, Rhodes, 01/10/2001#13258

Ship	Rodos (1989) ΡΟΔΟΣ	Building Spec.	Nihonkai Heavy Industries, Toyama, Japan, 1973 – N° 164
Call Sign	SYQI	IMO Number	7314345
GRT	10.298	DWT	2.825
Dimensions	131,98 x 22,7 x 5,51	Engines	2 IHI – Pielstick 12PC2-V400, 7.413 kW
Speed	19,5 knots	Passengers	1.400
Beds	528 in 165 cabins	Cars	400
Lane Metres	500	Sister ships	San Lorenzo Ruiz (scrapped in 2008)
Registry Port	Rhodes	Flag	Greece
Former Names/Own.	Argo – Taiheiyo Enkai Ferry 1973-1980 Ferry Kogane Maru – Kansai Kisen 1980-1984 Pegasus – Meimon Taiyo Ferry 1984-1989
New Names/Owners	Rodos – Blue Star Ferries 07/2006-10/2006 Scrapped at Alang (India) in November 2006 as “Rod”
Line

One of the best ships managed by DANE, acquired in 1989 for the Piraeus - Kos - Rhodes direct line. On her Japanese years she sailed on various services: the first one, under Taiheiyo Enkai Ferry colours as the “Argo” was from Nagoya and Nachikatsuura, Honshu island, to Oita, Kyushu island. She sailed on that service along her sister “Al Nasl”, during a period in which Taiheiyo used to name her vessels after stars or constellations, but, in a different way of other fleet mates, was a more passenger-oriented ferry, rather than a ro-pax. Seven years later was sold to Kansai Kisen, as their “Ferry Kogane Maru”, continuing to sail between Honshu and Kyushu, but altering the ports of call to Kobe and Osaka on the main Japanese island, and to Beppu on Kyushu; that time her running mate was another ferry which became very notorious in Greece as the “Daedalus” of Minoan Lines. The last spell of service in Asia was for Meimon Taiyo Ferry and lasted from 1984 to 1989, linking Osaka and Shin Moji under the name “Pegasus”. Extensively refitted in Greece as the “cruise-ferry” standard, is still however recognisable as the Japanese “Pegasus”. The upper garage, originally suitable also for trucks, was lowered to be suitable only for cars; in the upper level there was an entire deck of cabins, plus the reception, while on the same level of the car garage we can find internal cabins, external officer cabins and crew mess. Going upstairs to the above deck we can find cabins and the reception, then, continuing to go upstairs, we find the promenade deck, which was characterized by the external promenade, enclosed in the forward part during the conversion in Greece. On this deck there were also the restaurant and the self-service, plus some passenger cabins. The above deck was the bridge deck, heavily altered in Greece by the original appearance: just behind the bridge there were officer cabins; continuing to the stern, there were the stairs, a shop, the first class lounge, including a dance floor, the second class lounge, and the Pullman seats. This deck had also an open space at stern, but later it was converted to dormitories. The external space was anyway retained on the Compass deck, where chairs and tables were located just behind the funnel. The ferry had also further crew accommodation below the main garage, an unusual feature on Japanese-built ferries. In 1991 her machinery caught fire just outside Piraeus, and the passengers were evacuated; the same occurred in 1999, but that time there was no evacuation and the ferry was proptly repaired in Avlis yards. For a period in 1996 the bow was altered with two sponsons designed by the Piraeus University’s Department of Naval Engineering in order to improve the ship’s speed; the result were unsatisfactory, so the bow was restored to the original appearance. I travelled aboard her on September 1993 from Rhodes to Piraeus: my impression was very good, and in my opinion the Rhodes line had, in the nineties, some of the best ferries serving in Greek seas such as this one, her fleet mate “Patmos” and the “Rodanthi” and “Marina” of G.A. Ferries. Initially employed also on the only international service ever of DANE, the Piraeus – Kos – Rhodes – Limassol line, in the last years was often employed on the Piraeus - Patmos - Leros - Kalymnos - Kos - Rhodes line, leaving the direct link to “Ialyssos”, “Candia” (during her charter of 1999) and to the wonderful “Preveli” (also chartered from ANEK), continuing to sail on this line also after the arrival from Japan of the “New Tosa”, which became the 2001 “Lindos” and subsequently the “Diagoras”. On 23/01/2001, also because of strong winds, she got into some fishing boats’s ropes leaving Kalymnos port, sinking nine fishing boats, anyway without any major consequence, although probably the sank fishing boats owners don’t have my same opinion! At the beginning of 2004 the ferry was laid up due to mechanical troubles; the company, which was again in deep financial difficulties, hadn’t the money to repair her, and in the same time the Greek Seamen’s Pension Fund requested her arrest due to unpaid bills. The “Rodos” never restored her service and remained moored at Keratsini quay until October 2006; bought at auction by Blue Star Ferries on July 2006, was sold for scrap three months later and sailed as “Rod” to her last destination, Alang.

TAIHEIYO ENKAI FERRY F/B Argo – Photo from the book “History of Japanese Car Ferries”

KANSAI KISEN F/B Ferry Kogane Maru – Photo from the book “History of Japanese Car Ferries”

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KANSAI KISEN F/B Ferry Kogane Maru – Photo from Pieter Inpijn’s collection

MEIMON TAIYO FERRY F/B Pegasus – Photo from the book “History of Japanese Car Ferries”

Just arrived in Greece – Photo © Evangelos S. Tzardis, Piraeus, August 1989 #11775

Just arrived in Greece – Photo © Evangelos S. Tzardis, Piraeus, August 1989 #11776

Rebuilding work – Photo © Antonios Molos, Perama #11774

Photo © Evangelos S. Tzardis, Piraeus #11777

Photo © Pavlos Protopapas, Rodi, 1993 #3777

DANE SEA LINE FB Rodos 03_Pieter Inpijn

Photo © Pieter Inpijn, Piraeus

DANE SEA LINE FB Rodos

Rodos (500)

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