F/B Santa Maria I

F/B SANTA MARIA I

Ship	Santa Maria I (2007)	Building Spec.	Fincantieri – Cantieri Navali Italiani, Ancona, Italy, 1989 – N° 5865
Call Sign	A8OL9	IMO Number	8705709
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	842
Beds	348 in 158 cabins	Cars	276
Lane Metres	400	Sister Ships	Laurana Palladio
Registry Port	Monrovia	Flag	Liberia
Former Names/Own.	Sansovino – Adriatica Navigazione 1989-04 Chartered to Siremar Sicilia Regionale Marittima* 2003* Chartered to Adria Ferries* 2004* Sansovino – Siremar Sicilia Regionale Marittima 2004-07 Chartered to Tirrenia divisione Adriatica* 2004*
New Names/Own.
Line	Bari – Durres

Launched as the “Sansovino” by Fincantieri Ancona in 1989, entered in service for Adriatica Navigazione linking the two shores of Adriatic Sea on the short routes between Italy, Jugoslavia and Albania. Later employed for a period on Brindisi – Greece services, from 1996 was employed back full-time on cross-Adriatic services between Ancona, Bari, Durres, Bar, Dubrovnik and Split. Being redundant on Summer 2003, was chartered to the State-Owned sister company Si.Re.Mar.; later in 2004 was then chartered to Adria Ferries and finally sold to Si.Re.Mar, even if she sailed for a last spell on Adriatic routes under the Sicilian company’s livery. Her Sicilian period lasts four years, divided between Milazzo – Aeolian Islands – Naples service, Porto Empedocle – Linosa – Lampedusa islands line and frequent lay-ups, due to the unsuitability of the “Sansovino” to Si.Re.Mar. routes; in the meantime the ferry was constantly on sales lists and frequently rumoured to be sold to Greek interests, a fact which didn’t materialized. The ship was finally sold at the end of 2007 to the Greek shipowner Gourdomychalis, not well-known in ferry scene. The ferry left Palermo to Greece under the much Italian name of “Santa Maria I”, and her Liberian flag suggests a future employment out of Greek seas; this circumstance came into reality when the company announced the Bari – Durres route for the ship, a line on which the ferry was extremely successful as the “Sansovino” of Adriatica and competing also with her “heirs” of Tirrenia – Adriatica. When arrived in Perama, the ferry was refitted: apart of normal mantainance works, which were badly needed because of the long lay-up which preceeded the sale, the ferry was repainted with the new livery, much similar to the previous one apart for the stern zone, entirely blue-painted, in my opinion, with very bad taste; on the other side, unfortunately, the company lacked to add the two lifeboats removed by Si.Re.Mar, in order to be allowed again to carry the same passengers the ship carried as the “Sansovino”, but lacked also to upgrade the interiors of the vessel, which are fairly outdated and poor as all the Italian State ferries of the same period, adding only a small Casino and creating the A-la Carte Restaurant in part of Self Service area. After her deployment, she performs three/four sailings per week between Bari and Durres, departing at 23.00 and arriving the next day at 07.00; it is interesting to notice that almost all her competitors on the route are or were related to Italian State-owned companies: of course the Tirrenia sisters “Domiziana”, “Flaminia” and “Nomentana”, but also the former Adriatica vessels “Grecia” and “Venezia” belonging to Halkydon Shipping. Another interesting fact to be underlined is that the “Santa Maria I”, at the moment of her deployment is far the youngest ferry on the Bari – Durres line with her 19 years of age, compared with an average age of the competitors of 31,8 years, with the “Flaminia” as the younger one (27) and the “Duchess M” as the older (38). On August 2008 the ship itineraries were suspended due to engine troubles happened to the ferry; actually the “Santa Maria I” is in Elefsina awaiting repairs. A great damage to the company who has lost the ferry during the most important period of the year.