Ro/Ro Startrailer

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Ro/Ro STARTRAILER

Photo © Rossella Balaskas, Korinthos #9637

Ship	Startrailer (1998) ΣΤΑΡΤΡΕΙΛΕΡ	Building Spec.	Kanda Zosensho, Kure, Japan, 1973 – N° 173
Call Sign	SVIO	IMO Number	7302079
GRT	9.021	DWT	1.793
Dimensions	135,49 x 22,03 x 5,20	Engines	2 Ishikawajima - Pielstick 16PC2-V400, 11.768 kW
Speed	21 knots	Passengers	12
Beds	12	Cars	261
Lane Metres	520	Sister ships	Panagia Agiasou
Registry Port	Piraeus	Flag	Greek
Former Names/Own.	Tsukushi – Nishi Nihon Ferry 1973-1975 Hankyu No 16 – Hankyu Ferry 1975-1984 Ferry Pukwan – Pukwan Ferry 1984-11/1998
New Names/Owners	Startrailer – Minoan Flying Dolphins / Hellas Ferries 2000-2002 Startrailer – Hellas Flying Dolphins / Hellas Ferries 2002-09/2003 Panagia Krimniotissa – Saos Ferries 09/2003-10/2011 Scrapped at Aliaga (Turkey) on 10/2011 as PANAGIA KRIMNIOTISSA
Line

At the beginning of 1970s many Japanese companies entered the new “Sea motorways” business, establishing ferry companies which often dissolved after few years, selling their vessels to stronger companies or being incorporated in them. This happened also to this ferry, which was built in 1973 as the TSUKUSHIfor Nishi Nihon Ferry; despite of the company name, which means “West Japan”, was deployed on the other side of the country, linking Kobe with Karita. In 1975 the company was closed and this ship was sold to Hankyu Ferry, renamed HANKYU No 16 and deployed on Kobe – Kokura line. After nine years, in 1984, the ship changed again ownership, this time to the South Korean operator Pukwan Ferry, which used her to launch the South Korea – Japan line between the ports of Pusan and Shimonoseki, as the FERRY PUKWAN. In 1998 Express Sea Trailers was seeking a second ship for its Korinthos – Porto Marghera line, and decided to purchase the FERRY PUKWAN, which was renamed STARTRAILER and converted to increase her trailer capacity by the removal of some superstructure at stern and the installation of a new starboard ramp which led the lorries directly to the new upper trailer deck via a fixed ramp. This ferry has two particular facts: usually Greek companies buy Japanese ships, which are mainly freight-oriented, and convert them to passenger services, but this one, which was a more passenger-oriented ferry, was converted to freight use in Greece; this is also the first Japanese-built vessel which wasn’t bought directly from a Japanese company by the Greeks. On November 1999 the ship was bought by Minoan Flying Dolphins and the following year was redeployed on Hellas Ferries’s own services with the same name. After almost four years of service, on September 2003 was sold to the rapid-growing Saos Ferries, with the new name PANAGIA KRIMNIOTISSA, starting a month later to serve the Piraeus – Chios – Mytilene line. Arrested for the financial problems of Saos Ferries in 2008, was scrapped three years later at Aliaga.