F/B Marina - Piraeus

F/B MARINA

Photo © Gunnar Menzer

Ship	Marina (1991) ΜΑΡΙΝΑ	Building Spec.	1971 at Kanda Zosen, Kure, Japan, N° 162
Call Sign	SWZI	IMO Number	7203487
GRT	10.154	DWT	1.884
Dimensions	135 x 22 x 5,2	Engines	2 Kawasaki - MAN, 12.782 kW
Speed	21 knots	Passengers	1.600
Beds	550	Cars	380
Lane Metres	780	Sister Ships
Registry Port	Piraeus	Flag	Greek
Former Owners	Hiroshima Green Funnel 1971-82 Kansai Kisen (Diamond Ferry) 1982-90	Former Names	Green Ace 1971-82 Okudogo No 6 1982-90
New Owners		New Names
Line	Piraeus – Syros – Paros – Naxos – Ikaria – Fourni – Samos; Piraeus – Syros – Ikaria – Samos – Chios – Lesvos – Limnos – Kavala ; Piraeus – Astypalea – Kalymnos – Kos – Nissiros – Tilos – Symi – Rhodes (May 2005)

Probably the longer refit of a ship acquired by a Greek operator, the “Marina” was bought at the end of 1990 and taken over in 1991. Announced to enter the service in all G.A. Ferries advertisements and brochures from 1991, she started sailing as “Marina” only in 1994, but the result of the refit is fantastic: I had the chance to see a photo of “Green Ace” and I can say that is almost impossible to relate the Hiroshima Green Funnel ship to the “Marina”... and, although very similar as built to her fleet mates “Green Arrow” and “Green Arch”, today the “Marina” is far better of “Express Aris” and “Ierapetra L.” respectively! Under her days operating for the “green ferries” was linking Hiroshima to Osaka; then was sold to Kansai Kisen when, in 1982, Hiroshima Green Ferry ran out of business: transferred to the subsidiary Diamond Ferry and renamed as “Okudogo 6”, was linking Kobe (Honshu) with Matsuyama (Shikoku) and Oita (Kyushu). As a G.A. Ferries ship, she performed the Dodecanese line for all her career, opponed to Dane Sea Line ferries and matched alternatively by “Dimitra”, “Rodanthi”, “Daliana” or “Dimitroula”. Probably one of the best ferries to Rhodes, in 2002 season she has find the competition of Blue Star Ferries, which put their 2000-built “Blue Star 1” on the same services of “Marina”, leaving Piraeus at 20.00 three times a-week (three/four hours after G.A. Ferries) and arriving in Rhodes the day after at 07.20 (same time of the G.A. Ferries faster departures). Gerasimos Agoudimos has attacked the ministry for the decision to give a licence to Blue Star, but Attica Enterprises has introduced a real competition on Rhodes line. I think that it would be a great idea for Mr Agoudimos to have a look at Japanese ferries for sale: it would be a great idea to convert a ten year old Japanese ferry (almost all have a speed of 24/25/27 knots) that would be competitive with Blue Star rather than shouting with the Minister; unfortunately his answer to Blue Star is the “Anthi Marina”, which is far millions of years from cruise-ferry concept… So let’s hope that the cancellation of the law which forces the Greek ship-owners to use ferries younger than 35 years-old would be cancelled soon enough to save this fantastic ferry from the scrap. The 2006 was started as the first ferry entering Piraeus port, even if I fear that it’s one of her last entrances.

HIROSHIMA GREEN FUNNEL F/B Green Ace

HIROSHIMA GREEN FUNNEL F/B Green Ace – Photo by courtesy of Murase

Photo © Michele Lulurgas, Piraeus, 28/06/1996

Photo © Fleet File Rotterdam

Photo © Emilio Barenghi, 1998

Photo © Michele Lulurgas, Piraeus, 24/12/2000

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