F/B Romilda - Piraeus

F/B ROMILDA

Photo © George Giannakis, 02/10/05 #3330

Ship	Romilda (1993) ΡΟΜΙΛΤΑ	Building Spec,	1974 at Verolme yard, Alblasserdam, Holland N° 862
Call Sign	SVAI (under Greek Flag)	IMO Number	7368499
GRT	5.170	DWT	1.268
Dimensions	123,6 x 19,4 x 4,3	Engines	3 Stork - Werkspoor, 9.708 kW
Speed	21 knots	Passengers	1.200
Beds	99	Cars	350
Lane Metres		Sister Ships
Registry Port	Valletta (1993) Piraeus (1993à)	Flag	Maltese (1993) Greek (1993à)
Former Owners	Townsend Thoresen 1974-87 P&O European Ferries 1987-93	Former Names	Free Enterprise VIII 1974-87 Pride of Canterbury 1987-93
New Owners		New names
Line	Piraeus – Syros – Paros – Naxos – Milos – Donoussa – Koufonissia – Schinoussa – Heraklia – Amorgos; Piraeus – Paros – Naxos – Ios – Sikinos – Folegandros – Santorini – Anafi Piraeus – Syros – Paros – Naxos – Donoussa – Amorgos – Astypalea – Nissiros – Tilos – Symi – Rhodes (May 2005)

Sailing with G.A. Ferries since 1993, has served almost all routes performed by Gerasimos Agoudimos’s company, having visited all the Greek ports. Launched in 1974, she was the 8^th and the last ferry of “Free Enterprise” series; even if she resembles very much the appearance of the former IV, V, VI and VII vessels and was also built in the same country, Holland, is not a sister of the former four ferries, being built in a different yard and having different measurements. Another funny thing to notice is that, as long as the best part of ferries have one, two or four main engines, this ferry has three main engines, a very uncommon feature! Under her years of service for the Anglo-Norwegian company Townsend Thoresen and P&O was departing from Dover to Zeebrugge and Boulogne. Bought with the target of substituting the old “Romilda” (nowadays known as “Agios Georgios” of Ventouris) on Dodecanese line, was unexpectedly flagged out from Greek Shipping Registry, it seems because of the not permitted change of operating licence from the original “Romilda” to the new “Romilda”. As long as G.A. Ferries could not employ this ferry in any of domestic services, they decided to put her on the new line Ancona – Corfu – Igoumenitsa – Patras together with the flagship “Rodanthi”; however the challenge with the other ferry operators on Ancona route and the timetable of Romilda, which sailed together with the splendid Strintzis Lines’s flagship “Ionian Island” led to the failure of Adriatic services so, after a new procedure to enter the Greek Shipping Registry, the ship was finally deployed in the Aegean. She started serving the Dodecanese, but was moved also on services to Ikaria and Samos, then again to Rhodes, passing via Milos, Sitia (Crete), Kassos, Karpathos and Chalki (but also via Syros – Paros – Naxos – Ios – Santorini – Heraklion). The “Romilda” has also experienced two new ferry routes: one leaving Rhodes and arriving in Alexandropolis, passing by almost all the islands along Turkish coast, and the other leaving Nafplion, on Peloponnese Eastern Coast, to Aegean islands. On winter 2000/01 has substituted the “JetFerry 1” from Patras to Cephalonia and Ithaki, being deployed on summer 2003 to Western and Central Cyclades. On summer 2004 is again on her previous year’s services, but on week-end she also comes down to the southern Ionian islands of Kithira and Antikithira, which are linked also to Gythion, a small town 50 km south of Sparti, in the Peloponnese district of Lakonia. Wiewing the actual situation of Greek ferry scene, also the “Romilda” has cut her services, sailing only twice a week to “Paronaxia”, once to Amorgos and the nearby smaller islands, and once also to Rhodes calling at Amorgos, Astypalea, Nissiros, Tilos and Symi, on a extremely slow timetable, avoiding to “Rodanthi” the weekly call at the smaller islands on the way to Rhodes. She is not a really loved ferry, but is one of G.A. Ferries’s main ships.

TOWNSEND THORESEN F/B Free Enterprise VIII – Townsend Thoresen official postcard

TOWNSEND THORESEN F/B Free Enterprise VIII

TOWNSEND THORESEN F/B Free Enterprise VIII – Photo © Brian Fisher, North Sea, August 1985 #3335

TOWNSEND THORESEN F/B Free Enterprise VIII – Photo © Brian Fisher, Dover, July 1987 #3336

P&O F/B Pride of Canterbury – Photo © Brian Fisher, Channel Sea, May 1989 #3338

P&O F/B Pride of Canterbury – Photo © Gordon Wise, Dover, 10/07/91 #3340

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