French
DeutschMV Al Arabia
| History | |
|---|---|
| Name | MV Al Arabia |
| Port of registry | Moroni, Comoros |
| Builder | Belliard Hoboken |
| Launched | 28 January 1975 |
| Christened | 1975: Prinses Maria Esmeralda, 1995 + 1998 Wisteria, 1997+2000 Beni Ansar, 2007 Aquaba Express, 2007 Al Arabia |
| In service | 1975 |
| Out of service | 2007 |
| Identification | IMO number: 7357555 |
| Fate | Scrapped in India |
| General characteristics | |
| Tonnage | 12,046 gross register tons (GRT) |
| Length |
|
| Beam |
|
| Depth |
|
| Installed power | 18.200 |
| Propulsion | 2 * Pielstick 18PC2V400[1][2] |
| Speed | 21 kn (38.9 km/h) |
| Capacity | 1475/1250 passengers |
The MV Al Arabia was a roro-ferry which has seen service on several routes. The ship was built for the Belgium state-owner operator Regie voor Maritiem Transport België as the Prinses Maria Esmeralda. She sailed on the Ostend-Dover route.
Under the name Wisteria she also sailed on the route Ostend-Ramsgate and on the Almeria to Nador line. This 1975 built ship is a sistership of the MV Eurovoyager and MV Larkspur.
History
[edit]In 1975 the Belliard Shipyard built the ship under dock-number 877. The ship was ordered by the state-owned operator Regie voor Maritiem Transport België. She was christened Prinses Maria Esmeralda. She sailed on the Dover-Ostend route.
In 1995 the ship was sold to Transeuropa Ferries and renamed MV Wisteria to sail on the Ostend-Ramsgate route.
During some summers the ship was chartered to ferry-operators between Spain and Morocco and Tunisia. Since 2000 she moved permanently to run on the Almeria to Nador route until she was sold for scrapping in 2007 to India[2]
Sisterships
[edit]The Prinses Maria Esmeralda was one of three sisterships ordered by RMT. The Prins Albert and the Princesse Marie Christine.[3]
References and footnotes
[edit]- ^ Data also based on details sistership Primrose op Website Transeuropa Ferries, retrieved 7 August 2010
- ^ a b The Ferry Site on MV Al Arabia, visited 8 August 2010
- ^ The Ferry site on MV Primrose, Visited 21 August 2010