BLUE STAR 2 Tribute and Moments of Trip

Trip: 9 August 2022. From Kos to Symi, with the BLUE STAR 2 of Blue Star Ferries.

The BLUE STAR 2 was originally ordered by the famed Greek company Strintzis Lines in 1998, as part of their ambitious newbuilding plan which aimed to have five newly-built ferries delivered to them during the first years of the 21st century. The plans were to have two very large cruiseferries from The Netherlands ready for service on the Adriatic Sea in 2000, while the other three (one due to be built in South Korea and due to be delivered in 2000, and two planned to be built in Greece and scheduled for delivery in 2001, before being canceled in the end) were planned to be deployed on domestic services on the Greek coastal service. Having been an established company on the Ionian Sea and on the Adriatic Sea, Strintzis Lines sought to further enhance its presence following the increasing competition that was further intensified during the mid 1990s, when the then-newly-established Greek company Superfast Ferries and later Minoan Lines began deploying newly-built cruiseferries for service on the Patras-Igoumenitsa-Ancona line. While the company initially responded to these threats by buying large second-hand Japanese-built cruiseferries and Ro-Pax ferries, they nevertheless felt like the next major step needed to be taken, so they proceeded to ordering their largest-ever ferries, namely the SUPERFERRY ATLANTIC and the SUPERFERRY PACIFIC. However, in 2000, it was unexpectedly announced that Strintzis Lines was taken over by Attica Group (which controlled Superfast Ferries), which resulted in the formation of Blue Star Ferries. Despite the significant fleet reshuffle that was undertaken, the construction of the two large Ro-Pax ferries proceeded as planned, although the SUPERFERRY ATLANTIC was ultimately renamed BLUE STAR 1, while the SUPERFERRY PACIFIC became the BLUE STAR 2. They were both completed in The Netherlands in 2000, and they were deployed on the Patras-Brindisi-Ancona line on the Adriatic Sea. Their service there proved to be an immediate success. In 2001 they moved to the standard service of the company on the Patras-Igoumenitsa-Ancona line. In 2003, Blue Star Ferries decided to make a risky move by bringing the BLUE STAR 2 to the Aegean Sea, whereupon she was introduced on the Piraeus-Chania line. This service to Crete would be very demanding, as it had been traditionally served by just one company, namely ANEK Lines, since 1967 (although Minoan Lines also operated there from 1978 to 1995). Facing strong resistance from the established company in its own territory would prove to be very difficult, but the BLUE STAR 2 eventually made a name for herself and performed well enough, while managing to lure a fair amount of Cretans from their preferred operator. After two seasons there, in 2005 the company decided to send the ship for operations on the Dodecanese, where the BLUE STAR 1 had already been deployed in 2002. She was inserted on the Piraeus-Syros-Amorgos-Patmos-Leros-Kos-Rhodes line (thus also serving the Cyclades), while the BLUE STAR 1 returned to the Adriatic Sea. This move proved to be even more successful, as the BLUE STAR 2 continued the successful services that her sister ship had been providing, becoming a much-acclaimed ship on this service, with her size and speed outmatching those of the other main company operating there, namely GA Ferries (which would later go on to cease operations in 2009). She was ultimately joined on the Dodecanese by the DIAGORAS (which was bought from DANE Sea Line) in 2006, and by the returning BLUE STAR 1 from 2008. The ship remained on the same service up until 2014, with the exception of an extra itinerary made on the Piraeus-Syros-Kos-Rhodes-Karpathos line during the summer of 2007. In 2015 she operated on the Piraeus-Syros-Mykonos-Santorini-Kos-Rhodes line, while in 2016 she served the Piraeus-Syros-Mykonos-Santorini-Kos-Rhodes-Karpathos line. In 2017 she was on the Piraeus-Syros-Mykonos-Samos-Kos-Rhodes-Karpathos line. In 2018, she was deployed on the Piraeus-Syros-Mykonos-Amorgos-Santorini-Samos-Patmos-Leros-Kalymnos-Kos-Symi-Rhodes line alongside the BLUE STAR 1. In 2020 she was inserted back on the Piraeus-Syros-Amorgos-Patmos-Leros-Kalymnos-Kos-Rhodes line, while in 2022 she was deployed on the Piraeus-Syros-Amorgos-Patmos-Leros-Kalymnos-Kos-Symi-Rhodes line.

Having now spent more than two decades in Greece, the BLUE STAR 2 has become a reference point for the Dodecanese, having been considered to be one of its greatest-ever ferries (if not the greatest). While she also had a successful start to her career on the Adriatic Sea and on the Piraeus-Chania line, the Dodecanese are the place she has been calling 'home', and she has been providing the main connection of these islands with Piraeus throughout the whole year. Her large size, and her garage in particular, have played a major role in the transportation of goods to and from these islands through lorries and large trucks, and her numerous passenger cabins and wide indoor lounge areas make her an ideal ship to perform overnight services, with the trips being deemed comfortable and at very high standards. Her success on the Dodecanese helped establish Blue Star Ferries as the leading operator there, with GA Ferries (after DANE Sea Lines gave in to the superiority of the BLUE STAR 1 by ceasing operations in 2004 and later selling their flagship, namely the DIAGORAS, to their former rivals) soon leaving the area and the Greek coastal service altogether, while the entry of Hellenic Seaways with the NISSOS RODOS during the 2010 season proved to be short-lived, as the latter was unable to overtake the BLUE STAR 2 and the BLUE STAR 1, and as such the company was already gone from there by 2011. The BLUE STAR 2 is therefore a vital ship for both her company and Attica Group. While her sister ship has experienced a more 'nomadic' career since 2002 (having also operated on the Piraeus-Heraklion line, on the Northeast Aegean Sea, while having also been sent to operate overseas from 2007 to 2008 and since 2021, as she is currently under charter to Irish Ferries), the BLUE STAR 2 has maintained a more stable career since 2005, having stayed on the Dodecanese ever since.

After seeing her in Piraeus numerous times over the years, I finally had the opportunity to travel with the ship for the first time in my life on 9 August 2022, as part of my trip to the Dodecanese with my parents. Having seen the islands of Patmos, Arkioi, Leros, Kalymnos and Kos, the next destination was the magnificent island of Symi. I had spent two days in Kos, having arrived there on 7 August 2022 with the landing craft OLYMPIOS ZEUS of ANEM Ferries. In order to head to Symi, where we were planning to spend one full day before going to Rhodes, the most convenient itinerary was that of the BLUE STAR 2, which was arriving in Kos in the early morning (after having sailed from Piraeus in the late afternoon the previous day). The ship was planning to leave at 06:10, which was rather early, but this would allow us to fully experience the island of Symi in our short time there. As I would go to embark onboard the BLUE STAR 2, it would mark my first trip to Symi, my fifth trip on the Dodecanese, as well as my fourth trip between two islands of that same region. She also became the largest ship on which I ever traveled in terms of gross tonnage on the Aegean Sea. Furthermore, she became the sixth ship of Blue Star Ferries onboard which I traveled, with her also being the second ship of the company that I would go on to use for a trip on the Dodecanese, following the BLUE STAR CHIOS, onboard which I had traveled just one week prior in order to head from Piraeus to Patmos. My trip with the BLUE STAR 2 was also the first one that I did between two islands of the Dodecanese with a ship of Blue Star Ferries.

The BLUE STAR 2 seen at dawn in the port of Kos, just before we embarked onboard her for the first time. She had arrived to the island after having left Kalymnos.

The BLUE STAR 2 seen at dawn in Kos, during what was her eighteenth consecutive season on the Dodecanese.

A view of the stern of the BLUE STAR 2, with its well-known design displaying its four main garage decks. This was moments before I embarked onboard her for the first time ever.

A view of the large garage of the ship, which covers four decks (although these are numbered as six decks, with Decks 4 and 6 being counted as an additional layer over Decks 3 and 5, respectively). This is what it looks like not far from the aft section of the vessel on Deck 5-6. In total, the ship has a vehicle capacity of 1,718 lane meters, which enables her to load up to 780 cars. Together with the BLUE STAR 1, they are therefore the ships with the largest vehicle capacity in the company's fleet, even ahead of the Ro-Ro carrier BLUE CARRIER 1 (which also mainly operates on the Dodecanese).

A view of a floorplan of the BLUE STAR 2. In total, the ship has nine decks, although the addition of Deck 4 and Deck 6 as additional layers to Deck 3 and Deck 5, respectively, give-out a total of eleven numbered decks. Decks 1 to 6 are dedicated to the ship's garage, while Decks 7 to 9 include all passenger areas and Decks 10 and 11 feature the ship's bridge. The floorplan in question displays Decks 7 to 10.

Upon embarking onboard the ship, the main escalators bring us directly to Deck 7, which had a small alley that leads to the reception desk.

A view of the entrance to the Reception Lounge area, which, as its name indicates, is a small indoor lounge area next to the reception desk, itself located in the ship's aft section. The area is also known as the 'Entrance Plaza'.

Moving towards the central section of the indoor lounge area on Deck 7, there is a small alley featuring a few seats and tables located next to the ship's windows. This is a view from the starboard side.

A view of the indoor lounge area located in the aft section of the ship, featuring numerous beige lounge facing each other.

A further view of the indoor lounge area at the aft section of the BLUE STAR 2. This is where the Yacht Club area is located, right next to the windows found on the stern. Next to the lounges is a bar, which was closed at the time of our trip.

Moving a bit more forward, one can find one of the main lounge areas featuring aircraft-style seats, which cover a large section of the port side of Deck 7.

Another view of the aircraft-style seats found in Deck 7, with most of them located on the port side.

A view of another set of aircraft-style seats in the middle section of Deck 7.

A small alley on the port side leading towards the front section of the ship in Deck 7, with the aircraft-style lounge area located to the right-hand side. The alley features a few more dark green armchairs together with white tables.

Besides the aircraft-style seats lounge area in the middle section of the ship in Deck 7, there is also a small kid's corner, which is decorated with advertisements from the telephone service company Vodafone, which is a longtime partner of Attica Group. I remember seeing similar rooms like this one onboard fleetmates of the BLUE STAR 2, such as the BLUE STAR DELOS and the BLUE STAR PATMOS (both of which operate on the Cyclades).

Towards the middle section of the ship, right next to the atrium area leading from Deck 7 to Deck 8, there is a small extension the indoor alley, featuring more dark green armchairs.

A view of the entrance to the ship's onboard shop. As it is the case with all ships of Blue Star Ferries, it sells various souvenir items and gadgets primarily for tourists traveling in Greece.

A view of the coffee and bar area in the middle section of Deck 7, which is called 'La Caffettiera Café' and serves coffee under the well-known chain Flocafé (which is found on all other ships of Blue Star Ferries).

A view of the 'La Caffettiera Café' lounge area, which features more armchairs and tables for passengers ordering next to the bar operated by Flocafé.

Moving further forward in Deck 7, one can find the self-service restaurant area, which is being operated by the Greek fast food chain Goody's Burger House. The latter also provides similar services to other ships of Blue Star Ferries, such as the BLUE STAR 1, the BLUE STAR DELOS, the BLUE STAR PATMOS, the BLUE STAR NAXOS and the BLUE STAR PAROS.

Another view of the self-service restaurant area, featuring numerous tables and with the wall being decorated with some beautiful paintings.

Another wider view of the tables found in the self-service restaurant area in the middle section of Deck 7.

A view of the hall leading towards the front section indoor lounge area, which is called the 'Observation Lounge' and is for first-class ticket-holders.

A view of the impressive indoor lounge area known as the 'Observation Lounge', which features several red and purple armchairs, together with comfortable grey-red lounges.

Another view of the 'Observation Lounge' area, which also offers a nice view from the ship's front section windows.

After having explored Deck 7, I decided to discover Deck 8. Here is a view of the atrium area located in the middle section of the ship, where one can take the stairs in order to head from one deck to the other. The font seen here was commonly-used on ships ordered by Blue Star Ferries and Superfast Ferries during the early 2000s.

While Deck 7 features most of the ship's indoor lounge areas, Deck 8 is mostly dedicated to the ship's cabins, of which there are a total of 161 containing 430 berths. This is one of the many alleys leading to the cabins.

Another view of one of the alleys leading to the passenger cabins in Deck 8.

Another alley leading to the passenger cabins as seen in Deck 8.

Another narrow alley which leads to the passenger cabins in Deck 8.

A little sneak peek of Cabin 8164 on Deck 8, which is a four-bed cabin that also has two small office decks. It also features the usual upper beds that are able to be folded into the wall.

A view of the atrium area located towards the front section, which shows Deck 8 together with a door leading to the alleys heading towards the ship's passenger cabins.

Having seen the indoor areas of the ship, which really gave me a very positive impression, I then decided to explore the outdoor areas of the ship. Despite her size, these are quite limited, with only one large outdoor sun deck located in the aft section of the ship on Deck 8. Deck 7 only has two promenade alleys on both sides of the ship. Here is the one found on the starboard side.

I then headed back to Deck 8, from where I could see the same promenade alley of Deck 7 as spotted from the ship's starboard side.

A view of the starboard side of the ship covering both Deck 7 and Deck 8. I was also able to take a picture of one of the ship's main lifeboats.

Towards the middle section of the ship in Deck 9 is a very small outdoor sun deck area, featuring several dark grey plastic chairs and white tables. The remainder of that deck covers the front section, and it features a few more passenger cabins together with the crew cabins.

A view of the narrow alley located on the port side of the ship on Deck 9.

I then headed back to Deck 8, which features the larger outdoor sun deck area in the aft section. If features more dark grey plastic chairs and tables, but also several grey lounges next to the plastic windows covering the deck.

Another view of the outdoor sun deck area as seen in the aft section on Deck 8.

A view of the open deck area located just above the ship's stern in Deck 8. From there, passengers are able to enjoy the view from the ship as she is sailing. Previously, the aft section of Deck 8 had a fully open deck that also included a swimming pool, which was used during the first years of the ship's career back when she was still operating on the Adriatic Sea. It has since been removed, with the area being converted into a sun deck.

Having seen the ship's indoor and outdoor areas, I then began to look for other ships that could be docked in the main port of Kos in spite of the early morning departure. There, I spotted a very familiar face. Indeed, I saw the small passenger ship GEORGIOS BROUFAS II of Broufas Vessels for the first time since 2020. Indeed, that ship has spent the bulk of her career under her owner on the Piraeus-Salamina line. However, since 2021, she has been assigned to the Hellenic Army, transporting soldiers around the Northeast Aegean Sea Islands and the Dodecanese. It was therefore a pleasant surprise to spot a ship that I had been used to seeing so many times in Piraeus and in Salamina many miles away, at the other side of the Aegean Sea.

A view of the GEORGIOS BROUFAS II during her second year of assignment under the Hellenic Army. Her fleetmate and sister ship, namely the GEORGIOS BROUFAS, has continued to operate on the Piraeus-Salamina line together with the small passenger ship ELENA F of Elena F Shipping. In total, I have traveled three times with the GEORGIOS BROUFAS II, with the first time having been on 3 July 2018, when I sailed from Piraeus to Salamina with her.

Looking further down towards the marina of the port of Kos, there were two other ships that I was able to spot. These were the small high speed boat APOLLON II of Lafasi Maritime Company and the high speed catamaran RODON of Sky Marine Ferries. Both ships were operating on the Kos-Bodrum line during the 2022 season, thus connecting Kos with Turkey.

At 06:10, we finally began to leave Kos in order to begin our trip to Symi. Here is a view of the port just as we departed. I stayed on the open deck in the aft section of Deck 8 for the duration of the trip, and I was therefore able to enjoy the wonderful view of the Aegean Sea just as the sun was beginning to rise.

Here was a view of the beautiful sunrise seen over the Aegean Sea, just as the BLUE STAR 2 was sailing towards Symi.

At around 08:45, the BLUE STAR 2 had finally arrived in the beautiful island of Symi. Here is a view of the ship after disembarking from her, which therefore marked the end of my first-ever trip onboard her.

Another view of the BLUE STAR 2 as seen from the main town of Symi. This was her first summer calling at the port since 2020.

One last view of the BLUE STAR 2 as she is docked in the port of Symi, just before she left in order to head towards the final destination of her long itinerary, namely the island of Rhodes (which I would go on to visit the very next day).

This therefore concludes another memorable trip that I had on the Dodecanese. The pictures might not show it full, but I was fascinated by the BLUE STAR 2 and her indoor areas. She is a truly incredible ship, with her large size and numerous cabins and indoor lounge areas making her an absolute standout on the Aegean Sea. Even the limited outdoor areas provide a pleasant experience assuming there are not fully crowded. I have to say that she is one of the most impressive ships that I have ever traveled with in Greece, and the journey along the Aegean Sea during the early morning was truly an unforgettable experience for me. The ship showed to me why she has been such an acclaimed ferry on the Dodecanese, and why she helped cement her company's presence there. She performs her services with great success and efficiency, and she has proved to be a very valuable asset for her company (together with her sister ship which should hopefully come back from her charter to Irish Ferries this year), being able to operate on numerous long-distance services. But the Dodecanese (in addition to some islands of the Cyclades that she has been serving) have clearly been the perfect fit for her, and they are likely going to be so for many more years to come. Even more than two decades after the dream of the famed Strintzis Lines became a reality and she became one of the largest newly-built ferries to enter service in Greece, the ship remains one of the best ones that are operating in the Greek coastal service, and she has not shown any signs of aging. I now had the opportunity to visit yet another beautiful island of the Dodecanese in Symi, after which I performed my second trip with the BLUE STAR CHIOS (and third trip overall with a ship of Blue Star Ferries on the Dodecanese) on 10 August, while heading towards Rhodes, where our trip was due to conclude after making the return leg back to Piraeus. Overall, traveling with any ship of Blue Star Ferries is a blessing, as these ferries provide some of the best onboard services across the Greek coastal service.

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