NISSOS KALYMNOS Tribute and Moments of Trip

Trip: 5-6 August 2022. From Leros to Kalymnos, with the NISSOS KALYMNOS of ANEK Sea Lines.

The veteran conventional ferry NISSOS KALYMNOS was ordered in 1987 by the then-newly-established Greek company ANEK Sea Lines which is based in Kalymnos. The latter was founded in order to have a ship that would enable the connection of Kalymnos with the other islands of the Dodecanese on a daily basis. An important fact that we need to state in order to avoid confusion. The company's name can easily be confused with that of the more well-known Greek company ANEK Lines. However, the 'K' in both names stand for different islands. Indeed, ANEK Lines refers to Crete (as the acronym stands for 'Anonymi Naftiliaki Etaireia Kritis', literally meaning 'Anonymous Shipping Company of Crete'), while ANEK Sea Lines refers to Kalymnos as the acronym stands for 'Anonymi Naftiliaki Etaireia Kalymnou', literally meaning 'Anonymous Shipping Company of Kalymnos'). As such, when we refer to ANEK Sea Lines, we are strictly referring to the company operating in Kalymnos. The NISSOS KALYMNOS was completed in 1988 in Greece, and she was deployed on the inter-Dodecanese lifeline linking the Dodecanese Islands with the Northeast Aegean Sea, namely on the Samos-Agathonisi-Farmakonisi-Arkioi-Patmos-Leipsoi-Leros-Kalymnos-Astypalaia-Kos-Nisyros-Tilos-Symi-Rhodes-Castellorizon line. Her entry to service was deemed successful and she was widely praised for ensuring that all the islands would remain connected throughout the whole year. In 2003, as the Greek company Dodekanisos Seaways began to emerge by providing inter-Dodecanese services mostly on the Southern section of the archipelago with the small high speed ferry DODEKANISOS EXPRESS, the service of the NISSOS KALYMNOS was reduced to the lifeline connecting Samos with the Northern Dodecanese, hence she was deployed on the Samos-Agathonisi-Farmakonisi-Arkioi-Patmos-Leipsoi-Leros-Kalymnos-Astypalaia line. She was refitted with new engines in 2009, while undergoing a conversion in Keratsini. In late 2022 she ran aground in the island of Telendos next to Kalymnos and she had serious damages to the lower parts of her hull as a result of this accident. She has since gone to Piraeus for repairs, and she is due to head for her second drydock in the Vassiliadis Drydock in the next few days.

Having now performed services on the Dodecanese for over 35 years, the NISSOS KALYMNOS has written her own history in the Greek coastal service. She has become a beloved ship on the area, and she is usually depicted as a discreet 'hero' for the islands that she serves, as she does not have the same media exposure that the larger ships of Blue Star Ferries that are based in Piraeus have. She is, in other words, an equivalent of the EXPRESS SKOPELITIS of Small Cyclades Lines (which the local ship serving the islands of the Lesser Cyclades) on the Dodecanese. She has provided service throughout the whole year, and she has therefore been a vital ship for more remote islands such as Arkioi, Agathonisi or Farmakonisi, being for many years the only ship that would call these islands regularly during the winter. Her contribution to their economy and the well-being of their populations therefore cannot be understated. And, of course, she has been viewed as an icon in her main base, namely the island of Kalymnos, with most of her crew also originating from the island and having served onboard her for many decades. Even though her company has experienced several financial and managerial issues over the past 15 years (with several controversial events such as the long-lasting saga over the replacement of her main engines in 2009 which have nevertheless suffered from technical issues in recent years, several changes in the management during the 2010s, the multiple engine troubles of her smaller fleetmate, namely the KALYMNOS DOLPHIN, as well as the sinking of her other small former fleetmate, namely the KALYMNOS STAR, in 2020), the NISSOS KALYMNOS remains a key part of the ferry scene of the Dodecanese, and she continues to serve the Northern section of the archipelago with Samos with great effect, in spite of the competition with Dodekanisos Seaways and to a smaller extent Saos Ferries (which operates the small passenger ship ZEFYROS).

A view of the NISSOS KALYMNOS in the port of Patmos, just a few hours before I proceeded to embarking onboard her for the first time.

After having arrived in Leros earlier in the day on 5 August 2022 with my parents following our trip with the DODEKANISOS PRIDE of Dodekanisos Seaways, we were planning to continue our trip on the Dodecanese by heading in the late evening of that very same day to Kalymnos. And this could not have been made better than by traveling with a ship named after the island, in addition to being the ship owned by the company that is 'owned' by its inhabitants. Indeed, the only convenient itinerary in order to head from Leros to Kalymnos during the late evening was that of the NISSOS KALYMNOS, which would be completing her Southbound leg from Samos to Kalymnos during that same time. Unlike the DODEKANISOS PRIDE which arrived in the port of Agia Marina in Leros, however, the NISSOS KALYMNOS would be departing from that island's other port, namely Lakki, which is located in the Southern part of the island, and it is notably served by the larger ferries such as those of Blue Star Ferries and Hellenic Seaways. Therefore, after having seen most of Leros within the day, we were now ready to continue our journey to Kalymnos. The trip with the NISSOS KALYMNOS would therefore be my first with a ship of ANEK Sea Lines and my first trip to Kalymnos. It was also my second-ever trip between two islands of the Dodecanese, and my first such trip with a conventional ferry and during the late evening.

A view of the port of Lakki in Leros, which features a large terminal next to the pier in which the ferries dock upon arriving in the island.

At the opposite side of the Lakki Bay is a small marina together with a pier where cargo vessels dock. From there, I could spot the general cargo ship MICHAIL of Karpathakis Shipping (which also owns and manages the small shipyard next to the marina). Built in 1978 in The Netherlands, she is a motor ship that is registered in Leros and which performs various trips to the islands of the Dodecanese as well as the Cyclades, with the port of Lakki in Leros being her main base.

The NISSOS KALYMNOS was normally supposed to arrive in Leros towards 21:00. However, due to her long trips along the Northern Dodecanese lifeline, she occasionally experiences delays, especially during the high season where passenger traffic is at its highest level. She eventually made her way to the port of Lakki at 22:10. This is the best picture that I managed to capture when the ship was arriving, as the port did not have many lights, so it was difficult to see her in the dark. Her eventual arrival in the middle of the night was quite impressive, as she quietly made her way towards her docking spot.

A better view of the NISSOS KALYMNOS as she is now undergoing her maneuvering procedure in the port of Lakki in Leros. This was shortly before we embarked onboard her for the first time ever.

Upon embarking onboard the ship for the first time, I took a picture of her very narrow garage, which can carry up to 35 vehicles.

The NISSOS KALYMNOS has two main decks used by passengers. The lower deck is located right above the ship's garage, and it features the indoor lounge area where passengers can stay during the trip. Here is a view of the latter, featuring several blue lounge seats facing long wooden tables. They do give a late-1980s vibe, so I assume they have been like this ever since the ship began operations in 1988.

Moving forward in the indoor lounge area, I also got to see the ship's deckplan, which was attached to a wall located next to a door leading to the ship's outdoor area in the lower deck.

Moving further towards the front section of the ship's lower deck, there were a few aircraft-style seats located next to front windows. Next to these seats, I also got to see a beautiful bronze sculpture of a large seal depicting an old sailing vessel being handled by her crew. Underneath it, one can read the word 'Kalymnos'.

A better view of the dark emerald green aircraft-style seats located in the front section of the ship's indoor lounge area. Also appearing like they come from another era, most of them are located next to the ship's windows.

Another view of the dark emerald green aircraft-style seats located in the front section of the ship's indoor lounge area, all of which are numbered. There is an additional row of seven seats that are facing all the other ones, with a rather narrow space separating them.

Not far from the aircraft-style seats, one could see a small bar serving coffee, soft drinks and snacks. At the time that we began our trip, it was not operating as we were sailing during the late evening.

After having seen the indoor lounge area in the ship's lower deck, I decided to head outdoors. Here is the small and narrow outdoor alley located in that very same deck towards the ship's aft section, as seen from the starboard side.

After going further down that small alley, I reached the ship's aft section, which has two small white benches facing the sea, together with a staircase leading towards the upper deck, which has the ship's outdoor sun deck where passenger can stay during the trip.

A view of the ship's outdoor sun deck located in the upper passenger deck, featuring a few grey benches, together with the ship's main lifeboat at which can be partly seen at the left corner of the picture.

Another view of that very same outdoor deck towards the aft section, which featured more grey benches, in addition to the mooring bitts used by the crew. The latter could be seen performing the unmooring tasks as the ship began to leave Leros at about 22:30.

Another view of the outdoor sun deck area towards the middle section of the ship, which also had more grey benches facing one another.

Looking towards the front section, there was a wider space available for passengers in the upper deck, in addition to a few more benches located right behind the accommodation block that includes the bridge and the crew cabins.

We began sailing towards Kalymnos, with the trip expected to last about an hour-and-a-half. Therefore, we projected to arrive to the island just after midnight on 6 August. For the duration of the trip, I stayed outdoors, where I was entirely on my own, and all I saw was the sea in the dark. It was a spectacular sight, and I truly got to enjoy this moment of peace and quiet all the while listening to music from my headphones. At some point, I took these off and all I could hear were the ship's engines propelling her through the breeze. Towards midnight, I unexpectedly saw something shining at last, and moving towards us. Realising it was a ship, it turned out to be one that I got to know very well as I had traveled with her just two days prior to my trip with the NISSOS KALYMNOS. Indeed, it was the cruiseferry BLUE STAR CHIOS of Blue Star Ferries, which had just left the port of Kalymnos in order to head to Kos. Built in 2007 in Greece, she was originally the NISSOS CHIOS of Hellenic Seaways before she was transferred to Blue Star Ferries in 2020. Since 2018, she has been the ship serving on the Dodecanese lifeline from Piraeus, thus connecting these islands with mainland Greece whereas the NISSOS KALYMNOS provides a local service linking most of the Dodecanese with Samos. Considered to be one of the best ships of the Greek coastal service, the BLUE STAR CHIOS was spending the 2022 season on the Piraeus-Ikaria-Fournoi-Astypalaia-Patmos-Leipsoi-Leros-Kalymnos-Kos-Nisyros-Tilos-Symi-Rhodes-Kasos-Karpathos-Castellorizon lifeline and on the Piraeus-Mykonos-Chios-Sigri line (which she covered once a week during the high season), having been on these two same services since 2020. I had the opportunity to travel with her for the first time as part of the start of our trip to the Dodecanese, while heading from Piraeus to Patmos on 2 August 2022. I would go on to travel with her again just eight days later (and four days after my trip with the NISSOS KALYMNOS), while heading from Symi to Rhodes. This was the best picture that I managed to take of the ship as we were sailing at night.

At around 00:10, we had arrived in Kalymnos, which is where the company of NISSOS KALYMNOS is based. As we approached the port (which is located in the Chora, itself the main town of Kalymnos), I got to see another well-known local ferry of the Dodecanese, namely the landing craft OLYMPIOS ZEUS of ANEM Ferries. Built in 1999 in Greece, she operates on the Western Kos-Kalymnos line, serving the port of Mastichari in Kos.

After the NISSOS KALYMNOS had docked in her namesake island, we proceeded to disembarkation, thus completing our trip. Here is a better picture of the OLYMPIOS ZEUS as she is seen resting in the port of Kalymnos. She has been performing her service since 2007, being the only ferry that serves the port of Mastichari in Kos, where her company is based.

Here is a picture of the NISSOS KALYMNOS right after having completed my trip with her. She was now resting in the port of Kalymnos, where she would go on to spend the night before heading to Astypalaia the following morning.

This therefore concludes a short but very memorable trip with the NISSOS KALYMNOS, which I had the opportunity to enjoy while sailing during the late evening. It was truly a very wonderful experience, as we were sailing on our own in the middle of the Dodecanese and of the Aegean Sea, being that one lone spot in the dark until we arrived in Kalymnos. Regarding the ship, while she does show her now-advanced age, I still appreciated her a lot and I got to understand why she provides such a vital service to the islands on which she operates. She is a true workhorse, with her crew being tirelessly committed to serving several remote islands of the Dodecanese during both the summer and the winter. It is always a great experience to travel onboard these lesser-known ships in Greece, as they also play a crucial role in the daily operations of the Greek coastal service, which will never exclude less mainstream islands in its network. It is now interesting to see what the future holds for this small ferry, especially following her accident just three months after I traveled with her. She is currently undergoing repairs, with her service having been partly taken over by the small passenger ship JOY STAR of Joy Cruises during her absence, but the islands need a larger ferry for the upcoming months. There is not a definite timeline for her expected return to service, but I do hope that she will be ready soon in order to make a comeback to the islands that have been relying on her for over 35 years. Additionally, I hope that her company will overcome its various managerial issues in order to continue to provide reliable services with both its ships in the long run, in addition to have a new ship currently under construction (reportedly due to be named KALYDNA) delivered to them at some point next year.

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