Search this site

NAXOS JET (ΝΑΞΟΣ ΤΖΕΤ) -Sea Jets Built in 1992 (age 34 ). Registered in Piraeus. Current line: None (under drydock in Perama) The high speed ferry NAXOS JET was built in 1992 in Australia. She began service as the SEACAT SCOTLAND under the SeaCat brandname of the British conglomerate Sea Containers on the Stanraer-Belfast line on the North Channel. In 1994 she was chartered to the Qatari company Q-Ships, being renamed Q SHIP EXPRESS and being deployed on the Doha-Dubaï line. Her charter ended in 1995 and she returned to SeaCat, being again renamed SEACAT SCOTLAND and being once again deployed on the Stanraer-Belfast line. She then had a brief charter from 1997 to 1998 t o the Uruguayan company Navegación Atlantida, being deployed on the Buenos Aires-Colonia line on the River Plate. She returned to SeaCat in 1999, being once again deployed on the Stanraer-Belfast line. She was deployed on the Calais-Dover line on the Channel in 2003. In 2004, however, due to her company's financial issues, she was laid-up in Sunderland. She spent three years there, before being purchased by the Greek company Fortune Maritime, which intended to operate her on the Red Sea. She was renamed SHIKRA and she arrived in Keratsini for a conversion, whereupon she was renamed AL HUDA I. She was subsequently deployed on the Safaga-Duba line, where she remained until 2010. That year, she returned to Greece for service with the Greek company My Ferries, and she was planned to be renamed MYCAT II and to be deployed on the Rafina-Syros-Mykonos-Paros-Naxos line. However, before the season began, she was chartered instead to NEL Lines, being renamed CYCLADES EXPRESS, and she was deployed on the Heraklion-Santorini line. After that season, NEL Lines never redeployed her, and her charter ended prematurely. As a result, she was laid-up in Salamina for five years. In 2016, however, she was sold to Sea Jets, being renamed NAXOS JET. She was refitted in 2017 in Elefsina, Salamina and Chalkida, and she was deployed in 2018 on the Rafina-Andros-Syros-Tinos-Mykonos-Paros-Naxos line on the Cyclades. In 2019 she was deployed on the Rafina-Andros-Tinos-Mykonos-Paros-Naxos line. In 2020 she was inserted on the Heraklion-Santorini-Naxos-Paros-Mykonos line. In 2021 she was deployed on the Heraklion-Rethymnon-Santorini line. In 2023 she moved to the Siteia-Kasos-Karpathos-Chalki-Rhodes line on the Dodecanese. In 2024 she briefly operated on the Mantoudi-Alonissos-Skopelos-Skiathos line on the Sporades. Following that she was laid-up in Kalamata. PHOTOS (2018, 2019, 2020, 2023, 2024): NAXOS JET The NAXOS JET having departed the port of Mykonos (6/2018). NAXOS JET The NAXOS JET having departed the port of Mykonos (6/2018). NAXOS JET The NAXOS JET having departed the port of Mykonos (6/2018). NAXOS JET The NAXOS JET seen leaving Mykonos (6/2018). NAXOS JET The NAXOS JET seen leaving Mykonos (6/2018). NAXOS JET The NAXOS JET seen leaving Mykonos (6/2018). NAXOS JET The NAXOS JET seen heading towards Mykonos (6/2018). NAXOS JET The NAXOS JET heading towards Mykonos, seen from Delos (6/2018). NAXOS JET The NAXOS JET seen heading towards Mykonos (6/2018). NAXOS JET The NAXOS JET seen heading towards Mykonos (6/2018). NAXOS JET The NAXOS JET after having left Paros (7/2018). NAXOS JET The NAXOS JET after having left Paros (7/2018). NAXOS JET The NAXOS JET after having left Paros (7/2018). NAXOS JET The NAXOS JET having left Paros and heading towards Mykonos (7/2018). NAXOS JET The NAXOS JET resting in Naxos. Picture taken by my father, to whom I am truly grateful (7/2018). NAXOS JET The NAXOS JET seen resting in Naxos, her namesake island (7/2018). NAXOS JET The NAXOS JET resting in Naxos (7/2018). NAXOS JET The NAXOS JET resting in Naxos (7/2018). NAXOS JET The NAXOS JET resting in Naxos (7/2018). NAXOS JET The NAXOS JET docked in Naxos (7/2018). NAXOS JET The NAXOS JET docked in Naxos (7/2018). NAXOS JET The NAXOS JET docked in Naxos (7/2018). NAXOS JET The NAXOS JET in Naxos (7/2018). NAXOS JET The NAXOS JET in Naxos (7/2018). NAXOS JET The NAXOS JET in Naxos (7/2018). NAXOS JET The NAXOS JET seen approaching the port of Paros (7/2018). NAXOS JET The NAXOS JET seen approaching the port of Paros (7/2018). NAXOS JET The NAXOS JET seen approaching the port of Paros (7/2018). NAXOS JET The NAXOS JET departing the port of Paros (7/2018). NAXOS JET The NAXOS JET resting in Paros (7/2018). NAXOS JET The NAXOS JET taking a day off in Piraeus (8/2018). NAXOS JET The NAXOS JET taking a day off in Piraeus (8/2018). NAXOS JET The NAXOS JET seen in Piraeus. Picture taken by my mother, to whom I am extremely grateful (5/2019). NAXOS JET The NAXOS JET seen in Piraeus, presumably making a temporary stop in order to renew some certificates (8/2020). NAXOS JET The NAXOS JET seen in Piraeus, presumably making a temporary stop in order to renew some certificates (8/2020). NAXOS JET The NAXOS JET seen in Piraeus, presumably making a temporary stop in order to renew some certificates (8/2020). NAXOS JET The NAXOS JET seen in Piraeus, while briefly operating on the Piraeus-Serifos-Sifnos-Milos line in order to replace the CHAMPION JET 2, which had an engine failure (8/2023). NAXOS JET The NAXOS JET seen in Piraeus, while briefly operating on the Piraeus-Serifos-Sifnos-Milos line in order to replace the CHAMPION JET 2, which had an engine failure (8/2023). NAXOS JET The NAXOS JET seen in Piraeus, while briefly operating on the Piraeus-Serifos-Sifnos-Milos line in order to replace the CHAMPION JET 2, which had an engine failure (8/2023). NAXOS JET The NAXOS JET seen during a rare appearance in Piraeus in the middle of the season (8/2023). NAXOS JET The NAXOS JET seen during a rare appearance in Piraeus in the middle of the season (8/2023). NAXOS JET The NAXOS JET seen during a rare appearance in Piraeus in the middle of the season (8/2023). NAXOS JET The NAXOS JET seen during her brief stay in Piraeus, after which she headed back to the Siteia-Kasos-Karpathos-Chalki-Rhodes line for the remainder of the season (8/2023). NAXOS JET The NAXOS JET seen in Drapetsona after having completed her short stint on the Sporades (8/2024).

KISSAMOS (ΚΙΣΣΑΜΟΣ) -ANEK Lines ex-BLUE GALAXY (ΜΠΛΟΥ ΓΚΑΛΑΞΥ) of Blue Star Ferries (2015-2024) Built in 1992 (age 34). Registered in Piraeus. Current line: None (under drydock in Elefsina) The cruiseferry KISSAMOS was built in 1992 in Japan, as the HERCULES for the Japanese company Higashi Nihon Ferry. She began her career on the Naoetsu-Muroran-Iwanai line, where she stayed before her sale to the Greek company ANEK Lines in 1999. Originally renamed KRITI V, she was instead renamed LEFKA ORI during her conversion in Perama. She began service on the Patras-Igoumenitsa-Corfu-Trieste line on the Adriatic Sea in 2000. She was then deployed on the Patras-Igoumenitsa-Corfu-Venice line from 2005 to 2011. There, the ship, along with her sister ship, namely the SOPHOCLES V (now known as the KYDON), was very successful and much-appreciated by passengers. However, in 2012, the Greek financial crisis pushed ANEK Lines to charter the two ships to the South Korean company Jeju Cruise Line, with a purchasing option. The latter planned to rename the LEFKA ORI to ANTONIO L. She arrived in Busan, but she and her sister ship never began service there, as the company collapsed due to debts owed to the shipyards that were supposed to convert them. After being laid-up in Busan for a year, the two ships returned to Perama. In late 2014, the LEFKA ORI began a conversion, whereupon it was announced that she had been transferred to Blue Star Ferries in 2015. She was renamed BLUE GALAXY, hence becoming the second ship in the history of the company to bear that name (after the legendary IONIAN GALAXY of Strintzis Lines, which became the BLUE GALAXY when the latter company was purchased by Attica Group in 2000), and she was deployed on the Piraeus-Chania line, under the ANEK-Attica Group joint venture. In 2023 she operated on the Piraeus-Samos-Kos-Rhodes line on the Dodecanese. In 2024, following the takeover of ANEK Lines by Attica Group, the BLUE GALAXY rejoined her former owners and she was renamed KISSAMOS. She was deployed on the Piraeus-Heraklion line. In 2025 she was back on the Piraeus-Chania line. PHOTOS (2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024): BLUE GALAXY The BLUE GALAXY in Piraeus (7/2015). BLUE GALAXY The BLUE GALAXY, the former LEFKA ORI of ANEK Lines, in Piraeus, during her first season on the Piraeus-Chania line under the colours of Blue Star Ferries (7/2015). BLUE GALAXY The BLUE GALAXY in Piraeus (7/2015). BLUE GALAXY The BLUE GALAXY in Piraeus (7/2015). BLUE GALAXY The BLUE GALAXY seen in Piraeus (7/2015). BLUE GALAXY The BLUE GALAXY resting in Piraeus. She was able to show again that she is one of the best ships in the Greek coastal service thanks to Blue Star Ferries (8/2015). BLUE GALAXY The beautiful BLUE GALAXY in Piraeus (8/2015). BLUE GALAXY The BLUE GALAXY in Piraeus, during her second straight season on the Piraeus-Chania line with Blue Star Ferries (8/2016). BLUE GALAXY The BLUE GALAXY in Piraeus, during her second straight season on the Piraeus-Chania line with Blue Star Ferries (8/2016). BLUE GALAXY The BLUE GALAXY resting in the port of Piraeus (7/2017). BLUE GALAXY The BLUE GALAXY resting in the port of Piraeus (7/2017). BLUE GALAXY The BLUE GALAXY resting in the port of Piraeus (7/2017). BLUE GALAXY The BLUE GALAXY in Piraeus, during her third season operating for Blue Star Ferries (7/2017). BLUE GALAXY The BLUE GALAXY seen in the port of Piraeus (7/2017). BLUE GALAXY The BLUE GALAXY seen in the port of Piraeus (7/2017). BLUE GALAXY The BLUE GALAXY seen in the port of Piraeus (7/2017). BLUE GALAXY The BLUE GALAXY in her usual departure spot in the port of Piraeus (7/2017). BLUE GALAXY The BLUE GALAXY seen in Piraeus (7/2017). BLUE GALAXY The BLUE GALAXY seen in Piraeus (7/2017). BLUE GALAXY The BLUE GALAXY seen in Piraeus (7/2017). BLUE GALAXY The imposing and impressive BLUE GALAXY in the port of Piraeus (7/2017). BLUE GALAXY The BLUE GALAXY resting in Piraeus (7/2017). BLUE GALAXY The BLUE GALAXY resting in Piraeus (7/2017). BLUE GALAXY The BLUE GALAXY resting in Piraeus (7/2017). BLUE GALAXY The BLUE GALAXY resting in Piraeus (7/2017). BLUE GALAXY The BLUE GALAXY in Piraeus, prior to a departure for Chania (7/2017). BLUE GALAXY The BLUE GALAXY in Piraeus, prior to a departure for Chania (7/2017). BLUE GALAXY The great BLUE GALAXY in Piraeus, prior to a departure for Chania (7/2017). BLUE GALAXY The BLUE GALAXY resting in the port of Piraeus during the morning (8/2017). BLUE GALAXY The BLUE GALAXY seen in Piraeus during the evening (9/2017). BLUE GALAXY The BLUE GALAXY seen in Piraeus (6/2018). BLUE GALAXY The BLUE GALAXY resting in Piraeus (6/2018). BLUE GALAXY The BLUE GALAXY resting in Piraeus (6/2018). BLUE GALAXY The BLUE GALAXY resting in Piraeus (6/2018). BLUE GALAXY The BLUE GALAXY seen resting in Piraeus (6/2018). BLUE GALAXY The BLUE GALAXY seen resting in Piraeus (6/2018). BLUE GALAXY The BLUE GALAXY seen resting in Piraeus (6/2018). BLUE GALAXY The BLUE GALAXY docked in Piraeus (7/2018). BLUE GALAXY The BLUE GALAXY docked in Piraeus (7/2018). BLUE GALAXY The BLUE GALAXY docked in Piraeus (7/2018). BLUE GALAXY The BLUE GALAXY receiving bunkers in Piraeus (7/2018). BLUE GALAXY The BLUE GALAXY approaching the port of Piraeus (7/2018). BLUE GALAXY The BLUE GALAXY approaching the port of Piraeus (7/2018). BLUE GALAXY The BLUE GALAXY approaching the port of Piraeus (7/2018). BLUE GALAXY The BLUE GALAXY entering the port of Piraeus (7/2018). BLUE GALAXY The BLUE GALAXY entering the port of Piraeus (7/2018). BLUE GALAXY The BLUE GALAXY entering the port of Piraeus (7/2018). BLUE GALAXY The BLUE GALAXY having just entered the port of Piraeus (7/2018). BLUE GALAXY The BLUE GALAXY having just entered the port of Piraeus (7/2018). BLUE GALAXY The BLUE GALAXY having just entered the port of Piraeus (7/2018). BLUE GALAXY The BLUE GALAXY heading towards her docking spot in Piraeus (7/2018). BLUE GALAXY The BLUE GALAXY heading towards her docking spot in Piraeus (7/2018). BLUE GALAXY The BLUE GALAXY heading towards her docking spot in Piraeus (7/2018). BLUE GALAXY The BLUE GALAXY maneuvering in the port of Piraeus (7/2018). BLUE GALAXY The BLUE GALAXY maneuvering in the port of Piraeus (7/2018). BLUE GALAXY The BLUE GALAXY maneuvering in the port of Piraeus (7/2018). BLUE GALAXY The BLUE GALAXY undergoing her maneuvering procedure in Piraeus (7/2018). BLUE GALAXY The BLUE GALAXY undergoing her maneuvering procedure in Piraeus (7/2018). BLUE GALAXY The BLUE GALAXY undergoing her maneuvering procedure in Piraeus (7/2018). BLUE GALAXY The BLUE GALAXY finishing her maneuvering procedure in Piraeus (7/2018). BLUE GALAXY The BLUE GALAXY having maneuvered in Piraeus (7/2018). BLUE GALAXY The BLUE GALAXY having maneuvered in Piraeus (7/2018). BLUE GALAXY The BLUE GALAXY having maneuvered in Piraeus (7/2018). BLUE GALAXY The BLUE GALAXY heading towards her docking spot in Piraeus (7/2018). BLUE GALAXY The BLUE GALAXY heading towards her docking spot in Piraeus (7/2018). BLUE GALAXY The BLUE GALAXY having just docked in Piraeus (7/2018). BLUE GALAXY The BLUE GALAXY having just docked in Piraeus (7/2018). BLUE GALAXY The BLUE GALAXY having just docked in Piraeus (7/2018). BLUE GALAXY The BLUE GALAXY resting in Piraeus (7/2018). BLUE GALAXY The BLUE GALAXY exiting the port of Piraeus (8/2018). BLUE GALAXY The BLUE GALAXY exiting the port of Piraeus (8/2018). BLUE GALAXY The BLUE GALAXY exiting the port of Piraeus (8/2018). BLUE GALAXY The BLUE GALAXY having just exited the port of Piraeus (8/2018). BLUE GALAXY The BLUE GALAXY having just exited the port of Piraeus (8/2018). BLUE GALAXY The BLUE GALAXY having just exited the port of Piraeus and heading towards Chania (8/2018). BLUE GALAXY The BLUE GALAXY having just exited the port of Piraeus and heading towards Chania (8/2018). BLUE GALAXY Crossing the BLUE GALAXY on the Saronic Gulf as she heads towards Piraeus (7/2019). BLUE GALAXY The BLUE GALAXY resting in Piraeus during the evening (7/2019). BLUE GALAXY The BLUE GALAXY resting in Piraeus (8/2019). BLUE GALAXY The BLUE GALAXY resting in the port of Piraeus (8/2020). BLUE GALAXY The BLUE GALAXY resting in the port of Piraeus (8/2020). BLUE GALAXY The BLUE GALAXY seen in Piraeus during the early morning (9/2020). BLUE GALAXY The BLUE GALAXY seen in Piraeus during the early morning (9/2020). BLUE GALAXY The BLUE GALAXY docked in Piraeus (9/2020). BLUE GALAXY The BLUE GALAXY docked in Piraeus (9/2020). BLUE GALAXY The BLUE GALAXY docked in Piraeus (9/2020). BLUE GALAXY The BLUE GALAXY resting in Piraeus (9/2020). BLUE GALAXY The BLUE GALAXY resting in Piraeus (9/2020). BLUE GALAXY The BLUE GALAXY resting in Piraeus (9/2020). BLUE GALAXY The BLUE GALAXY seen in Piraeus (7/2021). BLUE GALAXY The BLUE GALAXY docked in Piraeus (7/2021). BLUE GALAXY The BLUE GALAXY docked in Piraeus (7/2021). BLUE GALAXY The BLUE GALAXY docked in Piraeus (7/2021). BLUE GALAXY A view of the BLUE GALAXY in Piraeus (8/2021). BLUE GALAXY A view of the BLUE GALAXY in Piraeus (8/2021). BLUE GALAXY A view of the BLUE GALAXY in Piraeus (8/2021). BLUE GALAXY The BLUE GALAXY seen in Piraeus (9/2021). BLUE GALAXY The BLUE GALAXY seen in Piraeus (9/2021). BLUE GALAXY The BLUE GALAXY seen in Piraeus during the evening (9/2021). BLUE GALAXY The BLUE GALAXY seen in Piraeus during the evening (9/2021). BLUE GALAXY The BLUE GALAXY seen in Piraeus at dawn (8/2022). BLUE GALAXY The BLUE GALAXY seen in Piraeus at dawn (8/2022). BLUE GALAXY The BLUE GALAXY docked in Piraeus (8/2022). BLUE GALAXY The BLUE GALAXY docked in Piraeus (8/2022). BLUE GALAXY The BLUE GALAXY docked in Piraeus (8/2022). BLUE GALAXY The BLUE GALAXY seen in Piraeus (8/2022). BLUE GALAXY The BLUE GALAXY in Piraeus (9/2022). BLUE GALAXY The BLUE GALAXY seen docked in Piraeus (2/2023). BLUE GALAXY The BLUE GALAXY seen docked in Piraeus (2/2023). BLUE GALAXY The BLUE GALAXY seen in Piraeus, back when she was temporarily operating on the Dodecanese, as her fleetmate, namely the BLUE STAR 2, was undergoing her annual refit (3/2023). BLUE GALAXY The BLUE GALAXY seen in Piraeus, back when she was temporarily operating on the Dodecanese, as her fleetmate, namely the BLUE STAR 2, was undergoing her annual refit (3/2023). BLUE GALAXY The BLUE GALAXY seen in Piraeus, having returned to service on the Piraeus-Chania line (4/2023). BLUE GALAXY The BLUE GALAXY seen in Piraeus, having returned to service on the Piraeus-Chania line (4/2023). BLUE GALAXY The BLUE GALAXY seen in Piraeus, having returned to service on the Piraeus-Chania line (4/2023). BLUE GALAXY The BLUE GALAXY seen resting in Piraeus (4/2023). BLUE GALAXY The BLUE GALAXY seen resting in Piraeus (4/2023). BLUE GALAXY The BLUE GALAXY docked in Piraeus (5/2023). BLUE GALAXY The BLUE GALAXY docked in Piraeus (5/2023). BLUE GALAXY The BLUE GALAXY seen in Piraeus during the evening (5/2023). BLUE GALAXY The BLUE GALAXY seen in Piraeus, during her first summer on the Dodecanese (7/2023). BLUE GALAXY The BLUE GALAXY seen in Piraeus, during her first summer on the Dodecanese (7/2023). BLUE GALAXY The BLUE GALAXY seen in Piraeus, during her first summer on the Dodecanese (7/2023). BLUE GALAXY The BLUE GALAXY seen on the Saronic Gulf, having departed Piraeus and heading towards Samos and the Dodecanese (8/2023). BLUE GALAXY The BLUE GALAXY seen on the Saronic Gulf, having departed Piraeus and heading towards Samos and the Dodecanese (8/2023). BLUE GALAXY The BLUE GALAXY seen on the Saronic Gulf, having departed Piraeus and heading towards Samos and the Dodecanese (8/2023). BLUE GALAXY The BLUE GALAXY seen on the Saronic Gulf, as she sails towards Samos and the Dodecanese (8/2023). BLUE GALAXY The BLUE GALAXY seen in Piraeus, having returned to the Piraeus-Chania line after spending the summer on the Dodecanese (9/2023). BLUE GALAXY The BLUE GALAXY seen in Piraeus, having returned to the Piraeus-Chania line after spending the summer on the Dodecanese (9/2023). BLUE GALAXY The BLUE GALAXY seen resting in Piraeus (9/2023). BLUE GALAXY The BLUE GALAXY seen resting in Piraeus (9/2023). BLUE GALAXY The BLUE GALAXY seen about to dock in Piraeus, where she returned after having gone for drydocking in Perama. This is my first picture of the ship featuring a new livery, with her hull being painted in white. This occurred as part of the fleet overhaul performed by Attics Group after they took over ANEK Lines. To that end, the BLUE GALAXY is planned due to rejoin the latter in the next few months, thus her hull was prepared in advance, while she was on drydock (11/2023). BLUE GALAXY The BLUE GALAXY seen about to dock in Piraeus, where she returned after having gone for drydocking in Perama. This is my first picture of the ship featuring a new livery, with her hull being painted in white. This occurred as part of the fleet overhaul performed by Attics Group after they took over ANEK Lines. To that end, the BLUE GALAXY is planned due to rejoin the latter in the next few months, thus her hull was prepared in advance, while she was on drydock (11/2023). BLUE GALAXY The BLUE GALAXY seen about to dock in Piraeus, where she returned after having gone for drydocking in Perama. This is my first picture of the ship featuring a new livery, with her hull being painted in white. This occurred as part of the fleet overhaul performed by Attics Group after they took over ANEK Lines. To that end, the BLUE GALAXY is planned due to rejoin the latter in the next few months, thus her hull was prepared in advance, while she was on drydock (11/2023). BLUE GALAXY The BLUE GALAXY seen in Piraeus. In addition to her new appearance, she was also due to begin operations on the Piraeus-Heraklion line, having replaced the ARIADNE of Hellenic Seaways (11/2023). BLUE GALAXY The BLUE GALAXY seen receiving bunkers in Piraeus, ahead of her return to service on the Piraeus-Heraklion line (11/2023). BLUE GALAXY A view of the BLUE GALAXY in Piraeus. Although this was a temporary livery, she became the first ship of Blue Star Ferries to operate under a white livery, as opposed to the traditional blue hulls that all of its vessels have (11/2023). BLUE GALAXY The BLUE GALAXY seen in Piraeus, in her unusual livery under Blue Star Ferries, and ahead of her incoming move back to ANEK Lines, for whom she operated from 2000 to 2012 (12/2023). BLUE GALAXY The BLUE GALAXY seen docked in Piraeus (12/2023). BLUE GALAXY The BLUE GALAXY seen docked in Piraeus (12/2023). BLUE GALAXY The BLUE GALAXY seen in Piraeus during the evening (12/2023). BLUE GALAXY The BLUE GALAXY seen in Piraeus during the evening (12/2023). BLUE GALAXY The BLUE GALAXY seen in Piraeus during the evening (12/2023). BLUE GALAXY The BLUE GALAXY seen docked in Piraeus (1/2024). BLUE GALAXY The BLUE GALAXY seen docked in Piraeus, in what proved to be my last picture of the ship under that name and under Blue Star Ferries, as she subsequently joined ANEK Lines for a second stint as the KISSAMOS (1/2024). KISSAMOS My first picture of the ship as the KISSAMOS, following her return to ANEK Lines after 9 years with Blue Star Ferries. She is seen docked in Piraeus (2/2024). KISSAMOS The KISSAMOS seen in Piraeus, during her first days under her second stint with ANEK Lines (2/2024). KISSAMOS The KISSAMOS seen in Piraeus during the morning (4/2024). KISSAMOS The KISSAMOS seen in Piraeus during the morning (4/2024). KISSAMOS The KISSAMOS seen in Piraeus during the morning (4/2024). KISSAMOS The KISSAMOS spotted in Piraeus during the morning (4/2024). KISSAMOS The KISSAMOS spotted in Piraeus during the morning (4/2024). KISSAMOS The KISSAMOS spotted in Piraeus during the morning, while still operating on the Piraeus-Chania line (4/2024). KISSAMOS The KISSAMOS seen resting in Piraeus (4/2024). KISSAMOS The KISSAMOS seen resting in Piraeus (4/2024). KISSAMOS The KISSAMOS seen resting in Piraeus (4/2024). KISSAMOS The KISSAMOS seen in Piraeus, having started operations on the Piraeus-Heraklion line instead of the KRITI II, which was taken off service following an engine failure (5/2024). KISSAMOS The KISSAMOS seen in Piraeus (6/2024). KISSAMOS The KISSAMOS seen in Piraeus (6/2024). KISSAMOS The KISSAMOS seen in Piraeus (6/2024). KISSAMOS The KISSAMOS docked in Piraeus (6/2024). KISSAMOS The KISSAMOS seen in Piraeus during the evening (6/2024). KISSAMOS The KISSAMOS docked in Piraeus (6/2024). KISSAMOS The KISSAMOS seen in Piraeus during the morning (7/2024). KISSAMOS The KISSAMOS seen in Piraeus during the morning (7/2024). KISSAMOS The KISSAMOS seen departing the port of Piraeus during the morning (7/2024). KISSAMOS The KISSAMOS seen departing the port of Piraeus during the morning (7/2024). KISSAMOS The KISSAMOS seen departing the port of Piraeus during the morning (7/2024). KISSAMOS The KISSAMOS seen leaving the port of Piraeus during the morning (7/2024). KISSAMOS The KISSAMOS seen leaving the port of Piraeus during the morning (7/2024). KISSAMOS The KISSAMOS seen leaving the port of Piraeus during the morning (7/2024). KISSAMOS The KISSAMOS seen heading towards the exit of the port of Piraeus (7/2024). KISSAMOS The KISSAMOS seen heading towards the exit of the port of Piraeus (7/2024). KISSAMOS The KISSAMOS seen heading towards the exit of the port of Piraeus (7/2024). KISSAMOS The KISSAMOS seen about to exit the port of Piraeus (7/2024). KISSAMOS The KISSAMOS seen exiting the port of Piraeus (7/2024). KISSAMOS The KISSAMOS seen exiting the port of Piraeus (7/2024). KISSAMOS The KISSAMOS seen having exited the port of Piraeus in order to head to Heraklion (7/2024). KISSAMOS The KISSAMOS seen in Piraeus during the evening (7/2024). KISSAMOS The KISSAMOS seen in Piraeus during the evening (7/2024). KISSAMOS The KISSAMOS seen in Piraeus during the evening (7/2024). KISSAMOS The KISSAMOS seen about to enter the port of Piraeus (8/2024). KISSAMOS The KISSAMOS seen entering the port of Piraeus (8/2024). KISSAMOS The KISSAMOS seen entering the port of Piraeus (8/2024). IMG_3975 The KISSAMOS seen entering the port of Piraeus (8/2024). KISSAMOS The KISSAMOS seen having just entered the port of Piraeus (8/2024). KISSAMOS The KISSAMOS seen having just entered the port of Piraeus (8/2024). KISSAMOS The KISSAMOS seen having just entered the port of Piraeus (8/2024). KISSAMOS The KISSAMOS seen having just entered the port of Piraeus, after having returned from Heraklion (8/2024). KISSAMOS The KISSAMOS seen having just entered the port of Piraeus, after having returned from Heraklion (8/2024). KISSAMOS The KISSAMOS seen having just entered the port of Piraeus, after having returned from Heraklion (8/2024). KISSAMOS The KISSAMOS seen heading towards her docking spot in Piraeus (8/2024). KISSAMOS The KISSAMOS seen heading towards her docking spot in Piraeus (8/2024). KISSAMOS The KISSAMOS seen heading towards her docking spot in Piraeus (8/2024). KISSAMOS The KISSAMOS seen departing the port of Piraeus during the late evening (8/2024). KISSAMOS The KISSAMOS seen departing the port of Piraeus during the late evening (8/2024). KISSAMOS The KISSAMOS seen in Piraeus (8/2024). KISSAMOS The KISSAMOS seen in Piraeus (8/2024). KISSAMOS The KISSAMOS seen in the port of Piraeus during the evening (8/2024). KISSAMOS The KISSAMOS seen in the port of Piraeus during the evening (8/2024). KISSAMOS The KISSAMOS seen in the port of Piraeus during the evening (8/2024). KISSAMOS The KISSAMOS spotted in Piraeus during the evening (8/2024). KISSAMOS The KISSAMOS spotted in Piraeus during the evening (8/2024). KISSAMOS The KISSAMOS spotted in Piraeus during the evening (8/2024). KISSAMOS The KISSAMOS seen resting in Piraeus (8/2024).

NIRIIS (ΝΗΡΗΙΣ) -Captain Vangelis Special Cruises (Kefalonia Cruises) Built in 2017 (age 9). Registered in Argostoli. Current line: None (under refit in Kefalonia) The small passenger ship NIRIIS was built in 2017 in Greece, for the Greek company Captain Vangelis Special Cruises, also known as Kefalonia Cruises. She became the successor of the company's previous ship namely the MYTHOS, which had been sold following the 2016 season to Delos Tours, for whom she operates today as the MYKONOS SPIRIT. The NIRIIS was deployed on the Zakynthos-Kefalonia-Ithaca line on the Ionian Sea. Being larger than her predecessor, and also featuring modern amenities onboard, she is a very popular ship in Kefalonia. PHOTOS (2023): NIRIIS The NIRIIS seen in the port of Poros in Kefalonia, while she undergoes her annual winter lay-up (11/2023). NIRIIS The NIRIIS seen in the port of Poros in Kefalonia, while she undergoes her annual winter lay-up (11/2023). NIRIIS The NIRIIS seen in the port of Poros in Kefalonia, while she undergoes her annual winter lay-up (11/2023). NIRIIS The NIRIIS seen docked in the port of Poros in Kefalonia, while she is undergoing her annual winter lay-up (11/2023). NIRIIS The NIRIIS seen docked in the port of Poros in Kefalonia, while she is undergoing her annual winter lay-up (11/2023). NIRIIS The NIRIIS seen docked in the port of Poros in Kefalonia, while she is undergoing her annual winter lay-up (11/2023). NIRIIS The NIRIIS seen docked in the port of Poros in Kefalonia, while waiting for the summer season to come in order to return to her popular cruises on the Ionian Sea (11/2023). NIRIIS The NIRIIS seen docked in the port of Poros in Kefalonia, while waiting for the summer season to come in order to return to her popular cruises on the Ionian Sea (11/2023).

After having spent over two weeks in Aegina with my family as part of my summer vacation in August 2022, I returned to Athens on 1 September 2022, having two months ahead of me before I began working in the offices of the Greek shipping company Eastern Mediterranean Maritime. During that time, I would go on to carry-out meetings and interviews with various shipping professionals, in addition to spending more time with my family and friends based in Athens. In addition, I would also go on to find more free time in order to do more shipspotting and see various other ships of the Greek coastal service for the first time. One such occasion happened when I took a six-day-long holiday at the start of September, during which I stopped by Preveza on the Ambracian Gulf on the Ionian Sea for two days (in order to visit a friend from my Master's degree), followed by a four-day stay in the island of Corfu. This trip marked the first time that I went to the island from which my ancestors from my father's side were based for many generations, and it was therefore a great opportunity to explore it while also getting to see many friends that live there. In order to head there, I took the bus from Preveza in order to arrive in the port of Igoumenitsa, whereupon I would take a ferry to Corfu. I arrived there on 7 September 2022, which was more than four years since the last time that I had been in that port, as I had passed by there when I was traveling from Patras to Ancona in Italy on 25-26 August 2018, with the OLYMPIC CHAMPION of ANEK Lines. Because the bus arrived two hours before my scheduled trip to Corfu, I had the chance to explore the city and take several pictures of the various ferries that I managed to see during my stay at the port. Before showing you all these pictures, I thought that it was a good idea to provide you with a quick overview of the port of Igoumenitsa. Indeed, the latter is located in the regional unit of Thesprotia in the region of Epirus in Northwest Greece. The city itself is located right South of modern-day Albania, inside the eponymous Igoumenitsa Gulf which faces the Southern tip of the island of Corfu. The port's geographical position has helped it become one of the most important ones in Greece. Indeed, it is the second largest port on the Ionian Sea and Western Greece (after Patras), as well as the main port of the region of Epirus. It is considered to be one of the two main gateways for ferries arriving to Italy from Greece, and a key point of connection between Italian ports, Patras as well as the islands of the Ionian Sea. As such, ever since ferries began operating on the Greece-Italy service during the early 1960s, Igoumenitsa has been included in services to and from Patras, while also being the base port for services towards Southern Italian ports like Bari and Brindisi, as well as Otranto in the past. Since the late 2000s, following the completion of the construction of the Egnatia Odos motorway (which links Igoumenitsa with the town of Kipoi in the regional unit of Evros, next to Turkey via the Northern Greek regions of Epirus, Macedonia and Thrace), the port has seen its role further enhanced, as it marks the starting point for many tourists that want to visit Northern Greece from Italy and the Balkans, while also enabling lorry drivers heading between Turkey and Italy (in addition to the Balkans and the remainder of Europe) to stay in Northern Greece without needing to head down to Patras to board a ferry there. As such, Igoumenitsa plays a vital role for international services on the Adriatic Sea, but also in the regular ferry connection of the Ionian Sea. Indeed, it is the main port that links mainland Greece with the islands of Corfu and Paxoi, with the Igoumenitsa-Corfu line being one of the busiest services of the Greek coastal service, with 16 ferries operating there during the 2022 season (in addition to the larger cruiseferries and Ro-Pax ferries that would also operate there as part of their itineraries to Italy). Considering the continued importance of the port and its regular ferry services, in recent years it has undergone several developments, with new piers being under construction in order to accommodate larger cruiseferries as well as cargo vessels in the long run. Another note that I need to make about the Igoumenitsa-Corfu line, which is quite important as you will see several pictures of landing craft and double-ended ferries, which have been the main ships operating there ever since the service began in 1955. Despite lasting about 90 minutes (hence longer than services like the Piraeus-Aegina line on the Saronic Gulf, or the Kyllini-Zakynthos line and the Kyllini-Kefalonia line on the Ionian Sea, which use conventional ferries that make their trips in just one hour), these types of ferries have remained the most prominent ones in Corfu, with few conventional ferries having operated there since they first began service there almost three decades ago. Despite this, many prominent Greek companies have experienced much success on the Igoumenitsa-Corfu line, with some like Agapitos Lines or Fast Ferries having spent the first years of their histories there before eventually expanding to the Cyclades and the Aegean Sea. Other Corfu-based family-owned companies, such as Gerontakis Shipping and S&L Ferries (now both operating as Kerkyra Seaways), have been operating landing craft since 1973, while other now-defunct companies such as Xanthoula V NE were also active for several decades. Over the years, ships also began to link Igoumenitsa with Paxoi as well as with the port of Lefkimmi in Southern Corfu. Having said all of this, it is impossible not to be able to enjoy a day at the port without seeing numerous ships arriving and leaving for various spots of the Ionian Sea and of the Adriatic Sea. In the two hours that I had available while waiting to sail to Corfu, I had the chance to walk around the port and take many pictures of the ships that I encountered, as well as some other items related to the Greek coastal service such as models and advertisement signs. Without further ado, here are all the pictures that were taken in Igoumenitsa. The port of Igoumenitsa is split into two major sections, namely the Western part (which is where ships operating on the Igoumenitsa-Corfu-Paxoi line dock) and the Eastern part (which is used by ships operating between Greece and Italy). I first had a look at the former, with the first ship that I found there being the ferry AGIOS SPIRIDON of Kerkyra Seaways. She has been operating on the Igoumenitsa-Corfu-Paxoi line since 2015. Next to the AGIOS SPIRIDON was one of her fleetmates, namely the landing craft AGIA EIRINI. Built in 1994 in Greece, she has been operating on the Igoumenitsa-Corfu line since 2007. The AGIA EIRINI seen docked in Igoumenitsa. She was previously known as the MIAOULIS I, operating for the now-defunct Greek company Miaoulis Shipping from 1994 until 2007. During her spell under the latter, she spent her first two seasons on the Piraeus-Aegina line on the Saronic Gulf, before heading to the Agia Marina-Nea Styra line on the Petalioi Gulf in 1996, where she was mostly based until 2007 (while also spending the 2003 season on the Rion-Antirrion line). In 2007, she joined the Greek company Gerontakis Shipping (which has been operating on the Igoumenitsa-Corfu line since 1973), and she underwent a major conversion in Perama in order to begin service on the Ionian Sea, after having been renamed AGIA EIRINI. Gerontakis Shipping operated three landing craft, and in 2018 they would go on to join the Corfu Ferries joint venture together with S&L Ferries (which had bought the AGIOS SPIRIDON in 2015). The latter was rebranded as Kerkyra Seaways in 2019, while in 2020 all three ships of Gerontakis Shipping joined that company, which has since had a fleet of six ships. The AGIA EIRINI seen resting in Igoumenitsa, during her third full season since she began operating for Kerkyra Seaways. Another view of the AGIOS SPIRIDON, which was spending her eighth consecutive season on the Igoumenitsa-Corfu-Paxoi line. She was built in 2001 in Greece, being originally known as the THASSOS VI of ANETH Ferries. She operated on the Keramoti-Thassos line from 2001 to 2012, after which she moved to the Kavala-Thassos line. After 14 years of operations in Thassos, in 2015 she was acquired by S&L Ferries, which in turn gave the landing craft AGIOS PANTELEIMON (which they had originally bought in 2013) to ANETH Ferries. As such, a trade between the two ships was completed. The THASSOS VI was renamed AGIOS SPIRIDON, and she began operations on the Igoumenitsa-Corfu-Paxoi line, sailing under the North West Ferries I brandname until 2019, when her company was rebranded as Kerkyra Seaways. The AGIA EIRINI seen once again as she is resting in Igoumenitsa. Just as I was looking at the AGIA EIRINI, I spotted the landing craft IOANNIS KAPODISTRIAS of Lefkimmi Lines arriving in Igoumenitsa. She is one of the three ships that serve the Southern port of Lefkimmi in Corfu, instead of serving the island's main town. A view of the IOANNIS KAPODISTRIAS, which was spending her fifth season linking Igoumenitsa with the port of Lefkimmi in Southern Corfu. Built in 1999 in Greece, she was previously known as the MAKEDONIA II of the Greek company Makedonia NE. Under the latter she operated on the Perama-Salamina line from 1999 to 2006, after which she moved to the Megara-Salamina line. She was acquired in 2018 by Lefkimmi Lines, and, following a conversion in Salamina, she began service on the Ionian Sea during that same year after having been renamed IOANNIS KAPODISTRIAS. Another view of the AGIA EIRINI while she is resting in Igoumenitsa. Until she was transferred to Kerkyra Seaways, she was the flagship of Gerontakis Shipping, being the youngest and largest of the three landing craft that the company owned from 2007 to 2020. The IOANNIS KAPODISTRIAS seen heading towards her docking spot in Igoumenitsa. She is named after the well-known Greek statesman who served as the first Governor the newly-independent country of Greece from 1828 to 1831, following the success of the Greek War of Independence against the former Ottoman Empire. He was born and raised in Corfu, and, due to being widely considered as one of the architects of the establishment of modern Greece through the revolutionary war, he is widely revered both in Corfu and in Greece as a whole. The AGIA EIRINI seen while she is docked in Igoumenitsa. Since she began her service on the Igoumenitsa-Corfu line in 2007, she has been operating smoothly and with no incidents so far. This is in sharp contrast to her early career back when she was still known as the MIAOULIS I, having experienced numerous incidents including two major collisions with other ships, numerous engine breakdowns, as well as grounding near the islet of Skouronisi next to Nea Styra in 2002. Fortunately, ever since she was acquired by Gerontakis Shipping, she has been looked after properly and she remains a reliable ship for the Igoumenitsa-Corfu line. Looking further down towards the Eastern part of the port, I noticed the conventional ferry HERMES of Kerkyra Seaways. Built in 1997 in Japan, she was spending her second consecutive season on the Igoumenitsa-Corfu line. Two ships of Kerkyra Seaways seen docked together in Igoumenitsa, namely the AGIA EIRINI and the HERMES. The AGIA EIRINI seen once again in Igoumenitsa. The other two landing craft of Gerontakis Shipping (which also went on to join Kerkyra Seaways in 2020) are the NANTI (built in 1973) and the ELENI (built in 1993). The former just completed her fiftieth consecutive season on the Igoumenitsa-Corfu line, thus making her the first ship in the history of the Greek coastal service to have spent half-a-century on the same service, in addition to her being the only ship to have spent her entire career on the same line without any interruptions for five decades. The latter was a notable presence on the Saronic Gulf in 2021, having been briefly deployed on the Piraeus-Aegina line in order to cover the service that was usually provided by the conventional ferry AGIOS NEKTARIOS AEGINAS of ANES Ferries (coincidentally, a ship that was formerly known as the MIAOULIS II, as she was being built by the former owners of the AGIA EIRINI, namely Miaoulis Shipping, during the mid 1990s, before she was eventually completed in 1999 as the PANAGIA SKIATHOU for the Northern Sporades and Evoia Shipping Company), which was temporarily assigned to operate on the Sporades instead of her fleetmate, namely the SYMI, which was taken off service following a major engine failure. During her brief spell on the Saronic Gulf, I went on to travel with her three times from Aegina to Piraeus, with the first time being on 21 July 2021. A view of the HERMES while she is docked in Igoumenitsa. She was acquired by Kerkyra Seaways in 2019, after having previously spent the first 22 years of her career in Japan under Nankai Ferry (under two different spells) and Rinky Ferry (for just one season, back in 1999). She was converted in Salamina and in Drapetsona, and she eventually began service on the Igoumenitsa-Corfu line 2021. She became the flagship of her company, and she notably distinguishes herself from the rest of the fleet, as she features a red livery, while her remaining fleetmates all carry a navy blue livery instead. The AGIA EIRINI seen once again, as she is resting in Igoumenitsa. Another view of the AGIA EIRINI, which received the updated navy blue livery of Kerkyra Seaways in late 2021, hence just before the 2022 season started. The AGIA EIRINI seen once more in Igoumenitsa. When she was acquired by Gerontakis Shipping in 2007, she underwent a lengthy conversion in Perama, during which her aft section was fully remodeled, while her accommodation superstructure was extended and slightly rebuilt so that she could carry more passengers than she did back when she was sailing as the MIAOULIS I. The next ship that I got to see was the double-ended ferry ANO CHORA II of 2way Ferries. Built in 2004 in Greece, she has spent her entire career under her current owner, while she has been operating on the Igoumenitsa-Corfu line since 2005. The ANO CHORA II seen in Igoumenitsa. She is the only ship of 2way Ferries that has remained on the Igoumenitsa-Corfu line. Before that, the company also used to operate another one of its double-ended ferries, namely the ACHAEOS, on that service from late 2006 until the summer of 2013 (with a sole interruption between 2011 and 2012, when she was on charter to the Italian company Blunavy). Since 2014, the company has deployed that ship on the Saronic Gulf, where it now operates three ferries (the other two being the POSIDON HELLAS and the APOLLON HELLAS, which were bought in 2015 and in 2016, respectively), while it also operates the veteran landing craft KANARIS on the Agia Marina-Nea Styra line on the Petalioi Gulf since 2020. In addition, 2way Ferries also operated two more double-ended ferries on the Igoumenitsa-Corfu line, namely the sister ships DORIEUS and IONAS. The former operated for them from 2012 until 2014, before being sold for service in Russia and later returning to Corfu as the CORFU SPIRIT for Kerkyra Lines. The latter operated for the company for just one month in 2014, before being chartered in Russia and then in Estonia, and ultimately returning to the Igoumenitsa-Corfu-Paxoi line in 2017, after being acquired by S&L Ferries (which was subsequently rebranded as Kerkyra Seaways in 2019). The HERMES seen in Igoumenitsa once again. In addition to being the flagship of Kerkyra Seaways, and the most modern conventional ferry of her company and of the Igoumenitsa-Corfu line altogether, she is also the fastest ship that operates on that service. Indeed, she heads from Igoumenitsa to Corfu, and vice versa, under only one hour and 15 minutes, therefore 15-20 minutes quicker than most of the landing craft performing the same service. The HERMES seen while docked in Igoumenitsa. This was her second summer on the Igoumenitsa-Corfu line. A view of two landing craft operating for Kerkyra Seaways, namely the AGIA EIRINI and the AGIOS SPIRIDON. The AGIOS SPIRIDON spotted in the port of Igoumenitsa. Despite having only been acquired by Kerkyra Seaways (then still known as S&L Ferries) in 2015, she has already become their longest-serving active ship of their current active fleet. The AGIOS SPIRIDON seen together with the ANO CHORA II, as they are both resting in Igoumenitsa. The ANO CHORA II and the HERMES, which are widely considered to be the two best ferries operating in Corfu at the moment, seen together in Igoumenitsa. A view of the ANO CHORA II in Igoumenitsa. She is also known to feature a different livery compared to that of her fleetmates, having always operated under a white-painted hull, whereas the the ships operating on the Saronic Gulf are painted in blue. Another view of the ANO CHORA II together with the HERMES. While seeing all these ships, I also had the chance to witness another arrival, most specifically that of the conventional ferry AGIA THEODORA of Kerkyra Lines which was returning from Corfu. The AGIA THEODORA seen heading towards her docking spot in Igoumenitsa. Built in 1989 in Japan, she became the third ship to join Kerkyra Lines, in addition to being the second conventional ferry that they bought. She was bought in 1999, and, following a lengthy conversion in Perama, she began service later in that same year on the Igoumenitsa-Corfu-Paxoi line. The AGIA THEODORA seen once more as she arrives in Igoumenitsa. Having started operations on the Ionian Sea in late 1999, she is currently the ship with the second longest spell in Corfu amongst the active vessels serving the island, after the NANTI which has been operating there since 1973. The AGIA THEODORA seen once more as she is heading towards her docking spot in Igoumenitsa. In addition to being the longest-serving ship in the history of Kerkyra Lines, she was also the company's flagship from 1999 until the arrival of the conventional ferry KERKYRA EXPRESS in 2015. The AGIA THEODORA seen once again as she begins her maneuvering procedure in Igoumenitsa. The AGIA THEODORA, a ship that I finally got to see in front of my eyes for the first time in my life, seen while beginning her maneuvering procedure in Igoumenitsa. The AGIA THEODORA seen while undergoing maneuvering procedure in Igoumenitsa. A view of the AGIA THEODORA, with the well-known side ramp extension on her starboard side, as she is maneuvering in the port of Igoumenitsa. The AGIA THEODORA seen while undergoing her maneuvering procedure in Igoumenitsa. She is not only the current longest-serving conventional ferry on the Igoumenitsa-Corfu-Paxoi line, but also the longest-serving such ferry in the service's history. The AGIA THEODORA seen after having completed her maneuvering procedure in Igoumenitsa. The AGIA THEODORA seen as she is about to dock in Igoumenitsa. When she began her career in Japan, she was known as the YUKAZURU MARU of the Japanese company Awaji Ferry Boat. She was operating on the Kobe-Oiso line on the Akashi Strait, together with her three sister ships. One of them, namely the CHIEZURU MARU (built in 1990), also went on to operate in Greece later in her career, and coincidentally, also on the Igoumenitsa-Corfu line. However, she was not operating for Kerkyra Lines, but for Fast Ferries, which bought her in 2003. The ship underwent a lengthy conversion in Salamina in order to be rebuilt according to the demands of the Greek coastal service, although her aft section differed largely from that of the AGIA THEODORA. She was renamed PLATITERA and she began service on the Igoumenitsa-Corfu line in 2004. She only stayed there for three years, as she was sold in 2007 to the Italian company Medmar, for whom she remains in service today as the MARIA BUONO on the Pozzuoli-Procida-Ischia line on the Naples Gulf. The AGIA THEODORA seen as she is about to dock in Igoumenitsa, with the ANO CHORA II watching. Both ships' companies operate together under the Kerkyra Ferries joint venture. The AGIA THEODORA spotted as she continues to dock in Igoumenitsa. The AGIA THEODORA seen about to dock in Igoumenitsa. Having now operated in Corfu for 24 years, she is one of the most popular ships of the Ionian Sea, and she continues to be appreciated by many passengers using her on a regular basis. Additionally, when she first began service back in 1999, she was viewed as a very innovative ferry for the Igoumenitsa-Corfu-Paxoi line, and she remains a ship of very high standards more than two decades later. Her longevity has also been noted, while also considering the fact that she was her company's sole ship from 2007 until the arrival of the landing craft KERKYRA in 2012. Since then, Kerkyra Lines went on to acquire numerous other ships, and as of today the company's fleet consists of ten ships (one of which has been under charter to the Maltese company Gozo Channel Line since 2019). Their most recent acquisition has been that of their first-ever high speed craft, namely the hydrofoil KONSTANTINOS I of Thassos Fast Ferry Lines, which was recently renamed PAXOS ISLAND. She is scheduled to operate on the Corfu-Paxoi line during the summer. The AGIA THEODORA seen once more, as she is about to dock in Igoumenitsa. The AGIA THEODORA seen about to dock in Igoumenitsa, next to the ANO CHORA II. The AGIA THEODORA seen in Igoumenitsa together with another Japanese-built conventional ferry, namely the HERMES. A view of the AGIOS SPIRIDON together with the AGIA THEODORA, which is about to dock next to her. The AGIOS SPIRIDON seen together with the AGIA THEODORA in Igoumenitsa. It is noteworthy to state that Kerkyra Lines also used to own a ship named AGIOS SPIRIDON. Indeed, this was the company's first-ever conventional ferry, which operated for them from 1994 until 2007. Also built in Japan, she had an acclaimed career in Greece for 30 years, having previously operated as the CHRYSSI AMMOS III for Polemis Epirus Line and then as then as the THIRA II and as the HELLAS EXPRESS for Nomicos Lines. She notably served the Cyclades and the Northeast Aegean Sea during her that period. She was bought by Kerkyra Lines in 1994, and she spent 13 years on the Igoumenitsa-Corfu line before being sold to the Turkish company Asya Ro-Ro Turizm Nakliyat in 2007. She operated for that company for four years on the Trabzon-Sochi line on the Black Sea as the LİDER CLIPPER, before she was sold for scrap to Turkey in 2011. While the AGIA THEODORA was docking in Igoumenitsa, the AGIOS SPIRIDON (therefore the second ferry to have had that name over the past three decades) was seen departing the port of Igoumenitsa. The AGIA EIRINI and the AGIOS SPIRIDON seen once more, as the latter departs the port of Igoumenitsa. The AGIOS SPIRIDON seen as she is departing the port of Igoumenitsa. The AGIOS SPIRIDON seen about to begin her maneuvering procedure in order to leave Igoumenitsa for Corfu. The AGIOS SPIRIDON seen while she begins to leave Igoumenitsa. Another view of the IOANNIS KAPODISTRIAS while she is also resting in Igoumenitsa. The IOANNIS KAPODISTRIAS seen in Igoumenitsa. The other ship owned by Lefkimmi Lines is the landing craft AGIA TRIADA, which has been operating for them since 2008. The AGIOS SPIRIDON about to begin her maneuvering procedure in Igoumenitsa. The AGIOS SPIRIDON seen beginning her maneuvering procedure in order to leave the port of Igoumenitsa. Two different types of ferries serving two different ports of Corfu seen together in Igoumenitsa, namely the IOANNIS KAPODISTRIAS and the AGIA THEODORA. The AGIOS SPIRIDON seen continuing her maneuvering procedure as part of her departure from the port of Igoumenitsa. The AGIOS SPIRIDON seen once more while she is undergoing her maneuvering procedure in Igoumenitsa. The AGIOS SPIRIDON seen during her departure from Igoumenitsa. After having been one of the most reliable ships to have ever operated in Thassos, she has also become a successful ship in Corfu and in Paxoi as well. Another view of the AGIA EIRINI, which continues to rest in Igoumenitsa. The HERMES seen in Igoumenitsa while watching her fleetmate, namely the AGIOS SPIDIRON, undergoing her maneuvering procedure. The AGIOS SPIRIDON seen about to complete her maneuvering procedure in Igoumenitsa. Another view of the HERMES together with the AGIOS SPIRIDON in Igoumenitsa. The AGIOS SPIRIDON seen having completed her maneuvering procedure, and now ready to begin sailing towards Corfu. The AGIOS SPIRIDON now seen sailing towards Corfu and heading towards the exit of the Igoumenitsa Gulf. The AGIOS SPIRIDON seen leaving Igoumenitsa, while another larger ship linking Greece with Italy was seen arriving in the port. Indeed, this was the Ro-Pax ferry FLORENCIA of the Italian company Grimaldi Lines, which operates on the Igoumenitsa-Ancona line on the Adriatic Sea. The IOANNIS KAPODISTRIAS seen once again, while she is resting in Igoumenitsa. Another close view of the AGIA EIRINI, one of the many ships that began their careers on the Aegean Sea before establishing themselves on the Igoumenitsa-Corfu line. The Ro-Pax ferry FLORENCIA seen arriving in Igoumenitsa. Built in 2004 in Italy, she is part of the prominent Visentini-class. She was initially known as the GOLFO ARANCI of the now-defunct Italian company Lloyd Sardegna, and she operated for them for three years on the Piombino-Olbia on the Tyrrhenian Sea. She was bought by Grimaldi Lines in 2007, and she has operated for them across various services on the Mediterranean Sea, while having also operated under charter to other Italian companies such as Grandi Navi Veloci (from 2013 to 2015) and TTT Lines (from 2016 to 2018). She first operated on the Adriatic Sea in 2012, back when she was the first ship of Grimaldi Lines to begin service on the Patras-Igoumenitsa-Brindisi line. She also operated on this service from 2018 until 2020, while in 2021 she was deployed on the Igoumenitsa-Ancona line. One last view of the IOANNIS KAPODISTRIAS in Igoumenitsa. The FLORENCIA seen approaching the port of Igoumenitsa. She was performing the service on the Igoumenitsa-Ancona line for the second year in a row together with her fleetmate and sister ship, namely the VENEZIA (also built in 2004, and also previously owned by Lloyd Sardegna). The latter ship would also operate in Corfu during the summer, thus operating on the Igoumenitsa-Corfu-Ancona line. After having seen most of the ships that were docked in the port of Igoumenitsa, I also went on to have a walk around the city's coastline, which features numerous travel agency offices offering their services to passengers and vehicle owners. Due to the port's importance and the numerous operators that have served it over the years, there are many signs and items displaying various ships and companies that have been in Igoumenitsa across various eras. As such, I got to see, amongst others, a model of the cruiseferry EL. VENIZELOS of ANEK Lines, which used to operate on the Adriatic Sea during the start of her career, having been deployed on the Patras-Igoumenitsa-Corfu-Ancona-Trieste line from 1992 to 1999 and from 2001 to 2022, before spending her last season on the shortened Patras-Igoumenitsa-Trieste line in 2003 (while she also had two brief comeback spells during the winters of 2005 and of 2006). Since 2004, that ship has alternated between summer seasons under charter to various foreign companies, services on the Piraeus-Chania line and occasional periods of lay-up. She has been currently experiencing the latter condition, having been languishing in Perama since 2020. While her future is uncertain, she nonetheless remains a major ferry in the history of the Greek coastal service and of the Adriatic Sea, and her operations during the 1990s came at a time during which ANEK Lines was thriving on the Adriatic Sea, despite the heavy competition that existed during that period. The model is therefore a reminder of the ship and her lasting impact on the Greece-Italy service. She still remains one of the largest ferries to have ever operated there. A view of various signs posted on the wall of the main building of the Igoumenitsa Port Authority. It features the names and logos of various prominent companies that operate or that used to operate on the Adriatic Sea. Indeed, one can see ANEK Lines, Minoan Lines, Superfast Ferries and Ventouris Ferries, which continue to operate in Igoumenisa. Blue Star Ferries remains active, but it last had a ferry on the Adriatic Sea during the 2009 season, while European Seaways, which has been known as A-Ships Management since 2018, did not have a ferry in Igoumenitsa during the 2022 season, instead only operating the cruiseferry GALAXY on the Brindisi-Vlöre line (where she has been operating since 2020). Adriatic Lines was a short-lived operator which deployed two large Ro-Ro carriers, namely the RO-PAX 1 and the RO-PAX 2, on the Adriatic Sea from 2009 to 2010, when they abruptly ceased operations and gave away their ships to NEL Lines, which renamed them AQUA HERCULES and OLYMPUS, respectively. Agoudimos Lines and Endevaor lines also operated ships to Bari and Brindisi for many years, before they both ceased operations on the Adriatic Sea following the 2012 season, as a result of financial difficulties caused by the Greek financial crisis at the time. Maritime Way was an Italian-Greek operator which operated from 2002 to 2006, having bought three former ships of Minoan Lines together with the Ro-Pax ferry ELLI T (today known as the OLYMPUS of Sea Speed Ferries), and deploying them to Brindisi, Bari and Monfalcone (the latter only during the 2002 season). They ceased operations in 2006, after which they gave their last two remaining ships to Endeavor Lines. Finally, RML Lines was another short-lived company that operated the Ro-Ro carrier RUZGAR (which is mentioned in the company's sign) on the Igoumenitsa-Brindisi line during the 2011 season, before ending their services the following year, with the ship having since moved to the Red Sea, being known as the AZIZ EXPRESS of the Egyptian company Namma Lines and operating on the Suakin-Jeddah line since 2022. A small picture with a few signs, yet filled with history and numerous interesting facts worth sharing. Another travel agency building in Igoumenitsa, which features the logo of five companies at the top. These are European Seaways (now known as A-Ships Management), Superfast Ferries, Minoan Lines, ANEK Lines and Grimaldi Lines, which have also been operating on the Adriatic Sea for several years. Underneath these logos is that of Ventouris Ferries, which has its main office in Igoumenitsa in this building. One can also see four pictures showing three of their ships, these being the BARI, the RIGEL II and the RIGEL I. Since 2015, the company only serves Igoumenitsa during the summer season, operating on the Igoumenitsa-Corfu-Bari line along with occasional extensions to Kefalonia and Zakynthos. These were performed by the BARI from 2015 to 2019, and by the RIGEL I from 2017 to 2020, and since 2020 they have been covered by the RIGEL VII. The RIGEL II has been operating on the Bari-Durrës ever since she began service for the company in 2015. She is the only ship out of the three that is still operating for Ventouris Ferries, as the RIGEL I was sold for scrap to India in September 2021, while the BARI also experienced the same fate by heading to Bangladesh only a month later. Right next to the signs of Ventouris Ferries, one can also see a picture of the OLYMPIA PALACE of Minoan Lines in her original livery back when she was operating on the Adriatic Sea at the start of her career (she is currently known as the new KNOSSOS PALACE since 2020, when she was deployed on the Piraeus-Milos-Heraklion line) along with the SUPERFAST XII of Superfast Ferries, which also spent many years on the Adriatic Sea, being eventually sold in 2018 to Grimaldi Lines, for whom she has been operating as the CRUISE AUSONIA. Another travel agency building, which features a few more signs including one of ANEK Lines at the top, while displaying the OLYMPIC CHAMPION which operates on the Patras-Igoumenitsa-Corfu-Ancona line. At the corner of the building, one can once again see the logo of ANEK Lines along with that of Superfast Ferries, and right next to the latter there is another picture of the SUPERFAST XII together with the logos of Grimaldi Lines and Minoan Lines. Next to the logo of ANEK Lines at the bottom is another very interesting sign, which shows the cruiseferry VÄSTERVIK during her sole season operating on the Adriatic Sea, having operated on the Zakynthos-Kefalonia-Igoumenitsa-Corfu-Bari line during the summer of 2016 for European Management Maritime Company. Built in 1986 in Japan, this ship first arrived in Greece in 2009, after having been bought the previous year by Endeavor Lines, for whom she was supposed to be introduced on the Adriatic Sea as the PRINCESS T. Since then, the ship experienced multiple years of bad luck and unfortunate decisions, having failed to complete her conversion and instead remaining laid-up in Perama, Salamina and Drapetsona for several years. Endeavor Lines then ceased operations in 2012, despite this the ship went on to complete most of her conversion in 2013, and she was due to be chartered in 2014 to the Swedish company Gotlandsbåten (having been renamed VÄSTERVIK) before technical issues and disagreements with the charterers prevented her from heading there. She was then acquired by the Greek company European Management Maritime Company in 2015, but she only began operating for them the following year, thus finally starting service on the Adriatic Sea eight years after she had been acquired by Endeavor Lines. However, in 2017 she was arrested by her crew in Igoumenitsa as a result of the company's debts, after which she was sold to the Moroccan company Inter Shipping, for whom she continues to operate today on the Algeciras-Tangier Med line on the Gibraltar Strait as the MED STAR. Overall, a very eventful path for a ship that never had a real chance to make her mark in Greece, and her case remains one of the biggest 'what-ifs' of the Greek coastal service had she been acquired by another company. Despite this, her single season in 2016 is still remembered, as shown by this sign that still features the ship six years after her final year of service. After having seen these various travel agencies and interesting signs, I began to head towards the HERMES, which was the ship that I would be traveling with in order to head to Corfu. Next to her, I saw another landing craft which had arrived in Igoumenitsa, namely the LEUKIMMI of Sarris Lines. Built in 2003 in Greece, she has spent her entire career linking Igoumenitsa with the port of Lefkimmi in Southern Corfu. Another view of the LEUKIMMI, while she is docked in Igoumenitsa. And this therefore concludes this Blog post, which gave you an idea of the importance of the port of Igoumenitsa within the Greek coastal service and the regular connection of Greece with Italy. It remains a very busy port which provides several services on the Ionian Sea and on the Adriatic Sea, with many ships calling it every day in order to head to Corfu and Paxoi, as well as to Patras and Italian ports. Its role continues to become larger, considering the developments that are being undertaken and the fact that the Igoumenitsa Port Authority has been taken over by Grimaldi Group, which aim to transform it into a major hub on the Eastern Mediterranean Sea. I was able to see several of these ships for the first time in my life, and there is no doubt that my photo collection became richer despite having spent just two hours walking around the port. I would go on to travel to Corfu for the first time by embarking onboard the HERMES of Kerkyra Seaways, and the next post will feature a few more pictures from Igoumenitsa which I will be sharing soon. #igoumenitsa #summer2022 #greece #igoumenitsagulf #corfu #paxoi #ionian #adriatic #agiosspiridon #agiaeirini #hermes #kerkyraseaways #ioanniskapodistrias #lefkimmilines #anochoraii #2wayferries #agiatheodora #kerkyralines #florencia #grimaldilines #leukimmi #sarrislines #elvenizelos #aneklines #agencies #signs

Trip: 25-26 August 2018. From Patras to Ancona, via Igoumenitsa, with the OLYMPIC CHAMPION of ANEK Lines. The cruiseferry OLYMPIC CHAMPION was ordered in 1999 by the Greek company ANEK Lines (which is based in Chania in Crete), being one of the two sister ships that were built at the well-known Fosen Shipyard in Norway. The two ships had been ordered following the successful deliveries of three cruiseferries by the same shipyard to the rival operator of ANEK Lines, namely Minoan Lines. These were the ARETOUSA (built in 1995, now the GIROLATA of the French company Compagnie Méridionale de Navigation, or simply La Méridionale), the IKARUS (built in 1997, later the IKARUS PALACE, and now the CRUISE SMERALDA of the Italian company Grimaldi Lines) and the PASIPHAE (built in 1998, later the PASIPHAE PALACE, and now the JEAN NICOLI of the French company Corsica Linea). With all three ships being successfully deployed on the Adriatic Sea, ANEK Lines sought to strengthen the competition against their arch-rivals by ordering two newly-built ships for service on the Adriatic Sea. The two ships were ordered as the KRITI III and the KRITI IV. The first one was to be completed in 2000 and the second one in 2001. Their construction initially began in Sweden, before they moved to Norway after they were launched. Before their launching, the KRITI III was renamed OLYMPIC CHAMPION and the KRITI IV was renamed OLYMPIC SPIRIT, in honour of the impending Olympic Games that were due to be held in Athens in 2004. The OLYMPIC CHAMPION was completed in late 2000, and she was deployed on the Piraeus-Chania line for a few months during her debut season. She became the second-ever newly-built ferry of ANEK Lines, and she also became the company's new flagship, taking over from the EL. VENIZELOS, which had held this role since her entry to service in 1992. In 2001, as her sister ship, which had been renamed HELLENIC SPIRIT, was completed, both ships were deployed on the Patras-Igoumenitsa-Corfu-Ancona line on the Adriatic Sea, which was considered the most lucrative service of the company on the aforementioned area. They replaced the KRITI I and the KRITI II, and they collaborated successfully alongside the EL. VENIZELOS, which was serving the Patras-Igoumenitsa-Corfu-Ancona-Trieste line. The OLYMPIC CHAMPION quickly became one of the best ferries of the Adriatic Sea, and she was praised for her modern amenities, her excellent cabins, restaurant and self-service, while also making the crossings in a much faster time than the ships of Minoan Lines. She spent the following 6 years on the Patras-Igoumenitsa-Corfu-Ancona line, before being sent back to the Piraeus-Chania line to compete with the ARIADNE of Hellenic Seaways in late 2007. The latter had just been introduced by Hellenic Seaways, and she therefore marked a threat to ANEK Lines on their main flagship service in Crete. The deployment of the OLYMPIC CHAMPION quickly eased the stress and she quickly won over the passengers and vehicles that had started to familiarise themselves with the ARIADNE. This led to the ship's withdrawal from the line after just four months. After successfully removing the ARIADNE from the Piraeus-Chania line, she returned to the Patras-Igoumenitsa-Corfu-Ancona line from 2008 to 2011. She remained the company's flagship until 2008, when the then-newly-refurbished ELYROS entered service on the Piraeus-Chania line. In 2011, following the establishment of the ANEK-Attica Group joint venture (then known as ANEK-Superfast), she was sent back to the Aegean Sea, in order to operate against Minoan Lines in Crete. She was deployed on the Piraeus-Heraklion line, thus forming an excellent duo with her former rival, namely the SUPERFAST XII of Superfast Ferries (now the CRUISE AUSONIA of the Italian giants Grimaldi Lines). After three successful seasons there, she operated on the Piraeus-Chania line in 2014, this time partnering with the ELYROS. She returned to the Adriatic Sea in 2015, again on the Patras-Igoumenitsa-Corfu-Ancona line, where she has since been remaining. Within eighteen years of service, the OLYMPIC CHAMPION has been acclaimed as one of the best ferries of the Adriatic Sea and generally of the Greek coastal service. Alongside her sister ship, namely the HELLENIC SPIRIT, she has been praised for her reliable and comfortable service, with very few troubles and many exciting amenities to offer to her passengers. She is generally considered to be one of the three best ships of ANEK Lines, alongside the HELLENIC SPIRIT and the ELYROS. She still seems to be a newly-built ship, and it is notably thanks to her that ANEK Lines, now in a difficult financial situation, still exists to date. This is due to her continuing to serve passengers very well, which is why they continue to trust her and to travel with her. Of course, the partnership with Attica Group has also been vital to ANEK Lines. Besides her acclaimed service on the Adriatic Sea, she has also successfully operated on the Aegean Sea, when she would be deployed on her company's home island, Crete. She notably managed to successfully remove Hellenic Seaways and the ARIADNE from the Piraeus-Chania line in 2007. And this is considering the fact that the ARIADNE is also one of the best ships in the Greek coastal service. She was also about to return to service in late 2010 in order to also remove the BLUE HORIZON of Blue Star Ferries, which had spent her debut season on the line. Even though she did not arrive there, it was enough to scare Blue Star Ferries, which withdrew the BLUE HORIZON from the line simply due to ANEK Lines threatening to deploy the OLYMPIC CHAMPION there. Now that the company is facing economic issues and the aggressive entrance of Minoan Lines on the Piraeus-Chania line with the MYKONOS PALACE in 2018, perhaps they should consider sending the OLYMPIC CHAMPION on the line once again, as a means of having a fierce competition against their Cretan arch-rivals. So this is the overview of the OLYMPIC CHAMPION, which is truly one of the Greek coastal service's most precious jewels. It is now time for me to speak about my trip with her. Indeed, it was the last trip of the summer for me in Greece, as I was leaving the country in late August in order to stop by Italy, as my sister was due to begin her first year of studies in Milan. As my parents brought our family car, we decided to head from Greece to Italy via a ferry on the Adriatic Sea. This ferry turned out to be the OLYMPIC CHAMPION, which has been a familiar face for my family. Indeed, we had previously traveled onboard her on three occasions. These trip occurred between the summers of 2006 and 2008 (as at that time I was living with my family in Belgium), whereupon we would always go to Greece by car via Italy and the Adriatic Sea. Thus, we would always travel on a ferry operated by ANEK Lines. In 2006, we traveled from Ancona to Patras with the HELLENIC SPIRIT, and left Greece by heading from Patras to Venice with the LEFKA ORI (now known as the BLUE GALAXY of Blue Star Ferries). In 2007, we again traveled from Ancona to Patras with the HELLENIC SPIRIT, while we made our way back from Greece to Italy (from Patras to Ancona) with the OLYMPIC CHAMPION, in August 2007. In 2008, we made both trips (from Ancona to Patras and from Patras to Ancona) with the OLYMPIC CHAMPION. And now, ten years later, we were back in Patras in order to travel with the ANEK Lines cruiseferry once again. I cannot confirm it for sure, but I am almost certain that our last trip with the OLYMPIC CHAMPION had been on 25 August 2008, hence exactly ten years before the trip discussed in this blog post. Thus, my last trip of the 2018 season ended up being my first trip on the Adriatic Sea since 2008, my first trip on an ANEK Lines ship since 2008, and my first trip with that specific ship since 2008. At the start of the day, my family and me were still in Aegina, making the last preparations before our departure from the island. We traveled in the morning from Aegina to Piraeus with the ACHAEOS of 2way Ferries, and subsequently headed from Piraeus to Patras via the highway known as Olympia Odos. We arrived in the new port of Patras in the early afternoon. It was my first time seeing the new port, as the ships were still operating in the old port when I had made my last trip with the OLYMPIC CHAMPION back in 2008. The ship was due to depart at 14:30. However, due to delays in Italy, she arrived in Patras just before 14:00 (thus thirty minutes before her planned departure). The OLYMPIC CHAMPION seen in Patras, shortly after her arrival in the new port. The very modern and large funnel of the OLYMPIC CHAMPION. It depicts the initials of ANEK Lines and the geographic map of Crete, which is seen in all the ships owned by the company. The OLYMPIC CHAMPION and the HELLENIC SPIRIT became the first ships of the company to have a black background in the middle of the funnel, instead of the yellow and blue that had been carried by their fleetmates. The ELYROS went on to have this feature as well during her conversion which lasted from 2007 to 2008. While the passengers arriving from Italy were unloading, I decided it was a good opportunity to go and take pictures of the ship. But before I could attempt taking a good picture from a correct angle, I was interrupted by a port authority employee who told me that I was not allowed to take pictures while being in the port. To my disappointment, and following a blunt verbal confrontation, I was forced to go back to the passenger queue that was awaiting to embark onboard the ship. Thus, I was unable to take more pictures of the ship while she was docked in Patras. Shortly after entering the ship, I was guided alongside other passengers to Deck 9, where I was to stay for the duration of the trip. Unfortunately, even though we had booked the tickets in March, the cabins were all unavailable. This is due to many freight companies booking them for their drivers months in advance. As a result, I was unable to stay in a cabin for this trip. In my past three trips with the ship, I had stayed inside a cabin. I guess that online bookings and prepaid tickets from ten years ago were not as frequent as they are now. This floorplan shows the various decks of the ship and what they feature. The ship has 12 decks overall. Deck 1 is where the engine room is located. Decks 2, 3, 4 and 5 are reserved for the garage area. Decks 6 and 7 also feature the garage, though Deck 6 has additional shower rooms for campers (those traveling by camping cars and remaining there throughout the entire trip), and Deck 7 has 50 cabins. Decks 8, 9 and 10 are dedicated to the ship's accommodation services. Deck 11 is the bridge deck, and Deck 12, the highest deck the ship has, is the helicopter deck. The ship's deckplan, located in Deck 9. A not-so-good picture of the ship's reception area, located in Deck 8. The alley leading from the reception desk to the cabins in Deck 8. A view of the ship's starboard side alley on Deck 8. It leads to a small area which has a few chairs for passengers willing to stay outdoors. The ship's outdoor starboard side alley in Deck 8. It is located right below the two large lifeboats the ship has on her starboard side. She has two others on her port side. A poster seen right below the staircase leading from Deck 8 to Deck 9. It is an advertisement of ANEK Lines, which displays a picture of the OLYMPIC CHAMPION, seen from her bow. Below it, it shows the company's destinations and served areas, written first in Greek and then in English. These areas consist of the Greece-Italy service (basically the Adriatic Sea), which is represented by the ports of Patras, Igoumenitsa, Corfu, Bari (though this port is not served by ANEK Lines, it is served by Superfast Ferries, which collaborates with ANEK Lines as part of the ANEK-Attica Group joint venture), Ancona and Venice. Next up is Crete, which is served by the company via the Piraeus-Chania line and the Piraeus-Heraklion line. Below it, the Aegean Islands are advertised. This line basically illustrates the service that the company has on the Cyclades, Crete and the Dodecanese, through the ferry PREVELIS which operates on the Piraeus-Milos-Santorini-Anafi-Heraklion-Siteia-Kasos-Karpathos-Chalki-Rhodes line. Below the destinations, the company promotes itself by showing the social media platforms it uses, its own application available via the Apple Store, the Bonus Miles card (called the ANEK Lines Smart Card) available to loyal passengers, and its website. The modern staircase leading to Deck 9. Next to it is the lift, which links various passenger decks between them. The corner walls of the staircase area featured a few items enclosed behind glasses showing different objects. The one on the top represents a figurine of a man wearing a traditional 19th century Cretan dress (in honour of the company's home island), while the one below displays the flag of ANEK Lines. Deck 9 is undoubtedly the busiest deck, as it features most of the lounge areas, the ship's restaurant and self-service canteen, as well as the onboard stores and casino, and a sun deck. Here you can see the latter, which extends from the stern to the middle section of the ship. The floor was rather in a decrepit condition (as shown in this picture), but featured several plants and multiple plastic chairs for passengers. A view of the sun deck in the middle section of the ship. It was in a rather abandoned condition, with lots of space, chairs left abandoned in the corner, a decrepit-looking floor and a TV screen which seems to not have been used for a long time. Next to the indoor area of Deck 9, in the stern section, one can spot the Marina Bar, which serves as the ship's outdoor bar. Though it was closed at the time I took the picture (due to the ship still loading passengers and vehicles), it opened throughout the trip. It famously serves Greek gyro, prepared on a gyro grilling roll and served with pita bread. It also serves coffee, soft drinks and other snacks. Next to the bar is one of the ship's swimming pools. Although it had been a major highlight of the ship during the 2000s, with myself remembering that it was being used by many passengers during my trips with her in 2007 and 2008, the pool has unfortunately stopped to operate since the early 2010s. This unfortunately happened due to the decline of the cruiseferries on the Adriatic Sea, as companies preferred to operate freight-focused ferries that would simply make the trip operate at a faster rhythm, thus eliminating the 'cruise concept' of such trips in the area. Thus, passengers no longer desired to enjoy their time onboard by taking advantage of the cruiseferries' amenities, preferring to just remain in their cabins or their sleeping bags. Thus, swimming pools onboard ferries stopped to be used. This furthermore explains why the OLYMPIC CHAMPION's outdoor areas seem a bit abandoned. I can assure you that, ten years ago, they were the reason why this ship was so unique. They made the trip more entertaining and enjoyable, as passengers seemed to enjoy being in an outdoor bar and swimming pool while traveling onboard the ship. It is a shame that this mentality no longer exists. The ship's back pool, located on the stern. Just like its neighbour, it has been completely abandoned for many years. The ship's stern, which features the Greek flag, which has been proudly flying onboard the cruiseferry since her delivery in 2000. Another view of the Deck 9 stern sun deck. The alley on Deck 9, located on the starboard side of the ship, which leads to the indoor area. The narrow hallway features several posters. This one shows an advertisement of various hotels located throughout the entire island of Crete. The ship's onboard casino area, which seems to have also been abandoned and inactive for a very long time. A view of the alley and of the ship's onboard shop. A closer view to the shop, which was closed at the time of the departure. It sells various products, notably bags, suitcases, jewelry and fashion products. Another view of the alley, with the shop located on the left side. The ship's tiny kid's corner area, which is known as Kid's Planet. Moving more forward, one can see the Atrium Bar, which serves as the ship's main bar for Economy Class passengers. It really gives the impression that it looks like a 1950s-style bar, though decorated in a more contemporary style with various blue tiles hanging on the wall. A view of the seating area of the Atrium Bar, which was a bit dark and completely empty (though this was due to passengers not having boarded the ship yet). Moving even more towards the front section of the ship, one can spot the entrance to the ship's self-service canteen and seating area, named Dionysos (after the Greek mythology God). This area is very famous, as it has a very beautiful floor and an entrance made out of marble and displaying the name 'Dionysos' in an Ancient Greek font. On the left side of the entrance is a poster promoting the ANEK Lines Smart Card. A continuation of the alley, with the Dionysos self-service canteen seen in the left. The floor is decorated with a very nice blue carpet featuring aligned squares of different colours. On the right side, one can spot the ship's windows and some turning chairs. This is where my family and myself installed ourselves for the duration of the trip. They were very comfortable, so I had no complaints. Another illuminated poster promoting ANEK Lines. It displays traveling dates and discounts available on the company's services in Crete, on both the Piraeus-Chania line and the Piraeus-Heraklion line. It also shows the ANEK Lines Smart Card once again, at the bottom right corner of the poster. The ship shown in the picture is the fleetmate of the OLYMPIC CHAMPION, namely the KYDON. This Japanese-built ship was acquired by ANEK Lines in 1998, and she was initially known as the SOPHOCLES V. She began service in 1999 on the Patras-Igoumenitsa-Corfu-Trieste line. She was joined by her sister ship, namely the LEFKA ORI, in 2000. Both ships were transferred to the Patras-Igoumenitsa-Corfu-Venice line in 2005, where they became extremely successful. Unfortunately, due to the effects of the Greek financial crisis on the coastal service sector, ANEK Lines was forced to charter the ships to the South Korean company Jeju Cruise Line as a way of reducing their debts in 2012. The charter was ultimately a complete failure as the ships remained laid-up in Busan for a year. They returned to Greece in late 2013. The LEFKA ORI was subsequently transferred to Blue Star Ferries and she was deployed on the Piraeus-Chania line in 2015 as the BLUE GALAXY. The SOPHOCLES V also underwent a refit and she resumed service under ANEK Lines on the Piraeus-Chania line, having been renamed KYDON (which was also the name of the first ship ANEK Lines ever had, having bought her in 1967 having operated her from 1969 to 1989). She spent two summers there (2015 and 2016), while also serving the Piraeus-Heraklion line during the winter of 2015-2016. Unfortunately, in early 2017, she left Greece for the second time, having been chartered on a multi-year deal to Ferries Del Caribe, which operates on the Caribbean Sea, connecting the Dominican Republic with Puerto Rico. Thus, seeing a poster of her in 2018 while she has not been in Greece since 2017 shows that it is outdated. I nevertheless felt nostalgic when seeing the ship, and hoped (as I still do now) that she will one day make her return to Greece. The second entrance of the Dionysos self-service canteen. A view of the self-service area, which has a significant amount of space for passengers. It has had an excellent reputation in terms of food quality and diversity. I remembered having eaten very well when I had traveled with the ship back in 2007 and 2008. In 2018, things were not different at all. ANEK Lines continues to have excellent cooks serving passengers onboard their ships. A closer view to the seating area of the self-service canteen. All tables are decorated with checkerboards. The area extends to the windows located in the port side of the ship. The walls in the area featured various beautiful paintings, two of which are seen here. They depict Ancient Greek amphorae alongside grapes and pears. This is an allusion to the way wine was being produced in Ancient Greek according to the mythological tradition of the God Dionysos, after whom the area is named. Having seen most of the indoor areas of Deck 9, it was now time to head towards Deck 10. One way to get there is by using the iconic staircase of the ship, which is located right next to the large window glass located towards the middle section of the ship. This staircase really makes the OLYMPIC CHAMPION look like a cruise ship. The HELLENIC SPIRIT also has the exact same staircase and overall deck structure In Deck 10, the middle section (which is located right next to a hallway leading to many passenger cabins) features the disco bar called 'The Observatory'. An overview of 'The Observatory'. It features a large bar area with high seats, as well as some lounges on the side. In the middle is a small dance floor area made out of light blue tiles. Another view of the disco dance floor area. Previously a major highlight of the ship's indoor areas (I remember seeing some shows taking place during nights in my trips with the ship back in 2007 and 2008), it has also been inactive for many years, just like the swimming pools. Nowadays, all the area is used by passengers having not managed to find a cabin, who sleep either on the lounges or on the floor. A shame to see this formerly entertaining area now being a bit of a sloppy and disorganised place used solely for sleeping. A hallway leading to various passenger cabins in Deck 10. Unfortunately for us, this time we were unable to stay in any cabin throughout the duration of our trip. The staircase area leading from Deck 10 to Deck 11. It also uses the tiles seen in the staircase area linking Deck 8 with Deck 9, which was seen previously. After having explored almost all the indoor areas on Deck 8, Deck 9, Deck 10 and Deck 11, I decided to head outside once again. I went to the stern section in Deck 10. There, I could again see the ship's large lifeboats. These are from the starboard side. Another view of the ship's swimming pool area, this time seen from Deck 10 (just above Deck 9, where the pools are located). The pool on the left side is the ship's hot tub, which has been inactive alongside its neighbours for many years. The ship's Deck 10 alley leading to Deck 11. A frontal view of the ship's large funnel, seen in Deck 11. The funnel alley in Deck 11, which leads to the ship's stern. The large outdoor area on Deck 11. This is on the ship's port side. In front is the ship's bridge and AC room. Behind it (where the two round windows are located) is a small compartment which has some of the crew cabins. The ship's AC area, located right behind the bridge and the rest of the crew cabins. Heading forward, I could see the ship's port side alley preceding the bridge. There, one can find several reserves of inflatable life-rafts. The port side section of the ship's wide bridge. The funnel of the OLYMPIC CHAMPION seen from the middle section of Deck 11. The pictures of the funnel from this angle have become iconic to the image of ANEK Lines, and have been used several times by the company in its advertising posters, website advertisements and videos. The ship seen receiving bunkers through a barge on her port side in Patras, shortly before our departure. The OLYMPIC CHAMPION departed Patras at 15:30, more than an hour after her scheduled departure. There was no other ship to be seen near the port, which disappointed me a bit as I believed that I would be able to see most of the Greek ferries that operate on the Adriatic Sea. Furthermore, it began to rain at some point during the trip, something that is unusual in Greece in late August. As a result, I was forced to spend the first thirty minutes of the trip in the indoor area on Deck 9. At this time, we were leaving the Patraic Gulf in order to enter the core of the Ionian Sea, which guides us towards Igoumenitsa. At around 16:00, as the weather improved, I headed outside once again. There, I spotted one of the biggest rivals of the OLYMPIC CHAMPION. It was the cruiseferry CRUISE EUROPA of Minoan Lines, which was heading towards Patras. Passing by the CRUISE EUROPA on the the Patraic Gulf. She was built in 2009 in Italy, having been one of four gigantic cruiseferries ordered by the Italian colossus Grimaldi Group. The first two, namely the CRUISE ROMA and the CRUISE BARCELONA, were finished in 2008, and they were deployed on the Civitavecchia-Porto Torres-Barcelona line under Grimaldi Lines, which is the main company of the group. The other two were the CRUISE EUROPA and the CRUISE OLYMPIA, which were finished in 2009 and in 2010, respectively. They were assigned to Minoan Lines, although they are owned by Grimaldi Group. As a result, both ships carry the Italian flag, making them the only ships of Minoan Lines not to fly the Greek flag. They were both transferred back under the care of Grimaldi Lines in early 2017, though they are still operated by Minoan Lines. Hence, their hulls feature 'Grimaldi Minoan Lines' as their operator. Passing by the CRUISE EUROPA, which was spending her tenth overall season on the Adriatic Sea. She and her sister ship are the largest ferries operating in the Greek coastal service. But the fleetmate of the OLYMPIC CHAMPION, namely the EL. VENIZELOS, is the largest one flying the Greek flag. The introduction of the CRUISE EUROPA on the Patras-Igoumenitsa-Ancona line imposed a major threat to both ANEK Lines and Superfast Ferries, which eventually teamed-up two years later by launching the ANEK-Attica Group joint venture in 2011. Both the CRUISE EUROPA and the CRUISE OLYMPIA began operating on the Patras-Igoumenitsa-Ancona-Triste line in late 2012, and, beginning in 2017, they were deployed on the Patras-Igoumenitsa-Ancona-Venice line. This summer, they are due to make stops in Corfu, hence operating on the Patras-Igoumenitsa-Corfu-Ancona-Venice line. The CRUISE EUROPA seen heading towards Patras. She was initially registered in Heraklion while being built in Italy, but changed to Palermo after she was reflagged shortly before her delivery to Minoan Lines. Another view of the CRUISE EUROPA, the arch-rival of the OLYMPIC CHAMPION, as she heads towards the port of Patras. After exiting the the Patraic Gulf, we began to head towards the North. We passed by the islands of Kefalonia and Ithaca, and were now in the passage between Ithaca and Lefakada, which also includes islands such as Madouri, Skorpios, Kastos, Kalamos, as well as Meganisi. We were in the Northern part of the Ionian Sea, which took us about two hours to reach from the port of Patras. At around 17:30, I spotted the landing craft MEGANISI II of Coatal Lines Ionios Corporation having exited the port of Frykes in Ithaca, in order to head towards Meganisi, her namesake island. The small MEGANISI II seen heading from Ithaca to Meganisi. She operates on the Lefkada-Meganisi-Ithaca line, which she has been serving since 2016. Before that, during her first years under her owners, she was on the Kefalonia-Ithaca-Meganisi-Lefkada line, serving the line from 2007 to 2015. She is a vital ship for the small island of Meganisi, as she is the only ferry serving it, and she also helps it maintain a coastal service connection with Lefkada and Ithaca during both the summer and the winter. Three minutes later, I spotted another landing craft that works on an inter-Ionian Sea service. It was the AGIOS GERASIMOS II of Lixouri NE, which operates on the Kefalonia-Ithaca-Lefkada line since 2017. The little AGIOS GERASIMOS II was seen heading from Lefkada to Ithaca, as part of her seasonal service on the line she serves. The MEGANISI II seen behind the stern of the OLYMPIC CHAMPION, heading towards her namesake island. Passing by the AGIOS GERASIMOS II as she heads towards Ithaca. She was formerly known as the OLYMPIOS APOLLON of ANEM Ferries, operating under them from 1990 to 2012 on the Samos-Fournoi-Ikaria-Leipsoi-Kalymnos-Western Kos line. Afterwards, she was sold to the Lebanese Delegation to the United Nations, and she operated as the CAROLYN on the Beirut-Naqoura line by transporting military supplies to the area. In 2016, she was bought by Lixouri NE, and she became one of the few ferries to have made a comeback to Greece after having previously been sold to a foreign operator. After a lengthy conversion in Perama, she entered her current service on the Ionian Sea in 2017. The AGIOS GERASIMOS II heading towards Ithaca, during her second season on the Kefalonia-Ithaca-Lefkada line under Lixouri NE. About two and-a-half hours later, we began to make our way towards the port of Igoumenitsa, after having passed by some of the Northern Ionian Sea islands such as Lefkada, Antipaxoi and Paxoi. The Southern part of Corfu was also seen. We were now entering the Igoumenitsa Gulf, where both the city and the port are located. Here is a view of the funnel of the OLYMPIC CHAMPION as sunset was beginning on the beautiful Ionian Sea. As we were approaching Igoumenitsa, I began to see a handful of ships. Indeed, Igoumenitsa is a major Greek coastal service port, serving as the main port of the iconic Epirus region. It is also the gateway to the Adriatic Sea, as it is the first port of mainland Greece that ferries reach after arriving from Italy. It is also connected with Thessaloniki via Northern Greece through the recently-built Egnatia Odos highway. It is therefore an important terminal for Northern Greek and Turkish lorry drivers arriving from Italy and for tourists who want to explore Northern Greece overall. Besides its important role on the Adriatic Sea service, the port is also the only way for passengers and drivers to reach Corfu and Paxoi, which are two of Greece's most visited islands on the Ionian Sea. Numerous ferries and landing craft can reach these islands from Igoumenitsa between one hour and two hours, depending on their speed. The first of these landing craft that I saw during this trip was the AGIOS SPIRIDON of S&L Ferries (trading as North West Ferries I), which operates on the Igoumenitsa-Corfu-Paxoi line. Passing by the AGIOS SPIRIDON as she heads from Igoumenitsa to Corfu. She is the ex-THASSOS VI of ANETH Ferries, having operated for them from 2001 (the year during which she was built in Greece) to 2015, first on the Keramoti-Thassos line (2001-2012) and then on the Kavala-Thassos line (2012-2015). In 2015, she was sold to her current owners, as part of an exchange deal which saw the landing craft AGIOS PANTELEIMON (which operated for S&L Ferries from 2013 to 2015) being acquired by ANETH Ferries. The beautiful little ferry AGIOS SPIRIDON heading towards Corfu. This was her fourth summer operating for S&L Ferries. Passing by the AGIOS SPIRIDON as she heads towards Corfu, while we are heading towards her departure port, Igoumenitsa. One of the two funnels of the AGIOS SPIRIDON. it depicts the initial of her three co-owners. They are the shipowners Souliotis, Laïnas and Tourloumousis, all based in Corfu. The former two make the company's name, S&L Ferries. As Tourloumousis only has a share in this ferry (and not in the company's two other ferries), the AGIOS SPIRIDON operates under the trading name North West Ferries I, which is seen printed on both sides of her hull. Passing by the AGIOS SPIRIDON as she heads towards Corfu. As a result of the increasing competition on the Igoumenitsa-Corfu-Paxoi line these recent years (with a total of twelve ships operating there as of 2018, as well as four others connecting Igoumenitsa with the Southern Corfu port of Lefkimmi), her company created a joint venture known as Corfu Ferries in late 2018, with fellow rivals Gerontakis Shipping. Their main competitor now is the other major joint venture of the line, known as Kerkyra Ferries, which is composed of Kerkyra Lines (the company which has the most ferries operating on the line) and of 2way Ferries. The AGIOS SPIRIDION on her way towards Corfu, under a beautiful scenery marked by a wonderful sunset. The magnificent Ionian Sea sunset seen from the stern of the OLYMPIC CHAMPION. It was spreading from Corfu to the Igoumenitsa Gulf. It marked the last sunset that I saw in Greece that summer, and thus marked the official end of my memorable stay there during the 2018 season. We were now heading towards the Adriatic Sea terminal of the port of Igoumenitsa, which is further away from the Corfu-Paxoi terminal which is served by the local ferries and landing craft. The Eastern section of the large port is undergoing renovations, as you can see in this picture, which also features the ferry BARI of Ventouris Ferries. The BARI seen resting in Igoumenitsa. She has been owned by Ventouris Ferries since 2010. Her acquisition by her current owners proved to be crucial, as they saved her due to her heading towards India for scrap, having been sold to a shipbreaking company by her previous owners, the Spanish company Baleària. While she was traveling from Spain to Turkey on what was supposed to be her last trip, Ventouris Ferrries bought her while she was approaching Greece. Thus, she was sparred from scrapping and she has since been operating on the Adriatic Sea. The BARI seen resting in Igoumenitsa. She spent her first five summers with Ventouris Ferries operating on the Bari-Durrës line, which connects Southern Italy with Albania. Beginning in 2015, the ship spends the summer connecting Bari with the Ionian Islands, being deployed on the Zakynthos-Kefalonia-Igoumenitsa-Corfu-Bari line. I had seen her and photographed her in Zakynthos in 2015. Thus, I saw her for the first time in three years during my trip with the OLYMPIC CHAMPION. I then had a look at the Corfu-Paxoi terminal of the port of Igoumenitsa. There, I saw the double-ended ferry IONAS of S&L Ferries, which had just arrived in the port and was unloading passengers and vehicles. Further West was another landing craft, which turned out to be a familiar face. Indeed, it was the MENEKRATIS of Kerkyra Lines, which I had previously seen, two years earlier, operating on the Saronic Gulf. She used to be the OSIOS DAVID of Evoïkos Lines, which had spent the 2016 season on the Piraeus-Northern Aegina line, connecting Athens with the port of Souvala. After just one season there, she was sold in 2017 to Kerkyra Lines, which refurbished her and renamed her MENEKRATIS. She operated on the Igoumenitsa-Corfu line, serving the port of Lefkimmi on the latter island. It was quite nice to see her under her new owners, name, livery and service, at the other side of the country. Another view of the IONAS, which had just arrived in Igoumenitsa. She was spending her second summer on the Igoumenitsa-Corfu-Paxoi line under S&L Ferries. She is therefore a fleetmate of the AGIOS SPIRIDON, and, together with the landing craft NIREAS, they make-up the fleet of the company. Just like her fleetmates, she became a ship operating for the Corfu Ferries joint venture in late 2018. Another view of the MENEKRATIS, during her second season under Kerkyra Lines. Her third summer with them however, will be spent on a service that she knows very well. Indeed, she has been chartered this year by Saronic Ferries (the joint venture which is composed of Nova Ferries and 2way Ferries) in order to return to the Piraeus-Northern Aegina line, thus serving Souvala once again. She will make her first appearance on the line in three years. I am therefore very excited that I will be seeing her once again on the Saronic Gulf. There will be many pictures of her there, without a doubt. Not far from the MENEKRATIS was another landing craft, namely the ELENI of Gerontakis Shipping. She has been owned by the latter since 2005, and she has been on the Igoumenitsa-Corfu line since 2007. Before that, she had spent all the first years of her career (which began in 1993) on the Rion-Antirrion line. Her company also joined the Corfu Ferries joint venture in late 2018. The IONAS seen in Igoumenitsa. Before beginning operations on a permanent basis on the Igoumenitsa-Corfu-Paxoi line in 2017, she previously had an adventurous career across all of Europe. Indeed, she had stints in Denmark, Spain (including service between the latter and Morocco), Italy, an initial stint in Greece, Russia and Ukraine, and Estonia. Her first stint in Greece was perhaps one of the shortest ones in recent Greek coastal service history. Indeed, she had been bought in 2012 by 2way Ferries alongside her sister ship, which was known as the DORIEUS from 2012 to 2014. Her conversion lasted two years, and she began service on the Igoumenitsa-Corfu line. But this service lasted just one month as she was then chartered to the Russian company Kerch Ferry State Shipping Company for service between Russian and Ukraine via the Kerch Strait, on the Kavkaz-Port Krym line. She was joined in that area by the DORIEUS, which had been sold to the Russian company JSC Proekt as the OLYMPIADA. In 2015 she was chartered again, this time to the Estonian company Saaremaa Laevakompanii, and she was deployed on the Virtsu-Kuivastu line. She stayed there until 2017, when she returned to Greece. Her ownership was transferred from 2way Ferries to S&L Ferries, and she returned to her service in Corfu. Another view of the IONAS, now operating on the Igoumenitsa-Corfu-Paxoi line for the second season in a row. The BARI seen about to depart, as the OLYMPIC CHAMPION is maneuvering in Igoumenitsa. The BARI, seen in Igoumenitsa during her ninth season under Ventouris Ferries, and her fourth consecutive summer on the Zakynthos-Kefalonia-Igoumenitsa-Corfu-Bari line. Since 2017, she has been joined by her fleetmate, namely the veteran cruiseferry RIGEL I, and both ships perform the itinerary during the summer. The IONAS seen in Igoumenitsa. The IONAS seen in Igoumenitsa alongside a former fleetmate, namely the double-ended ferry ANO CHORA II of 2way Ferries. In contrast to her fleetmates that operate on the Saronic Gulf, she operates on the Igoumenitsa-Corfu line, having been there since 2005. She is currently the only ferry of her company operating there, although the ACHAEOS (on which I had travelled on the same day as I took this picture) had previously served there as well between 2006 and 2013 (except during the 2011 summer season when she was on charter to the Italian company Blunavy) before returning to the Saronic Gulf in 2014. The ANO CHORA II resting in Igoumenitsa. With this picture, I had now seen and photographed all four ships currently owned by 2way Ferries. She was built in 2004 in Greece, and she spent her first year on the Rion-Antirrion line before moving to the Igoumenitsa-Corfu line in 2005. She had replaced her older fleetmate, namely the double-ended ferry ANO CHORA EXPRESS (built in 2001) which had been sold in 2003 to the Croatian company Jadrolinija. The ANO CHORA II is part of the Kerkyra Ferries joint venture, which is composed of her owners and Kerkyra Lines. Thus, it is interesting to see that all ships owned by 2way Ferris operate under a joint venture. Indeed, the ANO CHORA II operates under Kerkyra Ferries, while the three ships operating on the Saronic Gulf operate under Saronic Ferries (which her Kerkyra Ferries partner, namely the MENEKRATIS, is set to join this upcoming summer). The BARI about to depart Igoumenitsa. This turned out to be the last picture I took of a Greek ferry in a Greek port or in the Greek seas during the summer of 2018. The OLYMPIC CHAMPION docked in Igoumenitsa following a quick maneuvering procedure. There, I saw a tremendously large amount of passengers and vehicles boarding the ship. The number of people onboard more than quadrupled compared to when we were departing Patras. Most of them were Italian, and this explanation was justified by the fact that most tourists were now returning to their home country in late August after having spent the summer in Greece. The ship became completely crowded, to such an extent that we immediately went to the Dionysos self-service canteen as soon as we docked in Igoumenitsa in order to avoid a large queue. After eating an excellent dinner, we were beginning to depart the port at around 21:00, with the sun having ceded its place to the dark sky. This marked the official end of my stay in Greece for the summer of 2018, as we were now entering the Adriatic Sea, passing between Corfu and Albania in order to head towards the port of Ancona in Italy. As there was nothing to see in the dark, I remained inside the lounge alley in Deck 9, where my family had reserved the spinning chairs for the night (due to not being able to book a cabin). I thus left Greece in the middle of the night, and spent the next thirteen hours sleeping on the comfortable chair. Despite the increasing noise from other passengers standing next to us, this did not affect me as I had been too tired due to being awake since 05:00 that day. I woke up the following morning (on 26 August) at 10:00. We were in the middle of the Adriatic Sea at that time. Unfortunately, I could not go out once again due to poor weather, as it was still raining and there was quite an intense wind. I was thus unable to stay outdoors. Once the weather improved (although this did not last very long), I took a picture of the funnel as seen from the middle section of Deck 11. At around 14:00, we had finally arrived in Ancona. It was now the time to disembark. This is the staircase alley from which passengers held towards the ramps in order to leave the ship. Above it, you can see a picture of the ship's funnel as seen from Deck 11's middle section. Don't you think that it is quite similar to the picture I took of the ship (the one just above this one)? The picture (made-up of 16 different pieces all linked together like a puzzle) also says 'Have a nice journey!' both in Greek and in English. The stern of the OLYMPIC CHAMPION (featuring two large garage entrances for vehicles as well as the passenger entrance on the starboard side) shortly after disembarking her in a rainy Ancona. After exactly 24 hours, the trip came to an end. I had arrived in Italy for the first time in exactly ten years, and thus my interaction with the Greek coastal service for the summer of 2018 was officially over. We then left Ancona in order to head towards Milan, where my sister was due to begin her studies. Having spent an entire day (24 hours) onboard the OLYMPIC CHAMPION, I have to admit that it was a very nice experience. There were some issues that made this highly-anticipated trip not this perfect, notably the lack of other Adriatic Sea ships seen through the trip (except for the CRUISE EUROPA), the poor weather which forced me to spend a large portion of the trip indoors, and generally the overcrowded passengers which made too much noise. Moreover, the areas I once admired, such as the swimming pool section or the discothèque lounge, were no longer being used for leisure. Instead, they have been abandoned and passengers are now using them like bedrooms. This clearly shows the decline of the cruiseferrries on the Adriatic Sea, but the passengers are to blame. They do not care about a comfortable trip which would give the impression that they are traveling onboard a cruise ship (despite the modern and flawless amenities offered by the ship). They now simply want to go from Port A to Port B, regardless of the services offered onboard. Despite these issues, I was very happy to travel with the ship after exactly ten years since my last trip onboard her. Although she is no longer the newly-built jewel of ANEK Lines that everyone used to know during the 2000s, she still offers an efficient service, and her crew is extremely hardworking and does the best it can in order to maintain order onboard. Thus, I was satisfied to see that the financially-weakened ANEK Lines still have an excellent ship that helps them survive the arduous conditions that they have been experiencing since the start of the Greek financial crisis. And so this marks the end of the 2018 Greek coastal service season. It was undoubtedly one which saw me traveling in many places and taking pictures of various ships. Overall, I took almost 2,500 pictures of 150 different Greek ships, wrote 16 blog posts regarding various topics and trips, and traveled a total of 26 times with 19 different ships (and traveling on 12 of them for the first time). That summer saw me first on the Cyclades (in Ios, Mykonos and Delos), then in Athens (during which I made a few trips to Aegina and one in Salamina), a brief stay in Evoia, followed by a return to the Cyclades (this time in Naxos, Paros and Antiparos), and then a classic family stay in Zakynthos and Aegina, concluding with a trip on the Adriatic Sea. I am looking forward to seeing many ships (including new introductions) in the next few weeks, when I am going to return to Greece from late June 2019 to late August 2019. #olympicchampion #aneklines #anekatticagroup #summer2018 #greece #italy #patraicgulf #igoumenitsagulf #ionian #adriatic #patras #igoumenitsa #ancona #cruiseeuropa #minoanlines #meganisiii #coastallinesionioscorporation #agiosgerasimosii #lixourine #agiosspiridon #ionas #slferries #northwestferriesi #bari #ventourisferries #menekratis #kerkyralines #eleni #gerontakisshipping #anochoraii #2wayferries #tribute

As I had also done back in 13 July 2017, when I went to the port to watch various high speed craft arriving and departing Ios, I once again headed there, once for the same occasion on 24 July 2021, and then again on 26 July 2021 just before our planned departure for Tinos. I had arrived in Ios on 22 July 2021, just a day after having gone to Piraeus after having left Aegina with the ELENI of Kerkyra Seaways. We headed to Ios with the high speed ferry WORLDCHAMPION JET of Sea Jets. This was my third time traveling with this ship, as I had already done back-to-back trips on 20 September 2020, during which I spent a whole day in Syros. As such, I did not need to write a Tribute Post featuring her indoor and outdoor areas, as these were already covered in this Blog. Nevertheless, the WORLDCHAMPION JET is a key feature of this specific Blog post, as you will see later on. Overall, in contrast with 2017 and 2018, the island of Ios, despite gaining more and more popularity and being visited by several tourists, has seen its ferry connection experiencing an overall decline. Indeed, back in 2018, there were three high speed ferries connecting it with Heraklion (as well as the two conventional ferries of Golden Star Ferries at the time), against just one in 2021. Moreover, it only had three ferries serving it from Piraeus (against 7 in 2018), and just one from Rafina (against 3 in 2018). It maintains its presence on most of the inter-Cyclades services based in Lavrion and Syros, as well as its connection with the Lesser Cyclades during the summer, which is covered once a week by the EXPRESS SKOPELITIS of Small Cyclades Lines. As such, for shipping enthusiasts like myself who know the island well, this is a real problem that certainly needs to be addressed in the near future, as the island truly deserves a sound ferry connection like other prominent islands of the Cyclades (such as Mykonos, Santorini, Paros, Naxos or Syros) have on a regular basis. In spite of this, I was still able to see and photograph a few of the ships stopping by the island on a daily basis, and these pictures once again highlight the beauty of the island's port and landscape. 24 July 2021: I went to the port of Ios at around 11:00 with two of my friends in order to see the ferries that would be arriving at the port during the middle of the day. We stayed on the hills over the port in order to have a better view. Just before noon, I saw the high speed ferry POWER JET of Sea Jets, which was arriving from Santorini. A view of the POWER JET as she is seen sailing at full-speed towards the port of Ios. Built in 1996 in Australia, she was spending her second summer in Greece and under Sea Jets. She was bought by the latter in 2017, and she underwent a refit that lasted three years. The latter was performed in Salamina and Chalkida. In her debut season she operated on the Heraklion-Santorini-Naxos-Paros-Mykonos line, while in 2021 the island of Ios was added to her itinerary, hence she was deployed on the Heraklion-Santorini-Ios-Naxos-Paros-Mykonos line. The POWER JET seen as she is heading towards her docking spot in Ios. Since her introduction to service under Sea Jets, she became the company's main ship on the popular Heraklion-Cyclades service. She operated alongside the NAXOS JET, which was more dedicated to the shorter Heraklion-Rethymnon-Santorini-Naxos line. The POWER JET seen heading towards her docking spot in Ios. The summer of 2021 proved to be a huge success for her, as she was transporting the most passengers from Heraklion to the Cyclades. With that, however, came many delays as there was too much congestion in the ports and it took significant time for so many passengers and vehicles to embark and disembark the ship in all ports. Nevertheless, this summer proved that the ship could offer reliable service, which only brought more revenue to Sea Jets. The speedy POWER JET seen in Ios. Before arriving in Greece, she previously was on the Baltic Sea, where she began her career. She had been delivered in 1996 to the German company TT-Line GmbH, and she operated under its TT-Clipper brandname on the Rostock-Trelleborg line as the DELPHIN, being later renamed TT-DELPHIN in 2002. She performed this service until 2005, when she was sold to the Egyptian company United Company for Marine Lines, who deployed her on the Hurgada-Duba line on the Red Sea as the ALMOTTAHEDAH 1 in 2006. She hence connected Egypt with Saudi Arabia. In 2012 she was laid-up in Hurgada due to her owners' financial problems, and she went on to stay there for 5 years, until her sale to Sea Jets. A view of the POWER JET in Ios. She belongs to the Austal Auto Express 82-class, which consists of four high speed ferries built by the famed Austal Shipyard in Australia. They were delivered in 1996 and 1997 to four different shipping companies. The first one, namely the DELPHIN (the current POWER JET) was delivered to TT-Line GmbH in 1996. The second one was the FELIX, which was delivered to the Danish company Scandlines in 1996, and she began service on the Dragør-Limhamn line on the Øresund. She then operated as the FELIX E for the Spanish company Ferrymed on the Algeciras-Ceuta line from 2000 to 2001, before being sold to the Italian company SNAV in 2002, for whom she began operations as the CROAZIA JET on the Ancona-Split line on the Adriatic Sea. In 2015 she was sold to the Venezuelan company Conferry, and she was deployed on the Guanta-El Guamache line on the Caribbean Sea. Her company experienced severe difficulties and as a result she was laid-up in El Guamache, where she has been languishing for three years. The third vessel, namely the BOOMERANG, was delivered in 1997 to the Polish company Polferries, and she also served the Baltic Sea at the start of her career, being assigned on the Świnoujście-Malmö line. In 2001 she was sold to the Estonian giants Tallink, being renamed TALLINK AUTOEXPRESS 2, and she served the Tallinn-Helsinki line on the Finnish Gulf. In 2008 she was also sold to Conferry She retained her name and she was deployed on the Puerto La Cruz-Margarita line. She was then reunited with her sister ship, namely the CROAZIA JET, in 2015. But her company's serious financial issues saw her being laid-up in 2017 in Guanta. Being left in a terrible state, she began listing in 2018, and she eventually sank in the port by 2021. Finally, the fourth vessel, namely the SUPERSTAR EXPRESS, was not delivered to a Northern European company, instead she joined the Malaysian company Star Cruises in 1997, and she spent a year as the SUPERSTAR EXPRESS LANGKAWI on the Butterworth-Langkawi line on the Penang Strait. In 1998 she was chartered to P&O European Ferries, being again renamed SUPERSTAR EXPRESS, and she was deployed on the Cherbourg-Portsmouth line on the Channel. In 2000 she joined P&O Irish Sea and she operated on the Troon-Cairnryan-Larne line up until 2004. In 2005 she was sold to the Argentinian company Buquebus, being renamed AVEMAR DOS, and she operated for the company's Spanish division on the Algeciras-Ceuta line, previously served by her sister ship, namely the ex-FELIX E. In 2008 she joined the Spanish company Baleària, for whom she continued to operate on the Algeciras-Ceuta line. In 2021 she was deployed on the Dénia-Ibiza line. The POWER JET seen shortly before starting her maneuvering procedure. As indicated above, she and her sister ships have had very unusual paths, and they very rarely found themselves in a stable service, with the exception of the AVEMAR DOS. The POWER JET has also seemed to find her place under Sea Jets, while the two other sister ships that went to Venezuela had a more unfortunate experience. The POWER JET preparing to maneuver in Ios. The POWER JET seen undergoing her maneuvering procedure in the port of Ios. The POWER JET having completed her maneuvering procedure and now preparing to dock in Ios. The POWER JET having just docked in Ios and now unloading passengers and vehicles. Just a few moments after the POWER JET had docked in Ios, I saw her fleetmate, namely the WORLDCHAMPION JET, which had arrived from Naxos. The impressive WORLDCHAMPION JET having arrived in Ios. Built in 2000 in Australia (also at the Austal Shipyard, just like the POWER JET), she began service for Sea Jets in 2019, as she was deployed on the Piraeus-Syros-Mykonos-Naxos-Santorini line. Her tremendous success there saw her extending her service to the Piraeus-Syros-Mykonos-Paros-Naxos-Ios-Santorini line in 2020, while in 2021 she was operating on the Piraeus-Syros-Mykonos-Naxos-Ios-Santorini line. The WORLDCHAMPION JET seen in Ios. Since her introduction to service for Sea Jets, she has gone to have a stellar career on the Cyclades, and she immediately became the fastest ship of the Greek coastal service. She quickly became a passenger favourite, and she competed extremely well against companies like Blue Star Ferries, Golden Star Ferries, Hellenic Seaways and Fast Ferries. The POWER JET seen docked in Ios, right before her departure. The amazing WORLDCHAMPION JET, on which I had traveled just two days before taking this picture, seen heading towards her docking spot in Ios. In the meantime, her fleetmate, namely the POWER JET, began to leave the port of Ios. The POWER JET seen maneuvering as she departs the port of Ios. The POWER JET seen leaving the port of Ios in order to head towards Naxos. The WORLDCHAMPION JET seen preparing to dock in Ios, now that the POWER JET has departed the port. The WORLDCHAMPION JET seen about to head towards her docking spot in Ios. My trip with her on 22 July 2021 was the third one that I did, as the first two were from Piraeus to Syros and back on 20 September 2020. A nice view of the WORLDCHAMPION JET, as seen from the entrance gate of the beautiful Church of Agia Eirini in Ios, which is one of the most recognisable churches of the Cyclades. The WORLDCHAMPION JET seen in Ios, right before starting her maneuvering procedure. Just like the POWER JET, she first started her career in Northern Europe and on the Baltic Sea. She was originally the VILLUM CLAUSEN of the Danish company Bornholms Traffiken, and she served the Rønne-Ystad line. At the time of her delivery in 2000, she was the fastest ferry in the world, even appearing in the Guinness Book of World Records for having performed the fastest crossing ever recorded by a passenger vessel. This record stood until 2013, when it was overtaken by the newly-built FRANCISCO of the Argentinian company Buquebus. In 2010, the ship's company saw itself merging with the Danish services of Scandlines, and therefore Bornholms Traffiken was renamed Bornholmer Færgen. She remained on the Rønne-Ystad line until 2018, when she was sold to Sea Jets. The POWER JET seen leaving Ios in order to head to Naxos, from which the WORLDCHAMPION JET had just arrived from, A nice picture featuring the WORLDCHAMPION JET and the POWER JET, which are the two high speed ferries of Sea Jets that come from the famed Austal Shipyard. They were built four years apart, and the class of the WORLDCHAMPION JET, namely the Austal Auto Express 86-class, is considered to be an upgrade over the class of the POWER JET, which belongs to the Austal Auto Express 82-class. Sea Jets also has another ship built in the same shipyard, namely the passenger-only catamaran SIFNOS JET, which was built in 1999. The WORLDCHAMPION JET and POWER JET seen together in Ios. They are two of the most recent introductions for Sea Jets, as the WORLDCHAMPION JET began service on the Cyclades in 2019, whereas the POWER JET was introduced in 2020. In addition, both vessels notably feature a race-car that is permanently exhibited in their atrium areas. The WORLDCHAMPION JET features a Minardi race-car that was used during the 2003 Forumal 1 season, and formerly driven by the now-retired Jos Verstappen (the father of Max Verstappen, who currently leads the standings of the 2021 Formula 1 season). The POWER JET features a rally car that was driven by the owner of Sea Jets, Marios Iliopoulos, who is known to be a racing enthusiast. The WORLDCHAMPION JET and the POWER JET seen meeting up in the port of Ios. The POWER JET seen leaving Ios, while the WORLDCHAMPION JET heads towards her docking spot. The POWER JET seen as she is sailing away to Naxos. The WORLDCHAMPION JET seen on her way to her docking spot in Ios, during her third season under Sea Jets. A view of the POWER JET from the beautiful entrance gate of the Church of Agia Eirini in Ios. One final view of the POWER JET, as she makes her trip to Naxos. The WORLDCHAMPION JET seen right before beginning her maneuvering procedure in Ios. The WORLDCHAMPION JET seen in Ios, now ready to start her maneuvering procedure. The WORLDCHAMPION JET seen maneuvering in Ios. The WORLDCHAMPION JET having quickly completed her maneuvering procedure and now ready to dock in Ios. The WORLDCHAMPION JET preparing to dock in Ios. The WORLDCHAMPION JET having docked in Ios. The WORLDCHAMPION JET seen taking a quick rest in the port of Ios. As a further recognition for her services and her excellent first season in Greece, the high speed ferry was given the 'Ship of the Year' award given by Lloyd's List Greek Shipping Awards for 2019. As a result, she became the third ferry to win this prestigious prize, after the NISSOS MYKONOS of Hellenic Seaways (now the BLUE STAR MYCONOS of Blue Star Ferries) in 2006 and the NISSOS CHIOS, also of Hellenic Seaways (now the BLUE STAR CHIOS of Blue Star Ferries) in 2007. The WORLDCHAMPION JET quickly unloaded the passengers and vehicles that were bound for Ios and then loaded the new ones. She was then seen departing the port in order to head to Santorini. The WORLDCHAMPION JET seen as she departs the port of Ios in order to head to Santorini. The WORLDCHAMPION JET undergoing a quick maneuvering procedure as she leaves the port of Ios. The impressive WORLDCHAMPION JET now ready to sail towards Santorini from Ios. The WORLDCHAMPION JET seen as she now heads at full-speed from Ios to Santorini. Only a few minutes after the WORLDCHAMPION JET had left Ios, I got to see the conventional ferry ARTEMIS of Hellenic Seaways approaching the bay where the port of Ios is located. The ARTEMIS seen arriving in Ios, an island that she has been serving on a regular basis since 2015, when she was deployed by her company on the inter-Cyclades lifeline service based out of Lavrion, which is essentially the Lavrion-Kea-Kythnos-Syros-Tinos-Andros-Paros-Naxos-Ios-Sikinos-Folegandros-Kimolos-Milos-Sifnos-Serifos line. The beautiful ferry ARTEMIS is seen heading towards her docking spot in Ios. She has been operating on her current service since 2015, when she was assigned to fill the void left by NEL Lines, which was the company that had been serving the inter-Cyclades lifeline with two ships. As a result of the company's economic difficulties, all their vessels were arrested by their crews or by port authorities. As a result, the ARTEMIS, which was previously based on the Saronic Gulf, took over the service that had been covered by the AQUA JEWEL (owned by Sea Jets since 2017), and she has since become an integral part of the Cyclades, serving as the lifeblood between almost all islands that she serves. The ARTEMIS seen as she heads towards her docking spot in Ios. She was built in 1997 in Greece, and she spent the first part of her career on the Saronic Gulf. She was initially known as the GEORGIOS 2 of Akouriki Shipping Company, and she was operating on the Piraeus-Aegina-Methana-Poros-Hydra-Spetses-Porto Cheli line. She continued to serve that line even after her company was absorbed by Minoan Flying Dolphins (which was renamed Hellas Flying Dolphins in 2002) following the 1999 season, and for whom she operated under the Saronikos Ferries division. After her company was rebranded as Hellenic Seaways in 2005, she was renamed ARTEMIS and she continued to serve the Saronic Gulf, namely on the Piraeus-Aegina-Agistri-Methana-Poros-Hydra-Spetses line (2005-2007) and on the Piraeus-Aegina-Methana-Poros line (2008). In 2009 she was chartered to ANEK Lines and she was deployed on the inter-Cyclades lifeline for the first time in her career, being assigned on the Lavrion-Kea-Kythnos-Syros-Tinos-Andros-Paros-Naxos-Donousa-Amorgos-Milos-Kimolos-Folegandros-Sikinos-Ios-Santorini-Thirassia-Anafi line for four seasons. After the completion of the 2012 season, she returned to Hellenic Seaways and she was deployed on the Volos-Skiathos-Skopelos-Alonissos line on the Sporades in 2013. The following year she returned to the Saronic Gulf, on the Piraeus-Aegina-Agistri-Methana-Poros line, while in 2015 she returned to the inter-Cyclades service, as mentioned previously. The ARTEMIS seen arriving in Ios, during what was her seventh consecutive season on the Cyclades, and her eleventh overall season in the region. The ARTEMIS seen arriving in Ios. In 2021, she was the only conventional ferry of Hellenic Seaways that was serving the Cyclades, although the ARIADNE did call ports such as Paros, Naxos and Santorini, as part of her itinerary on the Dodecanese. The ARTEMIS seen in Ios, as she heads towards her docking spot. During her first stint on the Cyclades, she was one of three ferries that were deployed on the inter-Cyclades lifeline. Indeed, NEL Lines maintained two vessels there, namely the high speed ferry AEOLOS KENTERIS I in 2009, the high speed ferry AEOLOS KENTERIS II from 2009 to 2011, the AQUA JEWEL from 2010 to 2014, and the AQUA SPIRIT (which later also joined Sea Jets in 2016, before being sold in 2017 to the Canadian company BC Ferries) from 2011 to 2015. Since her departure in 2012, there have only been two ships. As of 2021, the other vessel serving the lifeline was the CALDERA VISTA of Sea Jets, which was operating on the Lavrion-Kea-Kythnos-Andros-Karystos-Tinos-Syros-Paros-Naxos-Donousa-Amorgos-Koufonisi-Schoinousa-Irakleia-Folegandros-Sikinos-Ios-Thirassia-Santorini-Anafi line. A view of the ARTEMIS in Ios, as she continues to head towards her docking spot. She has been a part of my childhood memories, during her time on the Saronic Gulf. Indeed, during the largest portion of the 2000s as well as in 2014, I saw her many times in Piraeus and in Aegina, which is one of the two islands in which I spend a large part of my summer holidays in Greece, alongside Zakynthos. I also traveled with her a few times, possibly when she was operating as the GEORGIOS 2 as well (although I cannot remember this with certainty as I was too young and I could not remember the trips that I did up until I turned 7 years old). My last trip with her was in 2008, when I was heading from Methana to Aegina (the only time that I have ever done such a trip). The ARTEMIS seen as she heads towards her docking spot in the port of Ios. The ARTEMIS seen shortly before her maneuvering procedure in Ios. The ARTEMIS now seen maneuvering in Ios. The ARTEMIS seen completing her maneuvering procedure in order to dock in the port of Ios. The ARTEMIS seen as she is about to dock in the port of Ios. The ARTEMIS seen docking in the port of Ios. The ARTEMIS having just docked in Ios, and now taking a very quick rest. The ARTEMIS seen docked in the port of Ios. The ARTEMIS docked in Ios. She is now seen preparing for her departure to Sikinos. The ARTEMIS seen in the port of Ios, shortly before her eventual departure for Sikinos. The ARTEMIS having loaded most of her passengers and vehicles in Ios. The ARTEMIS now seen departing the port of Ios. The ARTEMIS seen leaving the port of Ios in order to head towards Sikinos. One last view of the ARTEMIS as she is seen leaving the port of Ios. These were all the pictures that I took that day. I only saw three ships, but I had the chance to photograph them many times and within a beautiful landscape. 26 July 2021: On 26 July 2021, I headed to the port of Ios alongside my friends as we were planning to leave the port in order to head to Tinos. This was done through a trip with the SUPEREXPRESS of Golden Star Ferries, which was the only high speed ferry that connected both islands on a daily basis. As we arrived quite early in the port, I noticed the small passenger ship MAÏSTROS of the Santorini Boatmen Union maneuvering in Ios. The stern of the MAÏSTROS seen in Ios. She maneuvered several times around the port before she finally got to dock. The MAÏSTROS seen maneuvering in Ios. This was her second consecutive summer operating on Santorini-Anafi-Ios-Sikinos-Folegandros line, which became a subsidised service in 2020. At the same time as I was seeing the MAÏSTROS, the WORLDCHAMPION JET had arrived in Ios. The WORLDCHAMPION JET seen on her way towards her docking spot in Ios. The WORLDCHAMPION JET seen arriving in Ios, alongside the MAÏSTROS. The WORLDCHAMPION JET and the MAÏSTROS seen together in Ios. Both ships were introduced to Greek waters in 2019. Indeed, the WORLDCHAMPION JET spent her first season in Greece that year, after having been bought by Sea Jets. The MAÏSTROS, on the other hand, was built in 2019, being the most recent newbuilding of the Santorini Boatmen Union. The WORLDCHAMPION JET seen approaching her docking spot in Ios. The WORLDCHAMPION JET seen in Ios, shortly before she underwent her maneuvering procedure. The WORLDCHAMPION JET seen maneuvering in Ios. As indicated previously, she belongs to the Austal Auto Express 86-class, which is composed of seven sister ships delivered to various companies between 1998 and 2004. The class includes the TURGUT ÖZAL and the ADNAN MENDERES, which were both delivered in 1998 to the Turkish company İstanbul Deniz Otobüsleri (İDO), and they deployed on the İstanbul-Bandırma line on the Marmara Sea. The TURGUT ÖZAL was sold in 2019 to the Greek company Fast Ferries, and she began service for them in 2021 on Piraeus-Syros-Mykonos-Naxos line on the Cyclades as the THUNDER. They were followed by the JONATHAN SWIFT, which was delivered to the Irish company Irish Ferries in 1999 and she served on the Holyhead-Dublin line on the Irish Sea until her sale to the Spanish company Baleària in 2018, for whom she began service as the CECILIA PAYNE. Later in 1999, the CARMEN ERNESTINA was delivered to the Venezuelan company Conferry, and, together with the LILIA CONCEPCIÓN which was delivered in 2002, they were deployed on the Puerto La Cruz-Margarita line. However, just like their fleetmates that were also built in the Austal Shipyard, they were laid-up in Puerto La Cruz in 2017 due to Conferry's poor financial situation, and they have been languishing ever since. Between these two ships, the WORLDCHAMPION JET, then known as the VILLUM CLAUSEN, was delivered to Bornholms Traffiken in 2000. Finally, the SPIRIT OF ONTARIO I was delivered in 2004 to Canadian American Transportation Systems for a service on the Rochester-Toronto line on Lake Ontario. She was sold in 2007 to the German company Förde Reederei Seetouristik (FRS), being renamed TANGER JET II, and she was deployed under the FRS Iberia division on the Tarifa-Tangier Med line on the Gibraltar Strait. In 2012 she returned to the parent company of FRS and she joined the newly-created Kattegat-Ruten division. She was renamed DOLPHIN JET and she operated on the Aarhus-Kalundborg line on the Kattegat from 2012 to 2013. That year she was sold to Conferry, and she reunited with her sister ships, as the VIRGEN DE COROMOTO on the Puerto La Cruz-Margarita line. She has however suffered the same fate as her fleetmates, as she has remained laid-up in Puerto Cabello since 2018. As such, out of the seven ships, only four remain active as of 2021. The WORLDCHAMPION JET seen undergoing her maneuvering procedure in Ios. The WORLDCHAMPION JET completing her maneuvering procedure in the port of Ios. The WORLDCHAMPION JET completing her maneuvering procedure in Ios, after having arrived from Naxos. The MAÏSTROS now also seen approaching the dock of Ios. The MAÏSTROS seen arriving in the port of Ios. When she was built in 2019, she spent her first summer on the Santorini-Nea Kameni-Palaia Kameni-Anafi-Ios line. She has two sister ships and fleetmates, built in 2013 and 2015, respectively: the GARBIS and the SANTORINI. The MAÏSTROS seen in Ios. Her company, the Santorini Boatmen Union, has been providing a wide range of services based in Santorini, from bringing passengers of cruise ships to shore, to excursions and visits in the volcanic islands of Nea Kameni and Palaia Kameni and other islands of the Cyclades, to mooring services and fixed itineraries. The MAÏSTROS seen maneuvering in Ios. A view of the MAÏSTROS as she is undergoing her maneuvering procedure in Ios. The WORLDCHAMPION JET having docked in Ios and seen loading new passengers and vehicles. The WORLDCHAMPION JET seen in Ios, shortly before her subsequent departure to Santorini. The WORLDCHAMPION JET now seen leaving Ios. The WORLDCHAMPION JET seen departing the port of Ios in order to head to Santorini. One last view of the WORLDCHAMPION JET as she leaves Ios for Santorini. The MAÏSTROS having docked in Ios. The MAÏSTROS now seen departing the port of Ios. The MAÏSTROS seen maneuvering as she leaves the port of Ios. The MAÏSTROS seen leaving Ios in order to head to Sikinos. Almost an hour later, I saw the high speed ferry SUPEREXPRESS of Golden Star Ferries arriving in Ios. The SUPEREXPRESS seen arriving in Ios, in what was her third year under Golden Star Ferries. This was her first summer operating on the Rafina-Tinos-Mykonos-Naxos-Paros-Ios-Santorini line, which she took over from her former fleetmate, the SUPERRUNNER, which was sold to Sea Jets in 2021 and was renamed SUPERRUNNER JET. The impressive SUPEREXPRESS seen arriving in Ios. Her season was considered extremely successful, and she was praised by many for her excellent service and her amenities. The SUPEREXPRESS seen arriving in Ios, right before beginning her maneuvering procedure. She was bought in 2018, under a co-ownership status between Golden Star Ferries and Fast Ferries. Initially renamed GOLDEN EXPRESS, she was instead renamed SUPEREXPRESS in 2019 when Fast Ferries left the agreement and the ship was placed under the ownership of Golden Star Ferries. She spent her first season on the Piraeus-Paros-Naxos-Mykonos-Tinos-Andros-Rafina line. A view of the SUPEREXPRESS right before she started her maneuvering procedure in Ios. Before arriving in Greece, she had a lengthy career in Europe, and operated for several owners. She was built in 1998, also in Australia, but in the Incat Shipyard, which went on to build several high speed craft that were subsequently bought by Greek ferry companies. She began service as the CATALONIA L for the Argentinian company Buquebus, and operated on their Western Mediterranean services. Between 2000 and 2004, she would alternate her services during the year, spending time under charter to P&O European Ferries under their P&O Portsmouth division as the PORTSMOUTH EXPRESS on the Cherbourg-Portsmouth line on the Channel over the summer, while continuing her services as the CATALONIA under Buquebus over the winter. She was eventually bought by P&O Portsmouth in 2004 and resumed service on the Cherbourg-Portsmouth line as the EXPRESS. In 2005 she was transferred to the P&O Irish Sea division and served the Troon-Cairnryan-Larne line, until 2015 when her company decided to end this service. She was then sold to the Swedish company Gotlandsbåten in 2016, and had an unsuccessful spell on the Västervik-Visby-Nynäshamn line. She was subsequently chartered in 2017 to the Finnish company Viking Line, being deployed on the Tallinn-Helsinki line. The following year she was chartered to the Spanish company Naviera Armas and she was inserted on the Los Cristianos-San Sebastián de La Gomera-Valle Gran Rey line on the Canary Islands Archipelago. After her charter was completed, she was sold to Golden Star Ferries. The SUPEREXPRESS seen in Ios, just before starting her maneuvering procedure. She became the fourth high speed craft to join the company. However, she is now the sole ship of her type that continues to operate for them, as the other three were sold to Sea Jets in 2021. The SUPEREXPRESS seen maneuvering in Ios. The SUPEREXPRESS seen in Ios as she undertakes her maneuvering procedure. Just like the WORLDCHAMPION JET, one of her main rivals, the SUPEREXPRESS also made history at the start of her career thanks to her speed. Indeed, she earned the Blue Riband Challenge Trophy (also known as the Hales Trophy) for having made the fastest Eastbound Atlantic Ocean crossing, while performing her delivery voyage from New York to Ceuta, just before starting her operations under Buquebus. Her record however lasted just six weeks, as it was then surpassed by her younger sister ship, the CAT-LINK V of Scandlines (now the SKÅNE JET of FRS). The SUPEREXPRESS seen maneuvering in Ios. She is one of four sister ships that belong to the Incat 91m WPC-class, which were delivered in 1997 and 1998. The first ship was the DEVIL CAT, which was leased to the Australian company TT-Line for service on the Melbourne-George Town line on the Bass Strait from late 1997 to early 1998. Later in that year she was sold to the Canadian company Bay Ferries (now Bay Ferries Limited), being renamed THE CAT, and she was inserted on the Bay Harbor-Yarmouth line on the Gulf of Maine. In 2002 she was sold to the New Zealand-based company Interisland Line (which was renamed Interislander in 2004), and she operated as the INCAT 046 on the Wellington-Picton line on the Cook Strait. Her spell there was unsuccessful, and she was sold back to Bay Ferries in 2003, which chartered her to the Trinidadian state-owned company Trinidad and Tobago Inter-Island Ferry Service. She was deployed on the Port of Spain-Scarborough line on the Caribbean Sea, and she was eventually bought by the company in 2006, being renamed T&T EXPRESS. She was laid-up in 2018, and was then sold to the Spanish company Trasmapi in 2021. However, on her way back to Europe, she sank on the Atlantic Ocean. The second ship was the current SUPEREXPRESS, delivered to Buquebus in 1998. A few days later, Scandlines received the third ship and the fourth ship of the class, namely the CAT-LINK IV and the CAT-LINK V, respectively. Both ships were deployed on the Aarhus-Kalundborg line on Kattegat, until they were acquired only a year later by the fellow Danish company Mols-Linien (known as Molslinjen since 2017), and they were renamed MAX MOLS and MADS MOLS, respectively. They were deployed on the Aarhus-Odden line. While the MADS MOLS remained on that service until 2005, the MAX MOLS would spent the summer under charter to various companies, including the Canadian company Marine Atlantic in 2000, the Latvian company Riga Sea Line in 2002, and P&O Ferries in 2004, operating on the Caen-Portsmouth line under the latter. After her charter was completed she returned to the Aarhus-Odden line, where she remained until 2018, when she was deployed on the Rønne-Ystad line as the MAX under Bornholmslinjen, hence taking over the service left by the current WORLDCHAMPION JET. Finally, the MADS MOLS was sold in 2005 and she was renamed INCAT 049, being only reactivated a year later under the Norwegian company Master Ferries, which renamed her MASTER CAT and deployed her on the Hanstholm-Kristiansad line on the Skagerrak. In 2008 her services were merged under the Norwegian company Fjord Line, and she was renamed FJORD CAT. She operated on the Hirtshals-Kristiansad line until 2020, when she was sold to FRS. She was renamed SKÅNE JET and she was deployed on the Sassnitz-Ystad line. The SUPEREXPRESS now seen maneuvering the port of Ios, during the first season in which she operated on the Cyclades out of Rafina. The SUPEREXPRESS completing her maneuvering procedure in order to dock in Ios. In 2021, Golden Star Ferries only operated three ships: the SUPEREXPRESS, the SUPERFERRY and the SUPERFERRY II. This was due to them having sold the SUPERRUNNER, the SUPERCAT and the SUPERSPEED to Sea Jets just before the summer season began. The SUPERFERRY II also joined Sea Jets a few days ago, having been renamed SUPERSTAR. The SUPEREXPRESS now preparing to dock in Ios. The SUPEREXPRESS having now docked in Ios. Only a few hours after taking this picture, I found myself traveling onboard her, while heading from Ios to Tinos. This marked the second time that I traveled with a high speed craft of Golden Star Ferries, as the first one had been with the SUPERRUNNER on 17 June 2018, also while departing from Ios, even though that time I had traveled to Mykonos. The SUPEREXPRESS seen docked in Ios, just before her departure for Santorini. One last view of the SUPEREXPRESS in Ios. This therefore marks the end of my post, with the pictures taken on 26 July 2021 serving as a prelude to the trip that I went on to have with the SUPEREXPRESS. Overall, it was really nice to take pictures of well-known ships from such a nice spot on such a beautiful island. While I did not see that many ships, I was nevertheless happy to see some of the main protagonists of the Cyclades, from the top high speed craft of the Greek coastal service to reliable local vessels such as the ARTEMIS and the smaller MAÏSTROS. I will however reiterate that the island deserves to have more ferry connections, just like it did from 2017 to 2019. This is essential considering that the levels of tourism in Greece are on the rise again, with the Cyclades Islands being projected to have even higher amounts of visitors in 2022. That way, I will also be able to see and photograph even more ships serving this beautiful island. #summer2021 #greece #cyclades #aegean #ios #powerjet #worldchampionjet #seajets #artemis #hellenicseaways #maistros #santoriniboatmenunion #superexpress #goldenstarferries