PANAGIA KOIMISIS ΙΙ (ΠΑΝΑΓΙΑ ΚΟΙΜΗΣΗΣ ΙΙ) -Antiparos Shipping Built in 1996 (age 29). Registered in Piraeus. Current line: None (under refit in Elafonisos) The landing craft PANAGIA KOIMISIS II was built in 1996 in Greece, as the FANEROMENI POROU of the Greek company VR Ferries. She was deployed on the Galatas Troizinias-Poros line, and she remained there for ten years. She was sold in 2006 to NE Elafonisou, and she was renamed PANAGIA KOIMISIS II. She was deployed on the Pounta-Elafonisos line, where she remained until 2008. That year, she was sold to Antiparos Shipping, and she underwent a major conversion in Perama, whereupon she was lengthened and she saw her indoor areas being fully refurbished. She entered service on the Paros-Antiparos line on the Cyclades , where she has since been remaining. PHOTOS (2018): PANAGIA KOIMISIS II The PANAGIA KOIMISIS II seen in Antiparos (7/2018). PANAGIA KOIMISIS II The PANAGIA KOIMISIS II seen in Antiparos (7/2018). PANAGIA KOIMISIS II The PANAGIA KOIMISIS II resting in Antiparos (7/2018). PANAGIA KOIMISIS II The PANAGIA KOIMISIS II resting in Antiparos (7/2018).

DIMOSTHENIS K (ΔΗΜΟΣΘΕΝΗΣ Κ) -Seven Islands Cruises Built in 1994 (age 31 ). Registered in Zakynthos. Current line: None (under refit in Lefkada) The small passenger ship DIMOSTHENIS K was built in 1994 in Greece, as the first ship for the newly-established Greek tour company Top Cruiser, which is based in Zakynthos. She was the first-ever large tour boat based in Zakynthos, and she was the flagship of Top Cruiser for 30 years. She performs daily cruises around Zakynthos, while also occasionally making stops to the small island of Marathonisi. In 2006 she underwent a refit in Perama, during which she was lengthened and her bow was remodeled. In 2024 she was sold to Seven Islands Cruises. PHOTOS (2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024): DIMOSTHENIS K The DIMOSTHENIS K leaving the port of Zakynthos for a trip around the island (7/2015). DIMOSTHENIS K The DIMOSTHENIS K leaving Zakynthos for her morning cruise (7/2015). DIMOSTHENIS K The DIMOSTHENIS K leaving Zakynthos for an afternoon cruise (7/2016). DIMOSTHENIS K The DIMOSTHENIS K in Zakynthos (7/2016). DIMOSTHENIS K The DIMOSTHENIS K resting in the port of Zakynthos (7/2017). DIMOSTHENIS K The DIMOSTHENIS K resting in the port of Zakynthos (7/2017). DIMOSTHENIS K The DIMOSTHENIS K seen resting in Zakynthos (8/2018). DIMOSTHENIS K The DIMOSTHENIS K seen resting in Zakynthos (7/2019). DIMOSTHENIS K The DIMOSTHENIS K seen sailing near Zakynthos, after having left Marathonisi (8/2021). DIMOSTHENIS K The DIMOSTHENIS K seen near Porto Vromi in Zakynthos (8/2021). DIMOSTHENIS K The DIMOSTHENIS K seen near Porto Vromi in Zakynthos (8/2021). DIMOSTHENIS K The DIMOSTHENIS K seen near Porto Vromi in Zakynthos (8/2021). DIMOSTHENIS K The DIMOSTHENIS K seen leaving the beach of Porto Vromi in Zakynthos (8/2021). DIMOSTHENIS K The DIMOSTHENIS K seen leaving the beach of Porto Vromi in Zakynthos (8/2021). DIMOSTHENIS K The DIMOSTHENIS K seen leaving the beach of Porto Vromi in Zakynthos (8/2021). DIMOSTHENIS K The DIMOSTHENIS K seen sailing towards the beach of Navagio in Zakynthos (8/2021). DIMOSTHENIS K The DIMOSTHENIS K seen sailing towards the beach of Navagio in Zakynthos (8/2021). DIMOSTHENIS K The DIMOSTHENIS K seen performing a cruise around Zakynthos (7/2022). DIMOSTHENIS K The DIMOSTHENIS K seen performing a cruise around Zakynthos (7/2022). DIMOSTHENIS K The DIMOSTHENIS K seen undergoing her annual winter lay-up in Zakynthos (11/2023). DIMOSTHENIS K The DIMOSTHENIS K seen undergoing her annual winter lay-up in Zakynthos (11/2023). DIMOSTHENIS K My first picture of the DIMOSTHENIS K under the livery of Seven Islands Cruises, which she joined after 30 years of operations under Top Cruises. She is seen returning to the port of Zakynthos (8/2024). DIMOSTHENIS K The DIMOSTHENIS K seen heading back to Zakynthos, during her first season under Seven Islands Cruises (8/2024). DIMOSTHENIS K The DIMOSTHENIS K seen heading back to Zakynthos, during her first season under Seven Islands Cruises (8/2024). DIMOSTHENIS K The DIMOSTHENIS K seen heading back to Zakynthos, during her first season under Seven Islands Cruises (8/2024). DIMOSTHENIS K The DIMOSTHENIS K seen heading back to Zakynthos (8/2024). DIMOSTHENIS K The DIMOSTHENIS K seen heading back to Zakynthos (8/2024). DIMOSTHENIS K The DIMOSTHENIS K seen heading back to Zakynthos (8/2024). DIMOSTHENIS K The DIMOSTHENIS K seen while performing a cruise in Zakynthos (8/2024). DIMOSTHENIS K The DIMOSTHENIS K seen while performing a cruise in Zakynthos (8/2024). DIMOSTHENIS K The DIMOSTHENIS K seen while performing a cruise in Zakynthos (8/2024). DIMOSTHENIS K The DIMOSTHENIS K seen having left Zakynthos in order to perform a cruise around the island and to Marathonisi (8/2024). DIMOSTHENIS K The DIMOSTHENIS K seen having left Zakynthos in order to perform a cruise around the island and to Marathonisi (8/2024).

AGIA MARINA (ΑΓΙΑ ΜΑΡΙΝΑ) -Dolychio (Petrogaz) Built in 1978 (age 47). Registered in Piraeus. Current line: None (under refit in Perama) The landing craft AGIA MARINA was built in 1978 in Greece, but she was put in service as a Ro-Ro carrier and tanker supplying vessel for the company Petrola (the Saudi Arabian subsidiary of the Latsis Group). She began service in Yemen as the RUBAT TRUST, and in 1980 she was renamed FARAZAN, only to be renamed RADIGH BAY 4 a year later. In 1997 she returned to Greece when she was bought by the Greek company Dolychio (branded as Petrogaz since 2007), and she was renamed AGIA MARINA. She operated on the Kefalonia-Ithaca-Lefkada line on the Ionian Sea for 10 years. Since 2007, the ship transports various goods across all the Aegean Sea. Her itineraries are based in Aspropyrgos, and include most of the Cyclades, the Dodecanese, the Sporades and the Northeast Aegean Sea. She occasionally makes crossings on the Saronic Gulf. Her full schedule is spent on the Aspropyrgos-Aegina-Skyros-Skiathos-Skopelos-Alonissos-Kea-Kythnos-Andros-Syros-Tinos-Mykonos-Paros-Naxos-Irakleia-Schoinousa-Koufonisi-Donousa-Amorgos-Serifos-Sifnos-Milos-Kimolos-Folegandros-Sikinos-Ios-Santorini-Thirassia-Anafi-Astypalaia-Patmos-Leros-Ikaria-Thymaina-Fournoi-Samos-Chios-Mytilene-Limnos-Arkioi-Kalymnos-Kos-Nisyros-Symi-Rhodes-Karpathos-Kasos line. PHOTOS (2014, 2020, 2021, 2024): AGIA MARINA The landing craft AGIA MARINA approaching the port of Aegina (7/2014). AGIA MARINA The AGIA MARINA seen in Aegina (8/2020). AGIA MARINA The AGIA MARINA seen in Aegina (8/2020). AGIA MARINA The AGIA MARINA seen in Aegina (8/2020). AGIA MARINA The AGIA MARINA resting in Aegina (8/2020). AGIA MARINA The AGIA MARINA resting in Aegina (8/2020). AGIA MARINA The AGIA MARINA resting in Aegina (8/2020). AGIA MARINA The AGIA MARINA docked in Aegina (8/2020). AGIA MARINA The AGIA MARINA docked in Aegina (8/2020). AGIA MARINA The AGIA MARINA seen in Andros (8/2020). AGIA MARINA The AGIA MARINA seen in Andros (8/2020). AGIA MARINA The AGIA MARINA seen in Andros (8/2020). AGIA MARINA The AGIA MARINA seen resting in Andros (8/2020). AGIA MARINA The AGIA MARINA seen resting in Andros (8/2020). AGIA MARINA A view of the AGIA MARINA in Andros (8/2020). AGIA MARINA The AGIA MARINA taking a rest in Andros (8/2020). AGIA MARINA The AGIA MARINA docked in Aegina (7/2021). AGIA MARINA The AGIA MARINA docked in Aegina (7/2021). AGIA MARINA The AGIA MARINA seen in Kea (6/2024). AGIA MARINA The AGIA MARINA seen in Kea (6/2024). AGIA MARINA The AGIA MARINA seen in Kea (6/2024). AGIA MARINA The AGIA MARINA docked in Kea (6/2024). AGIA MARINA The AGIA MARINA docked in Kea (6/2024). AGIA MARINA The AGIA MARINA docked in Kea (6/2024). AGIA MARINA The AGIA MARINA spotted in Kea (6/2024). AGIA MARINA The AGIA MARINA spotted in Kea (6/2024). AGIA MARINA The AGIA MARINA seen departing Kea (6/2024). AGIA MARINA The AGIA MARINA seen departing Kea (6/2024). AGIA MARINA The AGIA MARINA seen departing Kea (6/2024).

The MYTILENE seen docked in the port of Piraeus during the summer of 2013, which proved to be her penultimate active season in the Greek coastal service, as she would eventually remain laid-up for 7 years following an engine failure and her company's demise in 2015. Three days ago, yet another legendary veteran ferry of the Greek coastal service saw her long and illustrious career come to an end. Indeed, the iconic MYTILENE of NEL Lines arrived in the Turkish coastal city of Aliağa in order to be scrapped. This comes after she had left the anchorage in Elefsina in which she had remained languishing since 2016, waiting for a miracle to happen which would see her return to service. However, even the more optimistic observers unavoidably had to accept that a ship which had failed to perform a single trip since 2015 after experiencing a major failure in Samos, and whose company had no hopes for financial salvation following years of turmoil, could eventually be reactivated under a volatile Greek ferry market. Ultimately, on 24 May 2022, the MYTILENE, having been renamed LENE and sailing under the Togolese flag, left Greece for the last time, sailing under tow to Aliağa just a few days after her longtime fleetmate, the THEOFILOS, had done so. Both ships had ceased to operate just a few months before NEL Lines ceased operations altogether, and they were unable to escape the fate that awaits most ships that spend several years under lay-up. The MYTILENE thus completed a career that lasted almost five decades, as she headed for scrap 49 years after she was built, with 32 of them spent in Greece, and out of which two were spent for her conversion following her acquisition by NEL Lines in 1990, and the final seven were under lay-up, first in Samos and then in Elefsina. However, the 23 years during which she operated were enough to establish her as one of the best ferries to have ever operated in Greece, and she is widely regarded as the best ship that ever operated for the once glorious NEL Lines, as well as one of the best ships to have operated on the Northeast Aegean Sea (which is where she spent her entire career under NEL Lines). More specifically, her career is associated with her hugely successful spell on her company's flagship service, namely the Piraeus-Chios-Mytilene line (with several extensions to Limnos and Thessaloniki), where she operated uninterruptedly for 20 years. Known as 'The Queen of the Northeast Aegean Sea', the ship always stood out for her excellent service, her reliable operations and great speed (especially when she started her career in Greece during the 1990s), and she continued to remain in a very good condition even as she became older and NEL Lines began its decline during the late 2000s. Even as the company began to experience its financial problems, the ship continued to be highly regarded by passengers, and she had a successful stint on the Piraeus-Syros-Mykonos-Ikaria-Fournoi-Samos line in her final years of operations before a major engine failure in early 2015 saw her withdrawn, and, ultimately, laid-up until a few days ago. Had she never had that engine failure, or had it occurred under an owner who had the funds to repair her, perhaps she could have still continued her operations, at least for a few more years. The MYTILENE initially operated in Japan (which is also the country where she was built), starting her career in 1973 as the VEGA of the the Japanese company Higashi Nihon Ferry. Together with her sister ship, the VIRGO (which was built in 1974 and then went on to become the legendary RODANTHI of the now-defunct company GA Ferries), she operated on the Sendai-Tomakomai line, hence linking the island of Honshu with that of Hokkaido through the North Pacific Ocean and the Tsugaru Strait. She performed her service there with great success, and remained there for 16 years, after she was replaced by the ferry VARUNA (which is now the BLUE HORIZON of Blue Star Ferries ). She was subsequently bought in 1990 by NEL Lines, which was seeking to improve its services on the Piraeus-Chios-Mytilene line and to replace one of its oldest ships, namely the great HOMERUS. She therefore became one of the many former Japanese ferries that went on to have a second career in Greece, while also being the first one to be bought by NEL Lines. Her conversion in order to adapt to the standards of the Piraeus-Chios-Mytilene line would prove to be lengthy and challenging, and she ultimately entered service two years later after being remodeled into a modern cruiseferry in Perama. Her introduction was a major success, and she became the new flagship of NEL Lines. She formed a spectacular tandem with the iconic SAPPHO, which is the first ship that was ever bought by NEL Lines, back in 1973. Operating successfully on the Piraeus-Chios-Mytilene line (along with extensions to Limnos and Thessaloniki), the MYTILENE was a major factor behind the success of NEL Lines during the 1990s, and she was a reference point for all passengers traveling on the Northeast Aegean Sea. She was joined by the larger THEOFILOS in 1995, and the two ships further enhanced the great services of NEL Lines for many years. However, despite their success, several poor decisions taken by the company, including the failed services of their newly-built high speed ferries, the poor maintenance undertaken on some of its ships, failed acquisitions and sales of various vessels, as well as disappointing results from their expansion plans on the Cyclades, saw them lose their momentum from the mid 2000s onwards. Furthermore, the increasing competition from Hellenic Seaways and later ANEK Lines on the Piraeus-Chios-Mytilene line stagnated the company's development and made them vulnerable on their own flagship service. Despite a desperate attempt to enhance their services across the Aegean Sea and also on the Adriatic Sea in 2010 and in 2011 (by buying and chartering different ships of all kinds), the financial issues, fueled by the Greek financial crisis and poor management decisions, as well as increasing competition from the aforementioned companies and Blue Star Ferries, eventually damaged the company. Despite the MYTILENE being successfully deployed on the Piraeus-Syros-Mykonos-Ikaria-Fournoi-Samos line in 2013, soon all the ships of the company began to experience technical troubles and had to be withdrawn one by one. Those assigned on subsidised lifelines were eventually removed by the Greek Ministry of Shipping and Insular Policy from late 2014 onwards, and, without sufficient revenue, the last ships operating were arrested by their unpaid crews. The MYTILENE eventually ended her services in 2015 after suffering an engine failure in Samos. She remained there for an entire year, with her crew unpaid and abandoned by its employers, and their struggle was well-documented across the Greek media. She was finally towed in 2016 to Elefsina, where she remained until a few days ago, when she headed for demolition, thus following the same fate as her sister ship, which had gone to the same scrapyard ten years prior, back in 2012. Despite her tumultuous and undeserving end and her long lay-up, the MYTILENE remained a beloved ferry of the Greek coastal service, and she was a favourite of the passengers traveling to Chios and Lesbos. She played a pivotal role in ensuring the regular connection of these two large islands of the Northeast Aegean Sea with Piraeus, and this was largely thanks to her impressive speed and her excellent amenities onboard. These included her large amount of passenger cabins, her impeccable indoor lounge areas and onboard restaurants, and she also featured some nice exterior deck areas, with the most notable ones being the font-side balconies located above her bow. She was also the first ship of the Northeast Aegean Sea to feature escalators, a disco bar and passenger cabins located above the garage decks. Even after losing her status as the flagship of NEL Lines following the arrival of the THEOFILOS in 1995, she remained the favourite ship of the company, and she actually went on to have a more consistent and distinguished career than the latter. Indeed, while the THEOFILOS saw the quality of her services declining from the mid 2000s due to poor maintenance and one major accident in 2008, the MYTILENE remained consistent and well-maintained. Furthermore, she continued to operate far batter than the three high speed ferries that were introduced by NEL Lines from 2000 to 2001, namely the AEOLOS KENTERIS, the AEOLOS EXPRESS and the AEOLOS EXPRESS II (which were respectively renamed AEOLOS KENTERIS I and AEOLOS KENTERIS II in 2007). Furthermore, during the calamitous years of the company in the early 2010s, she was one of the few ships that continued to operate efficiently for the most part, despite her being one of the oldest ships of NEL Lines. Only her engine failure in Samos stopped her from operating, even though I believe that she would have nonetheless been arrested by her crew later on, as it happened with her remaining active fleetmates. This is yet another Ship Farewell Tribute post dedicated to a ship covered in this website , whose entire history will be explained and analysed in depth. She is notably another ship operated by NEL Lines for which I am writing such post, following that of the EUROPEAN EXPRESS in 2019 and that of the IONIAN SKY in 2020 . Another thing that I must mention is that this post only focuses on the MYTILENE, and not on the THEOFILOS which headed for demolition a few weeks ago. Indeed, I had taken a picture of that ship back when she was still operating in 2012, but I never published it as it is one of the many pictures that I lost following my computer crash in 2014. That was not the case for the MYTILENE, as I had luckily posted two pictures that I had taken of her upon seeing her in Piraeus in the summer of 2013 and in the summer of 2014 on Marine Traffic. These are my only two pictures of the legendary ferry, and I am happy that I managed to keep them. I do remember the ship during my childhood, seeing her in Piraeus under her original white-painted hull livery and later on when it was changed to dark blue. Unfortunately, as I have never been to the Northeast Aegean Sea, I did not have the chance to travel with her, therefore my only interactions with her consisted of seeing her docked in the E2 gate in Piraeus, and then ocasionally seeing her languished in Elefsina when I would be driving in the coastal road passing by the town (although I never had the chance to take a picture of her during that time). Nevertheless, I am happy to have memories of the ship, whose legacy will live on forever, and especially in the two islands that she served so loyally for more than two decades. The MYTILENE was built in Japan in 1973, having been one of two sister ships ordered by the Japanese company Highashi Nihon Ferry (which stands for 'Eastern Japan Ferry' in Japanese) in 1972 as part of their plans to improve the ferry connection of the islands of Honshu and Hokkaido. The two ships were built in the Naikai Zosen Setoda Shipbuilding Yard in Setoda in the Hiroshima Prefecture, as the VEGA and the VIRGO, respectively. Higashi Nihon Ferry was a company established in 1965, and was dedicated to the connection of the aforementioned islands via the Tsugaru Strait, initially through the Ōma-Hakodate line, followed by the Aomori-Hakodate line, the Aomori-Muroran line and the Minmaya-Fukushima Town line in the 1960s. The successful consolidation of all these services on the Tsugaru Strait quickly made the company the largest ferry operator in Japan at the time. With the success of these services, the company quickly expanded to other ports in the area, and launched the Ōma-Muroran line, the Noeji-Hakodate line and the Ōma-Toi line in 1971. These seven services were collectively referred to as the 'Rainbow Line', which was a reference to the seven rainbow colours and the livery of the company's ships, which featured red, yellow and orange stripes similar to the design of a rainbow across their hulls. In addition to its fame in Japan, the company also became known to Greek ferry enthusiasts, as many ships operated by them were subsequently acquired by Greek ferry companies in the 1990s and in the 2000s. Besides the VEGA which later became the MYTILENE of NEL Lines and the VIRGO which became the RODANTHI of GA Ferries, other ferries included the VENUS (built in 1975) which became the iconic KEFALONIA of Strintzis Lines/Blue Star Ferries/Strintzis Ferries and is currently owned by Levante Ferries ; the first VARUNA (built in 1975 and acquired by Higashi Nihon Ferry in 1982) which became the legendary LATO of ANEK Lines, operating for them from 1989 to 2016; the sister ships VISVA and VENA (built in 1987), which joined Zante Ferries in 2007 and became the ADAMANTIOS KORAIS and the ODYSSEAS ELYTIS , respectively (with the former still operating for the company while the latter never entered service for them and remained laid-up in Zakynthos for five years before being sold to the Indonesian company PT Munic Line in 2013); the second VARUNA (also built in 1987) which became the SUPERFERRY HELLAS of Strintzis Lines and has been known as the BLUE HORIZON of Blue Star Ferries since 2000; the sister ships HERMES (built in 1990) and HERCULES (built in 1992), which joined ANEK Lines in 1998 and in 1999 as the SOPHOCLES V and the LEFKA ORI, respectively, and later became known as the KYDON (from 2015 to 2017) and the BLUE GALAXY of Blue Star Ferries since 2015, respectively; and the Ro-Ro carrier LIBERTY BELL (built in 1994) which was bought in 2007 by Saos Ferries and began service in 2018 as the SAONISOS . In addition, Higashi Nihon Ferry also operated a sister company named Higashi Nihonkai Ferry, which notably owned the NEW HIYAMA, which has been operating as the KERKYRA EXPRESS of Kerkyra Lines since 2015. As the aforementioned 'Rainbow Line' cemented the status of the company as one of the best in Japan, the company sought to further improve the connection of Hokkaido with the main island of Honshu, and thus planned to introduce new service on the Sendai-Tomakomai line, after seeing success and the potential of the port of Tomakomai, which is the largest city of the Iburi Subprefecture, which would be linked with Sendai, which is the largest city of the Tohōku region and of the Miyagi Prefecture. At the time the company ordered the VEGA and the VIRGO, newly-built ferries had just started to operate on the longer Nagoya-Sendai-Tomokomai line, including two sister ships of the company Taiheiyō Enkai Ferry, the ARKAS and the ALBIREO, built in 1972 and 1973, respectively, and later the famous cruiseferries IONIAN GALAXY and IONIAN ISLAND of Strintzis Lines, respectively. To that end, Highashi Nihon Ferry joined the area with the completion of the construction of the VEGA in December 1973, followed by that of the VIRGO in April 1974. The two ships were named after the Vega star (part of the Lyra constellation) and the the Virgo constellation, respectively, marking the start of the company's trend of naming their ships after stars and constellations (a similar pattern used by the Greek company Ventouris Ferries, amongst others). They were both registered in Tomakomai and flew the Japanese flag. They began service on the Sendai-Tomakomai line under the Shin Higashi Nihon Ferry division, and their service was known as the 'Star Line', as opposed to the 'Rainbow Line' covering the shorter services on the Tsugaru Strait. A view of the VEGA shortly after she began her career under Shin Highashi Nihon Ferry in 1973. She notably carried the 'Star Line' livery, which consisted of a red and a yellow line forming a 'V' shape across her accommodation superstructure (in reference to the first letter of her name), with a black star painted in the middle. Picture found from a brochure of Higashi Nihon Ferry and published on www.arxipelagos.gr . The introduction of the VEGA and of the VIRGO was very successful. Both vessels provided excellent amenities onboard and were praised for their speed, which enabled them to perform the service in just 17 hours, which was considered revolutionary at the time. Moreover, they featured several passenger cabins and spacious indoor lounge areas, and had large garages that could feature as many as 75 lorries. The VEGA had a length overall of 136.70 metres, a beam of 22.41 metres and a draft of 5.56 metres. She was equipped with 2 Nippon Kokan-Pielstick 16PC2–5V–400 main engines with 14,121 kW of power, which enabled her to reach a conventional speed of 21.50 knots. During her spell in Japan, she could carry 847 passengers in 283 cabins, and 260 cars. Overall, her technical characteristics, which were exactly the same as those of her sister ship, made her a valuable ship for a service which continued to experience a rise in passenger demand. To that end, the competitors of Higashi Nihon Ferry, namely Taiheiyō Enkai Ferry, added two more newly-built ferries to supplement the services of the ARKAS and of the ALBIREO on the Nagoya-Sendai-Tomakomai line. Indeed, they deployed the ISHIKARI and the DAISETSU in 1974 and in 1975, respectively. The former would later become the famous EROTOKRITOS of Minoan Lines and Maritime Way and then the EROTOKRITOS T of Endeavor Lines, while the latter would go on to join Higashi Nihon Ferry in 1982 as the VARUNA on the Ōarai-Muroran line before being sold in 1987 to ANEK Lines, for whom she became the LATO. Despite operating against four ships, the ferries of Higashi Nihon Ferry continued to operate for the rest of the 1970s and the first half of the 1980s with great success. By 1977, the Shin Higashi Nihon Ferry division was discontinued and the two ships sailed under the core operations of Higashi Nihon Ferry. Another advertisement brochure depicting the various sections and decks of the VEGA, including pictures of her indoor areas and of her bridge, galley, foremast, life-rafts and bow thrusters. Picture published on www.nautilia.gr . The VEGA seen on the Tsugaru Strait in 1976, at the start of her long career. Picture taken by Ken Murayama and published on www.faktaomfartyg.se . Another aerial view of the VEGA in an advertisement brochure of Higashi Nihon Ferry, as she is seen sailing along the Tsugaru Strait. Picture published on www.arxipelagos.gr . A view of the sister ship of the VEGA, namely the VIRGO, which also went on to have a great career in Greece as the RODANTHI of GA Ferries. She was built in 1974 in Japan, and, together with the VEGA, operated for Higashi Nihon Ferry under the Shin Higashi Nihon Ferry division on the Sendai-Tomakomai line. The division ceased to exist in 1977, when the two ships operated under the standard services of Higashi Nihon Ferry. The VIRGO underwent a conversion in 1984, during which her aft section was upgraded with more indoor areas and outdoor decks, while her garage was refitted in order to accommodate more vehicles, and her aft-section starboard side ramp was removed. She was laid-up in 1988 and was sold the following to the Greek company GA Ferries in 1989. She was converted in Perama for two years and was introduced as the modern cruiseferry RODANTHI on the Piraeus-Paros-Santorini-Heraklion-Karpathos-Rhodes line in 1991. Her entry to service on the Aegean Sea was a massive success, and she was praised for being one of the most luxurious and comfortable ferries at the time. In 1993 she moved to the Adriatic Sea, being deployed on the Patras-Igoumenitsa-Corfu-Ancona line. Despite her potential, she was unable to hold her own against competitors in the region, and she left the service following the 1994 season. She spent the first part of the summer of 1995 under charter to the Tunisian company Tunisia Ferries (also known as Compagnie Tunisienne de Navgiation) on the Genoa-Marseille-Tunis line, before returning to the Aegean Sea for GA Ferries and being deployed on the Piraeus-Astypalaia-Patmos-Leros-Kalymnos-Kos-Nisyros-Tilos-Symi-Rhodes line on the Dodecanese. In 1996 she served the Piraeus-Paros-Naxos-Santorini line with much success, while in 1997 she was inserted on the Piraeus-Syros-Paros-Naxos-Astypalaia-Patmos-Leros-Kalymnos-Kos-Nisyros-Tilos-Symi-Rhodes line. She would remain in this service for the next decade, and she helped establish her company as one of the major operators on the Dodecanese until the arrival of Blue Star Ferries in 2004. In 2005 the ship served the Piraeus-Syros-Tinos-Mykonos-Patmos-Leros-Kalymnos-Kos-Nisyros-Tilos-Symi-Rhodes line. In 2008 she collided with the AEOLOS KENTERIS II of NEL Lines (the future owners of the VEGA) in Piraeus, but she was repaired and resumed service on the Piraeus-Paros-Naxos-Ios-Santorini line for the summer season. In 2009 she operated on the Piraeus-Syros-Paros-Naxos-Ios-Sikinos-Folegandros-Santorini-Anafi line, and was one of the last ships of the company that was still operating when GA Ferries ceased operations after the 2009 season. She remained laid-up in Piraeus for two years, after which she moved to Elefsina in 2011, before being sold for scrap to Turkey in 2012. Picture published on www.nautilia.gr . As the 1980s progressed, the VEGA and the VIRGO continued to provide very good service and to contribute to healthy economic results for the company. Nevertheless, the demand of passenger and vehicle service on the Sendai-Tomakomai line continued to grow, and soon the two ferries did not have the required capacity to satisfy the increasing traffic numbers. To that end, the VIRGO and the VEGA underwent a refit in 1984, during which their passenger capacity more than doubled, with the addition of several new passenger areas along their aft section. The ships continued to operate on the Sendai-Tomakomai line along with the ferries of Taiheiyō Enkai Ferry, which had been renamed Taiheiyō Ferry in 1982. The VEGA seen in Sendai during the late 1980s, now carrying the regular livery of Higashi Nihon Ferry (the three yellow, orange and red stripes forming an uptick shape along the ship's upgraded accommodation superstructure, with the company's dolphin logo located underneath her funnels). Picture found on the 'Efoplistis' magazine and published on www.shipfriends.gr . By 1988, the services provided by the two sister ships proved to be insufficient in the midst of soaring passenger demand. As a result, the need to deploy larger cruiseferries was a necessity for both companies serving the ports of Sendai and Tomakomai. Taiheiyō Ferry had already planned to upgrade its operations on the Nagoya-Sendai-Tomakomai line by 1986, having ordered two larger sister ships with massive garages and more passenger cabins. The first ship was the KISO, which was built in 1987 and was introduced on the Nagoya-Sendai-Tomakomai line and replaced the ARKAS, which was sold to Strintzis Lines and was renamed IONIAN GALAXY. The KISO would also go on to have a career in Greece, as she is the current NISSOS RODOS of Hellenic Seaways , which acquired her in 2005. The second ship, the KITAKAMI, eventually entered service in 1989 and replaced the ALBIREO, which was also sold to Strintzis Lines and became the legendary IONIAN ISLAND. Having seen the introduction of the KISO and awaiting the arrival of the KITAKAMI, Higashi Nihon Ferry decided to bring a brand new large vessel of their own fleet on the Sendai-Tomakomai line. Indeed, in 1989, the second VARUNA (built in 1987 and today the BLUE HORIZON of Blue Star Ferries), which had spent her first two seasons on the Ōarai-Muroran, headed to the Sendai-Tomakomai line. Her previous service was taken over by her newly-built sister ship, the VICTORY (later the VICTORY under the Italian company Grimaldi Lines and then the CARIBBEAN FANTASY of American Cruise Ferries-the predecessors of Ferries Del Caribe-until she suffered a major fire in 2016 which led to her eventual demolition in 2017), whose construction was completed in 1989. As the VARUNA was larger and faster than the VIRGO and the VEGA, both ships were withdrawn from service in 1989. The VIRGO was sold to GA Ferries and became the RODANTHI, while the VEGA had to wait for a year until finding a new buyer. Ultimately, she would go on to follow her sister ship in Greece, as it was announced in 1990 that she had been bought by NEL Lines. Higashi Nihon Ferry would continue to operate until 2008, after which its ships were acquired by Dōnan Jidōsha Ferry, with the two companies then proceeding to form the newly-established company Tsugaru Kaikyō Ferry in 2009. NEL Lines, the company for which the VEGA would go on to spend the remainder of her operational career was established in 1972 in Mytilene, the largest city of the island of Lesbos and the capital of the region of the North Aegean. Its name is the acronym of 'Naftiliaki Etaireia Lesbou', which stands for 'Maritime Company of Lesbos' in English. It was formed by the local communities of the islands of Chios and Lesbos, in order to ensure a daily and reliable ferry connection with Piraeus and the rest of Greece. This was after the successful establishment of ANEK Lines, which was a company that regrouped various shareholders based in Chania who were aiming to have a safe and regular connection of Crete with Piraeus through the Piraeus-Chania line, from 1967 onwards. With the formation of the Heraklion-based company Minoan Lines in 1972 as well, the residents of Chios and Lesbos sought to acquire their own vessel in order to have her serve the Piraeus-Chios-Mytilene line. After securing the required funds, they proceeded to buying their first ship, namely the ferry SPERO of the British company Ellerman's Wilson Line. The ship was converted in Perama, was renamed SAPPHO, and entered service during the summer of 1973 on the Piraeus-Chios-Mytilene line. Her introduction was an instant success, and she quickly became the most popular ship of the Northeast Aegean Sea, performing much more effectively than the ships that were previously operating there, namely those of Kavounides Lines and Efthymiadis Lines. Thanks to strong lobbying by the main shareholders of the company, the ship was embraced by the residents of Chios and Lesbos and eventually NEL Lines consolidated a near-monopoly on the Piraeus-Chios-Mytilene line and remained largely unopposed there for the next 30 years. Thanks to the successful services of the SAPPHO, NEL Lines quickly saw to expand its fleet and areas of operations, just as ANEK Lines and Minoan Lines had done so. To that end, in 1975, the company purchased the ferry NILI of the Israeli company Weston Shipping Company. She was renamed ARION and was inserted on the Piraeus-Chios-Mytilene-Thessaloniki line, and alternatively (after returning to Piraeus from the Northeast Aegean Sea) on the Piraeus-Patmos-Leros-Kalymnos-Kos-Rhodes-Limassol-Haifa line. This new service enabled the connection of the Northeast Aegean Sea with the Dodecanese, Cyprus and Israel via Piraeus and the Southern Aegean Sea. Dubbed an all-luxurious cruise on the Eastern Mediterranean Sea, the services of the ARION were also deemed a major success. NEL Lines had now managed to secure the connection of the two largest islands of the Northeast Aegean Sea with not only the rest of Greece, but also establish an upgraded connection of Greece with two other countries through its ferry. Building on from this success, the company further enhanced its services in 1977 by bringing in the train ferry TRELLEBORG of the ferry division of the then-Swedish-state-owned railway company Statens Järnvägar. The ship was converted into a cruiseferry and was renamed HOMERUS. She was also deployed on the Piraeus-Chios-Mytilene-Limnos-Kavala-Thessaloniki line along with the SAPPHO and the ARION. She became the fastest ferry to serve the area at the time, and was also the first one to link Mytilene with Piraeus in just 10 hours. The company continued to grow impressively, even as it faced its first serious threat in 1979, when entrepreneurs from Chios decided to form their own company, namely NE Chiou, which deployed the ferry NISSOS CHIOS (previously the KAPELLA of the Finnish company Viking Line) on the Rafina-Chios line. While there were concerns that this would affect NEL Lines and its services to Chios, the company prevailed, even as the NISSOS CHIOS moved to the Piraeus-Chios-Psara line in 1983. NEL Lines was then affected by a tragic accident, when on 20 December 1981, the ARION was bombarded in a terrorist attack in Haifa, which resulted in the ship being severely damaged by a fire and being declared a constructive total loss. She was never repaired and was scrapped in Spain in 1984. Despite these setbacks, the company carried on with the addition of two new ships. These were the ALCAEOS (previously the MARELLA, also of Viking Line), which entered service in 1981 as a third ship on the Piraeus-Chios-Mytilene line, and the ODYSSEAS ELYTIS (previously the MEDITERRANEAN SUN of Karagiorgis Lines), which was bought in 1982 and was deployed on the Piraeus-Rhodes-Limassol line until 1985, when she was sold to a subsidiary of the Danish company DFDS called SeaEscape. The former played a vital role in supplementing the services of the HOMERUS and of the SAPPHO, while the latter did not operate as successfully as her predecessor, the ARION. Nonetheless, the company kept performing very well. Later on, in 1984, the ALCAEOS moved to the Dodecanese and operated on the Piraeus-Ikaria-Samos-Patmos-Leros-Kalymnos-Kos-Rhodes line, where she competed very effectively against the ships of DANE Sea Line. The company then further expanded its fleet and operations on the Northeast Aegean Sea in 1989, when the Ro-Pax ferry GOLFO PARADISO of the Italian company Compagnia Sarda Di Navigazione Maritima (later known as Lloyd Sardegna) was acquired. She was renamed AGIOS RAFAEL and was also deployed on the Piraeus-Chios-Mytilene-Limnos-Kavala line and being primarily dedicated to freight services. As the 1990s began, NEL Lines had become an established company on the Aegean Sea with four very reliable ferries. They once again encountered a notable threat from 1990 to 1991, when Nomicos Lines deployed the conventional ferry HELLAS EXPRESS on the Rafina-Chios-Mytilene-Agios Efstratios-Limnos-Kavala line. Despite the latter being a faster ferry, she was unable to break the dominance of NEL Lines on the Northeast Aegean Sea, and she was therefore withdrawn from the area in late 1991 (she would then go on to serve as the AGIOS SPYRIDON under Kerkyra Lines). As such, NEL Lines remained a major force in the Greek coastal service. However, during that same period, several major Greek ferry companies had started to invest into larger, more modern, more comfortable and faster cruiseferries, especially on the Cyclades, Crete and the Dodecanese. Companies such as Minoan Lines, ANEK Lines, GA Ferries, Strintzis Lines, Agapitos Lines and Arkadia Lines introduced several impressive new ships that redefined the traveling experience on the Aegean Sea. In order not to stay behind this trend (even though none of these companies served Chios and Mytilene), NEL Lines also decided to buy a new large ferry that would upgrade passenger service on the Piraeus-Chios-Mytilene line. Moreover, the HOMERUS would have to be retired in 1993, as she would be reaching 35 years of service since the year in which was built, and the Greek Ministry of Shipping and Insular Policy had imposed a mandatory retirement for vessels reaching that age. To that end, the company sought to find a worthy successor, and this went on to be the VEGA. Having seen the successful introduction of the RODANTHI under GA Ferries (who actually considered buying the VEGA in order to reunite her with her sister ship, but this ultimately never occurred), NEL Lines concluded that she was the ideal ship to invest in. She was bought for $9.40 million and was renamed MYTILENE, after the eponymous city in Lesbos and where her company was headquartered. Unlike the other ships of the company (with the exception of the HOMERUS), she was not registered in Mytilene, but in Chios, so as to satisfy the company directors that were based from that island. The MYTILENE arrived in Piraeus in November 1990, and then headed to Perama for her anticipated conversion and refit in order to be upgraded to the standards of the Aegean Sea. The MYTILENE seen after having just arrived in Piraeus for the first time, in November 1990. When she arrived in Greece, she was still carrying the livery of Higashi Nihon Ferry and her overall appearance was exactly the same as that of her career in Japan. Picture published on www.shipfriends.gr . Another view of the MYTILENE in the port of Piraeus in November 1990, shortly after her first arrival in Greece. She is docked in the E12 gate, next to the cruise terminal that is the closest to the current Terminal A 'Miaoulis'. She still features the livery of Higashi Nihon Ferry, and it is interesting to note that, underneath her name (written in Greek), the word "Hellas" (meaning 'Greece') is written instead of her eventual port of registry, namely Chios. Picture published on www.shipfriends.gr . The conversion of the MYTILENE lasted many months, as NEL Lines implemented many changes to the ship's structure and overall appearance, so that they would ensure that she would be the ideal vessel for the Piraeus-Chios-Mytilene line. She was based in the Perama Ship Repair Zone, and her conversion was under the management and the supervision of Dimitrios Petrogonas, while the interior design was based on the works of the Italian ship designer Arminio Lozzi, who was known for having created much of the interior designs of the cruise ships of the once-glorious Greek cruise line Epirotiki Cruises (later known as Royal Olympic Cruises). With the aim of adding more passenger amenities, the ship saw her upper garage deck being remodeled in order to add new passenger cabins. In addition, her aft section was further upgraded, with the new indoor areas being added across an extended accommodation superstructure that was right on top of the former upper garage deck. The ship went on to acquire new indoor lounge areas, two new restaurants (one self-service restaurant and one à-la-carte restaurant), a disco bar, three bar areas, as well as a hospital room and a brand new reception hall. During her conversion, her bridge was severely destroyed by a fire, and this therefore led to the shipyard rebuilding it from scratch. This ultimately did not result in significant delays to the conversion altogether, as the work being done on the ship's indoor areas remained significant. Furthermore, the ship's outdoor areas also changed considerably, with several sun deck areas being added above the ship's stern and across most of her aft section. Her forward section was also upgraded, with the notable addition of balconies right above her bow. These made the ship more appealing aesthetically, and therefore the MYTILENE looked completely different to the ship that used to be the VEGA, and she was in fact now looking completely different to the RODANTHI, her sister ship. Furthermore, the ship was equipped with escalators located next to the passenger entrance (a feature that was extremely rare at the time in the Greek coastal service) Overall, the conversion was undertaken for a total cost of $8.80 million, and she saw her passenger capacity increasing to 1,735, along with the addition of 197 cabins together with 565 new beds. Her vehicle capacity was reduced, however, as the sacrificed upper garage deck meant that she could now carry just 265 cars, or 50 cars along with 60 lorries. NEL Lines also decided to keep the ship's starboard-side ramp located in the front section, thinking it would ease the loading and unloading of vehicles in all three main ports where she would be docking. The MYTILENE seen in Perama in 1991, while she undergoes her conversion in order to enter service on the Piraeus-Chios-Mytilene line. Her stern has been fully remodeled with the addition of several sun deck areas. Picture taken by Georgios Choriatellis and published on www.facebook.com . In July 1992, after almost two years of conversion in Perama, the MYTILENE was ready for service in Greece. Under the command of Cpt Ioannis Tsesmelis, she was deployed on the Piraeus-Chios-Mytilene-Limnos-Thessaloniki line on the Northeast Aegean Sea, thus succeeding the HOMERUS on the flagship service of NEL Lines. She also became the new flagship of the company, and she made an instant impact on the Northeast Aegean Sea. Despite hitting the pier of the port of Chios just one week after her entry to service, she did not have any damage and continued her services. She was later placed under the command of the legendary Cpt Zafeiris Vagias. Her impeccable indoor areas and her large number of passenger cabins made her one of the most luxurious and most comfortable ships of the Greek coastal service, and her speed (which sometimes reached 22 knots) made her an extremely reliable and beloved ferry on the line on which she was operating. She rapidly became a reference point for Chios and Mytilene, and was the favourite ship of many passengers traveling to and from these islands. Her entry to service helped propel NEL Lines into one of the most successful ferry operators in Greece, as their profits more than doubled and their reputation as a passenger-friendly company was confirmed. Even those that did not travel to the Northeast Aegean Sea and who saw the MYTILENE in Piraeus were extremely impressed with her appearance, a trait that would remain even as she neared the end of her career. She formed a spectacular duo with the SAPPHO, in spite of the latter experiencing a decline in her technical abilities (despite her machinery being renovated in 1991) as she neared two decades of service with NEL Lines. While the SAPPHO had been dubbed  'The Queen of the Aegean Sea' during the 1970s and the 1980s, the MYTILENE herself was known as  'The Queen of the Northeast Aegean Sea', being compared to an actual cruise ship by the residents of Chios and Mytilene. Together with the reliable performances of the ever-loyal-serving ALCAEOS and those of the AGIOS RAFAEL (which notably operated on a direct service on the Piraeus-Mytilene line), NEL Lines was thriving. They attempted to make a break on the Adriatic Sea with the HOMERUS (as international services did not require a mandatory retirement for ferries at 35 years old), which was deployed on the Patras-Igoumenitsa-Bari line. However, the service was not successful and the ship was sold in 1993 to the Greek-Cypriot company Salamis Lines, for whom she operated as the NISSOS KYPROS until she was sold for scrap in 2003. The MYTILENE, having been entirely remodeled and renovated, seen docked in her namesake port during the 1992 season, which was her first one in Greece and under NEL Lines. She immediately became the best ship to operate on the Northeast Aegean Sea, and her onboard amenities and speed made her the favourite ship of the passengers traveling on the Northeast Aegean Sea. Picture taken by Rijn De Ruiter and published on www.shipspotting.com . The MYTILENE seen in Piraeus during her debut season in 1992. Picture taken by Georgios Choriatellis and published on www.facebook.com . The MYTILENE seen as she sails to Piraeus along the coast of Attica in 1993. This iconic picture would feature in several advertisement brochures and magazines of NEL Lines, as well as on many postcards. Picture published on www.simplonpc.co.uk . The spectacular services of the MYTILENE saw the ship being chosen as the best ship of the Greek coastal service in 1993 and in 1994, as voted by the Greek shipping-themed magazine 'Efoplistis' which had just started publications. She continued to be the jewel of the Northeast Aegean Sea, to the point that she began to overshadow the beloved SAPPHO. With the Greek coastal service continuing to experience a major boom with many new ferries and operators performing multiple island connections across the Aegean Sea, NEL Lines sought to further build-on from its success with the MYTILENE by making key decisions, both operationally and structurally. Under the leadership of Ioannis Antoniou, the company decided to further improve its services on the Northeast Aegean Sea in 1994 by deploying the ALCAEOS on a lifeline based from Rafina, namely the Rafina-Patmos-Samos-Chios-Mytilene-Agios Efstratios-Limnos-Kavala-Thessaloniki line (while also performing a trip on the Piraeus-Chios-Mytilene line once a week). This proved to be a major success, and the ship managed to push the NISSOS CHIOS out of the area, resulting in the collapse of NE Chiou and the ship being laid-up until she was sold for scrap in 2006. In 1995, the company made further moves, by notably making an initial public offering and being listed in the Athens Stock Exchange (hence following the trend of major Greek companies, such as Minoan Lines and the newly-established company Superfast Ferries). Moreover, the company proceeded to buying a larger ship for the Piraeus-Chios-Mytilene line, in order to add capacity to an ever-increasing demand for passenger and freight service on the Northeast Aegean Sea, for which the garages of the SAPPHO and of the MYTILENE were not large enough. This new ship was the cruiseferry POLLUX of Ventouris Ferries (previously the NILS HOLGERSSON of the German company TT-Line GmbH and then the ABEL TASMAN of the Australian company TT-Line Company Pty Ltd), which was renamed THEOFILOS and became the new flagship of NEL Lines. She was inserted on the Piraeus-Chios-Mytilene along with the MYTILENE and the SAPPHO, which continued to operate on the Piraeus-Chios-Mytilene-Limnos-Thessaloniki line and on the Piraeus-Chios-Mytilene-Limnos-Kavala line, respectively. Despite having a rocky start due to colliding with the main pier of the port of Chios (hence experiencing an accident similar to that of the MYTILENE during her own debut season), the THEOFILOS further cemented the dominance of NEL Lines together with the MYTILENE. They would go on to remain the main duo of the company on the Piraeus-Chios-Mytilene line for the next 13 years, and they are largely viewed as one of the greatest duos in the history of the Greek coastal service. The company expanded further into the Northeast Aegean Sea, by deploying the AGIOS RAFAEL on the Piraeus-Syros-Psara-Chios-Mytilene-Volos line, hence connecting Volos with many islands for the first time. The ship would then also serve Rafina along with the ALCAEOS in 1996, as she was deployed on the Piraeus-Rafina-Syros-Psara-Chios-Mytilene-Limnos-Volos line. The THEOFILOS further complemented the MYTILENE on the Piraeus-Chios-Mytilene-Limnos-Thessaloniki line, and NEL Lines remained the unbreakable powerhouse of the Northeast Aegean Sea for the remainder of the decade. A historic picture featuring four ships of NEL Lines being docked together in the port of Mytilene in 1996. These are (from left to right) the THEOFILOS, the MYTILENE, the ALCAEOS and the SAPPHO. This incredible picture is the pure illustration of how great NEL Lines used to be as a company, especially during the 1990s, at a time during which it was linking the islands of the Northeast Aegean Sea with the rest of Greece under numerous itineraries. Picture taken by Nikos Matas and published on www.lesvosnews.net . The MYTILENE seen docked in Piraeus during the summer of 1996. She had by now been an established ship on the Northeast Aegean Sea and on the Greek coastal service altogether. Picture published on www.arxiplegalos.gr . The MYTILENE seen docked in Mytilene, while the THEOFILOS is seen having entered the port, during the 1998 season. Picture published on www.ellinikiaktoploia.net . With the continuous success of its ships and in particular of the MYTILENE, NEL Lines remained a dominant company on the Northeast Aegean Sea, and maintained a monopoly on the Piraeus-Chios-Mytilene line. New developments from 1997 included the addition of Alexandroupolis on the lifeline served by the ALCAEOS from Rafina, as well as occasional services linking the Northeast Aegean Sea with the Dodecanese along the Kavala-Limnos-Mytilene-Chios-Samos-Patmos-Leros-Kalymnos-Kos-Rhodes line from 1997 to 1999. That year, NEL Lines decided to further expand its fleet by planning to add four new ships. The first of them was the RO-Pax ferry EUROMANTIQUE of the Swedish company Euroway, which had been laid-up since 1998 after an unsuccessful charter to the Spanish company Isnasa. That ship, which also had a brief spell under the Greek company AK Ventouris as the AGIA METHODIA on the Patras-Brindisi line on the Adriatic Sea from 1994 to 1995, arrived in Perama in 1999 and was renamed TAXIARCHIS . She was deployed on the Piraeus-Syros-Chios-Mytilene line, and she therefore complemented the services of the three ships that operated there, namely the MYTILENE, the THEOFILOS and the SAPPHO. Her entry to service proved to be very successful as well, and she was largely praised for providing additional vehicle capacity as well as a fair amount of passengers, as opposed to the smaller AGIOS RAFAEL which began to be outdated and no longer able to respond to the ever-growing passenger and freight demand. As a result, the ship would end her career under NEL Lines following the 2000 season, and she was sold the following year to the Fijian company Consort Shipping, for whom she operated as the SPIRIT OF FIJI ISLANDS on the Koro Sea until she sank in 2013. The other three ships would turn out to be the most impressive ones to have served under NEL Lines. However, they were also the ones that marked the start of the company's decline, and ultimately its demise. Indeed, these were three high speed ferries that were due to be built in France and due to be delivered between 2000 and 2001. They were advertised as the fastest ships to operate in Greece, and they were expected to propel NEL Lines to the top of the Greek ferry market, even as the latter saw radical changes occurring from 1998 to 2000. Indeed, at that time, the company Minoan Flying Dolphins was formed, and it absorbed almost all the companies that were operating on the Cyclades, on the Saronic Gulf and on the Sporades. The company also considered taking over shares of NEL Lines, but this never happened and the latter kept all its fleet and services on the Northeast Aegean Sea. They also acquired a 70% stake of the Greek company Med Link Ferries which was operating on the Adriatic Sea, while ANEK Lines itself eventually purchased a few shares previously owned by NEL Lines, and the latter proceeded to performing the order of the three new high speed ferries. The first one to be deployed was the AEOLOS EXPRESS, which began service in 2000 on the Piraeus-Rafina-Andros-Syros-Tinos-Mykonos-Chios-Mytilene line. The following year, the AEOLOS KENTERIS was delivered to the company. She was the largest high speed ferry in the world, as well as the fastest high speed craft in the Greek coastal service (at least that was as she was being marketed), and she was inserted on the Piraeus-Chios-Mytilene-Limnos-Thessaloniki line along with the conventional ferries of NEL Lines, performing the leg from Piraeus to Mytilene in barely less than five hours. She also became the new flagship of the company, although she would later lose this title back to the THEOFILOS a few years later. The last ship of the trio, namely the AEOLOS EXPRESS II, was also delivered in 2001 after several delays and technical issues, and was deployed on the Piraeus-Syros-Tinos-Mykonos-Amorgos line (while also performing a few services on the Piraeus-Paros-Naxos line as well). Despite their potential, the three high speed craft never managed to deliver and to make profits for the company. While they did manage to transport several passengers, their results were mixed. The AEOLOS KENTERIS was too large and too fast for the Northeast Aegean Sea, and she was notably criticised for generating large waves in the beaches of Chios and Lesbos, as well as further coasts such as those in Chalkidiki. This led to numerous complaints and accidents, and this damaged the company's reputation. NEL Lines was also too inexperienced regarding the technical management of high speed craft (having also believed that bunker prices would remain low despite the ships' high bunker consumption and that they would be able to operate with a single crew), as opposed to Minoan Flying Dolphins (which became Hellas Flying Dolphins in 2002) which had established a strong brandname with its 'Highspeed' vessels on the Cyclades. As a result, the AEOLOS EXPRESS and the AEOLOS EXPRESS II were not able to match the success of their competitors on the Cyclades, where NEL Lines was also an unestablished operator due to having previously focused on the Northeast Aegean Sea and on the Dodecanese. They also encountered numerous technical problems, which the company initially blamed the shipyard in which they were built for, but even after properly maintaining them, problems persisted. The company was also affected by the 2000 stock market crash in Athens, and therefore its growth was hampered, especially after it had previously raised new share capital. Despite these first setbacks, NEL Lines continued to provide excellent services through the MYTILENE, the THEOFILOS and the TAXIARCHIS. Later on, in 2001, the company saw the first serious competition in many years arriving on their flagship service. Indeed, Minoan Flying Dolphins deployed the cruiseferry FEDRA (previously owned by Minoan Lines and also, coincidentally, the sister ship of the THEOFILOS) on the Piraeus-Chios-Mytilene line. However, the ship was unable to perform better than those of NEL Lines and she was withdrawn after just one season. In spite of these volatile events, the MYTILENE remained vital to the company, and was still the favourite ship of the residents of Chios and of Mytilene. The MYTILENE seen resting in the port of Piraeus in 2000. During a time filled with many ups and downs for NEL Lines, the ship remained very reliable and effective, and continued to be known as ' The Queen of the Northeast Aegean Sea'. Picture taken by Peter Inpijn and published on www.shipspotting.com . The MYTILENE seen after having just entered the port of Piraeus, following the completion of one of usual trips on the Northeast Aegean Sea, during the summer of 2001. Picture taken by Georgios Choriatellis and published on www.shipspotting.com . As the Greek coastal service continued to witness various developments marked by the delivery of several newly-built ferries (most notably for companies likes Minoan Lines, Superfast Ferries, Blue Star Ferries which had been established in 2000 as the successor of Strintzis Lines, ANEK Lines and NEL Lines) as well as the retirement of several veteran ships (in particular following the tragic sinking of the EXPRESS SAMINA on 26 September 2000) , NEL Lines tried to keep a steady profile with its ships. The TAXIARCHIS had been deployed on the Piraeus-Chios-Mytilene-Limnos-Kavala-Thessaloniki line as an additional ship. The AEOLOS EXPRESS was deployed on the Piraeus-Paros-Naxos-Ikaria-Samos line in 2001, but she again failed to operate successfully. This was also the case for the other two high speed ferries, even as the AEOLOS KENTERIS then made an unsuccessful entry on the Piraeus-Kalymnos-Kos-Rhodes line on the Dodecanese in 2002, after which she returned to the Piraeus-Chios-Mytilene-Limnos-Thessaloniki line in 2003, where she continued to cause problems in local beaches of the Northeast Aegean Sea. In addition, NEL Lines proceeded to selling its two longest-serving ships in 2002. Indeed, the SAPPHO, which had been operating for the company ever since it had started operations, was sold to Karras-Pontikos Lines and operated as the SANTORINI 3 in Tanzania until she was sold for scrap in 2004. Along with her, the ALCAEOS was sold as well, namely to the Turkish company Sariaroğlu Shipping & Trading, for whom she operated as the SOCHI EXPRESS on the Trabzon-Sochi line on the Black Sea until she was sold for scrap in 2004 as well. Wither her departure, NEL Lines stopped connecting Rafina with the Northeast Aegean Sea Islands and for some time ceased to focus on the lifelines of the Northeast Aegean Sea, which were instead served by the ships of Saos Ferries. The SAPPHO, on the other hand, had already shown signs of fatigue in her last years under NEL Lines, as her advanced age and numerous technical problems combined with her outdated speed saw her leaving the company at 36 years old. To that end, the renewed fleet of NEL Lines consisted of the three conventional ferries operating on the flagship service of the company (namely the MYTILENE, the THEOFILOS and the TAXIARCHIS) and of the three troublesome high speed ferries. Due to their technical issues and their inability to make profits for the company, the AEOLOS EXPRESS and the AEOLOS EXPRESS II did not operate during the 2005 season and during the 2006 season. In 2005, ANEK Lines ceased its involvement with NEL Lines, and its shares were taken over by a holding company named Edgewater Holdings. For the 2006 season, the lineup remained the same, with the TAXIARCHIS serving the Piraeus-Mykonos-Chios-Mytilene-Limnos line. Additionally, the AEOLOS KENTERIS saw her engines being fully refitted and she was deployed on the Piraeus-Paros-Naxos-Santorini line, where she had a decent season, but not enough to overtake the high speed ferries of Hellenic Seaways, which was the successor of Hellas Flying Dolphins. The latter also sought to deploy, after many years of delays, a ship in the territory of NEL Lines. This was the newly-built NISSOS MYKONOS (known as the BLUE STAR MYCONOS of Blue Star Ferries since 2020) , which entered service in 2005 on the Piraeus-Chios-Mytilene line. This new ship was extremely modern, comfortable and had significant passenger capacity. Her innovative design and amenities made her perhaps the most impressive new introduction on the Piraeus-Chios-Mytilene line since the MYTILENE herself back in 1992. Moreover, Saos Ferries also made a major entry into the area, deploying the ferry SAMOTHRAKI on the Piraeus-Chios-Mytilene-Limnos-Kavala line for two seasons, after having also started to operate the Ro-Ro carrier PANAGIA KRIMNIOTISSA (previously the STAR TRAILER of Express Sea Trailers and Minoan Flying Dolphins/Hellas Flying Dolphins) on the Piraeus-Chios-Mytilene line since 2003. Overall, these years would ultimately destabilise the company and its guaranteed success on the Aegean Sea was beginning to be seriously challenged, primarily due to strong competitors and the disappointing performances of its high speed ferries. Despite this, the MYTILENE continued to be the best-performing ship of NEL Lines, with very few problems overall. The MYTILENE seen resting in Piraeus in 2003. By that time, the ship had just turned 30 and was now considered a veteran ferry of the Greek coastal service. Despite this, she still performed her services at very high standards. Picture taken by Ted Blank and published on www.faktaomfartyg.se . The MYTILENE seen in her usual docking spot in the E2 gate in Piraeus, where she was loading passengers and vehicles in order to head to Chios and Mytilene during the 2004 season. Picture taken by Aleksi Lindström and published on www.shipspotting.com . The MYTILENE seen in Piraeus in late 2004, as she saw her livery being modified. Indeed, NEL Lines had signed an advertising deal with the home appliances and telecommunications company LG, which resulted in the latter featuring on the ship's hull, as well as that of the THEOFILOS. This deal was made after the three high speed ferries of NEL Lines (namely the AEOLOS KENTERIS, the AEOLOS EXPRESS and the AEOLOS EXPRESS II) had spent the summers of 2003 and 2004 advertising fellow telecommunications companies TIM and Telestet, respectively. These deals echoed those undertaken by Hellas Flying Dolphins/Hellenic Seaways with Vodafone from 2005 to 2013. Picture taken by Michael Van Bosch and published on www.shipspotting.com . The MYTILENE seen in Piraeus, with the full livery of the LG advertisement signs on her hull during the 2005 season. Unlike the three high speed ferries whose hulls were repainted in blue, the ship kept her traditional white livery, along with the famed trireme logo of NEL Lines. Picture taken by Marius Esman and published on www.shipspotting.com . Another view of the MYTILENE in Piraeus during the 2005 season, as she was being sponsored by LG. Picture taken by Andreas Wörteler and published on www.faktaomfartyg.se . The MYTILENE seen leaving the port of Mytilene during the summer of 2006. That year, after the sponsorship deal with LG had ended, the ship sailed with a simple all-white livery without the NEL Lines insignia being written on both sides of her hull. They were eventually added back in early 2007. Picture published on www.shipfriends.gr . The MYTILENE seen in Piraeus in 2007, carrying the NEL Lines insignia of both sides of her hull once again. This was now her sixteenth consecutive season on the Piraeus-Chios-Mytilene-Limnos-Thessaloniki line. Picture taken by Kostas Loudaros and published on www.marinetraffic.com . Following two very turbulent seasons in 2006 and in 2007, NEL Lines came in 2007 with the hopes of an overall turnaround. However, that year also proved to be very volatile, with a few expansions as well as some fleet departures. In terms of expansion, the company proceeded to acquiring the company C-Link Ferries (previously known as AK Ventouris, who once owned the TAXIARCHIS) which was under the management of Apostolos Ventouris. This resulted in NEL Lines acquiring four new ships, namely the conventional ferries PANAGIA TINOU (previously the LEMNOS of Nomicos Lines and then of Minoan Flying Dolphins/Hellas Flying Dolphins) and PANAGIA HOZOVIOTISSA (formerly the ARGOSTOLI of NEKI and then of Ionian Lines and Seven Islands Lines, as well as the MYRTOS of Nea Pnoi Shipping), and two high speed ferries that were sister ships, namely the PANAGIA THALASSINI and the PANAGIA PAROU. The two conventional ferries were operating on the subsidised inter-Cyclades services based from Lavrion and Syros, while the two high speed craft had previously operated on the Cyclades. The PANAGIA THALASSINI had spent the 2006 season on the Lavrion-Syros-Tinos-Mykonos line, while the PANAGIA PAROU was on the Lavrion-Paros-Naxos-Amorgos line. The four ships joined NEL Lines, and the two conventional ferries remained on their inter-Cyclades services, namely the Lavrion-Kea-Kythnos-Andros-Syros-Tinos-Paros-Naxos-Ios-Sikinos-Folegandros-Kimolos-Milos-Sifnos-Serifos lifeline served by the PANAGIA HOZOVIOTISSA and the Lavrion-Kea-Kythnos-Andros-Tinos-Syros-Paros-Naxos-Donousa-Amorgos-Koufonisi-Schoinousa-Irakleia-Folegandros-Sikinos-Ios-Thirassia-Santorini-Anafi lifeline served by the PANAGIA TINOU. The PANAGIA THALASSINI was introduced on a new service on the Lavrion-Kythnos-Paros-Naxos-Amorgos line during the 2007 season. The AEOLOS EXPRESS II was reactivated after two years and was inserted on the Piraeus-Paros-Naxos line after having been renamed AEOLOS KENTERIS II . That year therefore saw NEL Lines attempting to further assert its presence on the Cyclades, and therefore investing beyond the Northeast Aegean Sea. They also tried their luck in Crete for the first time, as they reactivated the AEOLOS EXPRESS (which had been renamed AEOLOS KENTERIS I ) with upgraded engines, so that she could operate on the Piraeus-Rethymnon line, which was left vacated by ANEK Lines. However, these new additions were also coupled with several fleet departures. Indeed, in order to generate more funds, the company sold the PANAGIA PAROU together with the problematic AEOLOS KENTERIS to the Egyptian company Namma Lines, and the ships were renamed RED SEA II and RED SEA I, respectively. They headed for service on the Safaga-Jeddah line on the Red Sea. They were also joined there by the TAXIARCHIS, which was chartered for the duration of the summer of 2007. Therefore, the Piraeus-Chios-Mytilene-Limnos-Thessaloniki line was left with only two ships, namely the THEOFILOS and the MYTILENE. The latter remained very effective, especially under the command of the excellent Cpt Diamantis Papageorgiou. However, the competition there continued to increase. Indeed, despite the departure of the SAMOTHRAKI of Saos Ferries from the Piraeus-Chios-Mytilene-Limnos-Kavala line (after which she headed to the Thessaloniki-Limnos-Mytilene-Chios-Samos line ) , Hellenic Seaways began to attract more passengers onboard the NISSOS MYKONOS. The company then further enhanced its services on the Piraeus-Chios-Mytilene line by having the sister ship of the NISSOS MYKONOS, the NISSOS CHIOS (known as the BLUE STAR CHIOS of Blue Star Ferries since 2020) , delivered to them in 2007. As she had more passenger cabins than the NISSOS MYKONOS, she replaced the latter and quickly made an impact on the Northeast Aegean Sea. Both sister ships also earned the prestigious 'Ship of the Year' award given by Llody's List Greek Shipping Awards for 2006 and 2007, respectively. Hellenic Seaways itself won the 'Passenger Lines of the Year' award in the 2007 event, mainly due to its success on the Piraeus-Chios-Mytilene line. As such, NEL Lines saw their previously-uncontested dominance on the Northeast Aegean Sea being now seriously challenged. Things were not made better by the fact that the THEOFILOS had started to display several technical issues beginning in 2005, as a result of poor maintenance and rushed refits, with NEL Lines paying little attention to her declining machinery. As a result, the ship started to experience numerous delays and engine troubles, something that she would go on to suffer for the rest of her career and which would result in heavy criticism by regular travelers on the Northeast Aegean Sea. In spite of all these setbacks and the troubled situation of NEL Lines, the MYTILENE continued to thrive, even as she was nearing 35 years of service. The mandatory retirement for reaching that age limit had been removed since 2006, hence this meant that the ship was able to continue her operations beyond 2008. The MYTILENE seen having entered the port of Piraeus during the summer of 2007, which was quite a challenging one for NEL Lines. Picture taken by Aleksi Lindström and published on www.shispotting.com . The MYTILENE seen departing the port of Piraeus during the summer of 2007. Picture taken by Jukka Koskimies and published on www.shipspotting.com . The MYTILENE seen sailing off the coast of Attica in early 2008, just a few months after she received the new livery of NEL Lines. Indeed, all the ships had their hulls painted in dark blue throughout 2007. As a result, NEL Lines abandoned the all-white livery previously seen on its ships, even though the high speed craft of the company had already been painted in dark blue since 2003. Picture published on www.shipfriends.gr . After a very challenging 2007 season, NEL Lines hoped for a more prosperous 2008. Yet again, the company experienced yet another turbulent year. While the TAXIARCHIS returned to the company, the PANAGIA THALASSINI was withdrawn and remained in Perama and then in Lavrion for the entire 2008 season, amidst rumours that she would also be heading to Namma Lines, although this never happened. The AEOLOS KENTERIS I left the Piraeus-Rethymnon line after just one season and was deployed on the Piraeus-Paros-Naxos line. The year was, however, marked by two notable accidents which heavily affected the operations of NEL Lines. The first one was the collision of the AEOLOS KENTERIS II with the RODANTHI of GA Ferries (and, of course, the sister ship of the MYTILENE) in Piraeus in April 2008, which resulted in the bow of the high speed craft being severely damaged. She was reactivated but then left for the Red Sea, under charter to Namma Lines. But the most severe accident was that of the THEOFILOS two months later. Indeed, the cruiseferry was heading from Piraeus to Chios when she ran aground in the island of Oinousses late at night while carrying 475 passengers and 97 crew members. The hull on her port side was significantly damaged, with a large slash causing water to infiltrate some of her water tight compartments, and this resulted in the ship developing a 2.50 degree list. She was ultimately savaged in time and was towed to Elefsina. Her damage saw her missing the rest of the season and remaining in Salamina until repairs began in Perama. She only returned to service in May 2009, with the repairs having cost the company an estimated €5 million. Being left without one of their main ferries, NEL Lines only had the MYTILENE and the TAXIARCHIS on the Northeast Aegean Sea. Hellenic Seaways took much advantage of the loss and the NISSOS CHIOS was able to consolidate her dominance on the Piraeus-Chios-Mytilene line. Things became worse after ANEK Lines also decided to enter on the Northeast Aegean Sea in order to fill the void left by the THEOFILOS, doing so by deploying the veteran ferry LISSOS on the Piraeus-Chios-Mytilene-Limnos-Thessaloniki line. The ship proved to be very successful, and therefore the dominance of NEL Lines was now over, as it now faced two very serious competitors. The MYTILENE seen docked in Piraeus during the summer of 2008, one that was even more challenging as she did not operate alongside her usual partner, namely the THEOFILOS. Picture taken by Dennis Mortimer and published on www.marinetraffic.com . A very special picture showing two sister ships built in Japan and operating for different companies in Greece. Most importantly, both ships went on to have spectacular careers in the Greek coastal service, and they are regarded as two of the best ferries to have ever operated on the Aegean Sea. The MYTILENE, previously known as the VEGA in Japan, seen leaving the port of Piraeus in 2008, while the RODANTHI, previously the VIRGO, seen arriving in the port. Picture published on www.shipfriends.gr . For the 2009 season, NEL Lines continued to face many uncertainties, especially as the competition continued to threaten them. In a dire need of securing more revenue as shareholders began to become dissatisfied with the limited amount of capital, the company sought to reassert its dominance on the Northeast Aegean Sea by taking over several subsidised lifelines that were abandoned by Saos Ferries at the end of the 2008 season, following their financial issues. The TAXIARCHIS was deployed on the Lavrion-Psara-Mytilene-Agios Efstratios-Limnos-Kavala line, while the repaired THEOFILOS was deployed on the Thessaloniki-Kavala-Limnos-Mytilene-Chios-Samos-Ikaria line. The PANAGIA THALASSINI was reactivated and was deployed on the Sporades and the Northeast Aegean Sea, serving the Volos-Skiathos-Skopelos-Limnos-Agios Efstratios-Psara-Chios line. The AEOLOS KENTERIS I and the AEOLOS KENTERIS II had replaced the PANAGIA HOZOVIOTISSA and the PANAGIA TINOU on their respective inter-Cyclades lifeline services, which resulted in both conventional ferries being retired. The PANAGIA TINOU was sold in 2009 to the Turkish company Trabzon Shipping and was renamed TRABZON, while the PANAGIA HOZOVIOTISSA remained under lay-up until she was sold for scrap to Turkey in 2010. The MYTILENE remained alone on the Piraeus-Chios-Mytilene-Limnos-Thessaloniki line, competing against the NISSOS CHIOS and the LISSOS, as well as the Ro-Ro carrier ALEXANDRA T of Tsirikos Lines (previously the SATURNUS of Ventouris Ferries) which was withdrawn later in the season. Overall, NEL Lines performed well in 2009, but the competitors won further ground on the Piraeus-Chios-Mytilene line as the company was left with just one ship. The company also remained under financial uncertainty, but then surprisingly announced the return of the AEOLOS KENTERIS and of the PANAGIA PAROU after purchasing them back from Namma Lines, where the two ships had largely underperformed. There were therefore several rumours regarding where the two high speed craft would be deployed in 2010. At the same time, the Greek financial crisis also started to have a large effect on the ferry sector, and many companies would soon cease most if not all their operations. One of them GA Ferries, which ceased to operate altogether after the summer of 2009 ended. All of its ships were laid-up in Piraeus and in Elefsina and later headed for scrap, including the RODANTHI which headed to Aliağa in 2012. The MYTILENE seen exiting the port of Piraeus during the 2009 season. This was the first season during which she did not have a partner on the Piraeus-Chios-Mytilene-Limnos-Thessaloniki line, but she nevertheless performed very well that year. Picture taken by Manos Petrakos and published on www.marinetraffic.com . The MYTILENE docked in Piraeus during the summer of 2009. Picture taken by Georgios Koutsoukis and published on www.faktaomfartyg.se . Ahead of the 2010 season, NEL Lines experienced a dramatic and unexpected change in their strategy. Indeed, despite its various economic, technical and operational problems that hampered them for the entirety of the 2000s, the company proceeded to perform an impressive fleet expansion by buying and chartering numerous passenger ships and Ro-Ro carriers. These included   the MYRTIDIOTISSA of ANEN Lines (which was renamed AQUA MARIA) , the AQUA JEWEL of Alpha Ferries , the EUROPEAN EXPRESS of Access Ferries , the Ro-Ro carriers of Adriatic Lines RO-PAX 1 (which was renamed AQUA HERCULES) and RO-PAX 2 (which was renamed OLYMPUS) and the Ro-Ro carrier MYKONOS of Mykonos ANE (now the TALOS of Creta Cargo Lines) . They also went on to charter the high speed craft of My Ferries that were being prepared for the summer season, the MYCAT I (which was renamed ALKIONI) and the MYCAT II (which was renamed CYCLADES EXPRESS, and is now the NAXOS JET of Sea Jets ), two Ro-Ro carriers built in Japan (the COLOSSUS and the IPPOTIS). With all these new acquisitions, they proceeded to expand their services on the Aegean Sea as well as on the Adriatic Sea. The AQUA JEWEL was inserted on the inter-Cyclades lifeline previously served by the AEOLOS KENTERIS I, which spent the 2010 season on charter to the French company SNCM (which has been known as Corsica Linea since 2016) as the NGV LIAMONE II. The MYKONOS, the COLOSSUS and the IPPOTIS were introduced under the new NEL Lines Cargo division. The MYKONOS was deployed on the Piraeus-Syros-Tinos-Mykonos-Paros-Naxos-Ikaria-Samos line, while the COLOSSUS and the IPPOTIS operated on the Cyclades and on the Dodecanese, on the Piraeus-Kos-Rhodes line and on the Piraeus-Syros-Tinos-Mykonos-Paros-Naxos-Ikaria-Samos-Kos-Rhodes line, respectively. The AQUA HERCULES and the OLYMPUS remained on the Adriatic Sea and served the Corinth-Ancona line and the Trieste-Durrës line, respectively (they would then both head to the Igoumenitsa-Corfu-Bari line in 2011). The AQUA MARIA was converted in late 2010 and entered service on the Lavrion-Agios Efstratios-Limnos-Kavala, where she replaced the TAXIARCHIS, which moved to the Kavala-Limnos-Mytilene-Chios-Samos-Ikaria line and joined the THEOFILOS on the Northeast Aegean Sea lifeline. The PANAGIA THALASSINI won the subsidy contract for the Lavrion-Chios-Psara line, and therefore the company had another lifeline to serve on the Northeast Aegean Sea. It also made a full entry on the Sporades, where the ALKIONI was deployed on the Volos-Skiathos-Skopelos-Alonissos-Thessaloniki line. The PANAGIA PAROU was also due to operate there, but she instead headed to the Adriatic Sea and operated on the Bari-Durrës line. The CYCLADES EXPRESS was deployed on the Heraklion-Santorini line for just a few days in August before being withdrawn. But perhaps the most noteworthy deployment was that of the EUROPEAN EXPRESS, which joined the MYTILENE on the Piraeus-Chios-Mytilene line. This was done in order for NEL Lines to reassert itself on its flagship service and to improve their performance against the NISSOS CHIOS and the LISSOS. The EUROPEAN EXPRESS and the MYTILENE, despite being 36 years old 37 years old, respectively, performed extremely well together. While they were unable to match the services of the NISSOS CHIOS, they did impose some damage to ANEK Lines, which withdrew the LISSOS after the season ended and sold her for scrap in 2011. The year was considered satisfactory overall for NEL Lines, but some of their services on the Adriatic Sea and on the Dodecanese, as well as on the Heraklion-Santorini line, were not successful. Moreover, the THEOFILOS in particular had another poor season marked by engine failures and delayed trips, and therefore many locals complained further. Additionally, the company was still left with some unemployable ships, most notably the AEOLOS KENTERIS which had not performed any trips since her return from the Red Sea. The MYTILENE seen as she leaves the port of Mytilene during the summer of 2010. Picture taken by Georgios Choriatellis and published on www.marinetraffic.com . The MYTILENE seen docked in her namesake port in 2010, during another very effective summer season during which she was part of a great duo along with the EUROPEAN EXPRESS. Picture taken by Georgios Solomos and published on www.marintetraffic.com . The surprising moves and overall expansion performed by NEL Lines during the 2010 season carried on in 2011, albeit to a lesser extent. While the lineup on the Northeast Aegean Sea remained mostly the same, the company further dedicated itself to the Cyclades and the Sporades. The Heraklion-Santorini line performed by the CYCLADES EXPRESS was abandoned, but the company made a major move by acquiring the ferry MR SHOPPY ONE of the Swedish company Mr Shoppy (a ship built in Greece in 2001 and which was previously the AGIOS ANDREAS II of Agios Andreas Shipping and then the ANDREAS II of Kefalonia Lines before her sale to Sweden in 2007). The ship was renamed AQUA SPIRIT and replaced the AEOLOS KENTERIS II on the Lavrion-Kea-Kythnos-Andros-Tinos-Syros-Paros-Naxos-Donousa-Amorgos-Koufonisi-Schoinousa-Irakleia-Folegandros-Sikinos-Ios-Thirassia-Santorini-Anafi lifeline. The high speed ferry was sent for lay-up in Salamina, where she has remained ever since. The company further enhanced its presence on the Sporades by deploying the PANAGIA PAROU on the Agios Konstantinos-Skiathos-Skopelos-Alonissos line, while the ALKIONI was once again on the Volos-Skiathos-Skopelos-Alonissos-Thessaloniki line. The AEOLOS KENTERIS I, which had completed her charter under SNCM and reverted back to her previous name, was also sent to the Adriatic Sea, performing services on the Zakynthos-Kefalonia-Igoumenitsa-Corfu-Brindisi line during the high season only. The AEOLOS KENTERIS was also finally reactivated and performed very few trips on the Adriatic Sea as well, on the Bari-Durrës line in place of the PANAGIA PAROU. The company also attempted to operate on the connection of Mytilene with Turkey, which was materialised after the purchase of the landing craft KONSTANTINOS G of Costal Lines, which was serving the Mytilene-Dikili line. She was refitted and resumed her service there. The 2011 season was deemed successful overall, despite continuous technical issues for some ships like the THEOFILOS (which missed the entire 2011 season due to more engine troubles) and the TAXIARCHIS. While the fleet expansion was well received by passengers, it was met with skepticism by some, as it seemed incomprehensible for a company that was mainly based on government-subsidised lifelines to buy and charter so many ferries at once, including some that had been inactive for as many as two years. Eventually, these acquisitions caused a huge debt for the company, from which they never recovered and which ended-up sealing their demise just four years later. Indeed, by 2012, just two years after expanding their fleet, NEL Lines had already confirmed that it had reached a ceiling, as several of the ships they chartered left after only one or two seasons. The CYCLADES EXPRESS and the ALKIONI were sent for lay-up in 2010 and 2012 respectively, the departures of the IPPOTIS and of the COLOSSUS ended the company's presence on the Dodecanese after only two years (they were then scrapped in 2014 and in 2013, respectively), the AQUA HERCULES and the OLYMPUS had an unsuccessful spell on the Igoumenitsa-Corfu-Bari line and were sold to the Emirati company SAMC (and spent the next years laid-up in Port Saïd, with the OLYMPUS heading for scrap in 2017), the PANAGIA THALASSINI and the PANAGIA PAROU ended their respective services on the Sporades and on the Northeast Aegean Sea in order to be chartered to Inter Shipping on the Algeciras-Tangier Med line on the Gibraltar Strait (a charter that lasted just a season and which turned out to be a failure, as both owners and charterers ended-up suffering from economic problems). The Lavrion-Chios-Psara line served by the PANAGIA THALASSINI was taken over by the AQUA MARIA, whose service on the Lavrion-Psara-Agios Efstratios-Limnos-Kavala was assigned to the TAXIARCHIS. The AEOLOS KENTERIS, the AEOLOS KENTERIS I and the AEOLOS KENTERIS II were laid-up in Salamina after the 2011 season ended. With the impact of the Greek financial crisis and the high fuel costs, together with their history of technical issues and unsuccessful services, the three ships were never reactivated again by the company, despite some attempts to do so in 2012 and in 2013. But their unprofitability made all these scenarios impossible, especially as NEL Lines would go on to lose their ground on the Northeast Aegean Sea. Indeed, even though ANEK Lines had stopped services in the region after the 2010 season, the company faced a new and far more serious threat similar to that of Hellenic Seaways when they brought the NISSOS MYKONOS and then the NISSOS CHIOS on the Piraeus-Chios-Mytilene line. This was the introduction of the newly-built BLUE STAR PATMOS of Blue Star Ferries , which was deployed on the Piraeus-Chios-Mytilene to compete against NEL Lines and Hellenic Seaways. This impressive new ferry quickly made an impact, and now NEL Lines found themselves having veteran ferries competing against two very modern and faster cruiseferries. They tried to improve the situation by having three ships serving Chios and Mytilene from Piraeus. To that end, the repaired THEOFILOS was brought back to its flagship service, operating on the Piraeus-Ikaria-Samos-Chios-Mytilene-Limnos-Kavala-Thessaloniki line. The MYTILENE also began operating in Ikaria and in Samos for the first time (mainly due to the fact that there were uncertainties regarding the deployment of the NISSOS MYKONOS on the Piraeus-Syros-Mykonos-Ikaria-Samos line, where she had been based since 2007), as she was deployed on the Piraeus-Ikaria-Samos-Chios-Mytilene-Limnos-Kavala line to complement the services of the THEOFILOS. The EUROPEAN EXPRESS served Chios and Mytilene directly from Piraeus as she was deployed on the Piraeus-Chios-Mytilene-Limnos-Kavala line. Despite their efforts, the BLUE STAR PATMOS and the NISSOS CHIOS proved to be far superior than the three ships of NEL Lines, whose ages ranged from 37 years old to 39 years old. Moreover, the services of the THEOFILOS once again came under scrutiny and she had another major engine failure in October 2012, which caused to miss many days of service. Altogether, the decline of the company was now inevitable, and it could only rely on the subsidies given by the Greek Ministry of Shipping and Insular Policy and on the ships that did not have technical issues, most notably the MYTILENE. The MYTILENE seen docked in Limnos during the 2011 season, which was once again very successful for the ship in spite of her company's problems. This was notably her twentieth consecutive season on the Piraeus-Chios-Mytilene-Limnos-Thessaloniki line, with her spell being the second longest-ever after that of the SAPPHO, which operated there for 29 years. Picture taken by Andreas Michailidis and published on www.marinetraffic.com . The MYTILENE seen departing the port of Chios during the summer of 2012. While Greece and NEL Lines were facing an extremely difficult period, she continued to perform at very high standards, just like she had done when she first started her career on the Northeast Aegean Sea back in 1992. Picture published on www.shipfriends.gr . At the conclusion of the 2012 summer season, the problems of NEL Lines had become evident and there were concerns regarding the company's profitability, despite the subsidies given for the lifelines on the Northeast Aegean Sea and on the inter-Cyclades services. The media also started reporting that many crew members had failed to be paid on time, and that the company could no longer afford significant maintenance activities, particularly for its older ferries. NEL Lines also found themselves with numerous ships under lay-up, with some being later confiscated due to debts owed to the ports in which they were docked. At the same time, the MYTILENE moved to the Piraeus-Syros-Mykonos-Ikaria-Fournoi-Samos line in order to replace the IERAPETRA L of ANEK Lines (today the AQUA BLUE of Sea Jets) , which had spent the 2012 season there but was withdrawn from service by her company. There were rumours that the MYTILENE would be deployed on the Piraeus-Paros-Naxos-Ios-Santorini line on the Cyclades in 2013, and the company actually requested a license for this service, but this ultimately never happened. The MYTILENE seen in Perama in late 2012, after having completed her annual refit. She was now leaving in order to head to Piraeus so as to start her new operations on the Piraeus-Syros-Mykonos-Ikaria-Fournoi-Samos line. Picture published on www.shipfriends.gr . The year 2013, during which the MYTILENE turned 40, proved to be a disastrous one for NEL Lines. Indeed, just as January began, the company was dealt with a huge blow. This came after the two ships operating on the Piraeus-Chios-Mytilene line, the THEOFILOS and the EUROPEAN EXPRESS, were shockingly arrested by their crews, and this marked the first time that the company did not have a ship operating on its flagship line, which it had been serving continuously for 40 years. While there were attempts to solve the situation and reactivate the ships, frequent passengers on the Northeast Aegean Sea had started to lose their patience with the company's unreliability, and were now more keen to travel with the NISSOS CHIOS and the BLUE STAR PATMOS. Many lorry drivers also became dissatisfied with NEL Lines, instead preferring to use the Ro-Ro carrier PELAGITIS of Ainaftis , which had started operations on the Piraeus-Chios-Mytilene line in 2010. The MYTILENE was not added back to the line that she had been serving for 20 years, as Ikaria, Fournoi and Samos would be left with no ferry connection to and from Piraeus, as the IERAPETRA L was withdrawn from service and the NISSOS MYKONOS was laid-up for the winter. As the year progrssed, the company had had found itself under an unprecedented turmoil. The THEOFILOS, due to return on the Northeast Aegean Sea lifeline, was still laid-up, the charter of the MYKONOS ended, the KONSTANTINOS G was abruptly withdrawn from her service on the Mytilene-Dikili line and never returned to operate for NEL Lines (being instead sold to the Equatorial Guinean company Somagec the following year), the AQUA JEWEL suffered an engine failure which kept her laid-up in Lavrion for three months (and thus causing issues regarding the inter-Cycaldes services), the AQUA MARIA was forced to leave the Lavrion-Psara-Chios line several times in order to cover the service left by her engine-plagued fleetmates. The EUROPEAN EXPRESS had been sent on the Northeast Aegean Sea lifeline, on the Thessaloniki-Kavala-Limnos-Mytilene-Chios-Samos-Ikaria line, while waiting for the THEOFILOS to arrive. However, she herself was due to depart that line ahead of the summer as she had been chartered to Ventouris Ferries for service on the Adriatic Sea, on the Zakynthos-Kefalonia-Igoumenitsa-Corfu-Bari line. The TAXIARCHIS had a very troublesome year marked by numerous engine failures, as it was also the case for the EUROPEAN EXPRESS. NEL Lines did try to save the situation on the Northeast Aegean Sea by chartering the Ro-Pax ferry IONIAN SKY of the similarly-financially-troubled Agoudimos Lines . They were due to deploy her on the Piraeus-Lavrion-Psara-Chios-Mytilene line, but she instead went to the Thessaloniki-Kavala-Limnos-Mytilene-Chios-Samos-Ikaria line instead of the THEOFILOS. But her spell there was also very troublesome, as she also went on to have numerous technical issues, delayed and canceled trips, and her season and charter ended prematurely after she had a major engine failure in Mytilene. She was towed to Salamina and remained laid-up there, without ever being reactivated. While the majority of the fleet of NEL Lines had a disastrous season, only the MYTILENE and the AQUA SPIRIT performed well. The former in particular was praised by the residents of Ikaria and Samos. She operated for 13 months with no interruption, which was quite impressive considering her age and the poor situation of her company. She competed effectively against the NISSOS MYKONOS (even though the latter missed a large portion of the season due to a fire incident in June 2013), but the latter had a much better season, which was considered to be her most successful at the time. Nonetheless, the MYTILENE was much-appreciated even as the year was ending and the need for a proper maintenance became more apparent. My first-ever picture of the MYTILENE, as she is seen docked in the E2 gate in Piraeus during the summer of 2013, which marked her first season on the Piraeus-Syros-Mykonos-Ikaria-Fournoi-Samos line. While I had seen the ship a few times during the 2000s in Piraeus, I never had the chance to take a picture of her until 2013. Fortunately, as I had uploaded this picture on Marine Traffic that year, it was one of the few that I could still access following my computer crash in late 2014. Therefore, I am fortunate to have kept a picture of this legendary ferry, otherwise I would have been inconsolable if all my pictures of the MYTILENE had all disappeared. That unfortunately was not the case with the THEOFILOS, whose only picture that I had taken back in 2012 has disappeared forever. The MYTILENE seen leaving Piraeus for Syros in 2013. Picture taken by Georgios Mertis and published on www.marinetraffic.com . The MYTILENE seen entering the port of Piraeus during the evening in late 2013. Even though she was now 40 years old, the ship still looked sublime and both her indoor and outdoor areas continued to be very impressive. Picture taken by Georgios Mertis and published on www.shipspotting.com . Many hoped that the summer of 2014 would be a summer of redemption for NEL Lines. However, these wishes soon turned into nightmares. The EUROPEAN EXPRESS again experienced several engine failures and delays, thus leaving many passengers livid and unsatisfied. The AQUA MARIA was sent for lay-up without any apparent reason (with her service on the Lavrion-Chios-Psara line not being taken over by another ship even though it was a subsidised service), the TAXIARCHIS and the THEOFILOS (which had returned to the Thessaloniki-Kavala-Limnos-Mytilene-Chios-Samos-Ikaria line in late 2013) also had technical problems, as did the AQUA JEWEL which suffered a new engine failure which definitively ended her NEL Lines career. Even the AQUA SPIRIT (by then the least troublesome ship of the company in terms of technical problems) started to occasionally experience engine troubles. The MYTILENE missed the first half of 2014 as she underwent her refit, and she remained docked in Drapetsona while there were rumours suggesting that her crew was unpaid for many months, and that they ceased all work onboard the ship until they received their salaries. She ultimately resumed service on the Piraeus-Syros-Mykonos-Ikaria-Fournoi-Samos line, which had been covered by the EUROPEAN EXPRESS. The troubles faced by the latter were significant, but not worse than the THEOFILOS, which was having a terrible spell on the Northeast Aegean Sea lifeline. To that end, the EUROPEAN EXPRESS was sent to operate there just as the summer began, and the THEOFILOS was laid-up in Drapetsona, never to sail again for NEL Lines and in general for the rest of her career. The stint of the EUROPEAN EXPRESS on the Northeast Aegean Sea was beyond disastrous. Indeed, a lack of maintenance and the problems faced by the crew caused multiple delays that were even worse than the ones faced by the THEOFILOS. As a result, tourism in Ikaria, Samos, Chios, Lesbos and especially Limnos suffered due to the lack of efficient coastal service connection. Towards the end of the summer season, NEL Lines decided to switch the itineraries of the EUROPEAN EXPRESS and of the MYTILENE, in order to ensure a better connection of the Northeast Aegean Sea Islands. The EUROPEAN EXPRESS as a result returned to the Piraeus-Syros-Ikaria-Fournoi-Samos line, while the MYTILENE spent the last few days of August on the Thessaloniki-Kavala-Limnos-Mytilene-Chios-Samos-Ikaria line. She initially started well and finally trips on the lifeline began to operate smoothly. However, the ship then had an engine failure herself, by which time the Ministry of Shipping and Insular Policy finally had enough with NEL Lines and stripped them of their operating license and subsidy allowance for service on the Northeast Aegean Sea lifeline. The services were subsequently taken over by Hellenic Seaways, which connected all islands with Piraeus with larger, younger and more efficient ferries such as the ARIADNE (which had started full-time service on the Piraeus-Chios-Mytilene line in 2014), the NISSOS MYKONOS  and later the NISSOS RODOS . Blue Star Ferries also operated the Piraeus-Samos-Chios-Mytilene-Limnos-Kavala line in 2015 with the BLUE STAR 1 . The MYTILENE seen departing the port of Piraeus in 2014, which was her second season on the Piraeus-Syros-Mykonos-Ikaria-Fournoi-Samos line. Picture taken by Vangelis Tzerefos and published on www.marinetraffic.com . My second and final picture of the MYTILENE, as she is seen docked in Piraeus in 2014. This was her final active year in Greece and under NEL Lines, as she would stop to operate a few months after this picture was taken following an engine failure and the collapse of NEL Lines. As a result, this picture is very meaningful, as it marked my final interaction with the ship while she was still operating. Even as that year was disastrous for NEL Lines, the ship still remained in a fair condition, and her crew did all it could in order to keep her that way, despite her age, her lack of maintenance and the fact that she had been surpassed by younger competitors. The MYTILENE seen leaving the port of Mytilene in 2014, during her brief spell on the Northeast Aegean Sea lifeline, where she was forced to replace the EUROPEAN EXPRESS which was having a very poor spell there. She was the last ship of NEL Lines to operate on this lifeline, as the company was expelled from there by the Greek Ministry of Shipping and Insular Policy. Picture published on www.shipfriends.gr . With NEL Lines gone from the Thessaloniki-Kavala-Limnos-Mytilene-Chios-Samos-Ikaria lifeline, the MYTILENE was inactive for a few weeks, until she made her return to the Piraeus-Syros-Mykonos-Ikaria-Fournoi-Samos line after the EUROPEAN EXPRESS continued to experience numerous engine problems. The latter was sent for lay-up in Drapetsona next to the THEOFILOS and, just like her fleetmate, never returned to service again. With all these ships being laid-up, NEL Lines now only had three ferries operating, namely the MYTILENE on the aforementioned service in Ikaria and in Samos, the AQUA SPIRIT on her inter-Cyclades lifeline, and the TAXIARCHIS on the Lavrion-Psara-Agios Efstratios-Limnos-Kavala line. The financial woes of the company grew worse as the end of the year approached, its reputation had been severely damaged on the Northeast Aegean Sea, and therefore passengers preferred traveling on the trustworthy and reliable ships of Hellenic Seaways and Blue Star Ferries. It was only a matter of time for the company to stop operating altogether. Despite these setbacks, the MYTILENE and her other two fleetmates continued to operate, and did the best they could despite the difficult conditions of the company. The MYTILENE seen in Piraeus during an evening in late 2014. She is about to load passengers and vehicles in order to head to the five islands that she was serving in the last trips of her career. Picture taken by Sakis Antoniou and published on www.marinetraffic.com . The MYTILENE seen departing the port of Piraeus during the evening in November 2014, during the last weeks of her active career. While she continued to operate extremely well, little did she know that she would be performing her final trips due to her company's negligence and poor financial condition. Picture taken by Roy Batty and published on www.shipspotting.com . The MYTILENE seen docked in Piraeus in 2015, just a few days before she stopped sailing. Picture taken by Dimitris Mentakis and published on www.shipspotting.com . While the MYTILENE was still operating as 2015 began, she unexpectedly ended her services (and her career as a whole) in February of that year, when her main engine broke down while she was docked in Samos, in the port of Karlovasi. The remaining trip was canceled, and the ship eventually remained stuck in the island, as NEL Lines could not afford to tow her back to Piraeus, let alone repair her. Hopes for a short stay in Samos quickly vanished, and the ship was now fully abandoned by the company which had invested significantly in her just 25 years prior. Furthermore, her crew remained unpaid for many months, and she was subsequently arrested while remaining with a broken engine in Samos. As the months progressed, the ship no longer had available fuel for heating and lighting, and this left the crew under very miserable conditions, as they could also not access food provisions. NEL Lines fully neglected these unfortunate people and did not provide them any help, nor their salaries. As a result, their arduous conditions in Samos were significantly covered by the media, which notably showed the signs that they put on the ship's stern, whereupon they stated that they were hungry and penniless. At some point, they were only able to receive food and water from the army base that was located near the port! These were horrible moments for these people, and it was a shame that they were associated with a ship which had previously operated with so much success and practically no trouble for more than two decades, even when her company was no longer dedicated and among the top ones in Greece. The MYTILENE seen laid-up in the port of Karlovasi in Samos, where she ceased operating due to a major engine failure and the subsequent arrest performed by her demoralised crew in 2015. Picture taken by Panagiotis Marinakis and published on www.marinetraffic.com . A view of the stern of the MYTILENE during her lay-up in Samos, with the crew having added three notable signs which were then displayed across all media in Greece. The one on the left side of her garage and on the port side states, in Greek, 'We are hostages of the State and of shipowners'. The one in the middle over the garage and right underneath the ship's name states 'We are hungry', while the one above says 'We will fight until the end'. These were very sad scenes unworthy of a ferry company in Greece. Picture published on www.nautilia.gr . While the MYTILENE remained laid-up in Samos, NEL Lines still had two more ships under operation, but even they could not avoid the impending end. Indeed, a few months later, the TAXIARCHIS and the AQUA SPIRIT stopped service multiple times due to their crews remaining unpaid for months as well. The company still did not have the funds to solve the issue, and as a result both ships were arrested permanently in Lavrion and caused huge problems to the lines that they were serving. Eventually, NEL Lines was also ousted from the last two lifelines on which they operating. These were also taken over by Hellenic Seaways. This as a result marked the official end of the operations of NEL Lines, just before the start of the summer of 2015. The company's ships were all laid-up and were never reactivated for the once-glorious Lesbos-based maritime power, which had vanished after 42 years of operations in the Greek coastal service. However, its last 15 years had severely damaged the company's reputation, and therefore very few people lamented its closure. This was also due to the quick and effective transition that Hellenic Seaways performed in its operations on the Northeast Aegean Sea, as all its ships operated extremely well and therefore frequent passengers traveling in the area quickly forgot the troubles brought over by NEL Lines. The service of the MYTILENE in Ikaria and in Samos was covered by the NISSOS MYKONOS (which continues to serve these islands as part of her long itinerary along the Northeast Aegean Sea lifeline, as the BLUE STAR MYCONOS of Blue Star Ferries) and the NISSOS RODOS, which was replaced in 2018 by the DIAGORAS of Blue Star Ferries . The Piraeus-Chios-Mytilene line, formerly the uninvadable territory of NEL Lines and the flagship service of the company on which the MYTILENE operated for 20 years, has been served since 2018 by the NISSOS RODOS and the NISSOS SAMOS, also of Hellenic Seaways . These two Japanese-built ferries are among the largest ferries of the Aegean Sea, and both serve the two islands with much success, hence carrying on the legacy left by the former flagship of NEL Lines. After spending more than a year under lay-up in Samos, the MYTILENE finally left the island under tow, in order to head to the Elefsina Bay. While her crew received their long-awaited salaries under the protection of the Navy Retirement Fund and the Panhellenic Seamen's Federation, the ship still carried enormous debts and the company could still not afford to repair her broken engine. To that end, she simply left Samos in order to continue her lay-up in the Elefsina Bay. She was placed alongside another historic ferry which was forced into lay-up due to her own company's financial issues. Indeed, this was the legendary PENELOPE A of Agoudimos Lines, one of the greatest ships to have ever operated on the Rafina-Andros-Tinos-Mykonos line, which had been sent for lay-up in the Elefsina Bay in 2014, a few months after having been arrested in Rafina following her company's closure. The two iconic ferries, once among the most acclaimed ships of the Greek coastal service for more than two decades, were now docked together while awaiting their fates, with the prospects of a return to service seeming like a miracles as the years went by. The MYTILENE seen laid-up in the Elefsina Bay next to the PENELOPE A in late 2016. This is where the ship would go on to remain for the next six years. Once the acclaimed ship of the Northeast Aegean Sea, the MYTILENE was now a mere shadow of the incredible ferry that she used to be, having been neglected by the same company which had previously invested huge amounts in order to provide passengers heading to Chios, Mytilene, Limnos and Thessaloniki with an unforgettable experience onboard. Picture published on www.shipfriends.gr . With NEL Lines no longer active, their ships went on to await their eventual fates. Some were luckier, whereas others are still laid-up, while others like the MYTILENE spent several years of misery before finally giving in to the torch-breakers. The MYKONOS had joined Creta Cargo Lines in 2014 and was renamed TALOS , the AQUA JEWEL temporarily rejoined Alpha Ferries and returned to service in 2017 after having been bought by Sea Jets. The latter had also bought the AQUA SPIRIT and the CYCLADES EXPRESS in early 2016, and reactivated them for service on the Cyclades. The AQUA MARIA was bought by Aqua Ferries, was again renamed MYRTIDIOTISSA and entered service on the Sporades in 2016 (later becoming the ALEXANDRA L of the now-inactive Kefalonian Lines  in 2018). The PANAGIA THALASSINI returned to Greece after having been bought by Idomeneas Lines (owned by the Panagiotopoulos family) and being renamed KALLI P , but never re-entered service due to debts owed by NEL Lines. The PANAGIA PAROU remained laid-up in Algeciras until sinking inside the port in 2017, eventually being refloated and sold for scrap to Turkey in 2018. The EUROPEAN EXPRESS remained laid-up in Perama after having shifted there from Drapetsona in 2016, and she was ultimately sold for scrap to Turkey in 2019 . She was followed a year later by the IONIAN SKY, which had remained laid-up in Salamina since her withdrawal from service at the end of the 2013 season . The high speed ferry ALKIONI remained laid-up in Salamina for eight years until she began preparations for a return to service under a new owner, ultimately performing a vast refit in order to enter service on the Sporades once again, as the CAT I of Magic Sea Ferries (she is due to be deployed on the Agios Konstantinos-Skiathos-Skopelos-Alonissos line next year). The AEOLOS KENTERIS I and AEOLOS KENTERIS II have remained in Salamina for years and are progressively becoming more assimilated to the scrapyards despite their young age, while the AEOLOS KENTERIS headed to Augusta in Italy in order to start a service under charter to a Maltese company on the Augusta-Valletta line, but financial and continued technical issues faced by the ship resulted in her seizure by the Augusta Port Authority, and she has remained laid-up and now partly submerged in the Sicilian port. The TAXIARCHIS was laid-up in Lavrion from 2015 to 2018 and is now also in Salamina awaiting her fate, having also been partly submerged in recent years. The THEOFILOS had a troublesome time in Drapetsona and was finally towed to the Elefsina Bay in 2017, remaining permanently laid-up there and not far from her fleetmate and long-time partner, namely the MYTILENE. She then moved to Salamina in 2021, being docked next to the TAXIARCHIS, after the Elefsina Port Authority successfully called for her removal from the area. All ferries were placed on auction, but the attempts to have them sold and removed from the Piraeus area failed for the most part, with only the older conventional ferries heading for scrap. Over the next six years, I would frequently spot the MYTILENE from afar while driving on the coastline of Elefsina while heading to and from the Peloponnese. Whenever I had the occasion to see the ship, I would usually look at her with much regret, as she no longer was the great ferry that was beloved by Greek coastal service enthusiasts, and I would usually longer how long she will be staying there before she would eventually head for demolition. The last time that I saw the ship was on 8 September 2021, while I was heading back to Athens from Rion and Patras where I had spent the day looking at various ships that were operating there. As I could only spot her from afar, I was not able to take a picture of her, therefore the only ones that I had of the ship were during her final two operational seasons in 2013 and in 2014. In May 2022, after more than seven years of lay-up, it was reported that the MYTILENE had been sold for scrap. She was renamed LENE and was reflagged to Togo, being registered in Lomé. She therefore followed the same practices that were undertaken on the THEOFILOS, which was renamed and reflagged in a similar fashion, having her name shortened to ILOS and flying the Togolese flag. The ferry left Salamina on 13 May 2022, heading to Turkey after 47 years of service, of which 27 had been under the ownership of NEL Lines. Just more than two weeks later, the MYTILENE, now known as the LENE, left the Elefsina Bay under tow for the first time in six years. She was performing her first trip in as many years, but also the last of her career, which lasted 49 years, of which 32 were spent in Greece. She happened to leave 30 years after she first began operations under NEL Lines, after having spent two years under conversion in Perama. The ship is now in Alia ğa in Turkey, having been beached a few metres away from her former fleetmate, and will now belong to history. The day that she left Greece for the last time was filled with tributes, as many remembered the ship and her iconic career, and kept fond memories of her despite her decline after her engine failure back in 2015. While reactions to the departure of the THEOFILOS were mixed due to the ship's frequent troubles from 2004 onwards, those for the MYTILENE were much more positive and emotional. Notably, a few inhabitants of Lesbos went to see her while she was being towed to Aliağa and was passing by the island for the last time. They reminisced the thousands of trips that the ship had done while heading to and from Mytilene, which she served loyally and with great success for 20 years, even during the declining performance of NEL Lines. The latter therefore lost its greatest-ever ship (and also the longest-serving ship in the company's history, having been owned by them for 32 years even though she did not sail for the final 7 years), and the only ships that are lefts as remnants of the company (even though it has remained inactive since 2015) are the AEOLOS KENTERIS I, the AEOLOS KENTERIS II and the TAXIARCHIS in Greece, as well as the AEOLOS KENTERIS which is languishing and partly-submerged in Augusta. While it is almost certain that the 46-year-old TAXIARCHIS will likely follow the MYTILENE and the THEOFILOS to the scrapyards, some may still hope for a reactivation of the three high speed craft, as they are only between 21 and 22 years old, respectively. However, their long history of technical issues and their lengthy lay-ups which have now lasted for more than a decade, will probably fail to attract any interested investor. Indeed, the fact that even Sea Jets, which has been known to purchase high speed craft that had previously spent many years of lay-up in both Greece and overseas, has not even considered acquiring them, shows that there are many hurdles along the way which make their reactivation worthless. As such, they are also very likely to head to the scrapyards too, and therefore this would mark the end of the three problematic ships that are generally viewed as one of the major causes of the decline and the eventual demise of NEL Lines. While one would believe that technological progress at the time would result in the Northeast Aegean Sea being linked with high speed craft, ultimately the area simply required ships like the MYTILENE in order to ensure a healthy and effective connection with the rest of Greece. In a career that lasted for almost five decades, the MYTILENE became one of the most successful ships to have ever operated in Greece, and she is widely seen as the best ship to have ever operated for NEL Lines, as well as one of the greatest ferries to have operated on the Northeast Aegean Sea. After a very successful career in Japan, she arrived in Greece with much fanfare as a worthy successor of the HOMERUS, and she delivered to her company with great success for more than 20 years. Even as she became older and NEL Lines began its downhill path, the ship never disappointed anyone and she continued to compete effectively against much modern ferries that were brought by Hellenic Seaways and Blue Star Ferries, although she would later prove to be unable to match the services of these vessels. Nevertheless, she became a beloved ship on the Northeast Aegean Sea to the same extent as the SAPPHO, with whom she operated successfully for 10 years, although most believe that she surpassed her elder former fleetmate due to her more impressive areas and her faster speed. She also remained the preferred ship over the THEOFILOS (despite the latter replacing her as the flagship of NEL Lines) as well as over the faster high speed craft that joined the company in the early 2000s. She will be remembered for her very comfortable service and her impressive onboard amenities, most notably her beautiful indoor lounge areas, her nice passenger cabins, her onboard restaurants and most notably her outdoor deck areas and balconies, which gave passengers the opportunity to enjoy a beautiful trip on the Aegean Sea. Her speed was also noteworthy and remained consistent for the most part, until her advanced age and improper maintenance in the early 2010s slowed her down. Overall, her longevity and the great captains that commanded her made her a legend of the Greek coastal service, just like her sister ship, namely the iconic RODANTHI. As such, the two ships are considered to be one of the best pairs of sister ships to have ever operated in Greece, as they both propelled their respective companies to great success and dominance on the Aegean Sea, and were among the most impressive ships of the early 1990s. However, one may suggest, that, in the case of the MYTILENE, NEL Lines became the victims of her success. Indeed, having seen how valuable the ship was, they sought to further enhance their presence on the Aegean Sea, but this resulted in mostly poor investments (most notably the three high speed craft) and deployments in areas where other companies had been established for many years and could not be disposed of. As such, the turbulent years of the company during the 2000s caused economic problems, and they were ironically displaced from their own service in which they had been operating practically unopposed for 40 years by the same companies that they had tried to outperform on the Cyclades, the Sporades, the Dodecanese or the Adriatic Sea. Even while they made a desperate attempt to improve their fleet and expand their operations in 2010 and in 2011, the problems persisted, and all the ships were progressively laid-up, including the MYTILENE after her engine failure in Samos in 2015. Some wonder whether she could still be sailing today had she been sold in the 2010s to a more serious company that would have looked after her more carefully, especially when considering the fact that many ferries built in the 1970s continue to operate in Greece despite reaching or nearing 50 years of service. Altogether, I believe that the ship leaves Greece at a proper moment, having suffered for many years and being left completely abandoned for a long time. Her last seven years clearly do not represent her career, as she will always be remembered for her incredibly successful trips on the Piraeus-Chios-Mytilene line, and she is a symbol of the Northeast Aegean Sea. I was fortunate to see her many times in Piraeus while she was still enjoying happier days, although I never had the opportunity to travel with her due to having never been on the Northeast Aegean Sea. But I will still keep many memories of the ship, as will the thousands of passengers that traveled with her frequently to Chios and Lesbos, where her status as a legend will never change. She brought them many great moments, and helped them stay linked with the rest of Greece despite their remoteness. Therefore, from the bottom of my heart, MYTILENE, I would like to thank you for your unique, acclaimed and dignified contribution to the Greek coastal service. You will be very missed, that is certain. #mytilene #nellines #aegean #northeastaegean #piraeus #greece #farewell #scrap #legend #extratribute

The EXPRESS PEGASUS seen in Perama in September 2021, just three months before she left Greece forever in order to head for demolition, after 27 successful years on the Adriatic Sea and on the Aegean Sea. Last month, the Greek coastal service lost one of its greatest-ever members, as the legendary ferry EXPRESS PEGASUS of Hellenic Seaways left Greece for the last time in order to be scrapped in the Turkish coastal city of Aliağa. This therefore marked the end of an illustrious career for a much-acclaimed ferry, which had a very successful 27-year-long spell in Greece, and most notably on the Aegean Sea, where she first arrived in 1996, following two seasons on the Adriatic Sea. For some, she remains the iconic PEGASUS of Ventouris Ferries, while, for others, she was the reliable EXPRESS PEGASUS that operated on many key services of Hellenic Seaways, even as she became older and she began to be outperformed by the newly-built vessels that were deployed on the Aegean Sea during the 2000s. Despite these challenges and occasionally being out of the plans of her final owners, she nevertheless continued to operate way beyond anyone would have imagined, and it was only an unfortunate accident in the islet of Armathia near Kasos on the Dodecanese during the summer of 2020 that eventually sealed her fate, as she was never repaired and she was sold for scrap after a year of lay-up in Perama. Had this event never occurred, perhaps she could have continued her career even though she was 44 years old. The EXPRESS PEGASUS originally began her career in Italy, as the ESPRESSO VENEZIA of the iconic Italian company Adriatica Di Navigazione, which in turn chartered her to the fellow Italian state-owned ferry company Tirrenia Di Navigazione for 12 years. During that period, she operated on the Tyrrhenian Sea, providing excellent service, although she would usually be replaced by larger tonnage on the different lines on which she was assigned, due to the Italian ferry market experiencing a significant boom during the 1980s. The ship was part of the famed Espresso Livorno-class, which was a successful quartet of ships that played a key role on the connection of Italy with the rest of the Eastern Mediterranean Sea. Most notably, all ships had a spell on the Adriatic Sea, and two of them, namely the ESPRESSO RAVENNA (as the VENEZIA) and the ESPRESSO LIVORNO (as the GRECIA) were owned by the Greek company Halkidon Shipping, but they were instead deployed on the connection between Italy and Albania under flags of convenience. After 13 very successful years on the Tyrrhenian Sea, the ESPRESSO VENEZIA finally found a role under Adriatica Di Navigazione, for whom she spent the 1989 season on the Patras-Brindisi line. However, this turned out to be her sole season under the company, as in 1990 she was then fully transferred back to Tirrenia Di Navigazione, for whom she was introduced on the Reggio Calabria-Catania-Valletta line as the ESPRESSO MALTA. After two years, she was laid-up in Palermo in 1992, as the service was not deemed successful. Following two years of lay-up, she was bought by the well-known Greek company Ventouris Ferries, which had become an established player on the Adriatic Sea during the 1980s. She was renamed PEGASUS and she was inserted on the Patras-Igoumenitsa-Corfu-Bari line, where she had a decent spell. In 1996, her company made a significant move when it decided to deploy her on the domestic Greek market, namely on the Western Cyclades lifeline, which had started to become one of the most competitive services of the Aegean Sea. After a difficult start marked by a major accident in the islet of Patroklos in late 1996, the ship soon became a major success on the line, becoming one of the most beloved ships of the Aegean Sea and, for many, the second greatest ship in the history of the Western Cyclades, after her main competitor (and later fleetmate), namely the legendary MILOS EXPRESS of Lindos Lines. Despite this success, Ventouris Ferries was unable to stay present on the Aegean Sea for long, as its domestic services were taken over in late 1999 by the newly-established giants Minoan Flying Dolphins, which was a company that had absorbed several prominent shipping operators of the 1990s, therefore being close to forming a monopoly on the Cyclades, on the Northeast Aegean Sea, on the Sporades and on the Saronic Gulf. The PEGASUS remained on the Western Cyclades, operating as the EXPRESS DIONISOS under the Hellas Ferries division. The new company, which became Hellas Flying Dolphins in 2002, experienced a tumultuous period during the early 2000s, and soon most of its oldest ferries were outperformed by newly-built vessels, and many of them were poorly maintained. As a result of this, several ships of the company were sold for scrap or to other companies. The EXPRESS DIONISOS was spared from this fate, as she continued to be a part of the company's plans. She was renamed EXPRESS PEGASUS in 2002, and she remained in the company's fleet in 2005, the year during which they rebranded themselves as Hellenic Seaways. That same year, she moved to the Piraeus-Syros-Mykonos-Ikaria-Samos line on the Northeast Aegean Sea, where she stayed for three seasons. After being replaced by the newly-built NISSOS MYKONOS , she was deemed to surplus requirements by Hellenic Seaways. Despite this, she was not sold, instead remaining as a spare vessel and covering the services of her fleetmates when they would be undergoing their annual refits. She spent a large part of the 2008 season on the Piraeus-Gytheion-Kalamata-Kythira-Antikythira-Kissamos lifeline, as she replaced the incumbent ferry operating there, as the latter experienced several technical issues combined with the financial difficulties of her company. Unfortunately, after a permanent successor was introduced on this service, the EXPRESS PEGASUS once again failed to find a role during the 2009 season, especially after experiencing a major engine failure that kept her laid-up in Drapetsona for over a year. However, in 2010, she finally re-entered her company's plans, as she was deployed on the Agios Konstantinos-Skiathos-Skopelos-Alonissos line on the Sporades during the summer. She remained in this service for five seasons. After several rumours regarding her next employment, she was eventually placed on the Lavrion-Agios Efstratios-Limnos-Kavala line in 2015, hence taking over the service abandoned by NEL Lines, which shut down operations due to financial difficulties. Despite this being a demanding service, the EXPRESS PEGASUS operated there with much success, and she was much-appreciated by passengers and residents of the Northeast Aegean Sea. Her spell there ended in 2020, when the lifeline was assigned to Sea Jets. The ship managed to find a new area of service, this time being the Dodecanese, as she was placed on the new Siteia-Kasos-Karpathos-Chalki-Rhodes lifeline during the summer of 2020. However, she ran aground in the islet of Armathia, and this prematurely ended her season, and, ultimately, her career, as she remained laid-up in Perama for a year, until she was sold for scrap last month. At the time of her departure, she was the oldest ship of Hellenic Seaways, and the third ship of the Espresso Livorno-class to have been sold for scrap, as her two sister ships, namely the GRECIA and the VENEZIA, had met the same fate back in 2010. As I am writing this post, the EXPRESS PEGASUS is no longer among us, as her scrapping in Aliağa has already finished. Her departure for the demolition yards was very painful, as we were talking about a great ship that provided excellent service for almost three decades. She has been acclaimed for her longevity and her versatility, as she was deployed across numerous different services on the Aegean Sea, including on some of the most competitive and most demanding ones of the Greek coastal service. She is one of the few ships to have served all the main areas of the Aegean Sea, as she operated on the Cyclades, on the Northeast Aegean Sea, on the Sporades and on the Dodecanese, while having also been deployed on the Adriatic Sea. She became an icon on the Western Cyclades, with many frequent passengers to these islands stating that, even in today's standards, few or no ships have ever operated there as successfully as she did. These statements have been made despite her staying on the Western Cyclades for less than 10 years. Her later career under Hellenic Seaways was also very successful, and she always operated effectively on every area that she was called to serve. After having two years of uncertainty due to her company not counting on her and due to technical troubles, she had a successful resurgence during the 2010s, and only her grounding in Armathia in 2020 resulted in her being permanently withdrawn from service, and subsequently being sold for demolition. In addition to her lengthy career, she was also noted for her speed (especially during her first years in Greece), her large garage, her comfortable indoor areas and her pleasant outdoor areas (particularly those in the stern section), and her excellent sailing abilities during intense weather conditions. Several passengers continued to appreciate her towards the end of her career, as she reminded them of the memorable trips that she performed during the 1990s, which were a golden era for the Greek coastal service. Just like all Ship Farewell Tribute posts that I have done in the past , this Blog post covers the entire history of the EXPRESS PEGASUS, from her career in Italy until her final year under Hellenic Seaways. Notably, she is the third ship that has previously operated for Ventouris Ferries for which I have to write such a post these past few months, after the RIGEL I in September 2021 and the BARI just a month later . However, unlike both vessels, which were photographed back when they were still operating on the Adriatic Sea, I never had the chance to see the EXPRESS PEGASUS until the summer of 2021, despite her frequent presence in Piraeus during the 2000s and having also stopped in Lavrion in 2015. As a result of this, I only have three pictures of the famed ship, with all of them being during her lay-up in Perama, just three months before she was sold for scrap. Due to her operating during the late 2000s and the 2010s on the Northeast Aegean Sea and the Sporades, areas in which I have never been so far, I could not witness the ship during her final active years under Hellenic Seaways, let alone take pictures of her. Thankfully, seeing several pictures, videos and trip experiences onboard her published online helped me grasp the importance of this ship, as well as her unique career, which I will now present in detail. The ship that went on to become the EXPRESS PEGASUS was ordered in 1976 by the Italian state-owned company Adriatica Di Navigazione. Due to be named ESPRESSO VENEZIA, she was part of the second pair of the Espresso Livorno-class, a famed quartet of vessels built at Cantieri Navali Luigi Orlando Shipyard in Livorno in Italy (which also built the famous armored cruiser GEORGIOS AVEROF, which was the flagship of the Hellenic Navy during the first half of the 20th century). The ships of this quartet are considered to be the first Ro-Pax ferries of the Mediterranean Sea. The first pair of the class was originally ordered by the Italian company Trans Tirreno Express, which had been founded by the Greek shipowner Spyros Magliveras in 1970 and was active until 1981. The first pair of ships consisted of the ESPRESSO LIVORNO, built in 1973, and the ESPRESSO CAGLIARI, built in 1974. Both ships were inserted on the Livorno-Olbia line on the Tyrrhenian Sea. In 1976, they both joined Adriatica Di Navigazione, initially under charter, and they operated on a successful service linking Italy with Greece, Turkey, Egypt, Cyprus and Israel, namely on the Venice-Piraeus-Heraklion-İstanbul-İzmir-Alexandria-Limassol-Haifa line. As they were satisfied with the performance of these two vessels, two additional sister ships were ordered. These ferries were also due to be built at the Luigi Orlando Shipyard, and were planned to enter service on the lengthy itinerary served by their two older sister ships under the historic company Adriatica Di Navigazione. The latter had been founded in 1936, back when the Italian fascist regime began to manage four state-owned passenger shipping companies in order to maintain full control of the Italian shipping sector. The four companies were named according to the areas on which they operated, The first company was Italia Di Navigazione (also known as Italian Line, founded in 1932), which operated ocean liners from Italy to the United States and later to South America before shifting to the cruise industry in the 1970s and then to freight shipping in the 1980s before being privatised in 1998 following a takeover by D'Amico Società Di Navigazione (who then sold the company to the Canadian company CP Ships in 2002, with the latter now part of the German giants Hapag-Lloyd). The second one was Lloyd Triestino (founded in 1919), which also operated ocean liners from Italy to Africa, Asia and Australia, before also transitioning to the container segment during the 1970s, and being known as Italia Marritima, a subsidiary of the Taiwanese giants Evergreen Marine Corporation since 2006. The other two companies were both founded in 1936. The first one was Tirrenia Di Navigazione, dedicated to the passenger traffic between mainland Italy and Sardinia and Sicily on the Tyrrhenian Sea, while the second one, Adriatica Di Navigazione, was dedicated to the connection of Italy with Greece, Albania, Yugoslavia and the ports of the Eastern Mediterranean Sea, mainly through the Adriatic Sea. The company also served the Tremiti Islands on the Adriatic Sea. When World War II ended and the fascist regime collapsed in 1945, the company dedicated itself mostly to the services on the Adriatic Sea and the Eastern Mediterranean Sea, including Greece, Egypt, Turkey and later Israel. In 1961, they formed a joint venture alongside their Greek rivals Hellenic Mediterranean Lines on the Patras-Igoumenitsa-Corfu-Brindisi line, whereupon they introduced the first-ever ferry connection between Patras and Brindisi. This service was provided by the legendary EGNATIA of the Hellenic Mediterranean Lines, which had already started service in 1960 and went on to spend her entire operational career on the aforementioned line, until her retirement in 1996. Adriatica Di Navigazione, in turn, deployed the newly-built ferry APPIA, which operated on the Patras-Igoumenitsa-Corfu-Brindisi line for 28 years, becoming an iconic ferry as well. The company's success lasted throughout the entirety of the 1960s, and in the early 1970s they also provided additional freight service through effective Ro-Ro carriers, before experiencing further growth through the acquisition of the ESPRESSO CAGLIARI in 1974, followed by that of the ESPRESSO LIVORNO in 1976. Their deployment to Egypt and the Middle East was praised by passengers, and the company therefore decided to order two more ships from the Espresso Livorno-class. While the third ship was being built in the Luigi Orlando Shipyard, Adriatica Di Navigazione eventually saw its services on the Eastern Mediterranean Sea severely impacted by the geopolitical tensions in Egypt and the Middle East. The state-owned company therefore came to the conclusion that the two newly-built ferries could not enter service under such conditions. Instead of deploying them on a service between Italy and Greece, Adriatica Di Navigazione decided to charter them to the fellow state-owned company Tirrenia Di Navigazione, which planned to introduce them on the Tyrrhenian Sea. The third ship was eventually completed just in time for the 1977 summer season, and began service on the Genoa-Porto Torres line as the ESPRESSO VENEZIA. Her name is the Italian translation of 'Venice Express', and she was named after the famed Italian city, where she was due to operate under Adriatica Di Navigazione (although Tirrenia Di Navigazione eventually decided to maintain her original name). She was registered in Venice, and became the first Ro-Pax ferry to operate on the Tyrrhenian Sea. Her sister ship, the ESPRESSO RAVENNA, entered service in 1978, therefore completing the quartet. She was also inserted on the Genoa-Porto Torres line, which connected mainland Italy with Sardinia. The ESPRESSO VENEZIA seen during her launching ceremony in the Luigi Orlando Shipyard in Livorono, in early 1977, a few months before she began her career under Tirrenia Di Navigazione. Picture published on www.naviecapitani.it . The ESPRESSO VENEZIA became an instant success for Tirrenia Di Navigazione, as her status as a Ro-Pax ferry enabled her to transport significant amount of lorries heading to Sardinia, in addition to her large passenger capacity. Indeed, she could transport 1,300 passengers, which at the time was considered a huge number for a ferry. She therefore became a key component of the Italian state-owned giant, which was seeing its fleet growing exponentially during the 1960s and the 1970s, thanks to the ever-increasing tourism in Sardinia and Sicily during that period. Indeed, due to major economic boom experienced by Italy after World War II, tourism and industrial activities in both major Italian islands grew significantly. As a result, passenger and freight demand to both islands also increased substantially, as did ferry services from Italy to Malta, Libya and Tunisia. Besides the ESPRESSO VENEZIA and the ESPRESSO RAVENNA, Tirrenia Di Navigazione had made huge investments in new ferries during the 1970s. Indeed, it ordered eight ships that were part of the Poeta-class. All of them were built in Italy, and were delivered between 1970 and 1978. One of these ships was the VERGA, built in 1978 and deployed on the Civitavecchia-Olbia line, which in 1997 became the famous DIMITROULA of the Greek company GA Ferries, for whom she operated on many services across the Aegean Sea until she was sold for scrap in 2011. In addition to these ships, Tirrenia Di Navigazione also deployed several Ro-Ro carriers that would serve the increasing freight demand between Italy, France and Northern Africa (namely the STAFFETTA JONICA, the STAFFETTA ADRIATICA and the STAFFETTA TIRRENICA, all of which joined the company in 1973), as well as other ferries such as the LA VALLETTA (built in 1971, she operated on the Syracuse-Valletta line before being sold in 1976 to fellow Italian company Siremar, while she later became the MISTRAL II of the Greek cruise line Epirotiki Cruises and then the MARIA PA of Golden Ferries, which was the predecessor of Idomeneas Lines) and her successor, namely the MALTA EXPRESS (which operated for the company from 1976 to 1988, and later became the MOBY WILL of future rivals Moby Lines). Finally, the company also made significant investments on regional services based out of Sardinia, deploying dozens of smaller ferries to operate on different itineraries, such as the Portovesme-Carloforte line (served by the Dutch-built ferry CARLOFORTE, previously the ROSPIGGEN of the Finnish company Eckerö Linjen) or the Palau-La Maddalena line. Despite all these successful introductions, the fleet of Tirrenia Di Navigazione at the end of the 1970s was still unable to sustain the continuous rise of passenger and vehicle traffic on the Tyrrhenian Sea. To that end, the company proceeded to ordering six new ferries, at the time the largest to have ever been built in an Italian shipyard. They were due to be delivered between 1979 and 1981, as part of the Strade Romane-class built in the Italcantieri Shipyard in Castellamare di Stabia, with the exception of one ship which was built in the famous Fincantieri Shipyard. The first ship to be delivered, namely the DOMIZIANA (today the AF FRANCESCA of Adria Ferries), began service in 1979 on the Genoa-Porto Torres line, whereupon she replaced the ESPRESSO VENEZIA, which was sent to operate on the Genoa-Cagliari line. Only one year later, the fifth ship of the Strade Romane-class, namely the AURELIA, was also deployed on the Genoa-Porto Torres line, thereby taking over the service of the ESPRESSO RAVENNA, which was reunited with her sister ship on the Genoa-Cagliari line. Both ships continued to operate very effectively for the company on this new line, where they went on to stay for the next eight years. The ESPRESSO VENEZIA seen in the port of Cagliari in Sardinia in 1979, during her first year of service on the Genoa-Cagliari line, after having previously started her career on the Genoa-Porto Torres line. Despite spending the first 12 years of her career under charter to Tirrenia Di Navigazione, she never featured the company's famous all-white livery. Instead, she maintained the colours of her first owners, namely Adriatica Di Navigazione. Picture published on www.naviearmatori.net . The beautiful ESPRESSO VENEZIA, admired by many for her impressive silhouette which highlighted the reputed design skills of the Italian shipbuilders, seen as she arrives in the port of Genoa, during the 1979 season. Picture taken by Carlo Martinelli and published on www.shipspotting.com . The ESPRESSO VENEZIA seen arriving in Cagliari in 1981, during her third season on the Genoa-Cagliari line. Picture published on www.naviearmatori.net . A view of one of the three sister ships of the ESPRESSO VENEZIA, namely the ESPRESSO RAVENNA (who was her main partner for 11 years) in the port of Genoa in 1979. She was built in 1978, being the youngest ship of the Espresso Livorno-class. Just like the ESPRESSO VENEZIA, she was owned by Adriatica Di Navigazione, but was chartered to Tirrenia Di Navigazione. She was deployed on the Genoa-Porto Torres line in 1978, before moving to the Genoa-Cagliari line in 1980. She remained there until 1987, when she was inserted on the Naples-Cagliari line. In 1990 she returned under the management of Adriatica Di Navigazione, and she took her sister ship's name, hence becoming the new ESPRESSO VENEZIA (the original one had been renamed ESPRESSO MALTA at the time). She was deployed on the Patras-Igoumenitsa-Corfu-Brindisi line on the Adriatic Sea. In 1992 she was deployed on the Ancona-Split line, before moving to the Ancona-Bar line in 1994, followed by the Ancona-Durrës line in 1999. In 2003 she was sold to the Greek company Halkidon Shipping. She was renamed VENEZIA and was deployed on the Trieste-Durrës line. During the summer of 2005, she returned to the Ancona-Durrës line under charter to Adria Ferries. She subsequently returned to her owners, and she began operating on the Trieste-Bari-Durrës line in 2006. She was sold for scrap to Turkey in 2010. Picture published on www.naviearmatori.net . A view of the ESPRESSO LIVORNO, the lead ship of the Espresso Livorno-class, as she undergoes her maneuvering procedure in her namesake port in 1974. She was built in 1973 for Trans Tirreno Express, and she was deployed on the Livorno-Olbia line. In 1976 she was chartered to Adriatica Di Navigazione, alongside her sister ship, the ESPRESSO CAGLIARI (built in 1974). They were both assigned on the Venice-Piraeus-Heraklion-İstanbul-İzmir-Alexandria-Limassol-Haifa line. In 1980, the ESPRESSO LIVORNO was definitely bought by Adriatica Di Navigazione, was renamed ESPRESSO GRECIA, and was deployed on the Patras-Brindisi line on the Adriatic Sea, before shifting to the Igoumenitsa-Corfu-Brindisi line in 1983. In 1989 she began serving the Patras-Igoumenitsa-Corfu-Brindisi line. In 1992 she was inserted on the Ancona-Durrës line. In 1995 she was deployed on the Trieste-Durrës line. She remained in this service even after she was sold in 1999 to Halkidon Shipping, for whom she was renamed GRECIA. Her sister ship, the ESPRESSO VENEZIA (which was renamed VENEZIA) joined her in 2003. In 2006 she started to operate on the Trieste-Bari-Durrës line, where she remained until she was sold for scrap to Turkey together with the VENEZIA in 2010. Picture taken by Egidio Ferrighi and published on www.faktaomfartyg.se . A view of the third sister ship of the ESPRESSO VENEZIA, namely the ESPRESSO CAGLIARI, undergoing her maneuvering procedure in the port of Piraeus in 1978, as part of her long itinerary on the Eastern Mediterranean Sea under Adriatica Di Navigazione. She was the second ship of the Espresso Livorno-class to be built, after having been delivered to Trans Tirreno Express in 1974. In 1976, after two years of service on the Livorno-Olbia line, she and the ESPRESSO LIVORNO were chartered to Adriatica Di Navigazione, and was deployed on the Venice-Piraeus-Heraklion-İstanbul-İzmir-Alexandria-Limassol-Haifa line. In 1980 she was definitely sold to Adriatica Di Navigazione, being renamed ESPRESSO EGITTO. She continued to link Italy with Greece and Egypt, serving the Venice-Bari-Piraeus-Heraklion-Alexandria line. In 1991 she underwent an extensive conversion in La Spezia, during which her accommodation superstructure was entirely remodeled. She therefore looked completely different when placed next to her sister ships, as she featured an upgraded stern (which saw the addition of five passenger decks) and a fully-remodeled bow. She was renamed EGITTO EXPRESS and resumed service on the Venice-Bari-Patras-Piraeus-Heraklion-Alexandria line. In 1993 she was deployed on the Trieste-Durrës line, while in 1994 she was inserted on the Patras-Brindisi line. In 1998 she remained as the last vessel of Adriatica Di Navigazione to be employed between Greece and Italy, as she was on the Patras-Igoumenitsa-Corfu-Brindisi line. Her company eventually stopped serving Greece after the 2000 season, and, during the summers of 2001 and of 2002, the ship was chartered to the Greek company Hellenic Mediterranean Lines, for whom she operated on the Igoumenitsa-Corfu-Brindisi line. In 2003 she was deployed on the Bari-Durrës line. After the closure of Adriatica Di Navigazione in 2004, she was sold to the newly-established Italian company Adria Ferries and she was renamed RIVIERA DEL CONERO. She was deployed on the Ancona-Durrës line. Her 2005 season was cut short due to a severe engine failure, but she was nevertheless repaired and she returned to service in 2006. She acquired sponsons in 2010, while in 2012 she was renamed AF MICHELA. In 2015 she was sold to the Italian company Traghetti Delle Isole and she was renamed LAMPEDUSA. She was inserted on the Porto Empedocle-Linosa-Lampedusa line on the Pelagie Islands Archipelago in early 2016, but she soon moved to the Trapani-Pantelleria line on the Sicilian Strait. She suffered another major engine failure in late 2017, and this caused her to be laid-up in Trapani and to miss the entire 2018 season. She was repaired in 2019 and she resumed service on the Trapani-Pantelleria line, where she remains today. She is the only surviving member of the Espresso Livrono-class following the retirement of the EXPRESS PEGASUS in 2021. Picture taken by Kenneth Gibson and published on www.shipspotting.com . After spending eight successful years on the Genoa-Cagliari line, the ESPRESSO VENEZIA had to be replaced by larger tonnage as a result of the continuous rise in passenger traffic. Tirrenia Di Navigazione considered ordering new ferries, but they instead decided to upgrade some of their Ro-Ro carriers. Indeed, three such vessels, namely the STAFFETTA MEDITERRANEA, the STAFFETTA LIGURE and the STAFFETTA JONICA (the second ship of the company to carry that name, as the first one had been sold in 1978), which were three sister ships of the Staffetta-class that was delivered between 1979 and 1980 in order to provide freight traffic from Genoa and Naples to Sardinia, Sicily and Libya, all underwent a major conversion during which they became conventional ferries. The upgrades were performed in La Spezia, and the three ferries became part of the new Sociale-class. The first ship to be converted was the STAFFETTA JONICA, which was renamed ARBOREA in 1987. She would later go on to be bought by the Greek company GA Ferries in 2004, however her overall condition was extremely poor, and she was sold for scrap without ever entering service on the Aegean Sea, as it had been planned initially. The STAFFETTA MEDITERRANEA was also refitted in 1987, and she was renamed TORRES, while the STAFFETTA LIGURE became the CARALIS. The ARBOREA and the TORRES were inserted on the Genoa-Cagliari line during the 1987 season, hence replacing the ESPRESSO VENEZIA and the ESPRESSO RAVENNA. The latter pair was moved to the Naples-Cagliari line, and therefore continued to operate on the Tyrrhenian Sea. They replaced the two ferries that were previously serving this line, namely the veteran sister ships CALABRIA and SICILIA (two former passenger-only ships of the Regione-class built in 1952, which were converted into conventional ferries in 1967 and in 1968, respectively), which were retired and subsequently sold for scrap in 1988. The ESPRESSO VENEZIA seen on the Tyrrhenian Sea during the 1988 season, which she spent on the Naples-Cagliari line. Picture published on www.naviecapitani.it . Although the ESPRESSO VENEZIA provided reliable service on the Naples-Cagliari line, she only stayed there for two seasons, as she was eventually linked with a return under her owners, namely Adriatica Di Navigazione. The latter had ended the joint venture that they had along with Hellenic Mediterranean Lines, and therefore they sought to reshuffle their fleet on the Greece-Italy service. At the same time, Tirrenia Di Navigazione decided to deploy another ship owned by Adriatica Di Navigazione on the Naples-Cagliari line, namely the ferry TINTORETTO (built in 1966 and previously linking Italy with the former Yugoslavia during the 1980s), which they chartered in late 1988. With these changes, the ESPRESSO VENEZIA joined Adriatica Di Navigazione in 1989, and she therefore finally began service for her owners, after having spent the first 12 years of her career with Tirrenia Di Navigazione. She was one of the three ferries that were deployed by Adriatica Di Navigazione on the service between Greece and Brindisi. The other two ships were her sister ship, namely the ESPRESSO GRECIA (previously the ESPRESSO LIVORNO), and the TIEPOLO (which had joined Adriatica Di Navigazione in 1981), which was also deployed in Greece for the first time in her career. The ESPRESSO VENEZIA was deployed on the Patras-Brindisi line, hence providing the direct service between the two main ports, whereas the ESPRESSO GRECIA was deployed on the Patras-Igoumenitsa-Corfu-Brindisi line, hence replacing the veteran ferry APPIA, which moved to the Ancona-Split-Dubrovnik line. The TIEPOLO was the ship that performed the Igoumenitsa-Corfu-Brindisi line, which had previously been served by the ESPRESSO GRECIA. An aerial picture of the ESPRESSO VENEZIA, which was used in the brochures provided by Adriatica Di Navigazione during the 1989 season. Picture published on www.nautilia.gr . The ESPRESSO VENEZIA seen arriving in Igoumenitsa during a summer evening in 1989, during her debut season on the Adriatic Sea and under Adriatica Di Navigazione. This call to Igoumenitsa must have been performed under special circumstances, as the ship would usually operate on the Patras-Brindisi line. Picture taken by Stefanos Antoniadis and published on www.adriaticandaegeanferries.com . The 1989 season marked the first summer during which the ESPRESSO VENEZIA was deployed in Greece, a country where she would then go on to have an extremely successful career. Thanks to her speed, she had a rather good season with Adriatica Di Navigazione, and she competed well against the two other companies serving Brindisi from Greece, namely Hellenic Mediterranean Lines and Fragline. Her direct service from Patras to Brindisi was effective, and her large garage enabled more vehicles to travel directly from Greece to Italy. Moreover, this was the first time that she was fleetmates with her two older sister ships, namely the ESPRESSO VENEZIA and the ESPRESSO EGITTO (previously the ESPRESSO CAGLIARI). However, her first season under Adriatica Di Navigazione would ultimately be her only one, as she was eventually sold to Tirrenia Di Navigazione. As a result, she returned to the latter for a second stint, although this time she was fully owned by the company. Adriatica Di Navigazione decided to replace her by bringing in a ship that they also owned but had chartered to Tirrenia Di Navigazione. This was none other than the ESPRESSO RAVENNA, the sister ship of the ESPRESSO VENEZIA, which ended service on the Naples-Cagliari line under Tirrenia Di Navigazione following the 1989 season. She joined her owners for the first time, after having also spent 12 years under charter to Tirrenia Di Navigazione. She made her debut on the Adriatic Sea in 1990, whereupon she was renamed, becoming the new ESPRESSO VENEZIA, and being inserted on the Patras-Igoumenitsa-Corfu-Brindisi line. As for the original ESPRESSO VENEZIA, she returned to Tirrenia Di Navigazione under a new name. Indeed, she became the ESPRESSO MALTA, as the company now intended to have her deployed on the Reggio Calabria-Catania-Valletta line on the Malta Channel, hence connecting mainland Italy and Sicily with Malta. She began this new service during the summer of 1990. The company therefore returned to Malta for the first time since 1988, after having previously sold the MALTA EXPRESS to Navarma Lines, a company known as the predecessor of Moby Lines. During her spell on the Reggio Calabria-Catania-Valletta line, the ESPRESSO MALTA notably competed against the Maltese company Virtu Ferries, which had started operations between Sicily and Malta in 1988. She notably became the victim of an alleged hijacking during the summer of 1991, when she had been requisitioned by the Italian government to transport Albanian refugees back to their homeland, as the latter were considered to be 'illegal economic migrants'. Angry refugees seized the vessel in order to prevent her from sailing from Catania to Valletta. After the intervention of the police, the ship was freed and she returned to her usual service. The ESPRESSO MALTA seen in Valletta during the summer of 1992, which marked her third season on the Reggio Calabria-Catania-Valletta line. Despite being now owned by Tirrenia Di Navigazione, just like during her first stint under the company, she maintained the livery of Adriatica Di Navigazione. This summer was also her final one under Tirrenia Di Navigazione, as she was subsequently laid-up in Palermo. Picture taken by Gordon Dalzell and published on www.shipspotting.com . After spending two years on the Reggio Calabria-Catania-Valletta line, the ESPRESSO MALTA was withdrawn from service, and she was laid-up in Palermo in late 1992. This occurred as the company decided to end the service to Malta, which they deemed unprofitable. During that time, the company decided to further assert its commitment to the services on the Tyrrhenian Sea, and was planning to put its fleet modernisation plan into action. Indeed, Tirrenia Di Navigazione would deploy several newly-built vessels between the mid 1990s and the early 2000s, including seven cruiseferries, six high speed craft (one of which was the high speed ferry SCORPIO, which was built in 1999 and which is today known as the TERA JET of Sea Jets ) and three Ro-Ro carriers. Having already an established fleet through the Strade Romane-class and the Sociale-class, smaller ferries such as the ESPRESSO MALTA were not expected to remain in the plans of Tirrenia Di Navigazione. As a result of this, the ship remained in Palermo and she was listed for sale. A logical move would have been a return to Adriatica Di Navigazione. However, the latter experienced difficulties on the Adriatic Sea, as they were forced to withdraw their ferries serving former Yugoslavian ports due to the Yugoslav Wars. They also failed to keep a strong market share on the service between Greece and Brindisi, as the deployment of the three sister ships of the Palladio-class (namely the PALLADIO, the SANSOVINO and the LAURANA, which were built for Adriatica Di Navigazione between 1989 and 1992 and which initially began operations in the former Yugoslavian ports) proved to be a major failure, primarily due to these ferries' slow speed and frequent engine troubles. Because of this, Adriatica Di Navigazione, which went on to be absorbed by Tirrenia Di Navigazione in 2004, did not consider bringing the ESPRESSO MALTA back under their fleet. As no other ferry company expressed interest in buying her, the ESPRESSO MALTA remained laid-up in Palermo during the entire 1993 season. Fortunately for the ship, she finally managed to find a new owner in 1994, when it was announced that she would be joining Ventouris Ferries. The latter has been an important Greek ferry company, having had a strong presence on both the Adriatic Sea and the Aegean Sea for more than four decades. Its roots go back to 1975, when a ferry company was founded by the Kimolos-native Konstantinos Ventouris, a well-known self-made shipowner who established himself in the shipping industry by operating cargo vessels before deciding to enter the Greek coastal service. Along with his four sons, he bought the small passenger ship AGIOS GEORGIOS, which began service in 1976 on the Western Cyclades. The ship immediately made a great impact and gave the company significant exposure across the Aegean Sea. In 1978, the family bought the ferry KONINGIN WILHELMINA of the Dutch company Stoomvaart Maatschappij Zeeland, which was initially renamed CAPETAN KONSTANTINOS, and was introduced on the Piraeus-Syros-Tinos-Mykonos line in 1980. She was then renamed PANAGIA TINOU in 1981, and went on to have a legendary spell on the aforementioned line. The success of the vessel led the Ventouris family in making significant new acquisitions in the early 1980s. Indeed, in 1980, the company, which had began trading as Ventouris Ferries, bought the ex-FREE ENTERPRISE I of the British company Townsend Thoresen (the predecessor of P&O Ferries), converted her in Perama and introduced her in 1980 on the Western Cyclades as the KIMOLOS. The latter also went on to become largely successful, and therefore the company bought the ferry ROI BAUDOUIN of the Belgian company Regie voor Maritiem Transport (later known as Oostende Lines) in 1983. Initially renamed GEORGIOS B, this ship was converted in Perama and entered service on the Cyclades as the legendary GEORGIOS EXPRESS, considered by many to be the greatest ship in the history of the Greek coastal service (although the PANAGIA TINOU is also a major candidate regarding that debate). In 1984, they also began operating on the Adriatic Sea, having bought two ships belonging to the British conglomerate Sealink: the PATRA EXPRESS (the ex-ST GEORGE of British Railways) and the BARI EXPRESS (the ex-PRINCESSE ASTRID of Regie voor Maritiem Transport, and the sister ship of the GEORGIOS EXPRESS). Both ships were successfully introduced on the Patras-Igoumenitsa-Corfu-Bari line. However, in 1986 the Ventouris family split into two groups following disagreements between the four Ventouris brothers as their father retired from the coastal service sector. The two oldest sons formed the two subsequent companies: the new company Ventouris Sea Lines was founded by Evangelos Ventouris (along with his younger brother Antonis), while Ventouris Ferries continued under Georgios Ventouris (along with his younger brother Apostolos). The result of this was the transfer of the GEORGIOS EXPRESS and of the KIMOLOS to Ventouris Sea Lines, while Ventouris Ferries would continue to operate solely on the Adriatic Sea with the PATRA EXPRESS and the BARI EXPRESS, as well as the newly-acquired ATHENS EXPRESS (later renamed ATHENS in 2003). Just a year later, the Ventouris family experienced a further split, as Apostolos Ventouris went on to found the company AK Ventouris, and took over the ownership of the PANAGIA TINOU. Antonis Ventouris also operated the smaller company Ventouris Lines on the Saronic Gulf beginning in 1992. While his brothers went on to experience abrupt ends to their services during the 1990s, Georgios Ventouris and his company prevailed, operating several successful ships that went on to have legendary spells on the Adriatic Sea as well as on the Aegean Sea. The company established a solid base in Bari, becoming very popular amongst Italian travelers and hauliers. Their presence there during the 1980s was key in the port's development, and in fact several passengers preferred to call there rather than in Brindisi, which had been the main Southern Italian port that was connected with Greece. This would ultimately mark the decline of the services provided by Hellenic Mediterranean Lines and Adriatica Di Navigazione, the former owners of the ESPRESSO MALTA. Ships of Ventouris Ferries that were deployed on the Patras-Igoumenitsa-Corfu-Bari line as well as on the shorter Igoumenitsa-Corfu-Bari line over the following years included: the GRECIA EXPRESS (bought in 1987 from the Dutch company North Sea Ferries), the legendary Ro-Pax VENUS (the ex-DANA GLORIA of DFDS Seaways and later the GEDSER/GEDSER LINK of the German company GT-Link, she was bought in 1989 and replaced the PATRA EXPRESS-which was sold in 1990-and was later renamed SIREN in 2004), the sister ships EUROPA (the ex-FALSTER of the Swedish company Rederi Ab Nordö, then operated as the ATLAS IV on the Adriatic Sea for the Greek company Libra Maritime, before being bought in 1989 by Ventouris Ferries, being renamed VEGA in 1990 before being sold for scrap in 2004) and EUROPA II (the ex-SCANDINAVIA of Rederi Ab Nordö, then operated as the ATLAS III on the Adriatic Sea for Libra Maritime, before being chartered in 1989 and then bought in 1990 by Ventouris Ferries, being renamed SATURNUS and operating until 2003, she was then the ALEXANDRA/ALEXANDRA T of Tsirikos Lines from 2005 until her sale for demolition in 2011). Another major purchase occurred in 1991, when the company deployed the iconic Ro-Pax ferry POLARIS (the sister ship of the VENUS/SIREN, and previously the DANA FUTURA of DFDS Seaways and then the SKÅNE LINK of the Swedish company Nordö-Link), which operated for 20 years and is widely considered to be the greatest ship in the history of Ventouris Ferries. All these ships played a crucial role in the continuous rise of the company, which became an established operator on the Adriatic Sea, and whose fleet continued to expand. Moreover, the company also had a successful comeback on the Aegean Sea, as they deployed the BARI EXPRESS on the Rafina-Andros-Tinos-Mykonos line on the Cyclades in 1988. The latter's service was widely acclaimed, and she is considered to be one of the greatest ferries to have served the demanding Rafina-Cyclades service. In addition, the company also operated the small ferry YDRA (previously the historic AINOS of the Greek company Strintzis Lines, and then the NERAÏDA II of the Saronic Gulf-based company Sigma Ferries) on the Saronic Gulf from 1990 to 1992, the year during which they sold her to Ventouris Lines, for whom she operated for three years as the AGIOS NEKTARIOS. Ahead of the 1994 season, the company had to face several challenges on the Adriatic Sea. The first one was the anticipated arrival of two new competitors in Bari. One of them was ANEK Lines, one of the most important players on the Adriatic Sea, which deployed two ships: the the KRITI (which later became the SUPER NAÏAS of Agapitos Lines, and a future fleetmate of the ESPRESSO VENEZIA as both ships would join Minoan Flying Dolphins in 1999) which was deployed on the standard Patras-Igoumenitsa-Bari line, and the KYDON (today the AQUA BLUE of Sea Jets Ferries) which served the Patras-Igoumenitsa-Corfu-Bari-Ancona line. The other new competitor was the Greek company Marlines, which left Brindisi and deployed the acclaimed ferries COUNTESS M and DUCHESS M on the Patras-Igoumenitsa-Corfu-Bari line and the VISCOUNTESS M on the Igoumenitsa-Corfu-Bari line. Other competitors such as Arkadia Lines and Poseidon Lines also continued to threaten the dominance of Ventouris Ferries, with two ships each. In addition, the GRECIA EXPRESS, which was undergoing her annual refit in the port of Aegion in late 1993, was mysteriously hit by a fire which completely destroyed her and resulted in her remaining partly submerged in the port. The ship was declared a constructive total loss, and was ultimately salvaged and sold for scrap to Turkey in 1995. In order to compensate for the loss of an important ship and to respond to the growing competition, Ventouris Ferries decided to buy two new ships. These included the ESPRESSO MALTA and the larger ferry ABEL TASMAN of the Australian company TT-Line Company. The ESPRESSO MALTA did not undergo a significant refit, as her past experience on the Adriatic Sea and on lengthy services on the Tyrrhenian Sea convinced the company that her amenities did not require a significant upgrade. She was renamed PEGASUS, hence following the company's trend (which had started in 1990) of naming their ships after constellations. She acquired the Cypriot flag and was registered in Limassol. She was introduced on the Patras-Igoumenitsa-Corfu-Bari line during the summer of 1994. There, she operated alongside the VENUS and the POLARIS, while the SATURNUS was on the direct service on the Patras-Bari line. The ATHENS EXPRESS was on the Kefalonia-Igoumenitsa-Corfu-Bari line, while the shorter service on the Igoumenitsa-Corfu-Bari line was covered by the VEGA and by the ABEL TASMAN, which was renamed POLLUX and became the flagship of the company thanks to her impressive size. Despite the increasing competition, Ventouris Ferries remained the leading force in Bari, with the PEGASUS greatly complementing the successful services of the SIREN and of the POLARIS. The PEGASUS seen arriving in the port of Patras during the summer of 1994, which marked her debut season under Ventouris Ferries. Picture published on www.shipfriends.gr . The PEGASUS seen maneuvering in the port of Patras after having arrived from Bari (with intermediate stops in Corfu and Igoumenitsa) during the 1994 season. Picture published on www.shipfriends.gr . After a good first season, the PEGASUS remained in the company's plans, despite being forced to decrease their services as a result of the decrease in passenger traffic between Greece and Bari. This was primarily due to the launching of the Greek company Superfast Ferries, which deployed the SUPERFAST I and the SUPERFAST II, two extremely fast Ro-Pax ferries, on the Patras-Ancona line during the 1995 season. The introduction of these two new ferries marked the start of a new era on the Adriatic Sea, during which several companies would order newly-built cruiseferries that would perform faster crossings and provide luxurious services onboard. As a result of this passengers, preferred Ancona over Bari, despite the latter's closer proximity to Greece. Ventouris Ferries therefore made significant changes in 1995, namely the deployment of the SATURNUS on the Igoumenitsa-Corfu-Brindisi line and the sale of the POLLUX (despite her being the company's flagship) to NEL Lines, for whom she became the well-known THEOFILOS, spending the 20 seasons that followed on the Northeast Aegean Sea until her permanent lay-up in 2014. The PEGASUS remained on the Patras-Igoumenitsa-Corfu-Bari line alongside the SIREN and the POLARIS, while the Igoumenitsa-Corfu-Bari line was served by the ATHENS EXPRESS and the VEGA. Despite another satisfying season on the Adriatic Sea, the PEGASUS would unexpectedly leave the area the following year, as she was due to move to the Aegean Sea, where she would go on to spend the remainder of her career with great success and much acclaim. Indeed, in 1996, Ventouris Ferries decided to deploy her on the Western Cyclades. This was due to a sudden gap that was created in the Greek coastal service following the abrupt collapse of Ventouris Sea Lines following the 1995 season. Indeed, despite the latter having been one of the most dominant companies of the Cyclades under Evangelos Ventouris, several questionable investments and previously-hidden financial issues ultimately caused the company's downfall. Similarly, Ventouris Lines, the company of Antonis Ventouris, ceased operations in 1995 under the same circumstances, but the void left on the Saronic Gulf could be easily covered by other operators. However, in the case of the Cyclades, this proved to be more challenging. Although popular services such as the Piraeus-Paros-Naxos-Ios-Santorini line and the Piraeus-Syros-Tinos-Mykonos line continued to be served by the former competitors of Ventouris Sea Lines, namely Agapitos Lines and Agapitos Express Ferries, the service on the Western Cyclades had not yet found a new operator. To that end, Ventouris Ferries entered this service with the PEGASUS. Due to her transfer from the Adriatic Sea to the Aegean Sea, the ship was reflagged to Greece and was registered in Piraeus. After a refit in Perama during which her upper passenger deck was significantly upgraded, she began service on the Piraeus-Kythnos-Serifos-Sifnos-Milos-Kimolos-Folegandros-Sikinos-Ios-Santorini line, hence becoming the successor of the APOLLON EXPRESS 2 of Ventouris Sea Lines (which joined Agapitos Lines as the PANAGIA EKATONTAPYLIANI in 1996, and later became a fleetmate of the PEGASUS under Minoan Flying Dolphins, before becoming the AGIOS GEORGIOS/PANAGIA TINOU of a reformed Ventouris Sea Lines from 2004 to 2017, the year during which she was sold for scrap ). The latter was serving on the Western Cyclades and also on the Dodecanese during the 1995 season, as she was on the Piraeus-Kythnos-Serifos-Sifnos-Milos-Folegandros-Siteia-Kasos-Karpathos-Chalki-Rhodes line. The PEGASUS therefore became the main competitor of the main protagonist of the Western Cyclades, which was the legendary MILOS EXPRESS of Lindos Lines. The latter had been operating on the Piraeus-Kythnos-Serifos-Sifnos-Milos-Kimolos-Folegandros-Sikinos-Ios-Santorini line since 1988, and is still regarded as the best ferry to have ever served the area. In addition, a third ferry also began operations in the exact same service covered by the MILOS EXPRESS and the PEGASUS during the 1996 season. This was the ANEMOS of Nomicos Lines, a notable Japanese-built ferry, which later became the MYRTIDIOTISSA of ANEN Lines and is now the ALEXANDRA L of the defunct company Kefalonian Lines . Therefore, the Western Cyclades experienced a major boost in terms of services and competition, as three excellent ferries were available to passengers willing to head to these islands. With her introduction on the Piraeus-Kythnos-Serifos-Sifnos-Milos-Kimolos-Folegandros-Sikinos-Ios-Santorini line, the PEGASUS became the second ship of Ventouris Ferries to operate on the Cyclades, as the BARI EXPRESS was continuing her successful service on the Rafina-Andros-Tinos-Mykonos line. The PEGASUS seen docked in the port of Serifos during the summer of 1996, which marked her debut season on the Western Cyclades and on the Aegean Sea. This was also the first time that Ventouris Ferries was operating on the Western Cyclades since the 1985 season, just before the split between the four Ventouris brothers. Picture taken by Apollon Nomikos and published on www.forum.nautilia.gr . The PEGASUS seen arriving in Milos during the summer of 1996. This was her first summer on the Western Cyclades, where she eventually became an acclaimed ferry despite a rocky start. Her successful service there cemented her place among the best ships in the history of the Greek coastal service. Picture published on www.shipfriends.gr . The first season of the PEGASUS on the Western Cyclades was promising. Despite the difficult competition, she managed to provide good service, and her speed of 21 knots made her a valuable asset for all the islands that she served. However, this first year also ended on a bad note. Indeed, on 26 October 1996, while heading from Piraeus to Kythnos, she ran aground in the islet of Patroklos, which is located right below Cape Sounion. As she hit a reef in the islet, her bow was severely damaged, and there were fears that her hull could have also cracked. Due to the impact caused by the collision with the reefs, one passenger tragically lost his life, while a few injuries were also reported. The passengers were evacuated through the EXPRESS DANAE of Agapitos Express Ferries, which made a prompt arrival from Poros and returned the passengers to Piraeus. The PEGASUS was eventually towed back to Piraeus during that same day, and she immediately headed for repairs. Her damaged bow was remodeled, and made the ship more resistant against strong winds and potential future collisions. After 20 days of repairs in Piraeus, she returned to service on the Western Cyclades in late 1996. The PEGASUS seen right after having hit the reefs of the islet of Patroklos on the Saronic Gulf on 26 October 1996, which resulted in her bow being seriously damaged. Picture taken in the 'Efoplistis' magazine and published on www.forum.nautilia.gr . The PEGASUS seen in Piraeus in November 1996, while undergoing repairs following her accident in the islet of Patroklos. Her damaged bow was replaced by a new one, which was added in Piraeus prior to the ship resuming her service on the Western Cyclades. Picture taken in the 'Efoplistis' magazine and published on www.forum.nautilia.gr . The PEGASUS seen entering the port of Piraeus in late 1996, right after having resumed service after her repairs were completed. This is one of the first pictures of the ship with her new bow, which was remodeled during the repairs that she underwent following her accident in Patroklos. Picture taken by Kostas Sarlis and published on www.shipfriends.gr . The PEGASUS returned to service in late 1996, and her comeback marked the start of the most successful period of her career. Indeed, the next three seasons that followed helped establish her as one of the best ferries of the Aegean Sea, and she became a beloved ship on the Western Cyclades. Her service was widely acclaimed by passengers, and she was appreciated for her speed, her large garage and her impressive outdoor areas. In particular, her front section balcony enabled passengers to have an impressive view while sailing around the Western Cyclades. Furthermore, she had several passenger cabins, which made her very valuable when performing evening and overnight services on a long and demanding lifeline. A major key to the ship's success was her crew, which was under the command of Cpt Evangelos Antonopoulos, one of the best captains to have served in the Greek coastal service. Thanks to these impeccable seasons, the ship proved to be the first true challenger of the MILOS EXPRESS on the Western Cyclades, and she is generally considered to be the second greatest-ever ferry to operate there, after the iconic ship of Lindos Lines. The ship's success was also facilitated by the departure of the ANEMOS, which left the Western Cyclades in 1997 in order to be deployed on the Northeast Aegean Sea. Another company that also had relative success on the Western Cyclades was GA Ferries, which deployed several well-known ferries such as the DALIANA, the MILENA and the ROMILDA. The PEGASUS seen arriving in the port of Piraeus during Good Friday in 1997. This was her second year on the Aegean Sea and on the Western Cyclades. She is seen passing by the legendary ARKADI of Cretan Ferries. Behind her (at the left side of the picture) is the iconic cruiseferry MYTILENE of NEL Lines , which was operating on the Piraeus-Chios-Mytilene-Limnos-Thessaloniki line. Picture taken by Antonis Lazaris and published on www.forum.nautilia.gr . The PEGASUS seen having left the port of Piraeus in 1997, during her second season on the Western Cyclades under Ventouris Ferries. Picture taken by Kostas Sarlis and published on www.limnosfm100.gr . The PEGASUS seen as she departs the port of Piraeus during the summer of 1998. These were considered to be the golden years of the ship, as she established herself as a legendary ship on the Western Cyclades. Picture taken by Antonis Lazaris and published on www.kaipoutheos.gr . The PEGASUS seen on the Saronic Gulf, while making her way towards the Western Cyclades during the 1998 season. Picture published on www.forum.nautilia.gr . The PEGASUS seen arriving in the port of Piraeus, after having returned from the Western Cyclades, during the summer of 1998. Picture taken by Kostas Sarlis and published on www.naviearmatori.net . The PEGASUS seen arriving in Sifnos during the feast of Panagia Chrysopigi in 1999. The latter is considered to be the patron protector of the island. The annual celebration calls for a passenger ship serving Sifnos to transport the holy icon of Panagia Chrysopigi to its eponymous monastery, located on the island's Southeastern coast. This is always a very emotional and remarkable celebration, and several well-known ships of the Western Cyclades have transported the holy icon. The PEGASUS was one of them, as she notably performed this role during her stint under Ventouris Ferries and later under Minoan Flying Dolphins. Picture taken by Antonis Lazaris and published on www.kaipoutheos.gr . The PEGASUS seen on the Saronic Gulf, shortly after having left the port of Piraeus, during the summer of 1999. Picture taken by Apollon Nomikos, and published on www.forum.nautilia.gr . With the glorious 1990s coming to an end and with the Greek coastal service transitioning to the 21st century, everything seemed to go very well for the PEGASUS. Indeed, she continued to provide excellent service on the Western Cyclades, and, by 1998, was the only ship of Ventouris Ferries that served the Aegean Sea, as the BARI EXPRESS had been sold that year to Agapitos Express Ferries (for whom she entered service on the Cyclades as the EXPRESS HERMES). However, in late 1999, the PEGASUS unexpectedly departed the fleet of Ventouris Ferries, as she became one of the many ferries that were acquired within a very short timespan by the Greek giants Minoan Flying Dolphins, better known today as the predecessor of Hellenic Seaways. The latter was created in late 1998, when Minoan Lines agreed to establish a new ferry company that would absolve the operations of the popular company Ceres Flying Dolphins, which had been operating a fleet of 30 hydrofoils and two high speed catamarans. The company began trading as Minoan Flying Dolphins, which was a portmanteau of Minoan Lines and Ceres Flying Dolphins, and also took over the high speed ferry HIGHSPEED 1 of Minoan Lines (built in 1996, she had been operating on the Cyclades under Minoan Lines beginning in 1997), followed by her fleetmate, the FEDRA. But the new company's growth did not stop there. Indeed, its charismatic manager, Pantelis Sfinias, sought to create a monopoly on the Aegean Sea by buying almost all ships operating on the Cyclades, Crete, the Dodecanese, the Northeast Aegean Sea, the Sporades and the Saronic Gulf, with most of them being owned by traditional shipping families. Combined with the upcoming deliveries of three newly-built high speed ferries (the HIGHSPEED 2, the HIGHSPEED 3 and the HIGHSPEED 4 ) in 2000, Sfinias managed to buy all the ferries and high speed craft from Agapitos Lines, Agapitos Express Ferries (and their Ro-Ro carrier division on the Adriatic Sea called Express Sea Trailers), Nomicos Lines, Arkadia Lines, Lindos Lines, all but one from Goutos Lines, the domestic ferries of Ventouris Ferries (in this case, the PEGASUS) and Agoudimos Lines, as well as the Saronic Gulf companies Lefakis Shipping, Poseidon Consortium Shipping, Maltezos Shipping and Akouriki Shipping Company. This resulted in the formation of a fleet of unprecedented size, with a total of 77 ships. This included 27 conventional ferries, 4 Ro-Ro carriers, 8 landing craft, 30 hydrofoils, 4 high speed ferries and 4 high speed catamarans. With these acquisitions, Minoan Flying Dolphins became the new leading force of the Greek coastal service, with only GA Ferries (who actually almost joined Minoan Flying Dolphins as well, but eventually did not), NEL Lines, ANEK Lines, LANE Lines (which later became LANE Sea Lines in 2006), DANE Sea Line and Strintzis Lines (which went on to become Blue Star Ferries after being acquired by Attica Group in 2000) being able to resist them. With this move, Ventouris Ferries ceded the PEGASUS to this new company, and ended their services on the Aegean Sea. Since then, they have continued to operate solely on the Adriatic Sea, serving the Bari-Durrës line and the Kefalonia-Igoumenitsa-Corfu-Bari line. Minoan Flying Dolphins divided the fleet into four different operators, based on the region where they would be operating. The high speed craft all operated under the core Minoan Flying Dolphins division, while ferries operating on the Cyclades, on the Northeast Aegean Sea and on the Dodecanese, as well as the Ro-Ro carriers sailing on the Adriatic Sea, would be operated by Hellas Ferries. The ferries operating on the Saronic Gulf and on the Sporades were transferred to the Saronikos Ferries and Sporades Ferries divisions, respectively. As she was a ferry coming from the Cyclades, the PEGASUS joined Hellas Ferries. Ahead of the 2000 season, Minoan Flying Dolphins implemented a naming policy that was applied to almost all its ferries, which carried on the one introduced by Agapitos Express Ferries, which was the use of the prefix 'EXPRESS' and adding the name of a figure from the Greek mythology, a name similar to the one a ship held under her previous ownership or the name of a Greek location. The PEGASUS was renamed EXPRESS DIONISOS, therefore taking the name of the Greek God Dionysos (the God of wine, festivities and theatre). She reunited with the EXPRESS HERMES (her former Ventouris Ferries fleetmate BARI EXPRESS), and she also became fleetmates with her main rival, the MILOS EXPRESS, which was renamed EXPRESS MILOS. She also became fleetmates with one of her first competitors on the Adriatic Sea, the ex-KRITI of ANEK Lines, which became the EXPRESS ARIS after having previously spent three years on the Cyclades under Agapitos Lines as the SUPER NAÏAS (from 1996 to 1999). Moreover, she was also fleetmates for a few months alongside the ex-ANEMOS of Nomicos Lines, which became the EXPRESS ANEMOS, but never operated for the company as she was sold to ANEN Lines before the 2000 season. Altogether, most of the ferries that sailed under the Hellas Ferries division continued to operate on the lines that they were previously serving under their previous owners, with only a few exceptions. This included the EXPRESS ARIS, which was sent to operate on the Igoumenitsa-Corfu-Brindisi line on the Adriatic Sea. The PEGASUS seen in Piraeus in late 1999, as she undergoes her change in livery ahead of her entry to service under Hellas Ferries, one of the four divisions of Minoan Flying Dolphins. The company's logo was already added on both her funnels, while she maintained her name, which she later changed to EXPRESS DIONISOS. Picture published on www.shipfriends.gr . As it was anticipated, the EXPRESS DIONISOS continued to serve the Western Cyclades under her new owners, operating on the Piraeus-Kythnos-Serifos-Sifnos-Milos-Kimolos-Folegandros-Sikinos-Ios-Santorini line together with the EXPRESS MILOS. Both ships remained successful there, and cemented the dominance of Minoan Flying Dolphins on the Western Cyclades. Only GA Ferries competed against them, and notably deployed, on some occasions, the ferry DIMITROULA, a former fleetmate of the EXPRESS DIONISOS back when they both operated for Tirrenia Di Navigazione. Indeed, the DIMITROULA was previously known as the VERGA, and had been acquired by GA Ferries in 1998. The EXPRESS DIONISOS seen arriving near the Church of Panagia Chrysopigi in Sifnos in 2000, during her debut season under Minoan Flying Dolphins and the Hellas Ferries division. Just like the year before, she was transporting the holy icon of Panagia Chrysopigi to its eponymous church, amidst the celebrations in Sifnos. Picture taken by Kyriakos Smyrnaios and published on www.kaipoutheos.gr . The EXPRESS DIONISOS seen arriving in Piraeus during the 2000 season, which was her fifth overall on the Western Cyclades, and her first one under the livery of Hellas Ferries and under her new name. Picture published on www.shipfriends.gr . One of the most well-known pictures of the EXPRESS DIONISOS, which shows the ferry heading towards her docking spot in Piraeus, as viewed from her stern. She was returning to the port of Piraeus after having served the Western Cyclades during the summer of 2000. Picture published on www.shipfriends.gr . Despite operating as a monopoly and having the largest fleet on the Aegean Sea, the year 2000 ended on a disastrous note for Minoan Flying Dolphins. Indeed, the EXPRESS SAMINA (the ex-GOLDEN VERGINA of Agapitos Lines), tragically sank in Paros on 26 September 2000, resulting in the loss of 81 people . The entire population of Greece was shocked by the events, and the sinking became one of the biggest maritime tragedies in the history of the Greek coastal service. Just two days later, the EXPRESS ARTEMIS (the ex-PANAGIA EKATONTAPYLIANI of Agapitos Lines) suffered a blackout in Naxos while carrying more than 1,000 passengers. As a result of this, all ships owned by Minoan Flying Dolphins were arrested on a national scale, with many of them being laid-up until they would meet safety requirements. The EXPRESS DIONISOS was cleared to sail again, but many of her fleetmates were forced to end their services on a permanent basis, such as the EXPRESS NAÏAS (the ex-NAÏAS II of Agapitos Lines) or the EXPRESS HERMES. Minoan Flying Dolphins was seriously hit by all these events, becoming the centre of much criticism due to having undergone poor refits on their older ferries. Moreover, several of them did not meet the main safety standards that are required in order to sail. With the mounting negativity and public outcry, the final straw for Minoan Flying Dolphins came when Pantelis Sfinias committed suicide by jumping from the rooftop of the company’s office building in Piraeus. Despite all the chaos, the company continued to be active and was ready to redeem itself for the 2001 season. In that same year, the EXPRESS DIONISOS underwent a brief refit in Perama, during which her stern was significantly upgraded. The outdoor deck in the stern section was extended and was covered in order to become a sun deck. This therefore increased her passenger capacity and allowed for a more comfortable stay in her outdoor areas. She resumed service on the Western Cyclades together with the EXPRESS MILOS. The EXPRESS DIONISOS spotted in Piraeus during the 2001 season, which marked her first summer of operations following the minor conversion that she underwent. Her stern was fully remodeled and saw the addition of a new sun deck. Picture taken by Bernard Dobbs and published on www.hhvferry.com . The EXPRESS DIONISOS seen leaving Milos during the 2001 season, which was her second one under Minoan Flying Dolphins, whose reputation had now become tarnished because of the tragedy of the EXPRESS SAMINA. Picture taken by Jan Vinther Christensen and published on www.faktaomfartyg.se . In 2002, the company was renamed Hellas Flying Dolphins, in an attempt to make the public forget about the name Minoan Flying Dolphins, which had been significantly damaged as a result of the EXPRESS SAMINA disaster. But this was not the only change that the company carried out. Indeed, ahead of the 2002 season, the EXPRESS DIONISOS was renamed EXPRESS PEGASUS, therefore reverting to the name that she bore during her spell under Ventouris Ferries, albeit with the prefix 'EXPRESS' which the company continued to implement on its ferries. The name change was done in order for passengers to again identify themselves with the ship, under the name that made her famous on the Western Cyclades. The company had also done a similar move the year before, with the EXPRESS ARTEMIS being once again renamed PANAGIA EKATONTAPYLIANI (the name that she had under her previous owners, Agapitos Lines) in 2001 (although this change was primarily done due to the residents of Paros, of which Panagia Ekatontapyliani is the patron protector, being outraged over the name change when the ship joined Minoan Flying Dolphins). The newly-renamed EXPRESS PEGASUS continued to serve the Western Cyclades alongside the EXPRESS MILOS. Despite providing good service overall, her company was underperforming. With a tarnished reputation and an aging fleet, Hellas Flying Dolphins began to lose its momentum as well as a large amount of passengers. They were unable to match the competition and the standards of Blue Star Ferries, which was experiencing a rapid growth and had deployed two newly-built ferries that went on to become a massive success on the Central Cyclades in 2002, namely the sister ships BLUE STAR NAXOS and BLUE STAR PAROS . They also failed to break the dominance of NEL Lines on the Northeast Aegean Sea, as the latter company continued to provide services of high quality, as well as deploying three newly-built high speed ferries that were superior to the ships of Hellas Ferries. Altogether, Hellas Flying Dolphins only saw success from its core division, which included the 'Highspeeds' and the 'Flyingcats'. On the contrary, the conventional ferries were not maintained nor upgraded, and soon this began to to reflect itself upon the services that the ships started to provide from late 2001 onwards. Most of the successful ferries of the 1990s were now marred by technical issues, and their indoor amenities began to look outdated next to those of the newly-built ferries. Aiming to focus more on the good services of the high speed craft, Hellas Flying Dolphins began to withdraw much of its older tonnage. The EXPRESS HERMES and the EXPRESS ARIS were laid-up in 2002, and were sold for scrap in 2003 and 2004, respectively. The EXPRESS NAÏAS, the sister ship of the doomed EXPRESS SAMINA, was also sold for scrap in 2003. Many older hydrofoils that had entered service under Ceres Flying Dolphins were also sold for demolition. Furthermore, three ferries operating under the Sporades Ferries division were sold to smaller Greek ferry operators in 2002. Even though the company was the sole operator on the Western Cyclades along with GA Ferries, they also began to experience issues, especially the EXPRESS MILOS which had a few engine troubles. The EXPRESS PEGASUS continued to operate successfully and was among the few ships of the company that remained under a good overall condition. However, in late 2002 and early 2003, her stabilisers began to malfunction, and they were unfortunately never repaired. This affected her sailing patterns, especially during poor weather conditions, as she would be easily shaken by heavy waves and her maneuvering procedures in ports would become more difficult. However, despite these difficulties, she continued to provide reliable service, and was one of the few shining stars of Hellas Flying Dolphins, in contrast to many of her fleetmates that were experiencing a decline in the quality of the services that they provided. The EXPRESS PEGASUS seen as she departs the port of Piraeus during the 2002 season. This was her third summer under Minoan Flying Dolphins (which had been renamed Hellas Flying Dolphins), and her first one under her new name, which she went on to keep for the remainder of her career. Picture published on www.forum.nautilia.gr . As the poor ferry services and the economic troubles of Hellas Flying Dolphins were becoming more significant, the company decided to shift towards a modernisation of the fleet. The company instead decided to order one new high speed ferry, the HIGHSPEED 5 (which became the HIGHSPEED 7 in 2016, before joining Minoan Lines in 2018 as the SANTORINI PALACE ) to be delivered in 2005, and two cruiseferries planned for delivery in 2005 and in 2007. More older ships were sold for scrap, such as the EXPRESS NAÏAS, the EXPRESS HERMES (as stated previously), as well as Ro-Ro carrier SEA TRAILER in 2003. The STAR TRAILER was sold to Saos Ferries in 2003, and she began service for them as the PANAGIA KRIMNIOTISSA. That same company also went on to acquire the EXPRESS MILOS during that same year, and deployed her as the NISSOS LIMNOS on the Northeast Aegean Sea before retiring her from service in 2004, after which she was sold for scrap following an acclaimed career in Greece. The departure of the EXPRESS MILOS meant that Hellas Flying Dolphins needed a second ship to operate on the Western Cyclades, alongside the EXPRESS PEGASUS. This gap was filled with the EXPRESS APOLLON (previously the APOLLON EXPRESS/APOLLON EXPRESS 1 of Ventouris Sea Lines and then the EXPRESS APOLLON of Agapitos Express Ferries, and an iconic ship of the Piraeus-Paros-Naxos-Ios-Santorini line), which was inserted on the Piraeus-Kythnos-Serifos-Sifnos-Milos-Kimolos-Folegandros-Sikinos-Ios-Santorini line. Her service there was very inconsistent, as she experienced several technical issues which were due to the fact that the company did not maintain her accordingly (as it had been the case for most of its older ships). The EXPRESS PEGASUS performed much better, but she continued to be impacted by the damaged stabilisers which were not repaired by Hellas Flying Dolphins. The EXPRESS PEGASUS seen maneuvering next to the Church of Panagia Chrysopigi in Sifnos, as part of the island's annual celebrations, shortly before the summer of 2003. Picture published on www.shipfriends.gr . The EXPRESS PEGASUS seen resting in Piraeus during the 2003 season. Picture taken by Benoît Donne and published on www.shipspotting.com . The EXPRESS PEGASUS seen in Piraeus during the 2003 season, during yet another summer spent on the Western Cyclades. Picture take by Matt Murtland and published on www.hhvferry.com . Even though the EXPRESS PEGASUS performed well, the 2003 season was yet another disappointment for Hellas Flying Dolphins, whose poor reputation and lack of maintenance on its older ferries continued to adversely impact the company. Ahead of the 2004 season, the company decided to further diminish its fleet, notably selling the sister ships PANAGIA EKATONTAPYLIANI and EXPRESS PENELOPE back to their original owners, a reformed Ventouris Sea Lines and Agoudimos Lines, respectively. The sales of these two ships to prominent new competitors proved to be a major mistake, as both companies outperformed Hellas Flying Dolphins on the Rafina-Cyclades service on which both ships were deployed during the 2004 season. This happened despite both ships having previously served the company. Because of this, Hellas Flying Dolphins and in particular its Hellas Ferries division continued to experience a substantial decline on the Cyclades. Despite this, the Western Cyclades continued to feature two conventional ferries for the 2004 season. These were the EXPRESS PEGASUS and the EXPRESS ADONIS (previously the DIMITRA of GA Ferries and then the NAÏAS EXPRESS of Agapitos Lines), which replaced the EXPRESS APOLLON, as the latter moved to the Rafina-Andros-Tinos-Mykonos line. Both ships had a relatively good season despite strong competition provided by GA Ferries. The EXPRESS PEGASUS seen docked in Piraeus in April 2004, just before beginning her ninth consecutive summer season on the Western Cyclades, and her fifth in a row under the Hellas Ferries division. Picture taken by Aleksi Lindström and published on www.shipspotting.com . The EXPRESS PEGASUS seen docked in the port of Ios during the summer of 2004, which ultimately proved to be the final one that she spent on the Western Cyclades. Picture published on www.efoplistis.gr . The EXPRESS PEGASUS seen departing Piraeus in 2004, for yet another trip to the Western Cyclades. Picture taken by Dinos Lemonis and published on www.faktaomfartyg.se . The EXPRESS PEGASUS seen on the Western Cyclades, as she sails between Kimolos and Milos, during the 2004 season. Picture taken by Nikolaos Tselentis and published on www.marinetraffic.com . After the 2004 season was completed, there were many questions regarding the future of Hellas Flying Dolphins, as the company continued to experience financial difficulties and saw their services being outperformed, for the most part, by GA Ferries, Ventouris Sea Lines, Agoudimos Lines, NEL Lines and especially Blue Star Ferries. However, the company did have a season to look forward to, as it was anticipating the delivery of the HIGHSPEED 5 in 2005, as well as that of the first out of the two cruiseferries that were being built in Greece, namely the NISSOS MYKONOS . They also acquired two relatively young high speed catamarans, the FLYINGCAT 5 and the FLYINGCAT 6 , which were planned for entry to service on the Sporades during the summer of 2005 in order to replace the aging hydrofoils. In 2005, changes in the company's board of directors and shareholders prompted it to improve its corporate identity and strategy, with a focus on consolidated services operated by a young generation of Greek ferries. To that end, Hellas Flying Dolphins and all its divisions were rebranded under one single entity named Hellenic Seaways. The 'Highspeed', 'Flyingcat' and 'Flying Dolphin' brandnames continued to exist, while all conventional ferries were to feature the livery of the new company. Out of the ships that had been operating under the Hellas Ferries division, the ones that joined Hellenic Seaways included the EXPRESS APOLLON, the EXPRESS APHRODITE, the EXPRESS ATHINA, the EXPRESS SANTORINI, the EXPRESS HAROULA (previously operating under the Sporades Ferries division from 1999 to 2002, she was renamed EXPRESS SKIATHOS in 2005) and the EXPRESS PEGASUS. The EXPRESS POSEIDON, the EXPRESS OLYMPIA and the EXPRESS ADONIS were all removed from the company's plans, with the first two heading for scrap during the summer of 2005. The EXPRESS ADONIS remained laid-up in Piraeus and in Drapetsona until she was sold in 2006 to the Indian company Samudera Ferry Shipping & Cruise Service, for whom she sailed for four years until she was scrapped in 2010. The EXPRESS PEGASUS was reportedly the first ship that underwent the livery change in order to be repainted with the colours of Hellenic Seaways, during her annual refit in Drapetsona. The EXPRESS PEGASUS seen in Drapetsona in 2005, while she is being repainted with the well-known black livery of Hellenic Seaways. Her funnels were repainted in red and black, and later featured the famous three dolphins that form the logo of the company. Picture taken by Dinos Lemonis and published on www.faktaomfartyg.se . Aside from changing her livery, the EXPRESS PEGASUS also underwent a change in her area of deployment. Indeed, as the EXPRESS OLYMPIA, which was serving the Piraeus-Syros-Mykonos-Ikaria-Samos line on the Northeast Aegean Sea, was sold for scrap, the EXPRESS PEGASUS was called to replace her in this service. With this move, she left the Western Cyclades after nine extremely successful years. Hellenic Seaways did not replace her, instead maintaining only one conventional ferry on the service, namely the EXPRESS APHRODITE, which was inserted on the Piraeus-Kythnos-Serifos-Sifnos-Milos-Kimolos line during the 2005 season. The company further added the HIGHSPEED 3 to the Western Cyclades. The area also saw the arrival of the AGIOS GEORGIOS, which was deployed on the Piraeus-Kythnos-Serifos-Sifnos-Milos-Kimolos-Folegandros-Sikinos-Ios-Santorini line (making her the formal successor of the EXPRESS PEGASUS), and of the newly-established Greek company Aegean Speed Lines, which deployed the high speed ferry SPEEDRUNNER I on the Piraeus-Serifos-Sifnos-Milos-Paros line. As for the EXPRESS PEGASUS, she moved to a demanding service on the Northeast Aegean Sea, which she was able to cover thanks to her large garage and her fair amount of passenger cabins. She was inserted on a service on which Minoan Flying Dolphins/Hellas Flying Dolphins had been operating with little competition, with that coming primarily from GA Ferries and NEL Lines, which had deployed the newly-built high speed ferry AEOLOS EXPRESS (which was renamed AEOLOS KENTERIS I in 2007) on the Piraeus-Paros-Naxos-Ikaria-Samos line between 2002 and 2004. She did not return to service in 2005 due to financial constraints. GA Ferries deployed two ships in Ikaria and Samos for the 2005 season, namely the DIMITROULA and the MARINA, which entered service on the Piraeus-Paros-Naxos-Ikaria-Fournoi-Samos line. Despite the EXPRESS PEGASUS having a smaller garage than the MARINA, she had a decent first season on the line, despite her malfunctioning stabilisers affecting her sailing patterns under poor weather conditions. She notably performed the service in a shorter time compared to the slow GA Ferries veterans, while her indoor areas were praised by passengers. With the completion of the construction of the NISSOS MYKONOS in 2005 and her subsequent deployment on the Piraeus-Chios-Mytilene line, Hellenic Seaways had an established a solid base on the Northeast Aegean Sea with two excellent ferries. The EXPRESS PEGASUS, now fully painted in the colours of Hellenic Seaways, seen in the port of Piraeus during the 2005 season, which was her first one on the Northeast Aegean Sea. Picture taken by Andreas Wörteler and published on www.faktaomfartyg.se . The EXPRESS PEGASUS seen about to enter the port of Piraeus during the 2005 season, which was her first one under the livery of Hellenic Seaways. Picture taken by Lucas Latreche and published on www.shipspotting.com . The EXPRESS PEGASUS seen resting in the port of Vathy in Samos in 2005, during her debut season on the Piraeus-Syros-Mykonos-Ikaria-Samos line. Her stint on the Northeast Aegean Sea was ultimately very successful, and it enabled Hellenic Seaways to make further investments on the area over the years that followed. Picture taken by Dieter Pots and published on www.shipspotting.com . The EXPRESS PEGASUS seen in the port of Vathy in Samos in 2006, during her second year on the Piraeus-Syros-Mykonos-Ikaria-Samos line and under Hellenic Seaways. Picture published on www.forum.nautilia.gr . The first two seasons on the Piraeus-Syros-Mykonos-Ikaria-Samos line were deemed successful for the EXPRESS PEGASUS, which continued to provide good service. Hellenic Seaways was operating well on the Northeast Aegean Sea, on the Saronic Gulf, on the Sporades and on the Adriatic Sea. However, their conventional ferries on the Cyclades struggled against their competitors, and most of the ships experienced engine troubles that resulted in the company no longer finding the incentive to further invest on them. Moreover, they continued to make investments dedicated to the renewal of the fleet. Indeed, following the introduction of the HIGHSPEED 5 and of the NISSOS MYKONOS, they bought the then-10-year-old Japanese-built cruiseferry FERRY HIMUKA of the Japanese company Miyazaki Car Ferry in 2006, which was renamed ARIADNE and was planned to enter service on the Piraeus-Chania line in 2007. Additionally, the second cruiseferry due to be built in Greece, namely the NISSOS CHIOS (the sister ship of the NISSOS MYKONOS), was also planned to be delivered in 2007. She was expected to operate on the Piraeus-Chios-Mytilene line, hence taking over the service of the NISSOS MYKONOS, which in turn would move to the Piraeus-Syros-Mykonos-Ikaria-Samos line in order to replace the EXPRESS PEGASUS. The latter's future therefore became uncertain, although Hellenic Seaways did anticipate to have her deployed on the Piraeus-Paros-Naxos-Ios-Santorini line once the company's new vessels would all be ready to enter service. This was also due to the fact that Hellenic Seaways would no longer have a conventional ferry on the aforementioned service, as they had sold the EXPRESS ATHINA and the EXPRESS APOLLON to Greek companies, while the EXPRESS APHRODITE was sold to the Egyptian company Namma Lines. The EXPRESS SANTORINI also stopped operating for the company in 2007, as she would spend each of the subsequent summers on charter to the Portuguese company Atlântico Line, for whom she would operate on the Azores Islands Archipelago. She would only return to Hellenic Seaways during the winter in order to perform her annual refit and to cover for any of her fleetmates that would be undergoing their own refits. With the planned introduction of the NISSOS CHIOS, it was therefore expected that the EXPRESS PEGASUS would make her return to the Cyclades during the high season. However, the ARIADNE was not prepared in time for the 2007 summer season, and this resulted in the NISSOS CHIOS being sent to the Piraeus-Chania line while the former continued her conversion in Keratsini. The NISSOS MYKONOS therefore stayed on the Piraeus-Chios-Mytilene line for the 2007 season, and this meant that the EXPRESS PEGASUS would continue to serve the Piraeus-Syros-Mykonos-Ikaria-Samos line for the remainder of the summer season. Therefore, the Piraeus-Paros-Naxos-Ios-Santorini line was left vacant, being only served by the company's high speed ferries. The EXPRESS PEGASUS seen arriving in the port of Evdilos in Ikaria in 2007, during her third and final season on the Piraeus-Syros-Mykonos-Ikaria-Samos line. Picture published on www.shipfriends.gr . The EXPRESS PEGASUS seen leaving the port of Piraeus during the 2007 season. This was her third season under Hellenic Seaways, and that year marked the thirtieth anniversary since the start of her career back in 1977, under Tirrenia Di Navigazione. Picture taken by Jukka Koskimies and published on www.shipspotting.com . Just as the summer of 2007 came to an end, the ARIADNE finally entered service on the Piraeus-Chania line. This new introduction paved the way for the aforementioned reshuffle of the operations of Hellenic Seaways on the Northeast Aegean Sea. Indeed, the NISSOS CHIOS was moved to the Piraeus-Chios-Mytilene line, whereas the NISSOS MYKONOS was transferred to the Piraeus-Syros-Mykonos-Ikaria-Samos line, whereupon she replaced the EXPRESS PEGASUS. The latter headed to Drapetsona, where she underwent her annual refit, while waiting for her next deployment. There were rumours suggesting that she would return to the Western Cyclades, or that she would be formally deployed on the Piraeus-Paros-Naxos-Ios-Santorini line, as it had initially been planned for the summer. In addition, several Greek coastal service forums stated that the ship had been sold overseas. However, these proved to be false and the ship continued to remain laid-up, with her future still uncertain. Ultimately, Hellenic Seaways did not find a service for her, and she instead spent the first part of the 2008 summer season operating alongside a newly-built replica of the famous Greek mythological ship ARGO, which was due to operate on the Aegean Sea and on the Black Sea for educational and training purposes. This project eventually underwent many changes, with the ship and the EXPRESS PEGASUS only sailing around the Saronic Gulf and the Corinthian Gulf. After the expedition ended, the EXPRESS PEGASUS once again faced an uncertain future. However, she eventually found a role for the remainder of the 2008 season. Indeed, she was deployed on the Piraeus-Gytheion-Kalamata-Kythira-Antikythira-Kissamos lifeline, whereupon she took over the service that was left abandoned by the MYRTIDIOTISSA of ANEN Lines (briefly her fleetmate under Minoan Flying Dolphins, as she used to be the EXPRESS ANEMOS). The latter experienced several mechanical troubles and also grounded off in Kythira during the summer of 2008. As ANEN Lines was also suffering from severe financial difficulties, the residents of Kythira, Antikythira and the Peloponnese called for another ship to replace her. Fortunately, the EXPRESS PEGASUS was available, and she therefore was assigned to serve the demanding Peloponnese-Kythira-Antikythira lifeline. She performed her new operations dutifully, and was very effective in re-establishing a sound connection of these ports with Piraeus and Crete. She was much-appreciated by the residents of Kythira and Antikythira, all of whom quickly forgot the problems that had been seen with the MYRTIDIOTISSA (which was then sent for lay-up in Elefsina and then in Perama, before joining NEL Lines in 2010 as the AQUA MARIA). The EXPRESS PEGASUS seen in the tiny port of Antikythira during the summer of 2008. Despite beginning the season without a role, she eventually began service on the demanding Peloponnese-Kythira-Antikythira lifeline and once again proved how valuable of a ferry she was, as she performed her service with much success. Picture taken by Mathaios Aggelioudakis and published on www.marinetraffic.com . The EXPRESS PEGASUS seen resting in Kythira during the summer of 2008, which she spent on the Peloponnese-Kythira-Antikythira lifeline in order to replace the MYRTIDIOTISSA of ANEN Lines, whose services were marred by technical and financial troubles. Picture published on www.shipfriends.gr . After the season concluded, the EXPRESS PEGASUS briefly returned to the Piraeus-Syros-Mykonos-Ikaria-Samos line in late 2008, in order to replace the NISSOS MYKONOS which was undergoing her annual refit. Her permanent successor on the Peloponnese-Kythira-Antikythira lifeline was the VITSENTZOS KORNAROS of LANE Sea Lines , which went on to operate there with great success until the start of the 2017 season, when she abruptly ended her service and she was eventually sold for scrap in 2020 . After the NISSOS MYKONOS completed her refit, the EXPRESS PEGASUS headed to Perama, with Hellenic Seaways eyeing a major upgrade of her indoor areas. Indeed, even though the ship was sailing efficiently (despite her damaged stabilisers), she had not undergone a proper renovation in years and her indoor areas were in a rather poor condition compared to those of her younger fleetmates. After a small refit in Perama, she went to operate on the Northeast Aegean Sea lifeline, on the Thessaloniki-Kavala-Limnos-Mytilene-Chios-Samos line. She was employed there in order to replace another ship which was forced to abandon her subsidised lifeline service due to her owners experiencing financial problems. This ship was the SAMOTHRAKI of Saos Ferries, which had started this service in 2007 before being arrested in Kavala in late 2008 due to her crew remaining unpaid for months. Saos Ferries lost the subsidy contract for the lifeline, and a temporary replacement had to be found before the Greek Ministry of Mercantile Marine, the Aegean and Insular Policy would grant a new subsidy to a permanent successor. As a result, the EXPRESS PEGASUS went on to serve the Northeast Aegean Sea lifeline, while her successor eventually was the THEOFILOS of NEL Lines (coincidentally, her former Ventouris Ferries fleetmate, namely the ex-POLLUX). The EXPRESS PEGASUS seen in the port of Thessaloniki, during her brief spell on the Northeast Aegean Sea lifeline in early 2009. She would then be replaced by the THEOFILOS of NEL Lines, which was awarded the subsidy contract by the Greek Ministry of Mercantile Marine, the Aegean and Insular Policy. Picture taken by Georgios Givisis and published on www.shipfrends.gr . While everything seemed to go well for the EXPRESS PEGASUS, her services on the Northeast Aegean Sea lifeline abruptly ended in April 2009, when she experienced a major engine failure in Mytilene. The damage was considerable, and the ship had to head back to Piraeus for repairs. Unfortunately, the engines were severely hit and required new spares, which Hellenic Seaways was hesitant to order. Because of this, the ship eventually spent the entire 2009 season under lay-up, and she failed to feature among the company's plans for the second consecutive summer (even though she had eventually returned to service on the Peloponnese-Kythira-Antikythira lifeline in 2008). She was deemed to surplus requirements by Hellenic Seaways and remained laid-up in Drapetsona. Once more, there were several rumours regarding her future. Some stated that she would be repaired and reactivated, while others indicated that the ship would possibly be sold for scrap due to her age and her poor technical condition. The EXPRESS PEGASUS seen laid-up in Drapetsona during the 2009 season, after suffering a major engine failure and failing to be a part of the plans of Hellenic Seaways. Picture taken by Georgios Givisis and published on www.shipfriends.gr . After a difficult 2009 season for the ship and her company, the Greek coastal service enthusiasts were overjoyed when they learned that Hellenic Seaways decided to repair the EXPRESS PEGASUS. Indeed, in late 2009, she headed to Salamina in order to not only receive her upgraded engines, but also to undergo a full renovation of her indoor areas, as her company had planned to undertake earlier in the year. It was decided that she would become a day ferry, and therefore all her passenger cabins would be removed in order to have them replaced with indoor lounge areas. To that end, new windows were added in her lower passenger deck, and her existing indoor lounge areas were also modernised. Once again, there were several rumours regarding the line on which the ship would operate. These included a comeback on the Western Cyclades, a deployment on the Rafina-Andros-Tinos-Mykonos line or even on the Sporades. Ultimately, it was announced that she would be deployed on the latter region for the 2010 season, and more specifically on the Agios Konstantinos-Skiathos-Skopelos-Alonissos line. The latter had previously been served during the 2009 season by the HIGHSPEED 1 (which moved back to the Cyclades during the 2010 season) and by the DALIANA of GA Ferries. For the 2010 season, Hellenic Seaways was once again expected to dominate on the Sporades with two ferries and three high speed craft. While they benefitted from GA Ferries ceasing operations altogether after the end of the 2009 season, they nevertheless faced competition from Skyros Shipping Company (which only serves the islands of Skopelos and Alonissos during the summer, linking them with Skyros and Kymi in Evoia) and most notably NEL Lines, which had deployed the high speed ferry PANAGIA THALASSINI (today the KALLI P of the inactive company Idomeneas Lines) during the summer of 2009. For the 2010 season, NEL Lines chartered the high speed ferry ALKIONI and deployed her on the Volos-Skiathos-Skopelos-Alonissos-Thessaloniki line. This new service threatened the dominance of Hellenic Seaways, as did the deployment of the high speed catamaran SPEED CAT 1 of Hellas Speed Cat on the Agios Konstantinos-Skiathos-Skopelos-Alonissos line, which would directly compete against the EXPRESS PEGASUS. The latter eventually began service there during the summer of 2010, therefore being reactivated after more than a year of lay-up. She would operate from Agios Konstantinos alongside the FLYINGCAT 5 and the FLYINGCAT 6, whereas the service from Volos would continue to be covered by the EXPRESS SKIATHOS. The FLYINGCAT 5 and the FLYINGCAT 6 also operated in Volos, as did the hydrofoil FLYING DOLPHIN XXIII. The EXPRESS PEGASUS seen arriving in Skopelos during the summer of 2010, which marked her debut season on the Sporades. This was also her first summer of service since 2008, and her first season as a day ferry, after having previously spent her entire career operating on nightly services in Italy, Malta and Greece. Picture taken by Kostas Andreou and published on www.marinetraffic.com . The EXPRESS PEGASUS seen docked in Agios Konstantinos in 2010, during her debut season on the Sporades. Picture published on www.forum.nautilia.gr . The first season of the EXPRESS PEGASUS was considered satisfactory, despite the ship failing to operate at the same speed under which she was sailing prior to her major engine failure in 2009. She then headed for her winter lay-up in Chania, before briefly returning to service on the Volos-Skiathos-Skopelos-Alonissos line in early 2011, in order to replace the EXPRESS SANTORINI (which had finished her seasonal charter to Atlântico Line and was replacing the EXPRESS SKIATHOS during the latter's annual refit), which was sent (along with many other ships of the Greek coastal service) to Libya in order to evacuate foreign residents living in the country in the wake of the First Libyan Civil War. For the 2011 season, the ship returned to the Agios Konstantinos-Skiathos-Skopelos-Alonissos line, which she performed alongside the FLYINGCAT 5 and the FLYINGCAT 6. The Volos-Skiathos-Skopelos-Alonissos line was covered by the EXPRESS SKIATHOS, the FLYINGCAT 5, the FLYINGCAT 6 and the FLYING DOLPHIN XV, which had replaced the FLYING DOLPHIN XXIII following the latter's retirement. While the SPEED CAT 1 was withdrawn from the Sporades after prematurely ending her 2010 season due to an engine failure, the Agios Konstantinos-Skiathos-Skopelos-Alonissos line saw the addition of the PANAGIA PAROU of NEL Lines (the sister ship of the PANAGIA THALASSINI) for the 2011 season. Despite this, the EXPRESS PEGASUS had an excellent season and she was praised by the passengers traveling on the Sporades. After the 2011 summer season ended, the ship made a symbolic comeback on the Western Cyclades, the area where she had been a major success for nine years. Indeed, she was temporarily deployed on the Piraeus-Kythnos-Serifos-Sifnos-Milos-Kimolos-Folegandros-Sikinos-Ios-Santorini line in order to replace the AGIOS GEORGIOS of Ventouris Sea Lines, which was taken off service following engine troubles. As such, the ship returned to the Western Cyclades for the first time since 2004, and she brought a wonderful feeling of nostalgia to the residents of all the islands that she had served faithfully for almost a decade. The EXPRESS PEGASUS seen maneuvering in Serifos in late 2011, during her temporary deployment on the Western Cyclades, which she served for the first time since 2004 and for the first time under the livery of Hellenic Seaways. Picture taken by Kostas Loudaros and published on www.marinetraffic.com . The EXPRESS PEGASUS was once again deployed on the Agios Konstantinos-Skiathos-Skopelos-Alonissos line for the 2012 season. That year, Hellenic Seaways (despite no linger operating hydrofoils) was the only operator on the Sporades (besides the seasonal service of Skyros Shipping Company), as NEL Lines did not insert any ship on the area due to financial issues. The EXPRESS PEGASUS and the EXPRESS SKIATHOS continued to be the two main ferries of the company serving the Sporades, despite new competitors entering the market, such as ANES Ferries in 2013 and Aegean Flying Dolphins in 2014. Ahead of the 2014 season, it was reported that the EXPRESS PEGASUS would be deployed on the Heraklion-Santorini line. Eventually, this did not happen, and the ship retuned to the Agios Konstantinos-Skiathos-Skopelos-Alonissos line. Following the definite sale of the EXPRESS SANTORINI (which is also rumoured to have been sold for scrap) by Hellenic Seaways in 2014, the EXPRESS PEGASUS became the oldest ship of the company, and the final ship previously operating under the Hellas Ferries division on the Cyclades (as the EXPRESS SKIATHOS also operated under the Hellas Ferries division on the Sporades from 2002 to 2005) still in operation under Hellenic Seaways. The EXPRESS PEGASUS seen arriving in the port of Skopelos during the summer of 2012, which marked her third consecutive season on the Sporades. Picture taken by Kostas Andreou and published on www.marinetraffic.com . The EXPRESS PEGASUS seen undergoing her maneuvering procedure in the port of Skopelos during the 2013 season. Picture taken by Marco Amato and published on www.marinetraffic.com . The EXPRESS PEGASUS seen arriving in the port of Alonissos during the summer of 2014, during what turned out to be her final season on the Sporades. Picture taken by Stratos Predaris and published on www.marinetraffic.com . Following the conclusion of the 2014 season, the EXPRESS PEGASUS left the Sporades after five very successful years. She was not planned to return there, as Hellenic Seaways announced that the Agios Konstantinos-Skiathos-Skopelos-Alonissos line would be served by the APOLLON HELLAS during the 2015 season. Once again, the ship's next employment became the centre of many rumours. She did manage to obtain a license in order to operate once again on the Western Cyclades, on the Piraeus-Kythnos-Serifos-Sifnos-Milos-Kimolos line. This anticipated comeback became even more probable after it was announced that the AGIOS GEORGIOS would no longer serve the Western Cyclades after having spent 10 seasons there. However, it never came to fruition, and the Western Cyclades continued to be served by Zante Ferries (which had started operations there in 2009). She was then rumoured to be inserted on the Kyllini-Zakynthos line on the Ionian Sea, a service which had started to become very competitive following the introduction of Levante Ferries in late 2014. This rumour too, however, proved to be false. Her company then announced that she would make her return to the Piraeus-Syros-Mykonos-Ikaria-Samos line in order to complement the services of the NISSOS MYKONOS, which had started to extend her service to Chios, Mytilene, Limnos and Kavala, after the Northeast Aegean Sea lifeline previously served by NEL Lines was taken over by Hellenic Seaways, due to the many problems the Lesbos-based company faced there during the 2014 season. To that end, as she had become a day ferry, the addition of passenger cabins was a necessity. These were added during her annual drydock in Piraeus. She therefore became a night ferry for the first time since 2009. Ultimately, a new permanent role was found for the ship on the Lavrion-Agios Efstratios-Limnos-Kavala lifeline. Indeed, this service was being covered since 2012 by the TAXIARCHIS of NEL Lines , but it was experiencing significant problems (as with most lifelines that had been assigned to NEL Lines), due to the latter ship having several engine troubles and her crew remaining unpaid for many months. As the summer of 2015 was due to begin, several trips were canceled due to the TAXIARCHIS being arrested by her crew many times. This problem was also found on the AQUA SPIRIT , which was operating on one of the two inter-Cyclades lifelines that had been granted to NEL Lines. Eventually, the company was forced to cease operations, and both the TAXIARCHIS and the AQUA SPIRIT were laid-up in Lavrion and their contracts on their respective lifelines were revoked by the Greek Ministry of Shipping and Insular Policy. The latter immediately sought to find replacements as the summer season was due to begin. Fortunately, the Lavrion-Agios Efstratios-Limnos-Kavala lifeline was immediately handed over to Hellenic Seaways, and therefore the EXPRESS PEGASUS finally managed to find a new role. She began her new service during the 2015 season, and she operated extremely well, to the point that the TAXIARCHIS and NEL Lines were quickly forgotten by the passengers, and especially the ones traveling to Agios Efstratios. In spite of her rather slow speed, her onboard amenities (even her smaller amount of beds) were widely praised, and she was always on schedule without missing any trip. This season marked her first one on the Northeast Aegean Sea since 2007. The EXPRESS PEGASUS seen in the port of Lavrion in 2015, during her debut season on the Lavrion-Agios Efstratios-Limnos-Kavala line On the left side of the picture is the AQUA SPIRIT of NEL Lines, which had been arrested by her crew following the company's demise. She joined Sea Jets in 2016, and returned to the inter-Cyclades lifeline that she had previously been serving under NEL Lines. In 2017 she was sold to the Canadian company BC Ferries, for whom she still operates to date as the NORTHERN SEA WOLF. Picture taken by Leonardos Kozanitis and published on www.marinetraffic.com . After a very good first season, it was announced that the ship would make seasonal calls in the port of Mesta in Chios, which therefore meant that she would be operating on the Lavrion-Chios-Agios Efstratios-Limnos-Kavala lifeline. She continued to operate on the Northeast Aegean Sea, with much success. She was one of the four conventional ferries that helped cement the company's presence on the Northeast Aegean Sea, together with the ARIADNE (which was serving the Piraeus-Chios-Mytilene line), the NISSOS MYKONOS and the NISSOS RODOS (which were serving the Cyclades and most Northeast Aegean Sea islands). She had a few engine troubles in late 2016, but she was always immediately repaired and this did not affect her services. The EXPRESS PEGASUS seen arriving in the port of Lavrion in 2016, during her second consecutive season on the Northeast Aegean Sea lifeline serving Chios, Agios Efstratios and Limnos. Picture taken by Georgios Mertis and published on www.shipspotting.com . The EXPRESS PEGASUS seen in the port of Kavala in 2016 together with her fleetmate at the time, the NISSOS MYKONOS. It is noteworthy to state that the EXPRESS PEGASUS operated on the Piraeus-Syros-Mykonos-Ikaria-Samos line before being replaced by the NISSOS MYKONOS, which went on to establish herself in this service. Both ships played a vital role in the success of Hellenic Seaways on the Northeast Aegean Sea during the 2010s. Picture taken by Tasos Argyros and published on www.kavalaportnews.blogspot.com . The EXPRESS PEGASUS seen sailing on the Cyclades, while making her way back to the port Lavrion during the summer of 2017. Picture published on www.shipfriends.gr . Ahead of the 2018 season, the Greek coastal service became a witness to one of its most defining moments, as it was announced that the shares of Hellenic Seaways that were previously owned by Minoan Lines and the Piraeus Bank would be sold to Attica Group, which managed Superfast Ferries and major rivals Blue Star Ferries. After the sale was confirmed, there were several questions arising regarding the future of the fleet. Due to Attica Group favouring newer ships, it was widely expected that the EXPRESS PEGASUS would be among the first ships to leave the fleet, as she was now past 40 years old and was the oldest ship of Hellenic Seaways. However, Attica Group decided to keep her, and she therefore continued to serve the Lavrion-Chios-Agios Efstratios-Limnos-Kavala lifeline just as she had done for the three seasons prior. The EXPRESS PEGASUS seen in Lavrion during the summer of 2018. She continued to provide service of very high quality on a rather demanding lifeline, despite her age and her declining technical capabilities. Picture taken by Nektarios Papadakis and published on www.shipspotting.com . The EXPRESS PEGASUS seen undergoing her maneuvering procedure in the port of Limnos during the 2019 season, which eventually was her final one on the Northeast Aegean Sea as her subsidy contract provided by the Greek Ministry of Shipping and Insular Policy expired at the start of 2020. Picture taken by Babis Kouremetis and published on www.marinetraffic.com . After spending five very successful years on the Northeast Aegean Sea (despite a few technical issues in 2016, early 2017 and in late 2019), the EXPRESS PEGASUS abruptly ended her service on the Lavrion-Chios-Agios Efstratios-Limnos-Kavala lifeline in 2020, as the latter was instead assigned to the AQUA BLUE of Sea Jets . The Greek Ministry of Shipping and Insular Policy considered that ferry to be larger and more in line with the demands of the lifeline, especially in terms of speed, indoor lounge areas and passenger cabins. Moreover, the amount that Sea Jets requested for the subsidy of the lifeline was far lower than that of Hellenic Seaways, which was forced to remove the EXPRESS PEGASUS in favour of the AQUA BLUE. The latter continues to serve the line today, despite missing a large portion of the 2021 season following a major engine failure, which saw her being temporarily replaced by the high speed ferry SUPERUNNER JET and then by the conventional ferry AQUA STAR . Already impacted by the transfer of its two youngest ferries, namely the NISSOS MYKONOS and the NISSOS CHIOS, to Blue Star Ferries (whereupon they became the BLUE STAR MYCONOS and the BLUE STAR CHIOS , respectively), Hellenic Seaways lost an important base on the Northeast Aegean Sea. Needing to once again find a new employment for her, Hellenic Seaways ultimately decided to deploy the EXPRESS PEGASUS on a newly-introduced lifeline on the Dodecanese. Indeed, this was the Siteia-Kasos-Karpathos-Chalki-Rhodes line, which was subsidised by the Greek Greek Ministry of Shipping and Insular Policy in order to strengthen the ferry connection of Kasos and Karpathos with Crete, Chalki and Rhodes. It was, in other words, a local service of the lifeline linking these islands with Piraeus and the Cyclades, which has been served by the PREVELIS of ANEK Lines since 2009. By entering service there, the EXPRESS PEGASUS was inserted on the Dodecanese for the first time in her career. She therefore became one of the few ships to have served all the main areas of the Aegean Sea (excluding the Saronic Gulf). The EXPRESS PEGASUS seen on the Dodecanese, after having left Siteia in order to head to Kasos during the summer of 2020. This was her first season on the Dodecanese, initially being the only ship of Hellenic Seaways to have been deployed on that area during that year. Picture published on www.shipfriends.gr . As the 2020 summer season was coming to a close, the EXPRESS PEGASUS unfortunately had an accident that eventually ended her career. Indeed, on 24 August 2020, while heading from Siteia to Kasos, she grounded off in the small islet of Armathia near Kasos, after passing by a dangerous point with strong winds and a low draft. Her hull was severely damaged, especially near the bow section, and it caused the ship to list when she managed to dock in Kasos. Fortunately, no injuries were reported. The ship stayed in Kasos for 10 days, as the crew and local authorities managed to improve her stability at sea. She then headed to Perama, whereupon the company would inspect the degree of the damage that she received. Her service on the Siteia-Kasos-Karpathos-Chalki-Rhodes line was taken over by her fleetmate, namely the HELLENIC HIGHSPEED for the rest of the 2020 season. In 2021, the line was covered by the PAROS JET of Sea Jets , which operated there during the summer while also making calls in Heraklion, Santorini and Agios Nikolaos. The EXPRESS PEGASUS seen in 2020 in Kasos, where she managed to dock following her accident in the small islet of Armathia. She stayed there for 10 days in order to avoid listing further. She then left the island in order to head to Perama, therefore ending her active career on the Aegean Sea. Picture published on www.shipfriends.gr . As the EXPRESS PEGASUS was deemed to have been significantly damaged following the accident in Armathia, Hellenic Seaways and Attica Group did not consider it worthy to repair her. She instead remained under lay-up in Perama for the entire 2021 season, and she was unable to be given another chance of a return to service, just as it had been the case in 2010 after her major engine failure in early 2009. Her old age and the removal of Hellenic Seaways from the Siteia-Kasos-Karpathos-Chalki-Rhodes line meant that the chances of her being again a part of the company's plans were very limited. For many, a sale for demolition seemed like the only viable option for the legendary ferry, which was now damaged and left in a poor condition despite having offered so much to the Greek coastal service. The first-ever picture that I took of the EXPRESS PEGASUS, while she was seen laid-up in Perama in 2021. After never having the chance to see her during her active days, I was now finally able to take a picture of her. Unfortunately, this only happened during the last months of her career, right before she headed for scrap. This picture was taken while I was sailing on 3 September 2021 from Piraeus to Salamina, onboard the small passenger boat GEORGIOS BROUFAS of Broufas Vessels . My second picture of the EXPRESS PEGASUS, as she is seen laid-up in Perama in 2021. Previously a much-appreciated ferry which operated across different lines on the Aegean Sea, she was now awaiting her fate, as her company did not consider repairing her and reactivating her for service. My third and final picture of the EXPRESS PEGASUS, while she is seen laid-up in Perama in 2021. Only three months after taking this picture, the ship left Greece forever, as she began to head to Turkey in order to be demolished, following an illustrious career on the Aegean Sea. In November 2021, it was reported that the EXPRESS PEGASUS had been renamed PEGASUS X and had been reflagged to Togo. This meant nothing but a certain sale for demolition, as Hellenic Seaways decided that her damage was unrepairable and her old age meant that she now deserved to end her career for good. On the night of 14 December 2021, the ship quietly departed Perama in order to make her first trip in over a year. Unfortunately, this was her final one. A trip without passengers, a trip without vehicles, a trip without engines activated, a trip without a beautiful Greek island serving as a destination. The only destination was Aliağa in Turkey, whereupon she would be scrapped after 44 immensely successful years spent on the Mediterranean Sea. The first 17 were under Italian companies, while the remaining 27 were spent in Greece, out of which 25 were on the Aegean Sea. The latter was where she became an iconic ship, under three different companies. By departing the fleet of Hellenic Seaways, she left as the oldest ship of the company, the first ship to have been sold for scrap by the company since the FLYING DOLPHIN XVIII following her fire and eventual sale for demolition in 2019 , and as the first ferry to have been sold for scrap by the company since the Ro-Ro carriers HELLENIC TRADER and HELLENIC MASTER in late 2013. She was also the first conventional ferry of Hellenic Seaways to have been sold for scrap by the company. Moreover, with her departure, she became the last ferry that had previously carried the livery of Hellas Ferries on the Cyclades to leave the fleet of Hellenic Seaways, while also being the second-to-last ship formerly belonging to the 'Express' group to leave Hellenic Seaways, with the EXPRESS SKIATHOS being its final standing member as she continues to serve the Volos-Skiathos-Skopelos-Alonissos line on the Sporades. With the departure of the EXPRESS PEGASUS, one may suggest that this marks the end of an era, as she ends her Hellenic Seaways chapter, which had started after she became one of the many glorious ferries operating on the Cyclades during the 1990s to join the company, back when it was known as Minoan Flying Dolphins. Her departure is therefore as the end of that wonderful generation of ferries, which brought so many fond memories to passengers sailing around the Aegean Sea, and in particular on the Cyclades. Her sale for demolition also means that she is the third ship of the historical Espresso Livorno-class to be scrapped, as her sister ships, namely the GRECIA (the ex-ESPRESSO LIVORNO) and the VENEZIA (the ex-ESPRESSO RAVENNA), had already demolished in 2010. The lone survivor of the famed quartet is the ex-ESPRESSO CAGLIARI, which continues to operate as the LAMPEDUSA under the Italian company Traghetti Delle Isole on the Trapani-Pantelleria line on the Sicilian Strait. The EXPRESS PEGASUS undoubtedly leaves an ever-lasting legacy behind her, as she was a beloved ferry that served her companies very well for almost three decades. After having had a very successful spell on the Tyrrhenian Sea, whereupon she played a key role in the growth of the now-troubled Tirrenia Di Navigazione, she had a decent spell on the Adriatic Sea, under the great Greek company Ventouris Ferries. But it was on the Aegean Sea that she became an icon, and in particular on the Western Cyclades, where she was highly revered for nine seasons. Her spell there is still remembered fondly by the residents of these islands, and, together with the legendary MILOS EXPRESS, she contributed to the improved ferry connection of the area during the wonderful 1990s period. Both ships are still considered today as the greatest ships to have operated on the Western Cyclades, even though younger and faster ships have since been deployed there. The ship's speed, large garage, impeccable indoor areas and outdoor decks (which were significantly improved as the years went by) were valuable assets which made her extremely versatile, to the point that she could cover several services across the Aegean Sea. Even when she joined a company that poorly maintained its older ferries during the 2000s, she continued to provide excellent service (despite herself later suffering from damaged stabilisers, which were never repaired and which affected her later career). She then had an excellent spell on the Northeast Aegean Sea, and, after being initially taken out of the company's plans following a major engine failure in 2009, she made a successful comeback on the Sporades as a day ferry. She then again confirmed her abilities by having five successful years on the demanding Lavrion-Chios-Agios Efstratios-Limnos-Kavala lifeline, which she could have continued serving if the Greek Ministry of Shipping and Insular Policy had not chosen another ship to replace her. Overall, she always served various demanding services across the Greek coastal service with great reliability, and she was always a very valuable solution (whether short-term or permanent) to lifelines that could not be served due to the previous ferries operating there experiencing technical troubles or financial companies affecting their owners. Notably, she filled voids on the Western Cyclades, on the Peloponnese-Kythira-Antikythira lifeline and on the Northeast Aegean Sea (twice), successfully taking over services that had been abandoned by Ventouris Sea Lines, ANEN Lines, Saos Ferries and NEL Lines, respectively. Her good operations both as a night ferry and then as a day ferry are hardly matched by any other Greek ferry, past or present. But overall, sailing onboard her was what made this ship so unique and so acclaimed by passengers. She provided a beautiful feeling of nostalgia together with modernity, with her outdoor areas (especially her front section balcony) giving her passengers a wonderful view across the Aegean Sea and its beautiful islands. Her departure to the scrapyards was met with much sadness by ferry enthusiasts, who posted various pictures of her glorious days, in order to remind everyone how great of a ferry she was. I also followed along, writing a post about a legendary ferry on which I unfortunately never had the chance to travel, instead only seeing her during her final months, when she was left in a poor condition. But I hope that this post can honour her in the best way, and show the impact of her career from the start until the end, and not only with the three pictures that I took of her a few months ago. Therefore, from the bottom of my heart, EXPRESS PEGASUS, I would like to thank you for your unique, acclaimed and dignified contribution to the Greek coastal service. #expresspegasus #hellenicseaways #atticagroup #pegaus #ventourisferries #expressdionisos #minoanflyingdolphins #hellasflyingdolphins #hellasferries #aegean #adriatic #cyclades #northeastaegeansea #myrtoansea #peloponnese #kythira #antikythira #sporades #dodecanese #crete #piraeus #greece #farewell #scrap #legend #extratribute

Just one day after my first visit to the port of Piraeus for 2015 , I again went there with my father in order to collect the tickets that we had ordered online for a trip that would see us visiting Santorini. We were planning to head to the beautiful island of the Cyclades with on 7-8 July 2015 with the BLUE STAR PATMOS of Blue Star Ferries and then head back to Piraeus on 12 July 2015 with the CHAMPION JET 1 of Sea Jets . Since we were going to collect the tickets in the ferry company agencies located in the port, my father thought it was a chance for me to see the port's ships and take pictures of them. This post is dedicated to him, for making that day very special and for giving me the chance to enjoy the traffic in Piraeus during that day. We bought the tickets for the trip with the BLUE STAR PATMOS next to the E6 gate, where the ships of Blue Star Ferries usually depart in order to head the Cyclades. After exiting the agency, we went to see the ships located next to that area. The first ship in sight was one that I had seen the previous day, namely the laid-up conventional ferry PANAGIA TINOU of Ventouris Sea Lines . Built in 1972 in France, she had previously been operating with much success in the Greek coastal service for more than 20 years, being formerly known as the great APOLLON EXPRESS 2 (also under Ventouris Sea Lines, during the first stint that she had with the latter), before becoming the PANAGIA EKATONTAPYLIANI (for Agapitos Lines and later for Minoan Flying Dolphins/Hellas Flying Dolphins, having also sailed as the EXPRESS ARTEMIS during her first season under the latter), and then as the AGIOS GEORGIOS (during her second stint under Ventouris Sea Lines). She was renamed PANAGIA TINOU in early 2015 in order to begin service on the Rafina-Andros-Tinos-Mykonos line, but her company's financial difficulties led to her arrest in the E4 gate. During that time, she had been operating, on a temporary basis, on the Piraeus-Gytheion-Kythira-Antikythira-Kissamos line, where she had been operating instead of the ship usually operating there, namely the VITSENTZOS KORNAROS of LANE Sea Lines , which was undergoing her annual refit at the time. Next to the PANAGIA TINOU was a ship that I saw for the first time since 2006, which was the year during which I traveled with her. My reunion with this ship, however, was under entirely different circumstances. Indeed, back when I traveled with her nine years ago, she was known as the great LEFKA ORI of ANEK Lines and she was operating on the Patras-Igoumenitsa-Corfu-Venice line on the Adriatic Sea. Nine years later, I spotted her as the BLUE GALAXY of Blue Star Ferries and in service on the Piraeus-Chania line, during her first season in Greece since having returned from her failed charter to the South Korean company Jeju Cruise Line in 2012. It was obviously a true excitement to see this ship again after such a long time. Right in front of the BLUE GALAXY was the other ship of Blue Star Ferries operating in Crete, namely the BLUE HORIZON , which is deployed on the Piraeus-Heraklion line. Both ships have been built in Japan, where they also spent the first years of their careers before arriving in Greece in the late 1990s and serving the Adriatic Sea with much success during the 2000s. Both of them are now operating in Crete under the ANEK-Attica Group joint venture. While looking further down towards the exit of the port, I saw the E3 gate, where I spotted the cruiseferry FESTOS PALACE of Minoan Lines , which also operates on the Piraeus-Heraklion line. Once a legend, always a legend, despite being laid-up. The PANAGIA TINOU awaits her fate in Piraeus. The two ships of Blue Star Ferries operating in Crete, namely the BLUE HORIZON and the BLUE GALAXY, seen docked together in Piraeus. The BLUE GALAXY and the PANAGIA TINOU seen together in Piraeus. The former also happens to be 20 years younger than the latter. Indeed, she was built in the same year during which the PANAGIA TINOU first arrived in Greece, back in 1992. At the time, she had been bought by GA Ferries and she had started operations for them as the ROMILDA until 1993, when she began her first stint under Ventouris Sea Lines as the APOLLON EXPRESS 2. The BLUE HORIZON and the BLUE GALAXY seen once again in Piraeus. They actually also used to be fleetmates back when they operated in Japan, as they were both owned by Higashi Nihon Ferry. During the 2000s, both ships were prominent competitors on the Adriatic Sea, until they began to experience some misfortunes in the early 2010s, due to their operators wanting to get rid of them. In 2012, both of them had a year to forget, as the BLUE HORIZON, which had been laid-up since 2011, remained off the plans of Blue Star Ferries by being laid-up in Syros, while the BLUE GALAXY (then known as the LEFKA ORI) was chartered by ANEK Lines to the South Korean company Jeju Cruise Line. This charter turned out to be very turbulent and she never entered service in South Korea, due to her charterers being unable to pay the shipyards that were supposed to convert the ship. Fortunately, in 2013, the BLUE HORIZON was reactivated by Blue Star Ferries on the Piraeus-Santorini-Kos-Rhodes line, while the LEFKA ORI returned to Greece in that same year, and she was transferred to Blue Star Ferries in late 2014. Having now reunited under Blue Star Ferries, both ships have now found a permanent role in the Greek coastal service once again, this time by connecting Piraeus with Crete. While I was observing the BLUE GALAXY and the BLUE HORIZON, I saw another ship of Blue Star Ferries which had just entered the port and which was ready to dock. It was the youngest member of the fleet, namely the BLUE STAR PATMOS . This was a notable moment, as I managed to see her for the first time in my life after failing to do so from 2012 to 2014. The great FESTOS PALACE resting in the E3 gate. Built in 2001 in Italy, she has spent her entire career on the Piraeus-Heraklion line. She has always been operating in tandem with her fleetmate and sister ship, namely the KNOSSOS PALACE , which had been delivered to the company in 2000. The BLUE HORIZON seen resting in Piraeus, with the bow of BLUE GALAXY spotted as well. She moved to the Piraeus-Heraklion line in 2014, following her successful stint on the Piraeus-Santorini-Kos-Rhodes line in 2013. The BLUE GALAXY and the PANAGIA TINOU seen once again in Piraeus. The BLUE STAR PATMOS ready to pass by the FESTOS PALACE in order to dock in the E7 gate in Piraeus. The incredible BLUE GALAXY spotted in Piraeus. It was nice to see her again after almost nine years, the last time having been, as I mentioned previously, back when I traveled with her from Patras to Venice in 2006. During her spell on the Adriatic Sea as the LEFKA ORI under ANEK Lines, she operated on the Patras-Igoumenitsa-Corfu-Trieste line from 2000 to 2004, and then on the Patras-Igoumenitsa-Corfu-Venice line from 2005 to 2011, always together with her sister ship, namely the SOPHOCLES V. The latter ship also headed to South Korea in 2012, where she remained laid-up (together with the LEFKA ORI) until her return to Greece in 2013. After spending the 2014 season on charter to the Italian company Go In Sardinia and to the Algerian company Algérie Ferries, she also underwent a major refit in order to be reactivated in the Greek coastal service. This resulted in her resuming service for ANEK Lines, being deployed as the KYDON on the Piraeus-Chania line (where she reunited with her sister ship, although the latter was now with Blue Star Ferries). The BLUE STAR PATMOS seen as she heads towards her docking spot in Piraeus. Only six days after seeing her for the first time, I found myself traveling onboard her for what was my first-ever trip on the Cyclades . During the 2015 season, she operated on the Cyclades for the first time, as she was on the Piraeus-Syros-Paros-Naxos-Donousa-Amorgos-Ios-Santorini-Anafi-Astypalaia line. Before that, she had spent the first three seasons of her career on the Piraeus-Chios-Mytilene line on the Northeast Aegean Sea. The BLUE STAR PATMOS seen heading towards her docking spot in Piraeus. A closer view of the front section of the BLUE STAR PATMOS, which is simply an extremely beautiful and very modern ship. She is seen here just before her maneuvering procedure in Piraeus, after having arrived from the Cyclades. The BLUE STAR PATMOS seen entering the E7 gate, during her first summer while operating on the Cyclades along with her sister ship, namely the BLUE STAR DELOS (which has been operating there since she was built in 2011). The BLUE STAR PATMOS preparing to undergo her maneuvering procedure in the E7 gate in Piraeus. The BLUE HORIZON seen once again, as she is resting in Piraeus. Built in 1987 in Japan, she arrived in Greece in 1998, after having been acquired by Strintzis Lines. After undergoing a conversion in Perama, she was introduced on the Patras-Igoumenitsa-Corfu-Ancona-Venice line on the Adriatic Sea in 1999 as the SUPERFERRY HELLAS. In 2000, Strintzis Lines was acquired by Attica Group, and this led to the formation of Blue Star Ferries, after which the ship was renamed BLUE HORIZON. She operated on the Patras-Igoumenitsa-Corfu-Venice line from 2000 to 2003, after which she moved to the Patras-Igoumenitsa-Bari line, where she stayed until 2009. After spending the 2010 season on the Piraeus-Chania line, she was laid-up in Drapetsona in 2011, and then in Syros in 2012. She was reactivated in 2013 by being deployed on the Piraeus-Santorini-Kos-Rhodes line, and since 2014 she has been operating on the Piraeus-Heraklion line. The FESTOS PALACE also seen resting in Piraeus. She was planned to leave for Heraklion during the late evening. The BLUE HORIZON and the BLUE GALAXY spotted together in Piraeus. Another view of the BLUE GALAXY and of the PANAGIA TINOU together in Piraeus. While looking even further towards the exit of the port of Piraeus, I saw the cruiseferry ARIADNE of Hellenic Seaways , which was operating on the Piraeus-Samos-Chios-Mytilene-Limnos-Kavala line on the Northeast Aegean Sea. On the other side of the E7 gate was another ship of Hellenic Seaways, namely the high speed catamaran FLYINGCAT 3 , which I had also seen the previous day. From the E7 gate, we could also see the E9 gate, where ships operating on the Western Cyclades usually depart. There, we saw the conventional ferry ANDREAS KALVOS of Zante Ferries . She was also a ship that I had seen the previous day, and she was still docked due to the same problems concerning her company and the capital controls restrictions as a result of the Greek financial crisis. The FLYINGCAT 3, which was also operating on the Western Cyclades, was preparing to depart in order to head to her first destination, namely Serifos. The FLYINGCAT 3 seen from a closer view, with the emphasis on the Cosmote logo, present in all high speed craft of Hellenic Seaways as a part of a sponsorship deal, which began in 2013. Before that, they had been sponsored by the rival company Vodafone, with that partnership having existed back to when the company was known as Hellas Flying Dolphins (from 2002 to 2005). A view of the bow of the FLYINGCAT 3 in Piraeus. In 2015 she was operating on the Piraeus-Serifos-Sifnos-Koufonisi line on the Cyclades. Moreover, in July and August, she made additional trips on the Saronic Gulf, namely on the Piraeus-Hydra-Spetses line, thereby providing extra services on this area for her company. In case anyone was curious, here is what the bottom of the hull of a catamaran looks like, as seen with that of the FLYINGCAT 3. After collecting the tickets for the trip with the BLUE STAR PATMOS, we then had to get those for the trip with the CHAMPION JET 1. This required us to head to the ticket agency of Sea Jets, which is located in the E9 gate. This meant that we had to walk through the E8 gate, which is the departure gate for the ships that operate on the Saronic Gulf. The first ship that I saw there was the conventional ferry IONIS of Tyrogalas Ferries (and operating under the Ionis Ferries brandname) . This year marked her first season on the Saronic Gulf, whereupon she was deployed on the Piraeus-Aegina-Methana-Poros line. She became the first-ever ship that I saw in my life having operated on both islands I go to every summer, these being Zakynthos (where she had been operating from 1993 to 2015) and Aegina (since 2015). The starboard side funnel of the IONIS, which features the well-known logo of Tyrogalas Ferries, which has owned the ship since 1993. The Ionis Ferries brandname was used for the first time in 2015, when the ship transferred from the Ionian Sea to the Saronic Gulf. Another ferry operating on the Saronic Gulf, namely the double-ended ACHAEOS of 2way Ferries , seen during her second straight season on the Saronic Gulf. Built in 2006 in Greece, she has been operating on the Piraeus-Aegina-Agistri line since 2014. I had notably traveled with her twice during that year, heading from Piraeus to Aegina on 21 July 2014 and then from Aegina back to Piraeus on 2 August 2014. Next to her was another ship that is well-known on the Saronic Gulf, namely the PHIVOS of Nova Ferries . I had also seen this ferry the previous day, and two days later I was onboard her in order to go to Aegina in order to prepare for my summer vacation . Between the ACHAEOS and the PHIVOS, I saw the high speed ferry MASTER JET of Sea Jets , which had just returned to Piraeus and was ready to undergo her maneuvering procedure in the E9 gate. Incredibly, she became the first-ever ship of Sea Jets that I saw in my life. Next to the PHIVOS, I spotted the small passenger ship ELENA F of Elena F Shipping . Built in 1998 in Greece, she operates on the Piraeus-Salamina line, where she has spent the majority of her career. In the corner of the E8 gate is the departure point of the hydrofoils that operate on the Saronic Gulf. There, I saw the FLYING DOLPHIN XXIX and the FLYING DOLPHIN XVIII (both owned by Hellenic Seaways), and the FLYING DOLPHIN ATHINA of Aegean Flying Dolphins . Another small passenger ship operating on the Piraeus-Salamina line, namely the GEORGIOS BROUFAS II of Broufas Vessels , seen docked next to the ELENA F. She was also built in 1998 in Greece, and she has spent her entire career on the Piraeus-Salamina line, operating alongside her fleetmate and sister ship, namely the GEORGIOS BROUFAS (which was built in 1997). The FLYING DOLPHIN XVIII seen departing Piraeus for Aegina. Built in 1984 in Georgia (then still part of the Soviet Union), she began her career on the Sporades under Ceres Flying Dolphins, and she spent 21 years there. After also operating there under Minoan Flying Dolphins and later under Hellas Flying Dolphins, she was deployed on the Saronic Gulf in 2005, being inserted on the Piraeus-Aegina-Agistri-Poros-Hydra-Ermioni-Spetses-Porto Cheli line. The FLYING DOLPHIN ATHINA, which was the hydrofoil on which I traveled two days after taking this picture, on my return to Piraeus from Aegina . Owned by Aegean Flying Dolphins since 2010, she has been operating on the Piraeus-Aegina-Agistri line since 2011. The MASTER JET seen docking in Piraeus. Built in 1991 in Australia, she began service with Sea Jets in 2012. When I took this picture, she was completing what was initially believed to be her last day in service on the Piraeus-Sifnos-Milos-Folegandros-Ios-Santorini line, as the following day she was replaced by the CHAMPION JET 1 , while the latter was being replaced by the CHAMPION JET 2 on the Piraeus-Mykonos-Naxos-Santorini line in light of her first-ever day of service in the Greek coastal service. The MASTER JET would eventually return to the Piraeus-Sifnos-Milos-Folegandros-Ios-Santorini line after the CHAMPION JET 1 experienced some technical issues in August 2015. The FLYINGCAT 3, in the meantime, was seen leaving Piraeus for the Western Cyclades (namely Serifos, Sifnos and Koufonisi, although the latter is part of the Lesser Cyclades). The MASTER JET seen docking in the E9 gate. When she began service for Sea Jets in 2012, she was deployed on the Heraklion-Rethymnon-Santorini line, where she operated for two seasons. In 2014, she had operated successfully on the Piraeus-Tinos-Mykonos-Naxos-Ios-Santorini line, while in 2015 she was used across all the services of her company on the Cyclades, replacing any of her fleetmates that were still being prepared or that had technical issues during the summer. The FLYING DOLPHIN XVIII seen leaving Piraeus as well. She was heading towards Aegina. The GEORGIOS BROUFAS II was also leaving for her sole destination, namely the island of Salamina (serving the ports of Kamatero and Paloukia) . A nice view of the traffic in Piraeus as seen from the E8 gate. It shows two ships leaving the port (namely the FLYING DOLPHIN XVIII and the GEORGIOS BROUFAS II) and one about to dock (namely the MASTER JET), while the other three (namely the ANDREAS KALVOS, the FESTOS PALACE and the PHIVOS) are already docked. The FLYING DOLPHIN XVIII seen departing the port of Piraeus, whereas the MASTER JET is seen docking in the E9 gate. The MASTER JET is docking, while the GEORGIOS BROUFAS II and the FLYINGCAT 3 are leaving the port. The bow of the PHIVOS can also be seen, along with the ARIADNE and the FESTOS PALACE in the background. While the FLYING DOLPHIN XVIII was seen leaving Piraeus, her fleetmate and sister ship, namely the FLYING DOLPHIN XVII (which had just arrived from Aegina), was ready to dock in her place. The great PHIVOS of Nova Ferries seen in Piraeus. Built in 1980 in Spain, she has been operating on the Saronic Gulf since 2005, and since 2014 she has been serving the Piraeus-Aegina-Methana-Poros line, after the Saronic Ferries joint venture (which includes Nova Ferries, 2way Ferries and Hellenic Seaways) was established. The MASTER JET seen docking in Piraeus. After her service was taken over by the CHAMPION JET 1, she spent a month on the Piraeus-Paros-Naxos-Koufonisi-Amorgos line, which was the line on which the newly-acquired PAROS JET was due to operate during the summer, but delays during her conversion meant that she was only ready to operate in August. Therefore, the MASTER JET spent a significant part of the summer season on that service. The FLYING DOLPHIN XVII and her crew ready to undergo their docking procedure in Piraeus. Just like the FLYING DOLPHIN XVIII, the FLYING DOLPHIN XVII was built in 1984 in Georgia (then still part of the Soviet Union), and she spent the first 25 years of her career under Ceres Flying Dolphins, before the latter was absorbed by Minoan Flying Dolphins in 1999. She would operate under the latter even after it became Hellas Flying Dolphins in 2002, before being rebranded as Hellenic Seaways in 2005. Since the retirement of the FLYING DOLPHIN XIX in 2012, both the FLYING DOLPHIN XVII and the FLYING DOLPHIN XVIII are the oldest active hydrofoils of Hellenic Seaways. The only other hydrofoil of the company, namely the FLYING DOLPHIN XXIX, is the youngest ship of her type in Greece, having been built in 1993. One last picture of the FESTOS PALACE along with the PHIVOS, the ELENA F and the FLYING DOLPHIN XXIX, as they are all seen resting in Piraeus. After taking all these pictures, my father and me managed to collect the tickets for our planned trip with the CHAMPION JET 1, after which we headed back to our home in Athens. Overall, seeing all these ships during that afternoon was a real treat, as I had now visited the port for the second day in a row. It was a nice experience, as I got to see several familiar faces, while also seeing the BLUE STAR PATMOS and the MASTER JET (and a ship of Sea Jets altogether) for the first time. I was also happy to have had the chance to spot the BLUE GALAXY for the first time since I had traveled with her back in 2006, back when she was operating under a different name, under a different company and on a different service. All in all, I was grateful to see all ships thanks to my father and his wish in letting me see my passion from a closer view. #piraeus #summer2015 #greece #saronicgulf #aegean #panagiatinou #ventourissealines #bluegalaxy #bluehorizon #bluestarpatmos #bluestarferries #festospalace #minoanlines #ariadne #flyingcat3 #flyingdolphinxxix #flyingdolphinxviii #flyingdolphinxvii #hellenicseaways #andreaskalvos #zanteferries #ionis #tyrogalasferries #ionisferries #achaeos #2wayferries #phivos #novaferries #masterjet #seajets #elenaf #elenafshipping #flyingdolphinathina #aegeanflyingdolphins #georgiosbroufasii #broufasvessels