SUPEREXPRESS (ΣΟΥΠΕΡΕΞΠΡΕΣ)

-Golden Star Ferries

Built in 1998 (age 26). Registered in Piraeus. Current line: Rafina-Tinos-Mykonos-Paros

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The high speed ferry SUPEREXPRESS was built in 1998 in Australia. She was the second out of four sister ships that were ordered by various operators, and in her case she was delivered to the Argentinian company Buquebus in order to operate on their Western Mediterranean Sea service. She was initially named CATALONIA and she made history by capturing the Blue Riband Challenge Trophy (also known as the Hales Trophy) for having made the fastest Eastbound Atlantic Ocean crossing, while performing her delivery voyage from New York to Ceuta. Her record however lasted just six weeks, as it was then surpassed by her younger sister ship, the CAT-LINK V of Scandlines (now the SKÅNE JET of the German company FRS). The CATALONIA was renamed CATALONIA L just before she began service on the Barcelona-Palma line. In 1999 she was transferred to the Algeciras-Málaga-Ceuta line. In 2000 she was chartered to P&O European Ferries in order to operate under their P&O Portsmouth division. She was renamed PORTSMOUTH EXPRESS and was deployed on the Channel, serving the Cherbourg-Portsmouth line. She returned in late 2000 to Buquebus and was again renamed CATALONIA, before returning to P&O Portsmouth in 2001, having again been renamed PORTSMOUTH EXPRESS and being redeployed on the Cherbourg-Portsmouth line. She returned to Buquebus and was again renamed CATALONIA in late 2001, before being sent again on charter on the Channel as the PORTSMOUTH EXPRESS in 2002, on the Cherbourg-Portsmouth line. The following year, P&O Portsmouth was discontinued as P&O European Ferries began to trade as P&O Ferries on the Channel. She thus spent the summer on the Cherbourg-Portsmouth line as the EXPRESS. After spending the winter of 2003-2004 as the CATALONIA for Buquebus, she was sold to P&O Ferries in 2004 and returned to the Cherbourg-Portsmouth line as the EXPRESS (with the marketing name CHERBOURG EXPRESS). Her spell on the Channel was marred by numerous engine troubles which resulted in several canceled services. In 2005 she was transferred to the P&O Irish Sea division, being deployed as the EXPRESS on the Troon-Cairnryan-Larne line, connecting Scotland with Northern Ireland via the Irish Sea on a seasonal service. In 2010, P&O Irish Sea began to trade as P&O Ferries as well. The EXPRESS was refurbished in 2013, and returned to service by only serving the Troon-Larne line. After many disappointing and unprofitable results, P&O Ferries announced the closure of the Troon-Larne line at the conclusion of the 2015 season. The EXPRESS was laid-up in Belfast. In 2016 she was sold to the Swedish company Gotlandsbåten, and, after being refurbished in Helsingborg, she entered service on the Västervik-Visby-Nynäshamn line on the Baltic Sea. After unsatisfactory service there as well, she was laid-up at the end of the season in Västervik. In 2017 she was chartered to the Finnish company Viking Line, and was deployed on the Tallinn-Helsinki line under the marketing name VIKING FSTR. In 2018 she was chartered to the Spanish company Naviera Armas and was deployed on the Canary Islands Archipelago, on the Los Cristianos-San Sebastián de La Gomera-Valle Gran Rey line. After her charter ended during the fall, it was announced that she had been sold to Golden Fast Ferries, a joint venture between the Greek companies Golden Star Ferries and Fast Ferries. She arrived in Greece under the name GOLDEN EXPRESS, and began conversion in Perama and in Salamina. In 2019, following a dispute, the ship was fully transferred to Golden Star Ferries and was renamed SUPEREXPRESS. She was deployed on the Piraeus-Paros-Naxos-Mykonos-Tinos-Andros-Rafina line. In 2021 she was deployed on the Rafina-Tinos-Mykonos-Naxos-Paros-Ios-Santorini line. In 2023 she was on the Rafina-Tinos-Mykonos-Paros-Ios-Santorini line only.

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PHOTOS (2019, 2020, 2021):