SUPERFAST XII (ΣΟΥΠΕΡΦΑΣΤ ΧΙΙ)
-Superfast Ferries (2002-2018)
current CRUISE AUSONIA for Grimaldi Lines
Built in 2002 (age 22). Was registered in Piraeus. Current line: None in Greece, sold to Grimaldi Lines for service in Italy
The cruiseferry SUPERFAST XII was the twelfth and final ship ordered by the Greek company Superfast Ferries between their establishment in 1995 and 2002. Her construction was completed in Germany in 2002. She was deployed on the Patras-Igoumenitsa-Ancona line along with her sister ship, the SUPERFAST XI, and she also became her company's flagship. In 2004 only, she was on the Patras-Igoumenitsa-Bari-Ancona line. She became very successful on the Adriatic Sea, further cementing the dominance of Superfast Ferries in the area. In 2009 she was deployed on the Piraeus-Heraklion line (and thus becoming the first-ever ship of Superfast Ferries to operate on the Aegean Sea), where she remained until 2013, when she returned to the Patras-Igoumenitsa-Ancona line. In 2014 she began operating on the Patras-Igoumenitsa-Cofu-Ancona line. In 2015 she was deployed on the Cyclades and on the Dodecanese, making it the first time that a Superfast Ferries ship has been deployed in these regions, as she began operations on the Piraeus-Syros-Amorgos-Patmos-Leros-Kos-Rhodes line. In 2017 she was deployed on the Piraeus-Syros-Amorgos-Patmos-Leros-Kalymnos-Kos-Rhodes line. Unfortunately, as part of the deal which saw Hellenic Seaways being taken over by Attica Group in 2018, she was sold to the Italian giants Grimaldi Lines, thus ending her tremendously successful spell with Superfast Ferries. She was renamed CRUISE AUSONIA and she was deployed on the Civitavecchia-Olbia line on the Tyrrhenian Sea. After her debut season for her new owners, she received scrubbers in Genoa in late 2018. In 2020 she was deployed on the Livorno-Olbia line, while in 2021 she was inserted on the Livorno-Palermo line. In 2023 she was placed on the Naples-Palermo line.
PHOTOS (2015, 2017):
The SUPERFAST XII resting in Piraeus (7/2015).
The SUPERFAST XII resting in Piraeus (7/2015).
The SUPERFAST XII resting in Piraeus (7/2015).
The bow of the SUPERFAST XII in Piraeus (7/2015).
The SUPERFAST XII, the flagship of Superfast Ferries, in Piraeus (7/2015).
The SUPERFAST XII in Piraeus, awaiting her departure for the Dodecanese (7/2015).
The SUPERFAST XII in Piraeus (7/2015).
The SUPERFAST XII in Piraeus (7/2015).
The SUPERFAST XII in Piraeus (7/2015).
The SUPERFAST XII seen in Piraeus (7/2015).
The impressive SUPERFAST XII in Piraeus (7/2015).
The SUPERFAST XII seen in Piraeus (7/2015).
The SUPERFAST XII in Piraeus, while also receiving bunkers (8/2015).
The great SUPERFAST XII in Piraeus (8/2015).
The SUPERFAST XII in Piraeus. For 2015, she had a logo on her stern, above her name, that represented the twentieth anniversary of her company. Her other three fleetmates also had this feature (8/2015).
The SUPERFAST XII seen in Piraeus during the evening (7/2017).
The SUPERFAST XII seen in Piraeus during the evening (7/2017).
The SUPERFAST XII seen in Piraeus during the evening (7/2017).
The SUPERFAST XII in Piraeus during the evening (7/2017).
The SUPERFAST XII resting in Piraeus during the evening (7/2017).
The SUPERFAST XII resting in Piraeus during the evening (7/2017).
The SUPERFAST XII resting in Piraeus during the evening (7/2017).
The SUPERFAST XII in the process of docking in Piraeus (7/2017).
The SUPERFAST XII in the process of docking in Piraeus (7/2017).
The SUPERFAST XII having just docked in the port of Piraeus (7/2017).
The SUPERFAST XII having just docked in the port of Piraeus (7/2017).
The SUPERFAST XII having just docked in the port of Piraeus (7/2017).
The SUPERFAST XII having just docked in Piraeus (7/2017).
The SUPERFAST XII seen in Piraeus (7/2017).
The SUPERFAST XII seen in Piraeus (7/2017).
The SUPERFAST XII resting in the port of Piraeus (7/2017).
The SUPERFAST XII resting in the port of Piraeus (7/2017).
The SUPERFAST XII resting in the port of Piraeus (7/2017).
The SUPERFAST XII seen resting in the port of Piraeus (7/2017).
The SUPERFAST XII seen in the port of Piraeus (7/2017).
The SUPERFAST XII seen docked in the port of Piraeus (7/2017).
The SUPERFAST XII seen in the port of Piraeus (7/2017).
The SUPERFAST XII seen in the port of Piraeus (7/2017).
The great SUPERFAST XII taking a well-deserved rest in Piraeus (7/2017).
The SUPERFAST XII seen near the entrance of the port of Piraeus (7/2017).
The SUPERFAST XII in Piraeus (8/2017).
The SUPERFAST XII in Piraeus (8/2017).
The SUPERFAST XII having just exited the port of Piraeus (9/2017).
The SUPERFAST XII having just exited the port of Piraeus (9/2017).
The SUPERFAST XII having just exited the port of Piraeus (9/2017).
The SUPERFAST XII seen on the Saronic Gulf, just outside of Piraeus, heading towards Syros (9/2017).
The SUPERFAST XII seen on the Saronic Gulf, just outside of Piraeus, heading towards Syros (9/2017).
The SUPERFAST XII seen on the Saronic Gulf, just outside of Piraeus, heading towards Syros. This was my last-ever picture of the ferry in Greece, as she was sold to Italian company Grimaldi Lines the following year (9/2017).