History | |
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Name | Venture 84, Trident, renamed Trident III in 1986 |
Owner | Emeraude Lines |
Port of registry | France |
Route | Channel Islands — France |
Builder | Westermoen Hydrofoil |
Completed | 1982 [1] |
In service | April 1983 |
Out of service | 1996 |
Identification | IMO number: 8205694 |
Fate | Sold to Fergün Denizcilik |
Name | Fergün Express III |
Owner | Fergün Denizcilik |
Port of registry | Turkey |
Route | Northern Cyprus |
Acquired | 1996 |
Out of service | August 2009 |
Identification | IMO number: 8205694 |
Name | |
Out of service | 2010 |
Identification |
|
Name | Mariam or St. Mariam |
Port of registry | Bolivia |
In service | August 2010 |
Identification | IMO number: 8205694 |
Status | In service |
General characteristics | |
Class and type | Westamaran W95 catamaran |
Tonnage | |
Length | 29.00 m (95 ft 2 in) |
Beam | 8.00 m (26 ft 3 in) [3] |
Depth | 3.1 meters [4] |
Propulsion | two 1800 hp main engines |
Speed | 28 knots |
Capacity | approximately 200 passengers |
MV Mariam is a Bolivian- flagged passenger ferry with a 228 gross tonnage (GT). Built in 1982 at Westermoen Hydrofoil shipyard, the ship is a catamaran 29.00 metres (95 ft 2 in) in length with a capacity of about 200 passengers. Built as Venture 84, the ship was in service with the French ferry operator Emeraude Lines from 1983 to 1996, serving a route between the Channel Islands and France. From 1996 to 2008, the ship was operated by Cypriot ferry operator Fergün Denizcilik as Fergün Express III.
As of 2010 [update], the ship is Lebanese-owned and operated as medical aid cargo ship which, in August 2010, was intended to sail to the Gaza Strip to break Israel's four-year blockade of Gaza.
The ship, built as Venture 84, is a Westamaran W95 catamaran. [5] [6] The Westamaran line was designed by Herald Heinriksen of Westermoen Hydrofoil of Mandal, Norway. [7] Featuring asymmetrical hulls, the Westamaran models were designed as a replacement for hydrofoils, and were considered more seaworthy in Norwegian waters and easier to operate than hydrofoils. [6] [7] The immediate predecessor of the W95, the W86, has been called a "breakthrough" for high-speed craft in Norway, and according to Bjørn Foss of More and Romsdal College, Westamaran catamarans "dominated the fast ferry market in Norway" for several years. [7] Westmaran ships have seen use world-wide. [6]
The W95 has a maximum cruising speed of 28 knots, powered by two 1800 horsepower main engines that consume up to 625 litres of fuel per hour. [7]
Venture 84 entered service as a vessel of the French ferry operator Emeraude Lines in April 1983, and was renamed Trident. [6] While Emeraude Lines would go on to operate several W95 ferries, Trident had the distinction of being the only ship the company ever bought new from the builder. [6] The company's advertising mentioned the ship's "large air-conditioned passenger saloon with a panoramic view and bar". [6] Trident was used mainly for the route from Saint Malo to Saint Helier, on a 70-minute schedule with a daytrip fare of 195 French Francs. [6] In 1986, the ship was renamed Trident III, often written Trident 3. [6] The ship continued the Channel Islands-France service until 1996 when it was purchased by ferry operator Fergün Denizcilik of Kyrenia, Cyprus. [5] [6]
Renamed Fergün Express III, the ship joined a ferry service that had been operating since 1986. [5] In January 2008 the ship was withdrawn from its class at the Türk Loydu classification society for reasons including an overdue survey. [8] In August 2009, the ship was purchased by shipowner Ghassan El Assaad el Bakri of Tripoli, Lebanon and renamed Ladi Faten. [1] [8] In August 2010, it was sold to "undisclosed interests", reflagged under the Cambodian flag of convenience, and renamed Jounieh Star. [1] The ship has recently been registered under the Bolivian and Jordanian flags. [1]
As of 2010 [update] the ship is known as Mariam or St. Mariam. It is currently a Lebanese medical aid cargo ship which, in August 2010, was intended to sail to the Gaza Strip to break Israel's four-year blockade of Gaza. It sails under the Bolivian flag. [9] The ship carries 50 women, mostly from Lebanon, but also a group of American nuns. [10] Its actions are coordinated by Lebanese lawyer Samar al Hajj. [9] [11] According to The Guardian, the women on board have all adopted the ship's name and call themselves "Mariam." [12]
Its first mission, in late August 2010, was delayed because Cyprus would not allow it (and its sister ship the Naji Alali) to sail through its waters; [13] because Lebanon is still officially at war with Israel, the ship cannot go to Gaza directly from Lebanon and would have to sail through a third country. [14] Israeli Minister of Foreign Affairs Avigdor Lieberman was unequivocal in his insistence that the Mariam not reach Gaza: "Our position is absolutely clear and firm – under no conditions or provocations can any flotilla or ship harm our country's political independence and reach the Gaza Strip." [15]
As of September 2010 [update], representatives of the Mariam voyage are in talks with Greece to use a Greek port for departure to Gaza. [16]
External images | |
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Closeup of wheel-house. | |
Several photos as Trident/Trident III'. | |
View of port side. |