MV Mega Express Four
ex Spirit of Tasmania III, Superfast II
Ā© Carsten Dettmer (Bastia, 10/04/2015)
Steel twin screw motor vessel built in 1995 by Schichau Seebeckwerft, Bremerhaven, Germany (Yard No 1088) as a RoRo/Passenger Ship for Superfast Ferries, Patras, Greece
Technical Data
- Length: 173.50 m (overall) 158 m (between perpendiculars)
- Breadth: 24.0 m
- Depth: 8.8 m
- Draught: 6.41 m
- Tonnage: 23663 – 25750 gross/8870 – 11000 net/5717 – 4855t deadweight
- Engines:Ā 4 x WƤrtsilƤ Sulzer 12ZAV40S diesels.
- Power: 34550 kW/HP
- Speed: 27.9 knots (max)
- Capacity: 1400 ā 1965 passengers/830 ā 550 cars/1850 ā 1400 lane metres
- Call Sign:Ā SVSH, ICAI
- MMSI Number:Ā 247178700
- IMO Number:Ā 9086590
- Italian Register Number: 84128
- Port of Registry: Patras/Greece 🇬🇷, Devonport/Australia 🇦🇺, Genoa/Italy 🇮🇹
- Sister Ships: Superfast I
Current AIS Location
Please note that this specific vessels AIS positionĀ data may be over anĀ hour old and that the vessels position will only be displayed when it is within range of the VesselFinder AIS system. The AIS transponder/ship position data featured on this page is intended for information purposes only and it is in no way related to the 'Safety of Navigation at Sea'. All the AIS ship position data featured within this article is provided by VesselFinderĀ and we are therefore not responsible for its content or its accuracy.
History
November 6thĀ 1993: Contract date.
August 22ndĀ 1994: Keel laid.
January 14thĀ 1995: Launched.
March 25thĀ 1995: Christened.
May 31stĀ 1995: Delivered to Superfast Ferries, Patras, Greece.
June 11thĀ 1995: Services between Patras – Ancona.
April 10thĀ 1998: Services between Patras – Igoumenitsa – Bari.
November 1999 ā February 2000: Services between Patras – Igoumenitsa – Ancona as cover for the fire damaged SUPERFAST III.
Ā 
Ā© Aleksi Lindstrƶm (Bari, July 2002)
July 7thĀ 2003: Sold to TT-Line Pty Ltd. of Tasmania, Devonport, Australia.
September 2003: Arrived at Neorion Yard, Siros for refit.
September 30thĀ 2003: Taken over by her new owners and renamed SPIRIT OF TASMANIA III.
October 2003: Left Neorion Yard for Australia.
October 25thĀ 2002: Arrived Fremantle.
October 26thĀ 2003: Left Fremantle for Hobart.
October 30thĀ 2003: Arrived at Macquarie No 6 wharf, Hobart for rebuilding.
January 15thĀ 2004: Services between Sydney – Devonport.
May 2ndĀ 2004: Left Sydney for Devonport. She encountered heavy weather and winds were blowing over 50kns with a swell of 10m. OnĀ entering Banks Strait, off Gabo Island, she was struck by a huge wave struck the vessel, snapping a weld on the bottom of the upper loading door. It pushed the door back, bending it in. She arrived in Devonport eight hours late.
May 2nd 2004: Due to depart Devonport but delayed whilst repairs were made.
Ā© Raisuke Numata (Sydney, 26/09/2004)
June 5thĀ 2006: Decision made to take her out of service in August.
July 2006: Sold to Forship SpA (Corsica Ferries), Genoa, Italy.
August 19thĀ 2006: Left Devonport for the final northbound crossing to Sydney.
August 20th 2006: Arrived Sydney and entered the Garden Island dry dock in Sydney harbour to have a fin stabilizer re installed. The fin had been damaged by abandoned fishing equipment off Flinders Island in Bass Strait and removed at a dry docking in Brisbane a few months earlier.Ā Ā
August 27thĀ 2006: Left Sydney for the final time.
August 28th 2006: Arrived Devonport the next day. She then relieved on the Melbourne Devonport route for a week, whilst SPIRIT OF TASMANIA I went to Sydney to be dry docked.
Ā 
Ā© Glenn Towler (Devonport, 28/08/2006)
September 4thĀ 2006: Left Devonport and headed to Melbourne, where she docked at Station pier.
September 6th 2006: In Melbourne, handed over to her new owners, Corsica Sardinia Ferries (management Tourship Italia). A flag changing ceremony was held.
September 2006: Renamed MEGA EXPRESS FOUR.
September 9thĀ 2006: Left Australia for Europe.
Ā© Matteo Fasee (Vado Ligure, 05/10/2006)
November 2006: Services Toulon – Bastia/ Ajaccio.
January 10thĀ 2007: Arrived at Megatechnica, Perama for rebuilding.
April 29thĀ 2007: Left Perama for Savona.Ā Ā Ā Ā
May 4thĀ 2007: Services between Toulon/ Nice – Ile Rousse.Ā
Ā 
Ā 
Ā© Nicolas LĆ©vy (Ile Rousse, August 2015)
2020: Maintained services between Livorno ā Toulon
Ā 
Ā© Nicolas LĆ©vy (Ajaccio, August 2020)
December 21stĀ 2020: Sailed from Livorno to Genoa and laid up.
February 3rdĀ 2021: Left Genoa for Vado Ligure.
February 3rdĀ 2021: Arrived Vado Ligure.
February 7thĀ 2021: Left Vado Ligure bound for Holyhead.
February 9th 2021: Announcement made that Irish Ferries had taken her on a short term charter.
February 12th 2021: Arrived in Holyhead for berthing trials.
February 12th 2021: Arrived Dublin for berthing trials.
Ā© Robbie Cox (Dublin, 12/02/2021)
February 15th 2021: Anticipated entry into service Dublin – Holyhead as refit cover for ULYSSES.
February 21st 2021: Sailed to Cherbourg then returned to Dublin.
February 22nd 2021: Sailed to Holyhead then took up service Holyhead – Dublin (Cherbourg at weekends).
Ā 
Ā© Dogan (Cherbourg, 27/02/2021)
April 3rd 2021: Came off service at Dublin and completed her charter. Left for “Bunkers” at Holyhead.
April 8th 2021: Arrived Genoa and laid up.
May 2021: Services Toulon – Bastia/ Ajaccio.
January 2022: Toulon – Bastia/ Ajaccio/Nice/Ile Rousse.
Ā© Nicolas LĆ©vy (Nice, 20/08/2022)
🆕Ā© Nicolas LĆ©vy (Basti, 20/07/2023)
August 6th 2023: Took up services Toulon – Alcudia (Majorca, Spain).
All information is believed to be correct and no responsibility is accepted for any errors or omissions. All items included in this article are subject to Ā© copyright. We would like to take this opportunity of thanking: Robbie Cox, Carsten Dettmer, Dogan, Nicolas LĆ©vy, Aleksi Lindstrƶm, Raisuke Numata, Glen Towler and Andreas Wƶrteler for their assistance in producing this feature.
Thanks als0 to Joakim.
Article Ā© Nigel Thornton and Ray Goodfellow (Dover Ferry Photos Group)
Is now trafficing mallorca Spain