MV Vav
ex Pray, Ana, ULS Ferry 1, Kapella, Marine Evangeline, Spirit of Boulogne, Marine Evangeline, Duke of Yorkshire, Cord Adeler
© Fotoflite
Steel twin screw motor vessel, built in 1974 by Kristiansands Mekaniske Verksted, Kristiansand, Norway (Yard No. 221), for A/S Larvik-Frederikshavn Ferge, Larvik, Norway
Technical Data
- Length: 110.14m (overall), 99.08m (between perpendiculars)
- Breadth of hull: 17.51m (extreme), 17.48m (moulded)
- Depth: 12.32m
- Draught: 5.776m (max) 4.53m
- Tonnage: 2,793 – 7564 gross/1,601 – 2270 net/1,856t – 3548t deadweight
- Engines: Four 16-cylinder Normo-Gruppen A/S diesels.
- Power: 7504kW (10,202 bhp)
- Speed: 18.5 knots (max), 14.5 knots (service)
- Capacity: 50 passengers, 590 lane metres
- Call Sign: VCQK ,ESIC , 3FGL3, ZADH2, , T8A3496
- IMO Number: 7369118
- Registry: Larvik/Norway 🇳🇴, Scheveningen/The Netherlands 🇳🇱, Yarmouth N.S./Canada 🇨🇦, Dieppe/France 🇫🇷, Nassau/Bahamas 🇧🇸, Tallinn/Estonia 🇪🇪, Panama 🇵🇦, Durres/Albania 🇦🇱, Palau (Republic of) 🇵🇼, Unknown, Tanzania 🇹🇿
History
January 26th 1974: Laid down and launched as CORD ADELER.
June 6th 1974: Delivered to A/S Larvik-Frederikshavn Ferge, Larvik, Norway.
June 9th 1974: Chartered to Norfolk Line, Scheveningen, Holland. Renamed DUKE OF YORKSHIRE.
June 11th 1974: Commenced services between Scheveningen – Middlesbrough.
© Steffen Weirauch (Left) © Simonwp (17/07/1975)(Right)
October 14th 1975: Transferred to the Dutch ships register.
© Fotoflite (Left) and © Ron Hutchins (Courtesy of Derek Sands) (Right)
November 15th 1975: Sold to Unilever Norfolk Line, Scheveningen, Holland.
June 28th 1976: During a journey from Teesport to Esbjerg suffered an engine-room fire. Towed to Rotterdam for repairs.
June 30th 1976: Arrived in Rotterdam. Repairs took seven weeks.
January 1977: Chartered to P&O Normandy Ferries for two weeks. Operated Dover – Boulogne.
January 1977: Chartered to an unknown shipping company and began operations Sheerness – West Africa.
March 1978: Sold to CN Marine, Halifax, Canada. Left Rotterdam for St John for conversion at a Newfoundland Dockyard.
March 1978: Renamed MARINE EVANGELINE. Registered to Royal Lease, Ltd, Yarmouth, Canada.
April 1978: Inaugural sailing Yarmouth – Portland.
March 30th 1983: inaugural sailing Yarmouth – Bar Harbour.
December 8th 1985: Left North Sydney for Dieppe.
December 23rd 1985: Arrived Dieppe.
1986: Registered to CN Marine Inc, Yarmouth, Canada.
1986: Registered to Marine Atlantic Dieppe, France.
April 24th 1986 – April 24th 1986: Chartered to Dieppe Ferries (SNCF) for services between Dieppe – Newhaven.
© Frank Heine (Dieppe, 02/08/1986)
© Peter Bailey MBE (Courtesy of Newhaven Museum)
April 24th 1986 – April 29th 1986: Laid up in Dunkerque.
May 2nd 1986: Chartered to RoRo Ferries, commenced operations between Rosslare – Pembroke Dock.
December 1986: Chartered to Dieppe Ferries (SNCF) for services between Dieppe – Newhaven.
September 22nd 1988: Arrived St John, Newfoundland for further lay up.
1989: Commenced operations for Marine Atlantic.
1992: Chartered to Opale Ferries, Boulogne, France. Inaugural service Boulogne – Folkestone.
© Fotoflite
© Andreas Wörteler
Courtesy of Michael Woodland
July 1992: Underwent berthing trials at Ramsgate.
© Ken Larwood
July 4th 1993: Opale Ferries went bankrupt.
July 4th 1993: Chartered to Meridian Ferries, Folkestone, England. Renamed SPIRIT OF BOULOGNE. Transferred to Bahama flag, home port Nassau.
July 4th 1993: Inaugural sailing Folkestone – Boulogne.
© Ken Larwood
© Andreas Wörteler
© Bernd Crause (Boulogne, 23/05/1994)
July 5th 1994: Ran aground near Boulogne.
1994: Rebuilt.
© Frank Lose (Left) and © Ken Larwood (Right)
© Jean Guy-Hagelstein (Boulogne, 19/02/1995)
March 15th 1995: Meridian Ferries went bankrupt and she was laid-up in Boulogne.
1995: Laid up in Southampton
© Tony Garner (Southampton, 09/04/1995)
1995: Returned to Marine Atlantic, laid up in Dover. Renamed MARINE EVANGELINE.
© Ken Larwood
June 21st 1995: Chartered to Sealink Stena Line, commenced services between Newhaven – Dieppe.
October 6th 1995: Dun Laoghaire – Holyhead replacing the Stena Cambria.
© Dave Rimmer (Dun Laoghaire late 1995/96)
October 13th 1995: Opened new freight ferry service between Holyhead – Dublin. Service taken over by the STENA TRAVELLER.
November 1995: Inaugural sailing between Stranraer – Belfast.
© Alan Geddes (Arrival Belfast 16/11/1995)
© Andreas Wörteler
April 2nd 1996: Began operations Newhaven – Dieppe.
© Andreas Wörteler (Left) and © Andy Gilbert (Right)
© Robert J Smith (Newhaven, 15/05/1996)
© Frank Heine (Dieppe, 06/07/1996)
October 1996: Charter completed and initially laid up in Southampton. Then sailed to Hull to continue lay-up.
© Simonwp (Alexandra Dock, Hull 19/10/1996)
October 1997: Chartered to Hansatee Oy, Tallinn, Estonia.
October 31st 1997: Inaugural sailing for Tallink between Kapellskär – Paldiski.
🆕 © Dirk Jankowsky (Kapellskär,02/07/1998)
August 1998: Sold to Hansatee Oy, Tallinn, Estonia. Renamed KAPELLA.
© Andreas Wörteler
December 1998: Suffered an engine-room fire whilst arriving at Kapellskär.
January 1999: Returned to service.
March 2004: Inaugural sailing between Tallinn – Helsinki.
© Frank Heine (Helsinki, 05/07/2004)
March 2006: Inaugural sailing between Paldiski – Kapellskär.
© Simonwp (Vaxholm, 01/07/2006)
© Aleksi Lindström (Helsinki, 23/01/2007)
January 2007: Commenced services between Tallinn – Helsinki.
April 2007: Commenced services between Paldiski – Kapellskär.
© Frank Heine (Paldiski, 12/07/2007)
October 2008: Laid up in Paljassaare (Lahesoo anchorage), Tallinn.
2008: Registered Owner : Tallink Group, Estonia. Ship Manager: HT Shipmanagement, Estonia
June 5th 2010 – September 1st 2010: Commenced services between Paldiski – Kapellskär.
October 31st 2010 – 2011: Services between Paldiski – Kapellskär.
2011: Laid up in Tallinn.
June 21st 2011 – August 31st 2011: Services between Åbo – Kapellskär.
October 17th 2011 – October 28th 2011: Chartered to Rederi Ab Lillgaard, Åland for services between Långnäs – Nådendal.
October 29th 2011: Laid up in Tallinn.
August 3rd 2012: Sold to Kapella Shipping Ltd, Panama and renamed ULS FERRY 1.
September 2012: Commenced services for ULS Global between Sillamäe – Ust-Luga.
© Ian Greenwood (Sillamäe , Estonia)
January 2016: Still in service between Sillamäe – Ust-Luga for ULS Global.
October 2016: Known to be laid-up in Tallin
June 12th 2017: Advertised “For Sale” (Ship-Broker.EU).
ULS Global
November 12th 2017: Sold to Shega Trans SA, Tirana, Albania and renamed ANA.
April 2018: Left Tallinn for Albania.
May 3rd 2018: Left Durres for Ravenna (Italy)
May 4th 2018: Arrived in Ravenna. Inspected and found to have 23 deficiencies. Impounded by Coast Guard.
May 15th 2018: In service, twice weekly, between Ravenna (Italy) – Shengjin (Albania).
January 15th 2020: Left Treiste (Slovenia)
February 1st 2020: Left Durres (Albania) to Mersin (Turkey) for a 4-day stopover at the port from February 5th to 9th,
United Nations Security Council Letter:
M/V Ana/Pray (IMO 7369118) 1. In March 2020, the Panel identified merchant vessel M/V Ana (IMO 7369118) as a vessel of interest to the Panel based on: 1) deviation from its normal routine activity; and 2) multiple “dark periods” of Automatic Identification System (AIS) inactivity when in the vicinity of a Libyan port
On 9 February 2020 the M/V Ana (IMO 7369118) departed Mersin, Turkey, central berth 14, at 13:31 hours41, with a declared destination port of Gabes, Tunisia. The vessel’s AIS went dark from 21:44 hours on 12 February 2020. The vessel was identified as being present in the Port of Tripoli, Libya on 18 February 2020, when it was the target of an attack by armed forces affiliated to Khalifa Haftar. M/V Ana (IMO 7369118) present at Tripoli port on 18th.
https://www.ecoi.net/en/file/local/2047327/S_2021_229_E.pdf (Page 173 onward)
The vessel was later identified offloading cargo at Misrata port on 21 February 2020. The operation was concealed by a barrier of containers. Its AIS remained disconnected.
https://www.ecoi.net/en/file/local/2047327/S_2021_229_E.pdf (Page 173 onward)
February 28th 2020: Known to be in Istanbul
Google Earth (Istanbul, 28/02/2020)
The vessel re-connected its AIS at 10:16 hours on 8 March 2020, whilst on a direct track departing from Misrata, Libya, resulting in a “dark period” of 24 days 12 hours and 31 minutes. There is no evidence of the vessel ever visiting Gabes, Tunisia as declared. 6. Based on the vessel’s average speed until switching off its AIS, the time required to cover the “dark period” distance would be 12 hours and 4 minutes. Therefore, a time period of 24 days and 26 minutes was unaccounted for.
M/V Ana (IMO 7369118) called at Haydarpasa port, Turkey, berth number 7, at 20:26 hours on 11 March 2020. At 04:52 hours on 15 March 2020 the vessel moved to berth At 17:08 hours, on 16 March 2020, an image of M/V Ana (IMO 7369118) was taken at Haydarpasa port, Turkey, berth number 10, in which it can be distinguished that the name “Pray” is now written in the hull.
https://www.ecoi.net/en/file/local/2047327/S_2021_229_E.pdf (Page 173 onward)
March 2020: Renamed PRAY, undisclosed owner & manager.
“M/V Ana/Pray (IMO 7369118) disconnected its AIS at 05:46 on 18 March 2020. Only 9 minutes later, at 05:55 hours, a new AIS signal is displayed from same berth number 10, Haydarpasa port, Turkey. The signal was identifying a 110-meter length, Tanzanian-flagged, passenger vessel, named Pray, with IMO number 7295666.
“AIS signals of M/V Ana (IMO 7369118) and M/V Pray (false IMO 7295666) displayed on the same location within 9 minutes time-lapse, on 18 March 2020. Note that: (a) M/V Ana (IMO 7369118) and M/V Pray (false IMO 7295666) displayed their AIS signals at the exact same location within a 9-minute interval; (b) The signal displayed by M/V Pray (false IMO 7295666) indicated a vessel of identical length as M/V Ana (IMO 7369118); and (c) M/V Ana (IMO 7369118) has not displayed any AIS signal since it was last disconnected.
According to the IMO number scheme manager, IHS Maritime, the IMO number 7295666, displayed by M/V Pray, is a number that has never been used or issued to any vessel.
M/V Ana (IMO 7369118), renamed as M/V Pray and displaying false IMO number 7295666, departed Haydarpasa port, Turkey, at 12:46 hours on 19 March 2020 with a declared destination port of Gabes, Tunisia. Despite its declared destination, the vessel did not follow the shortest and most economical route, but one along the Turkish coast designed to avoid Greek territorial waters.
At 08:35 hours on 23 March 2020, while on a track consistent with Gabes, Tunisia, M/V Ana (IMO 7369118), renamed as M/V Pray, conducted a sharp change of course. According to social media, the change in the course was the result of the intervention of French Frigate Provence (D652).42 The vessel set sail to Antalya, Turkey, where it remained anchored between 26 and 29 March 2020. According also to social media, the vessel was escorted by two Turkish Navy Gabya class frigates.
At 21:22 hours on 31 March 2020, M/V Ana (IMO 7369118), renamed as M/V Pray, called at Mersin port, Turkey, passenger terminal number 1, where it remained until 23:30 hours of 6 April 2020.
At 10:19 hours on 12 April 2020, the vessel called to Haydarpasa port, Turkey, berth number 10.
At 18:40 on 21 May 2020, the vessel was moved to berth number 5, where it displayed its AIS signal, with a large number of interruptions, until 18 November 2020.
https://www.ecoi.net/en/file/local/2047327/S_2021_229_E.pdf (Page 173 onward)
September 2020, M/V Ana (IMO 7369118) was renamed M/V Vav and registered under the flag of Palau. It was authorized by the flag to conduct one single voyage, to Izmir, Turkey, under tow, on ballast condition and unmanned, for demolition. The certificate of registry expired on 11 January 2021.
The Panel finds that M/V Ana (IMO 7369118) conducted a partial / incomplete offload in Tripoli port. A barrier of containers was used to shield the offloading in Misrata. “.
https://www.ecoi.net/en/file/local/2047327/S_2021_229_E.pdf (Page 173 onward)
March 8th 2021: Information contained in a United Nations Security Council letter concerning the vessels activities. The letter concludes that it “highly probable” that the vessel is involved in arms shipments.
May 6th 2021: According to “Equasis Shipping Data” reported as scrapped????
Image information courtesy of Julien Carpentier
All information is believed to be correct and no responsibility is accepted for any errors or omissions found. All items included in this article are subject to © copyright. We would like to take this opportunity of thanking: Peter Bailey MBE, Bernd Crause, Fotoflite, Tony Garner, Alan Geddes, Andy Gilbert, Jean Guy-Hagelstein, Frank Heine, Ron Hutchins (Courtesy of Derek Sands), Ken Larwood, Nicolas Levy, Aleksi Lindström, Frank Lose, Dave Rimmer, Simonwp, Robert J Smith, Michael Woodland, Shega Line and Andreas Wörteler for their assistance in producing this feature.
Special thanks go to Micke Asklander (Faktaomfartyg) and Ian Greenwood.
Article © Nigel Thornton and Ray Goodfellow (Dover Ferry Photos Group)
