DelcomarFerriesIsle of Wight FerriesPast and PresentSealinkWightlink

MV GB Conte (Ex St Catherine) – Past and Present

IMO Number: 8120557

MV GB Conte

ex St Catherine

© Brian Fisher

© Brian Fisher

Steel triple Voith Schneider screw vessel built at Henry Robb Caledon Shipbuilders Ltd, Leith, Scotland in 1983 (Yard no. 534) for Sealink British Rail, London, England as a passenger and vehicle ferry

Technical Data

  • Length: 77.02m (overall) 75.62m (between perpendiculars)
  • Breadth of hull: 17.02m (extreme) 16.81m (moulded) 21.5m (overall (wheelhouse wings)
  • Depth: 4.53m
  • Draught: 2.452m
  • Tonnage: 2,036 gross/856 net/540 deadweight
  • Engines: Three 6-cylinder H & Wolff-MAN via three Voith Schneider rotating vane propellers.
  • Power: 2,700 bhp/1,986kW
  • Speed: 12 knots
  • Capacity: 771 passengers, 142 cars 24 trailers via Bow door/ramp/Stern door ramp
  • Call Sign: GCZV, ICFZ
  • IMO Number: 8120557
  • MMSI Number: 247294300
  • Registry: London/UK 🇬🇧, Cagliari/Italy 🇮🇹
  • Sister Ships: St Helen (535), St Cecilia (135), St Faith (169)

Current AIS Location


Please note that this specific vessels AIS position data may be over an 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 VesselFinder and we are therefore not responsible for its content or its accuracy.


History

Nigel Thornton Collection Nigel Thornton Collection Nigel Thornton Collection

Nigel Thornton Collection (all)

March 30th 1983: Launched. The seats on the deck are a different colour on all the sisters, the ST HELEN/red,  ST CATHERINE/green, ST CECILIA/yellow and ST FAITH/blue.

Nigel Thornton Collection

Nigel Thornton Collection

June 1983: Delivered to Sealink British Rail, London, England.

June 24th 1983: Arrived in Portsmouth.

July 3rd 1983: Inaugural sailing Portsmouth – Fishbourne.

Nigel Thornton Collection

Nigel Thornton Collection
© Ken Larwood © Ken Larwood  
© Ken Larwood

July 1984: Sealink U.K. was sold to Sea Containers Ltd, Bermuda for just £66 million. The company then operated under the company name of Sealink British Ferries U.K., and a subsidiary company British Ferries Ltd was set up. As theses services were excluded from the sale of Sealink UK Ltd to Stena Line they continued under the Sea Containers banner.

December 1984: Refit at Chatham.

© Ken Larwood

© Ken Larwood

© Brian Fisher © Ken Larwood

© Brian Fisher (Left) and © Ken Larwood (Right)

November 1991: Sealink becomes Wightlink, Isle of Wight Ferries after Sea Containers sell off Sealink British Ferries to Stena Line (whilst retaining the Isle of Wight services). A new livery is introduced for all vessels.

Photoship

Photoship

© Ken Larwood © Ken Larwood

© Ken Larwood

1994: Sea Containers sell Wightlink to a management buy in led by Michael Aiken and financed by venture capitalists CinVen.

© Ray Goodfellow

© Ray Goodfellow

2005: Wightlink is acquired by the Macquarie European Infrastructure Fund, a wholesale fund which makes long-term investments in infrastructure and related assets in European OECD Countries.

© John Jones © “Ferryman”

© John Jones  (24/07/2006)(Left) © “Ferryman” (24/03/2009)(Right)

January 2010: Sold to Delcomar, Italy.

July 31st 2010: Left Hythe, Hampshire (UK) bound for Sardinia.

July 2010: Renamed GB CONTE.

www.delcomar.it www.delcomar.it

Delcomar (www.delcomar.it)

September 16th 2010: Commenced services between Calasetta – Carloforte.

2012: Known to be laid up in La Maddalena, then continued Calasetta – Carloforte.

© Carsten Dettmer

© Carsten Dettmer (Carloforte, 05/07/2015)

© Frank Heine © Frank Heine

© Frank Heine (Carloforte, 07/08/2017)

2018: Services between Porto Vesme – Carloforte.

© Carsten Dettmer

🆕 © Carsten Dettmer (Carloforte, 04/10/2023)

October 2023: Still in service between Porto Vesme – Carloforte.


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: Delcomar, Carsten Dettmer, The Ferryman, Brian Fisher, Frank Heine, John Jones and Ken Larwood for their assistance in compiling this feature.

Article © Nigel Thornton and Ray Goodfellow (Dover Ferry Photos Group)

2 Comments

  1. Hi,
    I am currently writing a short book about my life as an apprentice in the Pallion Shipyard and wanted your permission to use one of your photo’s, on your website, of the St Catherine as an illustration. Is this possible please?

    If this is acceptable, I would send you a copy of my book in appreciation.

    Regards

    Les Morrell

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