Eckerö LineFerriesFerriMarocGotlandslinjenOlau LinePast and PresentTrasmediterránea

MV Almariya (Ex Olau Hollandia (I)) – Past and Present

IMO Number: 7928811

MV Almariya

ex Isabella I, Nordlandia, Nord Gotlandia, Olau Hollandia (I)

© Simonwp

© Simonwp

Twin screw motor vessel built in 1981 by AG Weser Seebeckwerft AG, Bremerhaven, Germany (Yard no 1028) as a passenger and motor vehicle ferry for Olau Line Ltd Co, Hamburg

Technical Data

  • Length: 153.40m (overall) 136.02m (between perpendiculars)
  • Breadth: 28.20m
  • Depth: 13.60m
  • Draught: 5.820m
  • Tonnage:  14,981 gross (21,473)/8,986 net (8,695)/2,880 deadweight
  • Engines: (4) 4T – 8 – cylinder Pielstick OC2-5L diesels
  • Power: 15300 kW/20,800 HP
  • Speed: 20.0 knots
  • Capacity: 2048 passengers 530 cars (450)
  • Lane Metres: 750 (4.4 m high freight space)
  • Call Sign: DGOK, SBLJ, OJGN, 5BFT4
  • IMO Number: 7928811
  • MMSI Number: 210556000
  • Veristar Register Number: 980T19
  • Port of Registry: Hamburg/Fed Rep of Germany 🇩🇪, Visby/Sweden 🇸🇪, Eckerö/Finland 🇫🇮, Belize City/ Belize 🇧🇿, Limassol/Cyprus 🇨🇾
  • Sister-Ship: Olau Britannia (I)(1031)


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

“The first of a pair of bow and stern loaders built, by AG Weser  Seebeckswerft AG, Bremerhaven, for Olau Line”

November 22nd 1980: Launched.

© Bernd Crause  

Nigel Thornton Collection (Left) © Bernd Crause (Right)

January 1st 1981: Completed.

March 21st 1981: Delivered to Olau Line Ltd Co, Hamburg, Germany.

  

Nigel Thornton Collection

Courtesy of John Hendy  Courtesy of John Hendy  

Courtesy of John Hendy

Courtesy of John Hendy  Courtesy of John Hendy  

Courtesy of John Hendy

March 25th 1981: Commenced service between Sheerness – Vlissingen.

(Nigel Thornton Collection)  (Nigel Thornton Collection)  

Nigel Thornton Collection

© Tony Garner

© Tony Garner

© Ken Larwood  © Ken Larwood  

© Ken Larwood

© Ken Larwood (all)

August 1989: Sold to Nordström & Thulin Ab, Visby for delivery in October 1989. Management; Johnson Baltic Traffic Management AB.

October 2nd 1989: Final day in service.

October 3rd 1989: Left Vlissingen for Hamburg.

October 6th 1989: Arrived at Schichau Seebeckwerft AG, Bremerhaven, for re-registry and refit.

November 1989: Renamed NORD GOTLANDIA.

Courtesy of John Hendy

Courtesy of John Hendy

December 14th 1989: Left yard for Stockholm.

December 20th 1989: Promotional visit to Stockholm.

© Tony Garner  © Ingvar  

© Tony Garner (Left) and © Ingvar (Right)

January 1st 1990: Commenced service Gotland – Visby, but immediately suffered from complaints as to her condition and overall state.

© Pieter Inpyn

© Pieter Inpyn

July 21st 1996: Suffered an engine room fire.

December 1997: Sold to Oy Eckerölinjen Ab, Eckerö, Finland for delivery in January 1998.

December 31st 1997: Final day in service for Gotlandslinjen.

January 1st 1998: Left Visby for the final time as NORD GOTLANDIA destination Turku shipyard.

January 2nd 1998: Taken over by Eckerö Line.

January 7th 1998: Renamed NORDLANDIA.

February 10th 1998: Commenced services between Helsinki – Tallinn.

April 30th  2003: Helsinki damaged one of her propellers. Taken immediately to Naantali for repairs which took five days.

May 5th 2003: Returned to service.

© Carsten Dettmer  © Carsten Dettmer  

© Carsten Dettmer

October 28th 2006: Tallinn, during a storm, rammed the quay resulting in a hole above the waterline. The damage was quickly repaired.

November 1st 2006: Returned to service.

    

© Aleksi Lindström

January 29th 2010: On a journey from Helsinki to Tallinn, got stuck in ice just outside Helsinki. Stuck for 6 hours and aided by SUPERSTAR and BALTIC PRINCESS.

    

© Aleksi Lindström

February 12th 2010: Again stuck in ice outside Helsinki. Freed with the aid on an icebreaker.

January 1st 2013: Final day in passenger service between Helsinki – Tallinn.

January 7th 2013: Cargo only between Helsinki – Tallinn.

March 29th 2013: Taken out of service and laid up in Kopli, Estonia.

June 11th 2013: Sold to Isabella Cruise, Ltd, Belize and renamed ISABELLA I.

June 14th 2013: Left Kopli for Almeria.

June 16th 2013: Bunkered outside Skagen.

June 22nd 2013: Arrived at Almeria.

June 2013: Chartered to Acciona, Spain.

July 4th 2013 – October 2013: Services between Almeria – Nador.

© Mike Barker

© Mike Barker

October 7th 2013: Arrived in Perama, Greece for refit.

August 2014: Announced that she was to be chartered to Acciona, Spain which didn’t materialise.

August 2014: Laid up in Eleusis Bay.

September 9th 2014: Moved to Kinosoura.

November 2014: Chartered to Paradise Cruise & Ferry.

November 22nd 2014: Left Salamis Island for Batumi, Georgia.

2015: Chartered to Acciona, Spain.

© Mike Barker  © Mike Barker  

© Mike Barker

© Mike Barker (all)

January 2016: Sold to Cia Trasmediterranea SA, Limassol and renamed ALMARIYA before being chartered to Trasmediterranea for services between Melilla – Almeria.

© Mike Barker

© Mike Barker

February 2016: Registered owner – CIA TRASMEDITERRANEA SA – ACCIONA TRASMEDITERRANEA, planta 2, Edificio D, Calle de Anabel Segura 11, 28108 Alcobendas (Madrid), Spain.

© Juanfra Monzón  © Juanfra Monzón  

© Juanfra Monzón

September 8th 2017: Engine room fire reported shortly after departure from Nador, Morocco.

“Fire erupted in engine room of ferry ALMARIYA with 1668 passengers on board, at around 0030 UTC Sep 8, shortly after ferry left Nador, Morocco, bound for Almeria, Spain. Fire was quickly extinguished by the crew, but vessel was disabled, and drifted off Nador until 0600 UTC Sep 8, and towed back to Nador, where all passengers disembarked. No injuries reported, passengers reached Almeria by other Trasmediterranea ferries. “

January 2018: Services Almeria – Nador.

© Carsten Dettmer

© Carsten Dettmer (Almeria, 26/12/2019)

March 22nd 2020: Arrived in Almeria and was taken out of service. Laid up owing to Covid-19 Pandemic.

June 3rd 2021: Re-activated and conducted a shake-down exercise before resuming service Almeria – Oran (Algeria)

© Mike Barker © Mike Barker

© Mike Barker (Almeria, 03/06/2021)

August 19th 2021: Sailed to Motril (Spain) and laid up.

December 6th 2021: Sailed from Motril to Almeria.

December 2021: Took up services Alemeria – Oran (weekly)/Almería-Melilla.

August 2023: Still in service Alemeria – Oran (weekly)/Almería-Melilla.

© Mike Barker

🆕 © Mike Barker (Almeria, 20/05/2023)

 


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 © copyright. We would like to take this opportunity of thanking: Mike Barker, Carsten Dettmer, Brian Fisher, Tony Garner, Ingvar, Pieter Inpyn, Ken Larwood, Juanfra Monzón, Ingvar, Simonwp and Andreas Wörteler for their assistance in producing this feature.

Special thanks to John Hendy.

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

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