GTS Seven Island Niji
ex Seajet Kara, Alderney Blizzard, Adler Blizzard, Princesse Clementine
Roy Thornton Collection
Aluminium 929-115 series Jetfoil high speed passenger ferry built in 1981 by Boeing Jetfoil Industries, Seattle, Washington, U.S.A. (Yard No 19) for Regie voor Maritiem Transport, Ostend, Belgium
Technical Data
- Length: 27.40m (overall)
- Breadth: 9.50m (across foils)
- Draught: 4.30m
- Tonnage: 329 gross/50 deadweight
- Engines: Two Allison 501 K20 gas turbines
- Power: 5,590 kW
- Speed: 43 knots (service), 50 knots (maximum)
- Capacity: 250-300 passengers
- Call Sign: C6QP8 (1999), JG5664 (2002)
- IMO Number: 7932068
- MMSI Number: 431008147
- Registry: Oostende (1981 – 1998), Germany (1998 – 2001), Japan (2001 – current)
- Sisters: GTS 929 – 115’s 11/12/13/14/15/16/17/18/20/21/22/23/24/25/26
History
“The 929 series Jetfoil high speed passenger ferry was initially designed and constructed by the Marine Division of the Boeing Company of Seattle, Washington. Latterly, the licence to develop and build the type passed to Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Japan. The craft is a direct descendant of a research and development programme carried out by the United States Navy during the 1960’s.”
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Roy Thornton Collection
1981: Delivered to Regie voor Maritiem Transport, Oostende, Belgium.
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Roy Thornton Collection (both)
May 7th 1981: Left Zeebrugge for Ostend.
 © Urbain Ureel
May 31st 1981: Commenced service between Ostend – Dover.
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© Mike Sartin (both)
Roy Thornton Collection
August 14th 1981: En-route to Dover collided with Johnson’s M/S BUENOS AIRES. Minor damage and towed to Ostend for repairs. During repairs replaced by the chartered JETFERRY ONE.
September 11th 1981: Returned to service.
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© Mike Sartin (both)
© Ken Larwood
October 25th 1985: Regie voor Maritiem Transport entered into negotiations with Townsend Thoresen and an agreement was concluded.
🆕 JetFoil FB Group
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© Mike Sartin (both)
1987/1988: A completely new livery, reflecting that carried by the P&O European Ferries fleet.
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© Mike Sartin (all)
1990/1991: Fourth new livery in seven years under the official trading name, The Dover – Ostend Line.
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 © Mike Sartin (all)
1993 (end): Announced that the Belgian company did not intend to renew its marketing agreement with P&O European Ferries, instead they concluded a deal with Sally Line. With effect from the following January RMT became known simply as Oostende Lines, transferring all its Ostend services, including Jetfoil operations from Dover to Sally’s base at the Port of Ramsgate.
© Ken Larwood
April 12th 1994:Â Commenced service between Ostend – Ramsgate.
© Mike Sartin
February 28th 1998: Final day in service, then laid-up in Ostend.
July 10th 1998: Sold to Adler Blizzard GmbH & Co. KG, Hamburg, Germany. Renamed  ADLER BLIZZARD.
© Robert J Smith
May 1999: Renamed ALDERNEY BLIZZARD for a failed charter.
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©  Christian Eckardt (both)
June 12th 1999: Loaded onto THOR SIMBA for transporting to Florida.
July 1999: Renamed SEAJET KARA.
July 1999: Laid-up with machinery problems.
October 2001: Sold to Tokai Kisen, Tokyo, Japan.
April 1st 2002: Commenced service between Tokyo – Oshima – Toshima – Shikinejima – Kozushima.
October 17th 2002: Renamed SEVEN ISLAND NIJI.
Roy Thornton Collection
© Raisuke Numata
December 18th 2006: Struck what appeared to be a whale, damaging part of the vessel, coast guard officials said. Collided with the object about 12 kilometres northwest of Izu Oshima at about 10:30 a.m. on Monday. Local coast guard officials said an object resembling a whale’s back was spotted from the hydrofoils pilothouse, promoting the captain to slow the vessel down, but it failed to avoid the object and struck it. The vessel normally emits a sound that whales dislike, scaring them away.
2014: Retired from service.
February 2018: In service with Tokai Kisen Co, Ltd, Japan on services to the Izu Islands.
July 13th 2020: Retired from service and transferred to Kawashige JPIS Co., Ltd. (which maintains jet foils and trains crew members). She was replaced by the new SEVEN ISLAND YUI.
Seven Island Yui – © Tokai Kisen Co, Ltd
We would like to thank: Christian Eckardt, Ken Larwood, Raisuke Numata, Mike Sartin, Robert J Smith and Urbain Ureel for their assistance in producing this feature. All information is believed to be correct and no responsibility is accepted for errors and omissions. A special thanks goes to the World Ship Society (East Kent Branch).
Article © Nigel Thornton and Ray Goodfellow (Dover Ferry Photos Group)
Seven Islands Niji ended commercial operations on July 12, 2020 and was sold to KHI JPS Co.,Ltd.
Reference: https://www.tokaikisen.co.jp/newship2020/0720-2/
Many thanks for the information
Rgds
Nigel Thornton
Took the Jetfoil from Oostende to Dover March, 1988. Fast ship. I remember the ship passing all of those other ferries as if they were standing still. Great memories.