HSC High Speed Jet

ex Cosmos Jet, Sea Runner, Speedrunner 1, Emeraude GB, Hoverspeed Great Britain, Christopher Columbus

© Incat Tasmania Pty Ltd (Courtesy of Justin Merrigan)

Aluminium 74 Metre ‘Wave Piercing’ Catamaran built in 1990 by International Catamarans Australia Pty Ltd (Incat), Hobart, Australia (Yard No 025) as a car and passenger ferry for Hoverspeed Ltd, Nassau, Bahamas 

Technical Data

• Length: 74.00m
• Breadth: 26.00m
• Draught: 2.40m
• Tonnage: 3,003 gross, 201 deadweight
• Engines: Four 16-cyl, Ruston 16RK270 diesels.
• Power: 14592 kW.
• Speed: 35 knots
• Capacity: 450 passengers, 80 cars
• Call Sign: C6IW4, MWJT7, SVAD3
• MMSI Number: 239305900
• IMO Number: 8900000
• Registry: Nassau/Bahamas 🇧🇸 (1990-1997), Folkestone/United Kingdom 🇬🇧 (1997-2008), Greece 🇬🇷 (2008-2009, Panama 🇵🇦 (2009-2011), Greece 🇬🇷 (2011-  )
• Sister Vessels: Patricia Olivia (024), Hoverspeed Boulogne (027), Seacat Tasmania (023), Hoverspeed France (026), Seacat Scotland (028), Stena Sea Lynx (031), Condor 10 (030), Juan L (032) 

---

History

January 28th 1990: Launched as the CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS into the River Derwent in Hobart, Tasmania. The renamed HOVERSPEED GREAT BRITAIN prior to delivery.

 

© Incat Tasmania Pty Ltd (Courtesy of Justin Merrigan)

April 1990: First sea-trials on the Derwent river, Tasmania.

 

© Incat Tasmania Pty Ltd (Courtesy of Justin Merrigan)

May 1990: Delivered to Hoverspeed, Ltd, Nassau, Bahamas.

May 10th 1990: Arrived in Bluff, New Zealand at 0330 from Hobart and departed 1330 for the UK via Punta Arenas, Rio De Janeiro, Nassau and New York and the fastest eastbound crossing of the Atlantic to date.

 

 

© Chris Howell (Bluff NZ, 10/5/1990. She arrived 0330 from Hobart and departed 1330 for the UK)

June 11th 1990: Arrived in New York.

   

© Incat Tasmania Pty Ltd (Courtesy of Justin Merrigan)

June 19th 1990: Left New York bound for Falmouth. Entered the Hales Trophy challenge and broke SS UNITED STATES 38 year old record. The craft established the record of three days, seven hours and 52 minutes averaging 36.65 knots and in so doing won the “Blue Riband” and the trophy.

June 23rd 1990: Arrived at Falmouth.

August 1st 1990: Arrived in Portsmouth flying the ‘Blue Riband’ from her mast.

© Simonwp (01/08/90 Portsmouth)

August 14th 1990: Maiden voyage from Portsmouth to Cherbourg, but plagued by technical problems during her first season.

© Fotoflite (Ray Goodfellow Collection)

November 1990: Publicity sailing to Isle Of Man.

November 6th 1990: Crossed to Heysham.

November 20th 1990: To Dover where she made crossings to Boulogne and Calais before sailing to the Pool of London for the presentation of the Hales Trophy.

  

© Incat Tasmania Pty Ltd (Courtesy of Justin Merrigan)

January 8th 1991: A final crossing between Portsmouth and Cherbourg. Then to Cherbourg for extensive refit.

June 2nd 1991: Projected re-entry in to service.

July 20th 1991: Entered service Dover – Calais/Boulogne.

 

© Fotoflite (Stéphane Poulain Collection)

 

© Ken Larwood

© Andreas Wörteler (Boulogne 28/06/1992)

December 1992 – March 1993: Charted out to Ferrylineas Argentinas SA, Buenos Aires, Argentina. Commenced service between Buenos Aires and Colonia.

 

© Incat Tasmania Pty Ltd (River Thames and Tower Bridge, London)

1993: Commenced service between Stranraer – Belfast.

 

© Aubrey Dale

November 1993: Introduced between Dover – Calais/ Boulogne.

© Andreas Wörteler

March 1994 – December 24th 1994: Service between Folkestone – Boulogne.

 

© Stéphane Poulain (left) and © Fotoflite, Stéphane Poulain Collection (right)

January 1st 1995: Commenced service between Dover – Calais.

 

© Ray Goodfellow

March 31st 1995: Commenced service between Folkestone – Boulogne.

 

© Stéphane Poulain

 

© Andreas Wörteler

November 1st 1996 – February 7th 1997: Operated between Dover – Boulogne.

 

© Stéphane Poulain

1997: Home port Folkestone.

October 10th 1997: Chartered out for a single trip between Folkestone – Le Havre.

© Stéphane Poulain

 

© Pieter Inpyn (Boulogne 01/09/1999)

March 29th 2001: Commenced service between Belfast – Heysham.

2002: Operated between Dover – Calais.

 

© Ray Goodfellow

 

© Pieter Inpyn (Calais 01/09/2002)

 

© Andreas Wörteler (Calais 09/02/2003)

June 2003: Laid up at A&P Birkenhead, England.

April 2004: Chartered to Emeraude Ferries.

© Stéphane Poulain

April 12th 2004: Arrived in St Malo, France.

April 2004: Entered service between St Malo – Guernsey/ Jersey.

 

© Manuel Dhondt

August 2004: Renamed EMERAUDE GREAT BRITAIN.

February 2005: Charter concluded.

February 16th 2005: Left St Malo for Gibraltar.

February 2005: Later left for the Mediterranean.

February 2005: Chartered to Aegean SpeedLines, Greece.

2005: Overhaul at Viktor Lenac yard, Croatia.

 

© Andreas Wörteler

April 22nd 2005: Renamed SPEEDRUNNER I (but still registered at Folkestone).

 

© Aleksi Lindstrom

2005: Commenced service between Piraeus – Serifos – Sifnos – Milos (later to Paros).

 

© Brian Fisher

26th March 2008: Sold to Alpha Ferries, Greece.

© Efoplistis (Courtesy Incat Tasmania Pty Ltd)

April 2008: Renamed SEA RUNNER

2008: Commenced service between Santorini – Crete.

 

© Willem Oldenburg (Athinios, Santorini 28/05/09)

2010: Arrested.

© Aleksi Lindstrom

July 2011: Registered to Speed Maritime Inc, Piraeus, Greece. Manager: Seajets – Athens, Greece. Renamed COSMOS JET.

July 28th 2011: Left Piraeus for Rethymnon.

July 30th 2011: Commenced service between Heraklion – Agios Nikolaos – Santorini.

September 8th 2011: Laid up in Heraklion with engine problems.

September 23rd 2011: Towed to Keratsini for further lay up.

June 2012: Registered Owner: Kalan Shipping Limited, according to RINA out of class and laid up in Greece.

January 2014: Last known to be at Chalkis Shipyards, Evia Island, Greece.

© Dennis Mortimer

April 2015: Renamed HIGH SPEED JET.

September 2021: Still at Chalkis Shipyards, however now non-operational and being used for spare parts.

August 2023: Still languishing at Chalkis Shipyards, Evia Island, Greece alongside the former EMERAUDE FRANCE (ex Seacat Tasmania).

August 2023: Chalkis Shipyard © Google CNES/Airbus Maxar Technologies 2023

---

All information is believed to be correct and no responsibility is accepted for errors and omissions. All items included in this article are subject to ©. We would like to thank: Nigel Scutt (Fotoflite), Aubrey Dale, Manuel Dhondt, Efoplistis, Chris Howell, Pieter Inpyn, Ken Larwood, Aleksi Lindstrom, Willem Oldenburg, Brian Fisher, Justin Merrigan, Simonwp, Dennis Mortimer, Incat Tasmania Pty Ltd, Stéphane Poulain and Andreas Wörteler for their assistance in producing this feature.

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