MV Tian Peng
Ex Farah I, Farah, Munster (1968)
© Fotoflite
Steel twin screw motor vessel built in 1968 as a passenger and vehicle ferry by Werft Nobiskrug GmbH, Rendsburg, Germany (Yard No. 657) as a Passenger/RoRo/Cargo ferry.
Technical Data
- • Length: 118.19m (overall), 107.80m (between perpendiculars)
• Breadth of Hull: 17.84m (extreme), 17.61m (registered)
• Depth: 11.41m
• Draught: 4.446m (maximum)
• Tonnage: 4967 – 4007 gross/1752 – 2096 net/774 – 772t deadweight
• Engines: Four MaN 7L40/54 diesels
• Power: 8385 kW/11400 bhp
• Speed: 17.0 knots
• Capacity: 1000 passengers, 220 cars
• Call Sign: EIXC, …. , BPXE
• IMO Number: 6812522
• Registry: Dublin/Ireland 🇮🇪, Panama 🇵🇦, Dalian/China 🇨🇳
• Sister ships: Innisfallen (660), Prins Bertil (635), Gustav Vasa (641), Kronprins Carl Gustav (646)
History
Third of a quintet of similar, Knud E Hansen A/S design, ferries originally destined for Lion Ferry but sold to British & Irish Line ( B&I).
September 1967: Keel struck. Ordered by Lion Ferry, but contract sold to B&I Line, Ireland.
January 25th 1968: Launched.
© Michael Neidig (Werft Nobiskrug 10/02/1968)
May 3rd 1968: Delivered to B+I Steam Packet Co, Dublin, Ireland.
© Ian Collard
May 6th 1968: Arrived Dublin.
May 12th 1968: Berthing trials in Liverpool.
May 15th 1968: Services Dublin – Liverpool.
© Ian Collard
June 1979: Laid up in Liverpool.
July 3rd 1979 – July 23rd 1979: Chartered to Brittany Ferries for services Roscoff – Plymouth.
August 4th 1979 – September 1979: Chartered to Brittany Ferries for services St Malo – Portsmouth.
September 1979: Laid up in Dublin.
October 1979: Services Dublin – Liverpool.
July 6th 1981 – November 22nd 1981: Services Pembroke Docks – Rosslare.
© Ian Collard
November 24th 1981: Laid in in Birkenhead.
March 1982: Laid up in Dublin.
March 8th 1982: Dispute by Sealink port workers in Holyhead, who fearing they might lost their jobs, prevented the B+I from setting up a new service from Dublin to Holyhead by blockading Holyhead port. Upon arriving at Dun-Laoghaire ST DAVID found her way blocked by the B & I vessel MUNSTER, which had sailed light with a full crew from Dublin without management permission, The ST DAVID was forced to return to Holyhead and tried again the next morning, only to find the MUNSTER in position again. Finally the crew of the MUNSTER allowed her into the port as there was a sick passenger on board. Sealink then announced a suspension of the services pending further talks with B & I and also agreed to attempt no more Holyhead sailings until the matter was resolved.
Nigel Thornton Collection
April 1982: Chartered to Egersund Thyborøn Linien A/S, Egersund, Norway for services Egersund – Thyboron.
© Pieter Inpyn (Egersund in Norway, August 1982)
September 1982: Company goes bankrupt and vessel leaves for further lay up in Liverpool.
February 1983 – March 1983: Services Dublin – Holyhead/Dublin – Liverpool.
March 1983: Laid up in Liverpool.
March 1983: Sold to Petra Navigation Agencies, Aqaba, Jordan.
March 22nd 1983: Left Liverpool for refit at Thyssen Nordseewerke, Emden, Germany.
March 1983: Renamed FARAH.
© Fotoflite
1983: Re-delivered after refit. Registered owner: Silver Dolphin SA (Ahmad Armoush), Panama. Renamed FARAH I.
1983: Services Aqaba – Suez.
1987: Sold to Petra Navigation & International Trading Co, Aquaba, Jordan and registered to Arab Orient Trading Services Ltd, Aqaba, Jordan.
1990: Registered to Tourist International Investments Co Ltd, Valletta, Malta.
June 1991: Sold to Dalian Steamship Co, Dalian, China and renamed TIAN PENG.
1999: Registered to China Passenger Ship Co Ltd, Dalian, China.
2001: Reportedly scrapped.
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: Ian Collard, Fotoflite, Pieter Inpyn , Michael Neidig, Simonwp and Andreas Wörteler for their assistance in producing this feature.
Article © Nigel Thornton and Ray Goodfellow (Dover Ferry Photos Group)
