HSC Naxos Jet
ex Cyclades Express, Al Huda I, Seacat Scotland, Q Ship Express, Seacat Scotland
Justin Merrigan Collection
Aluminium 74 Metre Wave Piercing Catamaran built in 1992 by Incat (International Catamarans) Australia Pty. Ltd., Hobart, Australia (Yard No. 028) for Hoverspeed Ltd, Nassau, Bahamas as a car and passenger ferry.
Technical Data
- Length: 73.6m
- Breadth: 26.00m
- Draught: 2.90m
- Tonnage: 3,003 gross/197 deadweight
- Engines: Four 16-cyl, Ruston 16RK270 diesels.
- Power: 14,592 kW.
- Speed: 36 knots
- Capacity: 450 passengers, 88 cars
- Call Sign: 3EJW3, SVAF8
- IMO Number: 8919518
- MMSI Number: 241052000
- Registry: Nassau/Bahamas 🇧🇸,Stranraer/UK 🇬🇧, Uruguay 🇺🇾, Stranraer/UK 🇬🇧, Panama 🇵🇦, Greece 🇬🇷
- Sister ships: Patricia Olivia (024), Hoverspeed Great Britain (025), Hoverspeed France (026), Hoverspeed Belgium (027), Seacat Tasmania (023), Stena Sea Lynx, Condor 10 (031), Juan L (032)
Current AIS Location
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History
October 29th 1991: Launched.
March 1992: Delivered to Hoverspeed Ltd, Nassau, Bahamas.
March 4th 1992: Left her builders for Europe via Singapore – Colombo – Suez Canal.
March 30th 1992: Arrived in Cowes.
April 8th 1992: Commenced service between Dover – Calais.
© Andreas Wörteler
© Ken Larwood
June 1st 1992: Commenced service between Stranraer – Belfast.
© Aubrey Dale
September 28th 1994: Replaced by SEACAT ISLE OF MAN.
October 1994: Chartered for two years to Q-Ships, Qatar. Renamed Q SHIP EXPRESS.
November 1994: Commenced service between Doha – Dubai.
1995: Completion of charter.
March 18th 1995: Commenced service between Stranraer – Belfast. Renamed SEACAT SCOTLAND.
© Aubrey Dale (both)
February 1997: Home port as Stranraer.
August 31st 1997: Laid up in Liverpool.
September 1997 – April 1998: Chartered to Navegacion Atlantida SA, Colonia, Uruguay. Commenced service between Colonia – Buenos Aires.
April 29th 1999: Commenced Belfast – Stranraer/ Troon.
April 2003: Commenced service between Dover – Calais.
© Bob Smith (Left) and © Andreas Wörteler (Right)
September 25th 2004: Left Dover for Sunderland and yard lay up.
March 8th 2007: Announced Fortune Maritime of Greece will operate her as the SHIKRA in the Eastern Mediterranean.
September 20th 2004: Laid up at Pallion Yard, Sunderland.
March 2007: Sold to Fortune Maritime, Greece.
April 26th 2007: Renamed SHIKRA. Taken over by her new owners (Registered to Percival Co, Panama).
April 26th 2007: Left Sunderland via Algeciras for Keratsini, Greece.
May 2007: Renamed AL HUDA I.
© Aleksi Lindström
July 2010: Chartered by NEL Lines and changing livery. To be renamed as CYCLADES EXPRESS
August 11th 2010 – August 31st 2010: Operated between Heraklion – Santorini.
September 1st 2010: Left Heraklion for Keratsini.
September 2nd 2010: Arrived Keratsini laid up.
© Sebastiaan Toufekoulas
December 2015: Sold to Seajets. Registered Owner: Jambo Maritime Company, Piraeus, Greece. Registered Manager: Seajets Catamaran Joint, Piraeus, Greece.
February 4th 2016: Arrived in Drapetsona under tow. Its expected that she will be renamed the NAXOS JET.
Naxos Jet –
2017: Refitted in Elefsina, Salamina and Chalkida.
2018: Commenced service between Rafina-Andros-Syros-Tinos-Mykonos-Paros-Naxos.
2019: Services Rafina-Andros-Tinos-Mykonos-Paros-Naxos.
July 24th 2019: Sailing from Paros to Mykonos, an excessively high temperature was observed in the external port side main engine. As a precaution, the ferry continued the voyage with three main engines. Upon the arrival of the ship in Mykonos, a local ship inspection board embarked on the ship, and the Port Authority of Mykonos detained the ferry which was on its scheduled service from Naxos to Paros – Mykonos – Tinos – Andros – Rafina. Upon presentation of a seaworthiness certificate by the attending classification society, the ship was allowed to sail again.
© Carsten Dettmer (Naxos, 11/08/2019)
October 3rd 2019: Suffered a damage of one of the four main engines 1.2 miles east of the south end of N. Makronisou. The ferry continued with its three remaining main engines to the Chalkis shipyard, where it was banned from sailing by the Central Port Authority of Chalkis until the damage was repaired and a certificate of seaworthiness issued by the monitoring classification society.
2020: Services Heraklion-Santorini-Naxos-Paros-Mykonos.
December 18th 2020: At Heraklion, suffered damage to her ramp. The vessel with 20 passengers and eight vehicles on board underwent an inspection by the Iraklion ship inspection team. It was found that the starboard cable had become detached from its cable roller. Following repair works, and after the presentation of a class maintenance certificate, the vessel was cleared to sail for its service to the port of Thira.
2021: Services Heraklion-Rethymnon-Santorini,
September 2021: Still in service in the Greek Islands.
© Bernd Crause (05/09/2021)
September 16th 2021: Completed its itinerary for the season and left Lavrio port for Chalkis yard and winter lay up.
April 19th 2022: Left Chalkida yesterday under tow and went to Elefsina.
May 19th 2022: Trials.
May 26th 2022: Left Piraeus and went to Santorini for services Naxos-Mykonos-Paros-Naxos Santorini-Heraklion.
October 17th 2022: Docked in Elefsina.
January 24th 2023: Towed from Elefsina for Chalkida.
March 24th 2023: Arrived at the Koros shipyard in Salamina.
May 23rd 2023: Services Siteia-Kasos-Karpathos-Chalki-Rhodes.
August 22nd 2023: Services intra-Cycladic routes (Syros – Lavrio – Siteia/Thira) in place of CALDERA VISTA.
September 2nd 2023: Intra- Cycladic routes (including Tinos-Thira-Folegandros-Santorini-Anafi-Ios-Naxos-Paros-Sikinos-Karavostatis-Kimolos)
© Bernd Crause (Naxos, 13/09/2023)
December 4th 2023: To Spanopoulos shipyard, Perama for refit and lay up.
June 12th 2024: Trials.
June 19th 2024: Services Mantoudi – Sporades Islands (Alonnisos, Skiathos, Skopelos, Kymasi, Skyros and Thessaloniki)
June 21st 2024: During the sailing from the port of Alonnissos to the port of Kymasi suffered engine failure. Taken to Perama shipbuilding yard for repairs.
June 25th 2024: Resumed service.
🆕 © Stephen Brown
July 11th 2024: Arrived Piraeus and laid up.
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: Stephen Brown, Bernd Crause, Aubrey Dale, Carsten Dettmer, Aleksi Lindström, Ken Larwood, Justin Merrigan, Bob Smith, Sebastiaan Toufekoulas and Andreas Wörteler for their assistance in producing this feature.