MV Agios Dionissios S
Ex Al Zaher IV, La Durance, Kerisnel
© Brittany Ferries
Steel twin screw motor vessel built in 1971 by Ast. Construcciones S.A, Factoria de Rios, Vigo, Spain (Yard No 29) as a Ro-Ro Cargo.
Technical Data
- Length: 99.17 m (overall) 88.27 m (between perpendiculars)
- Breadth: 16.64 m
- Depth: 19.075 – 10.67m
- Draught: 5.81m
- Tonnage: 1966 – 2239 gross/437 – 732 net/3350 – 3207t deadweight
- Engines: 2 x Oil 4SA 12-cyl, Deutz diesels
- Power: 3972 kW/5400 bHP
- Speed: 16 knots
- Capacity: 12 passengers/540 lane meters/G: 7191
- Call Sign: FNKM. HZXJ
- IMO Number: 7105366
- Official Number: 9472
- Port of Registry: Morlaix/France 🇫🇷, Brest/France 🇫🇷, Jeddah/Saudi Arabia 🇸🇦, Piraeus/Greece 🇬🇷
History
1972: Ordered by Topaz Shipping Corp, Monrovia, Liberia under the name LILAC for the service of the Israeli Navy.
July 13th 1970: Keel laid.
April 22nd 1971: Launched.
1971: Initial contract not completed and, while the vessel was moored in Vigo, sold to Brittany Ferries.
© Brittany Ferries
November 4th 1972: Sold to Bretagne Angleterre Ireland SA, (Brittany Ferries), Morlaix, France.
November 1972: Chartered to P&O Normandy Ferries for services Southampton – Le Havre.
January 2nd 1973: Inaugurated Brittany Ferries, freight only, services Roscoff – Plymouth.
“Brittany Ferries was conceived in 1972, starting life as a freight-only service. In 1973 their first ferry (KERISNEL) linked Roscoff in Brittany with Plymouth in the South of England and carried a cargo of artichokes and cauliflowers.”
January 3rd 1973: Maiden arrival Plymouth.
© Brittany Ferries
© Richard Parsons
October 1974: Sold to Cie. Générale Maritime, Marseille, France and renamed LA DURANCE.
January 1983: Sold to Baaboud Trading & Shipping Agencies, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia and renamed AL ZAHER IV.
1995: Sold to Anoymos Naftiliaki Metaforiki Eteria Zakynthou A.E., Piraeus, Greece and renamed AGIOS DIONISSIOS S.
2001: Laid up in Las Palmas.
© Marius Esman (Las Palmas, 06/12/2006)
2014: Sold at auction to Turkish breakers.
May 2014: Whilst being towed to Aliaga, Turkey she started taking on water and eventually sank in position 32,03N/ 09,53W north of Lanzarote.
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: Marius Esman and Andreas Wörteler for their assistance in producing this feature.
Article © Nigel Thornton and Ray Goodfellow (Dover Ferry Photos Group)
