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MV Blue Star 1 – Past and Present

IMO Number: 9197105

MV Blue Star 1

ex Superferry Atlantic

© Carsten Dettmer

© Carsten Dettmer (Syros, 18/08/2019)

Steel twin screw motor vessel built in 2000 by Van der Giessen de Noord, Krimpen aan den Ijssel, Netherlands, (Yard No 976) as a Roll-On/Roll-Off (Passenger) vehicle ferry for Blue Star Ferries, Piraeus, Greece

Technical Data

  • Length: 171.40 m (overall) 160.60 m (between perpendiculars)
  • Breadth: 25.70  m
  • Depth:  m
  • Draught: 6.45 m
  • Tonnage: 29415 gross/10048 net/4563t deadweight
  • Engines: 4 x MAN B&W 8L58/64 diesels
  • Power: 44480 kW/HP
  • Speed: 27.0 knots (Max)
  • Capacity: 1802 – 1890 passengers/1745 lane meters/640 – 780 vehicles
  • Cabins: 176
  • Call Sign: SWET
  • MMSI Number: 239710000
  • IMO Number: 9197105
  • Port of Registry: Piraeus/Greece 🇬🇷
  • Sister Ship: Blue Star 2


Current AIS Location


Please note that this specific vessels AIS position data may be over an hour old and that the vessels position will only be displayed when it is within range of the VesselFinder AIS system. The AIS transponder/ship position data featured on this page is intended for information purposes only and it is in no way related to the 'Safety of Navigation at Sea'. All the AIS ship position data featured within this article is provided by VesselFinder and we are therefore not responsible for its content or its accuracy.


History

July 1998: Contract date. The vessel was originally intended to be named SUPERFERRY ATLANTIC.

August 24th 1999: Keel struck. 

December 24th 1999: Launched as BLUE STAR 1

© PKFVchannel

June 6th 2000: Delivered to Blue Star Ferries (Strintzis Line), Piraeus, Greece.

June 13th 2000: Blue Star Ferries services between Ancona – Brindisi – Patras.

© Blue Star Ferries

January 1st 2001: Services between Patras – Ancona.

July 2002: Services between Piraeus – Patmos – Leros – Kos – Rhodes.

March 4th 2005: Services between Patras – Igoumenitsa – Bari.

© Aleksi Lindström (Patras, 18/06/2006)

January 3rd 2007: Final service between Patras – Igoumenitsa – Bari.

January 2007: Arrived Neorion Shipyards, Syros Island for addition of 15 new cabins.

January 26th 2007: Left Piraeus for Zeebrugge.

January 29th 2007: Arrived Zeebrugge.

January 29th 2007: Services Zeebrugge – Rosyth.

© Marko Stampehl  © Bram Provost

© Marko Stampehl (Zeebrugge, 04/04/2007) (Left) and © Bram Provost (Zeebrugge 01/08/2007) (Right)

© Simonwp

© Simonwp (Zeebrugge, 01/08/2008)

September 14th 2008: Final service between Rosyth – Zeebrugge.

September 19th 2008: Arrived Patras.

September 24th 2008: Services Patras – Igoumenitsa – Bari.

February 10th 2011 – March 21st 2011: Services Patras – Igoumenitsa – Ancona.

March 22nd 2011 – March 26th 2011: Services between Patras – Igoumenitsa – Bari.

March 27th 2011: Services between Piraeus – Syros – Santorini – Patmos – Leros – Kos – Rhodes.

February 1st 2012: Services Piraeus – Heraklion.

November 14th 2013 – November 15th 2013: Left Piraeus for Patras.

November 15th 2014 – December 8th 2013: Services between Patras – Igoumenitsa – Ancona.

© Andreas Wörteler  © Andreas Wörteler

© Andreas Wörteler (Patras)

December 8th 2013 – December 9th 2013: Sailed from Patras to Piraeus.

January 9th 2014 – March 30th 2014: Services Piraeus – Chios – Mytilene.

April 3rd 2014: Services Piraeus – Santorini – Kos – Rhodes.

October 26th 2014: Services between Piraeus – Chios – Mytilene.

January 29th 2015: Services Piraeus – Heraklion.

February 23rd 2015: Services Piraeus – Syros – Patmos – Leros – Kos – Rodos.

May 26th 2015: Services between Piraeus – Psara – Chios – Mytilene/ Piraeus – Karlovasi – Chios – Mytilene – Lemnos – Kavala.

September 11th 2020: Arrived in Piraeus and laid up.

March 3rd 2021 – March 17th 2021: To Perama dry dock for scheduled repairs.

March 5th 2021: News that she was to be chartered to Irish Ferries for approximately 2 years.

March 20th 2021: To Piraeus port to be prepared for her charter to Irish Ferries.


Blue Star 1 – Irish Ferries Livery

 

 

 

 

 

© Christos Chatzaras (all) Voyager Shipspotting

 

© Dimitris Mentakis (29/03/2021)

March 26th 2021: Announcement made by Irish Ferries that the Blue Star 1 would be introduced between Rosslare and Pembroke Dock in early April 2021 as a replacement for the Isle of Inishmore which was being transferred to Irish Ferries new Dover-Calais service.

Irish Ferries introduces a newer and faster ship onto the Rosslare – Pembroke Route

26 MAR 2021

Irish Ferries is pleased to announce the addition of the RoRo passenger ferry Blue Star 1 to its Rosslare to Pembroke Dock route. The ship is being chartered from the Attica Group and delivery is expected in early April 2021.

Blue Star 1 was built in 2000 by the Van der Giessen de Noord shipyard in the Netherlands, the same shipyard that in 1997 built Irish Ferries Isle of Inishmore, currently servicing the Rosslare to Pembroke Dock route. The Blue Star 1 has the capacity to carry up to 1,500 passengers, 100 freight vehicles and up to 700 cars depending on freight volume. The ship offers a host of quality facilities including 192 cabins for freight drivers/passengers, self-service restaurant, café/bar, Club Class lounge, onboard duty-free shop, children’s play area and spacious outdoor decks. The tripling of cabin numbers will facilitate more single occupancy cabins for freight drivers, a welcome development for our freight customers.

Andrew Sheen, Irish Ferries Managing Director, said: “We are very pleased to add a quality ship of the calibre of the versatile Blue Star 1 to the Irish Ferries fleet. This ship will be the fastest RoRo Passenger ship operating between Britain and Ireland and this will help ensure schedule integrity. The introduction of this ship underlines our commitment to the Rosslare to Pembroke route, the primary shipping corridor between Ireland and South Wales. It also underlines our commitment to the significant contribution that this route makes in facilitating trade for both exporters and importers as well as facilitating essential passenger movements and future tourists as the country re-opens post COVID-19.

Source: Irish Ferries

March 31st 2021: Departed Piraeus for Rosslare.

 

© Christos Chatzaras Voyager Shipspotting

© Christos Chatzaras Voyager Shipspotting

April 5th 2021: Arrived Rosslare.

 © Brian Cloney

© Brian Boyce (Left) and © Brian Cloney, Rosslare, 05/04/2021(Right)

April 5th 2021: Sailed to Pembroke before returning to Rosslare Anchorage.

April 6th 2021: Took up service Rosslare – Pembroke Dock.

November 12th 2021: Collided with a quay in Rosslare Europort and suffered port-side damage. Taken off service.

November 15th 2021: Left Rosslare for Belfast.

November 16th 2021: Arrived at Harland & Wolff, Belfast for repairs.

© Luke Wilson © Luke Wilson

🆕 © Luke Wilson

November 29th 2021: Departed Belfast for Rosslare to resume service.

© Dogan © Dogan © Dogan © Dogan

© Dogan (Cherbourg, 08/05/2022)

June 13th 2022: Detained for three days under Paris MOU.

November 4th 2022: Suffering “technical issues”, came off service and sailed to Dunkerque.

November 5th 2022: Arrived Dunkerque East and entered dry-dock.

© Julien Carpentier © Julien Carpentier © Julien Carpentier © Julien Carpentier © Julien Carpentier

© Julien Carpentier (Dunkerque, 05/11/2022)

© Julien Carpentier

© Julien Carpentier (Dunkerque, 13/11/2022)

November 18th 2022: Left Dunkerque East and sailed to Pembroke Dock.

© Christophe De Langhe © Christophe De Langhe © Christophe De Langhe © Christophe De Langhe © Christophe De Langhe © Christophe De Langhe

© Christophe De Langhe (Dunkerque, 18/11/2022)

November 19th 2022: Arrived in Pembroke.

November 25th 2022: Took up service Pembroke – Rosslare.

December 9th 2022: Detained under Paris MOU in Rosslare.

December 12th 2022: Resumed service.

May 30th 2023: Final commercial sailing Pembroke – Rosslare. Charter completed at Rosslare.

Courtesy of A2B via Sea Courtesy of A2B via Sea Courtesy of A2B via Sea

Courtesy of A2B via Sea (Rosslare, 31/05/2023)

May 31st 2023: Left Rosslare for Piraeus (eta 05/06/2023)

© Brian Boyce

© Brian Boyce (Rosslare, 31/05/2023)

June 4th 2023: Arrived Piraeus.

June 6th 2023: Took up services Piraeus – Cyclades Islands (Paros-Naxos-Ios-Santorini).


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: A2B via Sea, Brian Boyce, Julien Carpentier, Brian Cloney, Carsten Dettmer, Dogan, Christophe De Langhe, Lindström, Bram Provost, Simonwp, Marko Stampehl, Christos Chatzaras (Voyager ShipSpotting), Luke Wilson and Andreas Wörteler for their assistance in producing this feature.

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

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