MV Anna Marine
ex Stena Leader, European Leader, Buffalo
© W J Harvey, courtesy of World Ship Society
Steel twin screw motor vessel built in 1975 at J J Sietas KG, Hamburg, Germany (Yard No 756) for Stena Line Gothenburg, but sold whilst on the stocks to P&O as a roll-on roll-off cargo/passenger vessel
Technical Data
- Length: 125.02m (overall), 111.99m (between perpendiculars)(1975)/141.81m (overall),128.81m ((between perpendiculars)(1988)/157.36m (overall), 144.2m (between perpendiculars) (1998)
- Breadth: 19.05m(1975)/19.44m (1988 -1998))
- Depth: 11.99m
- Draught: 3.785m(1975)/5.771m(1988)/5.3m (1998)
- Tonnage: 3,483 gross (1975) 10.987 (1988)12,879 (1998)/1,171 net (1975) 3,296 (1988) 3,864 (1998)/5805t deadweight (1975), 4377 tonnes (1988)
- Engines: 2 x 12 cylinder Kloeckner Humboldt Deutz 12M540 diesels Combined Engine
- Power: 12000 bhp
- Speed: 18.5 knots
- Capacity: 12 passengers (1975),45 (1988), 80 passengers (1998)/1300 (4265′ 1″) (90 – 95 freight units depending on size)
- Lane Metres: 1,608 (1998)
- Call Sign: GUNG, ZCBF8, ERMW
- IMO Number: 7361582.
- Registry: London/ UK 🇬🇧, Hamilton/Bermuda 🇧🇲, Giurgiulești/Moldova 🇲🇩
- Sister Ships: Bison (755), Union Melbourne (757)
History
January 6th 1975: Launched for Stena Ab, Göteborg. Sold whilst being built to P&O Ferries Ltd., London, England.
March 26th 1975: Delivered to P&O Ferries Ltd, London, England.
© John Clarkson, courtesy of World Ship Society
© John Morris (@ Fleetwood)
April 1975: Commenced service between Fleetwood – Larne.
© Ian Collard
October 8th 1975: Registered to Hain Nourse Ltd, London, England. (Belfast Steamship Co Ltd, managers).
March 7th 1978: Registered to P&O Ferries Ltd, London, England.
© Simonwp (@ Larne)
November 1st 1979 – December 1st 1979: Bareboat chartered to Tor Line.
© Cees de Bijl
January 5th 1980 – January 26th 1980: Operated for P&O Normandy Ferries between Dover – Boulogne.
Nicolas Lévy Collection (@ Boulogne) (as noted) and © Gordon Wise (Moored in The Camber, Dover) (as noted)
🆕 © John Hendy (Dover, Eastern Arm 19/01/1980)
December 31st 1984: Registered Owner; Pandoro Ltd, Registered Manager; POETS Fleet Management Ltd, London, England.
© Aubrey Dale (Larne, February 1987)(Left) © Paul T (Right)
1988: Rebuilt and lengthened at Hall, Russell & Co, Aberdeen, Scotland.
Nigel Thornton Collection
© Aubrey Dale (Dublin 05/05/1991) (Left) and (Larne 05/02/1993) (Right)
July 24th 1996: Commenced service between Fleetwood – Larne.
March 2nd 1997: Registered to P&O Ship Management, Hamilton, Bermuda.
Between April 20th 1998 – July 20th 1998: Lengthened with extra passenger accommodation at A&P Appledore, Falmouth.
August 1998: Officially renamed EUROPEAN LEADER. Commenced service for P&O European Ferries Irish Sea.
Simplon, Nigel Thornton Collection
September 17th 2000: Suffered engine failure and ran aground near Liverpool. Re-floated and continued.
January 8th 2001: Commenced service between Fleetwood – Larne.
2004: Sold to Stena Line, London, England and registered to Stena Ropax.
© Trevor Kidd
April 25th 2004: Renamed STENA LEADER.
© Scott Mackey
March 1st 2006: Entered NSL ‘wet basin’ Birkenhead for emergency repairs to the Stern Door which was damaged at Larne after the vessel was blown off the berth when the forward mooring ropes [140t break strain] parted in high winds. Work carried out by Scott Lithgow Shiprepairers a subsidiary of Northwestern Shiprepairers.
© Aubrey Dale
© Trevor Kidd
2009: Registered Owner; Nevis Leasing Ltd./Registered Manager; Stena Line Ltd
© Scott Mackey (Harland and Wolff, fresh from overhaul in 2010)
© Simonwp (Larne, August 2010)
December 17th 2010: Final day in service Larne – Fleetwood.
December 2010: Laid up at Albert Quay, Belfast.
© Aubrey Dale
© Scott Mackey
May 2011: Sold to Stena Tulip Ltd, Hamilton, Bermuda
May 2011: Sold to an unknown Russian company.
June 2011: Renamed ANNA MARINE. Moldovan flag, home port of Giurgiulesti.
© Scott Mackey
© Trevor Kidd (All)
June 18th 2011: Departed Belfast for Sevastopol.
© Yevgniy B
February 27th 2012: “Made her maiden voyage from Port Zonguldak (Turkey) to Port Skadovsk (Ukraine), carrying 53 passengers and 52 trucks on board, as Turkish, Ukrainian, Iranian and Syrian cargoes were shipping to different final destinations located in Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan and Belarus.” (Anrusstrans)
June 8th 2012: “The ROPAX ferry “ANNA MARINE” (Master A.V. Lyakhov) put out from the Turkish port Mersin to call Saudi Arabian port Duba, sailing the route down the Suez Canal (Port-Said – Port Suez, Egypt). The vessel shipped 74 trucks, an automobile and 76 passengers. The vessel is projected to service the ferry line on a regular basis, shipping passengers, Ro-Ro and other types cargo from Turkey to Saudi Arabia.” (Anrusstrans)
October 14th 2012: “Last known” to be at Suez having travelled through the canal from Port Said.
February 10th 2014: Arrived at Aliaga for scrapping.
© Selim San
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: Yevgeniy B, Ian Collard, Aubrey Dale, John Hendy, Nicolas Lévy, John Morris, Selim San, Simonwp, Paul T, Gordon Wise and Andreas Wörteler for their assistance in producing this feature. A special thanks goes to Trevor Kidd and the World Ship Society (East Kent Branch).
Article © Nigel Thornton and Ray Goodfellow (Dover Ferry Photos Group)
hi. I have really enjoyed this page and it was great to see all the photos of the ships. I’m sure it is an oversight on someone’s part but ‘Pandora’ should be ‘Pandoro’. P and O Roll On (roll off). I worked for them fo twenty one years and was on board the Bison, Buffalo, Puma and even the Ibex on some of her trips to Larne. I sh Memorable times for me with Pandoro. I shunted some of them and was often on board with fork-lifts, etc.
Incidentally, my father worked there in Larne when it was called Northern Ireland Trailers.
Hill.
Hi,
Thanks for your comments and good to hear that you enjoyed the page.
Nice to see that you spotted the “Deliberate” mistake (not).
Rgds
Nigel T
Thank you, I really find it interesting but sad to know what happened the ships I travelled on frequently between Larne and Fleetwood so many times in the nineties with all the other great friends in the trucking world that has now changed completely..Many’s a good night in the lounge of the “Buffalo” the “Bison” the “Navigator”
George,
Thanks for commenting. Much appreciated.
I could do a history of the Bison as a sister???
Rgds
Nigel Thornton
I worked at Hall Russell when we lengthened this ship. We built the new mid body in Aberdeen then towed it down to Leith. Our dry-dock in Aberdeen was 112m long which was too small for the buffalo. We took her into the Leith dry-dock, cut her in half and flooded the dock. We then towed the forward half into the harbour, it looked really odd half a ship floating. We then pulled the new mid-body into the dock. I was in charge of it and was onboard with four Leith Dockers. I remember it taking longer than planned to winch it in, and the 4. 30 pm hooter went off, and I was stuck on her about 20ft away from the aft half with these 4 Dockers. We were stuck there until about 7. 20pm until the nightshift crane driver dropped the gangway, I got a hard time from the Dockers, escaping being thrown in the dock!
My first trip to Larne was on the “Buffalo”..Had sticker in the rear cab window for years “Ride the Buffalo” !
P.S. Could I put one of your pics of the Buffalo on an old drivers site==( S.O.F.A. )
Feel free with the necessary credit.
Only problem should be that the right click (save function) should be disabled?
Which pic are you after?
Rgds
Nigel Thornton
I have a pic I took of her in Aberdeen harbour as she left, a stern view, anything from side or bow.