MV Rigel II
ex Scandinavia, Visborg, Visby, Stena Felicity, Felicity, Visby
© Fotoflite
Steel twin screw ”Visby Class” motor vessel built in 1980 by Öresundsvarvet, Landskrona (Yard No 278) as a Passenger/RoRo Cargo Ferry
Technical Data
- Length: 142.33 (overall) 132.00 m (between perpendiculars)
- Breadth: 24.52 m
- Depth: 8.10 m
- Draught: 5.70 m
- Tonnage: 14932 – 15001 – 23775 – 23842 gross/8379 net/ 2840 – 2750- 2373.84t deadweight
- Engines: 4 x B & W 8K45GFC GUC diesels
- Power: 21478 kW/29200 bHP
- Speed: 19.5 knots (service)
- Capacity: 1142/2072/1832 passengers C.V’s + cars 36 + 180, cars only 515
- Call Sign: SIJM, 5BGR4
- MMSI Number: 209077000
- Polish Ships Register Number: 103059 (current)
- IMO Number: 7826788
- Port of Registry: Visby/Sweden 🇸🇪, Nassau/Bahamas 🇧🇸, Limassol/Cyprus 🇨🇾
- Sister Ships: Gotland (279)
Current AIS Location
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History
October 1st 1979: Keel laid.
January 25th 1980: Launched as VISBY for Rederi AB Gotland at an original estimated cost of SEK 165 million which rose to SEK 400 million.
October 10th 1980: Delivered five months behind schedule with major deadweight problems. She was 800 tons heavier than expected increasing her draft and causing problems for her expected destinations.
October 22nd 1980: Entered service Between Gotland – Swedish mainland ports of Nynashamn and Oskarshamn, but after three weeks had be returned to her builders with major problems in her cooling system.
1980: Following repairs she was laid-up for the winter.
1981 (Summer): Resumed service Gotland – Nynäshamn/Oskarshamn
© Gordon Dalzell (Visby, August 1982)
1987: The contract to run ferry services to Gotland was awarded to Gotlandslinjen who briefly chartered the vessel.
September 1987: Sealink British Ferries secure long charter of the vessel.
© Pieter Inpyn (Oskarshamn, June 1988)
December 31st 1989: Sailed from Sweden to Tilbury for a £2 million major refit.
January 6th 1990 (20.30 hrs): Delivered to Sealink UK Ltd and renamed FELICITY. Owing to a manning dispute her entry into service was delayed and she sailed to Dunkerque for lay up.
Roy Thornton Collection
February 28th 1990: Left Dunkerque.
March 2nd 1990: Arrived Rosslare for berthing trials.
March 2nd 1990: Arrived Fishguard for berthing trials. She then went to lay-by in Fishguard for storing, training and installation of Catering vending equipment.
March 5th 1990: Entered service between Fishguard – Rosslare.
© Aubrey Dale (Rosslare 1990)
© Brian Fisher (Swansea, June 1990)
© Tony Garner (Fishguard, 03/06/1990)
1991: Stena full takeover of Sealink U.K. Ltd for a sum believed to be in the region of £259 million. The fleet’s livery was changed to reflect the fact. Renamed STENA FELICITY
Roy Thornton Collection
© Aubrey Dale (Fishguard, 12/07/1992)
1993–1996: Stena Sealink Line livery
© Andreas Wörteler (Fishguard, 15/05/1994)
© Bernd Crause (Fishguard, 15/05/1994)
December 31st,1995 (midnight): Stena Sealink Line ceased as a company name and all ships in the fleet adopted the trading name of Stena Line. The fleet was painted in the Scandinavian livery.
© Fotoflite
Nigel Thornton Collection
1997: Charter ended and her place on the Fishguard route was taken by the KONINGIN BEATRIX.
© Andreas Wörteler (Bremerhaven, 17/08/1997)
1997: Following a rebuild in Germany, she re-entered Destination Gotland service under her original name of VISBY.
January 1st 1998: Services Visby – Nynäshamn.
© Simonwp (Visby, 01/08/1999)
© Andreas Wörteler (Nynäshamn, 24/06/2001)
January 13th 2003: Renamed VISBORG.
© Micke Asklander
March 31st 2003: Laid up in Kappelshamn.
May 8th 2003: Laid up in Landskrona.
2003: Sold to Polferries and renamed SCANDINAVIA.
July 16th 2003: Service between Gdansk – Nynäshamn.
© Simonwp (Gdansk, 01/08/2009)
© Carsten Dettmer (Gdansk, 24/10/2013)
May 8th 2015: Final service between Nynäshamn – Gdansk.
2015: Sold to Ventouris Ferries for delivery in May.
May 9th 2015: Arrived in Gdansk after her last Nynäshamn – Gdansk service.
May 11th 2015: Taken over by her new owners.
May 12th 2015: Registered to Bute Maritime Co, Piraeus, Greece and renamed RIGEL II.
May 14th 2015: Left Gdansk for Igoumenitsa.
May 25th 2015: Arrived Igoumenitsa.
June 23rd 2015: Left Igoumenitsa for Durres
June 2015: Services between Bari – Dürres
May 2016: Dry-docking in Valletta before sailing to Aigio for certification.
© Emmanuel. L. Stafrace (Valletta, 16/05/2016)
June 9th 2016: Left Aigio for Bari.
June 10th 2016: Resumed Bari – Durres services.
March 27th 2017: Left Durres for refit in Aigio.
May 17th 2015: Left Aigio for Durres.
May 21st 2017: Resumed Durres – Bari services.
September 15th 2015: Completed seasonal sailings Durres – Bari and sailed to Aigio for lay-up.
December 12th 2017: Left Aigio and sailed to Durres.
December 13th 2017: Arrived Durres.
December 14th 2017: Resumed Durres – Bari services.
March 1st 2018: Out of service and laid up in Durres.
March 4th 2018: Left Durres for refit in Valletta, Malta.
March 6th 2018: Arrived in Valletta.
© Emannuel L (Valletta 08/03/2018)
March 12th 2018: Left Valletta for Aigio to continue lay up.
May 12th 2018: Sailed to Durres and resumed Durres – Bari services.
September 28th 2018: Came off service and laid up in Durres.
October 17th 2018: Left Durres for refit in Aigio.
December 30th 2018: Refit completed and remained Aigio.
May 19th 2019: Resumed services Bari – Durres.
© Domenico C (Bari, 22/05/2019)
October 7th 2019: Came off service and sailed to Aigio for lay up
December 9th 2019: Returned to Durres – Bari services.
March 10th 2020: Arrived in Perama.
June 15th 2020 – June 18th 2020: Dry docked in Piraeus.
July 1st 2020: Annual dry docking in Perama.
July 4th 2020: Left Piraeus for Durres and resumed service.
September 6th 2020: Completed sailings and sailed to Aigio for refit/lay up
June 29th 2021: Left Aigio for Durres and resumed service.
September 29th 2021: Final seasonal sailing Bari – Durres and remained in Durres for lay up.
December 12th 2021: Returned to service Bari – Durres.
May 9th 2022: Dry-docked in Piraeus.
© Giwrgos Mertis (Perama, 12/05/2022)
May 13th 2022: Left dry-dock and departed Piraeus for Durres.
May 19th 2022: Resumed service Bari – Durres.
© Domenico C (Bari, 23/07/2022)
October 1st 2022: Completed service at Durres and left for Perama.
October 23rd 2022: Winter lay-up in Perama.
February 19th 2023: In collision with the ferry ARIADNE which was moving from the Perama floating dock. Minor damage to the railings and the MES system.
April 2023: Prepared for summer seasonal service.
May 31st 2023: Trials
June 2023: Overnight services Bari – Durres
© Patrick Heard
© Patrick Heard (Bari, 04/07/2023)
October 17th 2023: Completed seasonal sailings.
December 29th 2023: Resumed Bari – Durres.
February 4th 2024: Came off service at Durres and sailed to Perama.
February 6th 2024: Arrived Salamina for refit.
© Strike7 (S Predaris)(Salamina, 23/02/2024) 🆕 © Giwrgos Mertis (Salamina, 27/02/2024)
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: Micke Asklander, Domenico C, Bernd Crause, Aubrey Dale, Gordon Dalzell, Brian Fisher, Tony Garner, Pieter Inpyn, Giwrgos Mertis, Emmanuel. L. Stafrace, Strike7 and Andreas Wörteler for their assistance in producing this feature.
Hi
Used Felicity many times sailing to Rosslare from Fishguard..Just read her history! Checkered at best it seems..Although very interesting..Thanks
Before Felicity it was Brendan, a real shaker..The bottles in Duty Free used to rattle all the way across..Only 3.5 hours!!