MV Spice Island Girl
Ex Spice Island, Isle of Ely
Steel single screw motor vessel, built in 1958 by Goole Shipbuilding & Repairing Co., Ltd (Yard No. 512), for the British Transport Commission
Technical Data
- Length: 73.72 m (overall) 68.89 m (between perpendiculars)
- Breadth: 11.43 m
- Depth: 7.01 m
- Draught: 4.331 m
- Tonnage: 866.46 – 1,059 – 1,492 -1,451 gross/277.99 – 767 – 794 net/935 – 929 – 944 deadweight
- Engines: 8 – cylinder, type 8VOXM single acting 4 stroke Ruston & Hornsby, Lincoln diesel
- Power: 1604 kW/2150 BHP
- Speed: 15.45 knots (max), 13.5 knots (economical)
- Capacity: 89,171 cu ft bale, 42 standard type containers or equivalent general cargo/150 cellular containers
- Call Sign: GBHW, HOXK
- IMO Number: 5164980
- Official Number: 187876
- Port of Registry: Harwich/UK, Panama
- Sister-Ship: Colchester (III)
History
July 18th 1958: Launched. (Specifically designed to carry full loads of rail containers or general cargo, or alternatively part loads of each)
October 1958: Completed and based at Harwich.
October 27th 1958: Maiden voyage (Harwich – Antwerp) replacing SHERINGHAM
1963: Ownership transferred to British Railways Board
© Bob Scott
May – June 1968: Converted by Redhead’s to a container-ship.
June 1968: Harwich – Rotterdam, the service to Antwerp being terminated at the end of May.
October 24th 1969: Transferred to Holyhead – Dublin.
January 31st 1972: Transferred to Heysham – Belfast.
July 11th 1973: Last trip Heysham – Belfast.
July 11th 1973 – August 5th 1973: Laid up.
July 6th 1972: First sailing of three sailing Southampton – Channel Islands
August 20th 1973: Transferred to Fishguard – Waterford.
November 8th 1975: Last trip Fishguard – Waterford.
November 12th 1975: Transferred to Harwich – Dunkirk.
December 8th/9th/10th 1975: Sailed Harwich to Barrow for lay-up.
1978: Reverted to a cargo ship.
March 11th 1978: Sold to Pounds Marine Shipping Ltd for £70,000 and renamed SPICE ISLAND
1978: Sold to Desio Shipping Co
1979: Sold to Grail Shipping Co and renamed SPICE ISLAND GIRL. She was holed at this time and served with an Admiralty writ as “unsafe”
Courtesy of PWR
1980: Sold to Annandale Trading & Finance Inc.
March 29th 1982: Laid up at Portsmouth.
September 1984: Sold for scrap.
December 31st 1984: Broken up at J. Bakker & Zoon, Bruges
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: “PWR”, Bob Scott and Andreas Wörteler for their assistance in producing this feature.
Article © Nigel Thornton and Ray Goodfellow (Dover Ferry Photos Group)
