MV Santa Rita

ex Juniper, Cap Benat

Juniper – Bernt Anderson Collection

Steel single screw motor vessel built in 1977 by Soc, Nouvelle de Atlantic & Ch, Du Havre, Le Havre, France (Yard No. 237),Cie. Maritime des Chargeurs Reunis S.A. (C.M.C.R.), France.

Technical Data

• Length: 109.71m (overall), 98.86m (between perpendiculars)
• Breadth of Hull: 17.53m(extreme), 17.51m (moulded)
• Depth: 11.10m
• Draft: 5.21m
• Tonnage: 1,575 gross/779 net/2,700 deadweight
• Engines: two 9-cylinder MaK diesels
• Power: 4,855 kW/6,600 b.h.p.
• Speed: 16.0 knots
• Capacity: 12 passengers and 564m of cargo
• Call Sign: FTQY, C4VY,XCCO4
• IMO Number: 7500712
• Registry: Marseille/France, Limassol/Cyprus, La Paz/Mexico
• Sister Ships: Cap Lardier, Cap Taillat
  

History

January 21st 1977: Completed as CAP BENAT.

1977: Delivered to Cie. Maritime des Chargeurs Reunis S.A. (C.M.C.R.), France.

1986: Sold to Baron Shipping Co. Ltd., Limassol, Cyprus, renamed JUNIPER. Commenced service for Transeuropa Line in the Adriatic Sea.

July 29th 1990 – January 26th 1991: Chartered to Commodore Ferries. Operated between Portsmouth – Channel Islands.

1991 – December 22nd 1991: Chartered to Norfolk Line, Scheveningen, Holland for services between Scheveningen – Yarmouth

Juniper – © Simonwp (Arriving Gt Yarmouth, 01/06/1988)

Juniper – © Ken Larwood (Gt Yarmouth, March 1990)(all)

Juniper – © Pieter Inpyn (Scheveningen, 01/06/1992)

January 25th 1994 – June 11th 1994: Chartered to Commodore Ferries. Operated between Portsmouth – Channel Islands.

1992: Registered owner; Baron Shipping Co. Ltd. Manager; Dexterson Shipping Co. Ltd.

July 1994: Chartered to Irish Ferries. Operated between Rosslare and Cherbourg.

© John Hendy (Rosslare 1994)

November 1994: Chartered to Cotunav.

November 24th 1998: Arrived Ostend.

November 26th 1998 – April 26th 1999: Operated between Ostend – Ramsgate.

Juniper – © Mark Leiper (Ramsgate)

Juniper – 🆕© Fotoflite

1999: Commenced service between Italy – Albania.

2003: Sold to Heino Winter GmBH & Co, Santa Rita, Mexico and managed by Scanwint Ship Management. Renamed SANTA RITA.

Santa Rita – © Mikael Soderholm (Mazatlan, Mexico. October 2005) (all)

September 24th 2003: Ran aground near La Paz, Mexico.

2005: Registered owner Transportacion MTMA, California.

Santa Rita – © Captain Peter (both) (Balboa, Panama 2007)

2011: Broken Up.

All information is believed to be correct and no responsibility is accepted for any errors or omissions found. All items included in this article are subject to © copyright. We would like to take this opportunity of thanking: John F Hendy, Pieter Inpyn, Mark Leiper, Captain Peter, Simonwp, Mikael Soderholm and Andreas Wörteler.

Special thanks go to Ken Larwood.

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