MV Grecia Express
ex Norwind
© Simonwp (Hull, 06/06/1982)
Steel twin screw motor vessel built in 1966 by A.G.”Weser” Werk Seebeck, Bremerhaven, (Yard No 899) as a Passenger/RoRo Cargo/Ferry
Technical Data
- Length: 108.82 m (overall) 97.34m (between perpendiculars)
- Breadth: 18.95m
- Depth: 13.70m
- Draught: 5.119m
- Tonnage: 3692 – 3598 – 4112 gross /1661 – 1603 – 1989 net/1984t – 1884t deadweight
- Engines: Two 14-cylinder Smit & Bolnes diesels
- Power: 3825 kW/5200 bHP
- Speed: 15 knots
- Capacity: 249 passengers/70 cars/47 commercial trailers
- Call Sign: PGKB, SVJE
- IMO Number: 6525909
- Official Number: 13838/9237
- Port of Registry: Rotterdam/Netherlands 🇳🇱, Piraeus/Greece 🇬🇷
- Sister Ships: Norwave (898)
History
October 22nd 1965: Launched
March 1966: Delivered to Noordzee Verdiensten N.V., Rotterdam, Holland.
March 21st 1966: Commenced service with North Sea Ferries between Europoort (Rotterdam) – Hull.
December 1974: Commenced service between Zeebrugge – Hull.
© Simonwp (Hull, 23/07/1978) (Left) and (Hull, 13/05/1979) (Right)
© Wolfgang Fricke (Hull, 01/07/1979)
© Simonwp (Hull, 12/07/1981) (Left) and (Hull, 09/03/1985) (Right)
© Simonwp (Zeebrugge, 19/06/1986)
© PWR (Hull)
July 5th 1987: Final day in service between Hull – Zeebrugge.
October 1987: Sold to Ventouris Lines, Piraeus, Greece. (Registered to Gitanic Shipping Co, Honduras). Renamed GRECIA EXPRESS.
1988: After rebuild in Greece commenced service between Patras – Corfu – Igoumenitsa – Bari.
1992 (LR): Registered owner; Ventouris Group Enterprises S.A. Registered manager; Strive Shipping Corp.
© Bernd Crause (24/07/1992)
© Bernd Crause (27/07/1992)
March 6th 1994: “While laid up for the winter in the port of Aegion, Greece, sank under mysterious circumstances. She was declared a total loss and sold for breaking. Her owners, Ventouris, filed a $10 million insurance claim, alleging the ship was maliciously sunk by unknown parties. Underwriters refused to pay out the claim, arguing the shipowner, George Ventouris, was complicit in deliberately scuttling the vessel and pointing to past suspicious losses of related fleet ships. London High Court cleared Ventouris of any wrongdoing, ruling that while the ship was likely sunk maliciously by unknown individuals, insurers failed to prove the owner had any involvement.”.
1995: Sold to Seltas Gemi Sokum A.S. Aliaga, Turkey for scrap.
June 6th 1995: Arrived, under tow, at Aliaga, Turkey.
August 15th 1995: Scrapping began.
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: Bernd Crause, Wolfgang Fricke, PWR, Simonwp and Andreas Wörteler for their assistance in producing this feature.
Article © Nigel Thornton and Ray Goodfellow (Dover Ferry Photos Group)
Hello,
Thanks for your great site.
I was interested to see the photos of the former Nordwind. I have happy memories of family holidays that began with a trip to Rotterdam on the Norwood and Norwave.
However the information on your page conflicts with what I’ve read elsewhere:
1 the Norwind was renamed Italia Express after her sale to Ventouris. It was her sister ship Norwave that became Grecia Express.
2 Both ships were sunk by suspected terrorist activity, not by fire. Indeed your final photo shows a ship that has clearly been lying underwater for a long time, rather than the victim of a fire.
Of course your page might be right and my sources wrong, but it does seem to have been widely documented due to the court case that followed both losses.
Thanks for the comments.
Pease monitor your email/trash/junk/spam for a reply
Rds
NT