MV GNV Cristal
ex SNAV Sardegna, Pride of Le Havre, Olau Hollandia (II)
© Ulrich Streich
Steel twin screw motor vessel built in 1989 at Schichau Seebeckwerft AG, Bremerhaven, Germany (Yard No 1067) as a passenger car and commercial vehicle trailer ferry for Olau Line, Hamburg, Germany
Technical Data
- Length: 165.00 m (overall), 144 m (between perpendiculars)
- Breadth: 33.40m (extreme), 29.0m (moulded)
- Depth: 18.93m.
- Draught: 6.501m (maximum)
- Tonnage: 33,336 gross/17,001 net/5120 deadweight
- Engines: Four Zgoda-Sulzer 8ZA40S diesels
- Power: 19600 kW/26,646 hp
- Speed: 21.0 knots (23 knots max)
- Capacity: 1642 passengers 575 cars or 120 trailers.
- Call Sign: DNHO, MSTJ8, IBUB
- IMO Number: 8712518
- Official Number: 16100/725334
- MMSI Number: 247163900
- Registry: Hamburg/Germany 🇩🇪, Portsmouth/United Kingdom 🇬🇧, Napoli/Italy 🇮🇹
- Sister ships: Nils Holgersson (1059), Olau Britannia (II) (1068), Peter Pan (1058)
Current AIS Location
Please note that this specific vessels AIS position data may be over an hour old and that the vessels position will only be displayed when it is within range of the VesselFinder AIS system. The AIS transponder/ship position data featured on this page is intended for information purposes only and it is in no way related to the 'Safety of Navigation at Sea'. All the AIS ship position data featured within this article is provided by VesselFinder and we are therefore not responsible for its content or its accuracy.
History
The second of a quartet of “Peter Pan” class built, at Schichau Seebeckwerft AG, Bremerhaven, between 1985 – 1989.
September 10th 1988: Keel struck.
February 25th 1989: Launched.
Courtesy of John Hendy
Courtesy of John Hendy (Trials)
© Ulrich Streich
September 29th 1989: Delivered to Olau Line (U.K) Ltd. Co, Hamburg, Germany.
© Simonwp (River Elbe, Hamburg 01/10/1989)
© Courtesy of John Hendy
October 4th 1989: Commenced services between Sheerness – Vlissingen.
© Courtesy of John Hendy (Left) and © Ted Ingham (Right)
© Jan Melchers (Left) and © Ken Larwood (Right)
January 6th 1993: Registered to SCI Shipping, Luxemburg.
February 3rd 1993: After disputes with the German trade union, re-registered in Germany, the home port of Hamburg.
1994: After a dispute between the German seafarers’ union and the owners the services were considered unreliable and traffic figures dramatically reduced. Her owners had thoughts of putting the ship on Trelleborg – Travemünde TT-Line, and move other vessels to Olau Line. That would in turn transfer them to the Bahamas flag and not satisfy the German seafarers’ union. A further strike was declared which resulted in Olau closing the service and putting vessels out to charter.
May 15th 1994: Final day in service between Sheerness – Vlissingen.
May 1994: Registered to Island Shipping Ltd, Portsmouth, England (Management P&O European Ferries, Portsmouth).
June 3rd 1994: Renamed PRIDE OF LE HAVRE.
June 1994: Commenced services between Portsmouth – Cherbourg.
© Brian Fisher (Left) and © Ken Larwood (Right)
June 22nd 1994: Services between Portsmouth – Le Havre.
1999: Continued services between Portsmouth – Le-Havre but under P&O Portsmouth.
Dover Ferry Photos Library
March 18th 1999: Suffered a small engine-room fire and repaired in Southampton.
March 24th 1999: Returned to service after repairs.
© Frank Heine (Le Havre, 18/06/2002)
October 15th 2002: Commenced services for P&O Ferries between Portsmouth – Cherbourg/Le Havre.
© John Jones (Left) and © Simonwp (Right)
December 1st 2004 – January 16th 2005: Refit.
© Krispen Atkinson
September 30th 2005: Final day in service between Portsmouth – Le Havre.
October 2nd 2005: Left Portsmouth for Falmouth.
October 2nd 2005: Laid up on the River Fal.
© Krispen Atkinson
November 2005: Sold to SNAV, Italy.
© Krispen Atkinson
December 8th 2005: Floated to Falmouth for refit prior to delivery.
December 30th 2005: Renamed SNAV SARDEGNA.
January 5th 2006: Left Falmouth for Naples.
© Enrico Righetti (Naples, 17/01/2006)
March 27th 2006: Registered to Sardegna Naviera SA, Naples, Italy.
May 2006: Commenced services between Civitavecchia – Palermo.
June 2006 – September 30th 2006: In partnership with Moby Lines sailed between Civitavecchia – Olbia.
2007: Commenced services between Olbia – Civitavecchia.
© Frank Heine (Olbia, 27/07/2007)
October 1st 2010: Services between Naples – Palermo.
© Wil Weijsters (Naples, 12/11/2010)
May 2011: Registered to Snav Spa, Naples, Italy.
© Frank Heine (Palermo, 03/08/2013)
August 2013: Continues services between Naples – Palermo – Sete – Barcelona.
© Josep Pretel (Barcelona, 03/12/2015)
© Frank Heine (Sète, 28/07/2016)
April 1st 2017: Renamed GNV CRISTAL.
© Frank Heine (Palermo, 06/08/2017)
🆕 © Gerolf Drebes (Sete, 12/10/2021)
April 2022: Services Barcelona – Nador – Sete – Tangier.
October 7th 2022: Laid up in Naples
January 16th 2023: Arrived in Sete and sailed to Palermo.
January 18th 2023: Took up services Palermo – Naples.
May 2023: In service Rades (Tunis) – Genoa.
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: Krispen Atkinson, Gerolf Drebes, Brian Fisher, Frank Heine, John Hendy, Ted Ingham, John Jones, Ken Larwood, Captain Jan Melchers, Josep Pretel, Enrico Righetti, Simonwp, Robert J Smith, Ulrich Streich, Wil Weijsters and Andreas Wörteler for their assistance in producing this feature. A special thanks goes to John Hendy.
Article © Nigel Thornton and Ray Goodfellow (Dover Ferry Photos Group)
