MV Urd
ex Aktiv Marine, Nord Neptunis, Boyana, Seafreight Highway, Easy Rider
© Mike Sartin
Steel twin screw motor vessel, built in 1981 by Nuovi Cantieri Apuania S.P.A. Marina di Carrara, Italy (Yard No. 2119) as a Roll-on/Roll-off (RoRo) passenger ferry for Castello Hellas Shipping Co, Piraeus, Greece
Technical Data
- Length on deck: 150.81m (overall),171.05m (after lengthening)
- Breadth of hull: 22.22m (extreme) 23.50m (after rebuild)
- Draught: 6.01m (maximum), 5.27m ( after rebuild)
- Tonnage: 5,072 gross, 5,765 (after rebuild 1), 11,030 (after rebuild 2) 13,144/ 2,342 net 3,309 (after rebuild)/6,235 deadweight, 6,235 (after rebuild 1) 4,562
- Engines: Two 12-cylinder MWM TBD511V12 Diesels/Two Wartsila-Vasa 12 V32E diesels (after engine rebuild)
- Power: 12,000 hk (1981)/13,380 bhp (after engine rebuild)
- Speed: 19.0 knots/17.5 knots (after engine rebuild)
- Capacity: 240 passengers, 600 (after rebuild, later re-classed to 105) 69 freight units/291 cars (after rebuild) 325 cars (after rebuild)
- Call Sign: OUYL, VSBP6, OUYL2, 3E5418
- MMSI Number: 352004034
- IMO Number: 7826855
- Official Number: 87 132
- Registry: Piraeus/Greece 🇬🇷, Hamilton/Bermuda 🇧🇲, Aarhus/Denmark 🇩🇰, Kalundborg/Denmark 🇩🇰, Panama 🇵🇦
- Sister Ships: Lucky Rider (2120)
Current AIS Location
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History
1979: Keel laid
July 12th 1980: Launched.
Bernt Anderson Collection (09/05/1981)
May 14th 1981: Delivered to Castello Hellas Shipping Co, Piraeus, Greece.
Bernt Anderson Collection
May 1981: Chartered to Siosa Line for two journeys between Genoa – Lagos.
Nigel Thornton Collection
Bernt Anderson Collection
© Simonwp (King George Dock, Hull 15/05/1982)
April 29th 1982 – June 24th 1982: Chartered to North Sea Ferries B.V., Rozenburg. Operated between Rotterdam – Hull.
© Simonwp (Europort, 1982) © Simonwp (Easy Rider, Beneluxhaven, Europoort, April 1982)
🆕 © Simonwp (Easy Rider, Beneluxhaven, Europoort, 1982)
1982: Chartered to UMEF for services between Koper – Patras.
May 28th 1983: Arrested owing to unpaid accounts and laid up in Piraeus.
June 30th 1985: In Athens, sold to Sealink UK Line, Hamilton, Bermuda.
August 21st 1985 – September 10th 1985: Dry-docked at Karras Shipyard for initial repairs.
September 18th 1985 (week of): Trials undertaken, then laid up in Piraeus.
April 4th 1987: Renamed SEAFREIGHT HIGHWAY. Left Piraeus for CMR Marseille to be rebuilt at a cost of £750,000.
May 14th 1987: Left Marseille for England.
© Fotoflite
May 25th 1987: Entered service Dover – Dunkerque.
© Mike Sartin
© Ken Larwood
© A G Jones (Left) and © Brian Fisher (Right)
June 23rd 1987: Commenced service between Dover – Zeebrügge.
October 16th 1987: Collided with the café at the end of the Prince of Wales Pier during the infamous 1987 Hurricane.
Dover Ferry Photos Archive
© Dennis Hopkins (Left) Courtesy of Kim Bridgland (Right)
Courtesy of Kim Bridgland
October 1987: Sailed to South Shields for repairs.
South Shields, October 1987 © Simonwp (Left) and © Michael Woodland (Right)
August 1988 – September 1988: Operated between Holyhead – Dun Laoghaire.
© Aubrey Dale
September 1988: Laid up on the river Fal.
1988: Sold to Mejdunaroden Automobile Transport (SMAT), Bourgas, Bulgaria and renamed BOYANA.
© Fotoflite
© Frank Heine
June 1990: Sold to Nordström & Thulin, Stockholm. It was planned to rename her NORD NEPTUNUS, but there was legal action taken against her owners which prevented this. She also suffered severe mechanical problems which required emergency repairs in Setubal. It then took some time to organise repair of the wrecked engines.
September 15th 1990: Left Setubal for Bremerhaven to undergo repairs.
November 30th 1990: Sold to Blaesbjerg Marine A/S, Copenhagen, Denmark. Renamed AKTIV MARINE.
November 1990: Arrived at the Polish yard of Seabow/Dora, Gdynia for rebuild to a car and passenger ferry.
1991: Chartered to DSB Ship-Division, Århus, Denmark, and renamed URD. During the spring introduced between Århus – Kalundborg.
© Andreas Wörteler
© Pieter Inpyn (Aarhus, 01/06/1993)
September 12th 1993: Collided with a breakwater in Aarhus, and repaired at Århus Værft.
September 17th 1993: Returned to service.
September 1997: Sold to Scandlines A/S, Copenhagen. (home port Kalundborg).
1998: Owing to ongoing mechanical problems had a complete engine change.
June 11th 1999: Final day in service, thereafter she went to Svendborg Varv for overhaul.
1999: Laid up in Nakskov.
August 1999: Introduced between Århus – Åbenrå – Klaipeda.
© Ingvar (Århus, 2000)
May 2001: Commenced service between Rostock – Liepaja.
September 29th 2001 – December 2001: Lengthened at Remontowa/Gdansk Shiprepair, Gdansk, Poland.
December 8th 2001: Redelivered to her owners.
December 19th 2001: Commenced service between Rostock – Liepaja.
October 11th 2005: Introduced between Rostock – Ventspils.
© Dirk Jankowsky
© Andreas Wörteler
© Tim Becker
May 3rd 2012: Collision took place at Travemünde Skandinavienkai when TT-Line’s NILS HOLGERSSON ran into Scandlines’ URD for unknown reasons. No injuries. Both ferries remained in Travemunde.
Dover Ferry Photos Archive
May 9th 2012: Left Travemünde for repairs in Fayard, Denmark.
October 2012: Sold to SOL Dru A/S, Århus Danmark (Management Imperial Ship Management).
October 2012: Chartered to Stena Line for services between Travemunde – Liepaja.
© Tim Becker
August 15th 2013: Sold to Stena Line Baltic AS.
© Tim Becker
January 2016: Still in service for Stena Line operating between Travemunde and Liepaja.
January 2017: Returned from refit wearing the new corporate livery of Stena Line and resumed service between Travemunde and Liepaja.
© Tim Becker
December 11th 2017: Left Liepaja for Nynäshamn.
December 11th 2017 – December 13th 2017: Services between Nynäshamn – Ventspils.
December 13th 2017: Left Nynäshamn for Liepaja.
December 14th 2017: Services between Liepaja – Travemunde.
March 9th 2019: Arrived Remontowa, Gdansk for refit.
March 23rd 2019: Services between Liepaja – Travemunde.
© Carsten Dettmer (Travemunde, June 2021)
September 2021: Still in service between Liepaja – Travemunde.
February 1st 2022: Services Nynäshamn – Hanko.
October 6th 2023:
Stena Line closes line to Finland
Stena Line has decided to withdraw its ferry line between Nynäshamn and Hanko in Finland. The shipping company announced this on Friday. The main reason is a lack of demand from the company’s shipping customers.
As a consequence of the development and outlook for the near future, Stena Line has decided to withdraw the line between Nynäshamn and Hanko. The traffic will continue until October 20th 2023, when the ships STENA GOTHICA and URD will leave the line for new assignments, either on the charter market or within Stena Line.
October 20th 2023: Nynäshamn – Hanko service closed. Came off service at Nynäshamn and sailed to Ventspils.
October 20th 2023: Arrived Ventspils.
October 24th 2023: Left Ventspils.
October 24th 2023: Arrived in Klaipeda and took up a short term charter with TT-Line on the Klaipeda – Karlshamn route acting as a relief vessel following the grounding of the routes regular vessel MARCO POLO.
© Gena Anfimov (Klaipeda, 26/10/2023)
October 28th 2023: Having arrived at Klaipeda sailed for Trelleborg.
October 29th 2023: Unscheduled return trip Trelleborg – Rostock.
October 30th 2023: Left Trelleborg for Klaipeda.
October 31st 2023: Arrived Klaipeda and took up services Klaipeda – Karlshamn / Klaipeda – Trelleborg – Rostock.
December 22nd 2023: Came off service at Klaipeda and sailed to Ventspils.
December 23rd 2023: Arrived Ventspils and laid up.
January 2nd 2024:
Announcement: At the end of January, the incorporation of the ro-pax “Urd” is scheduled for Marítima Peregar Málaga – Tangier line with an option to purchase, “as long as this vessel meets the necessary expectations for the Tangier line”
January 6th 2024: Left Ventspils for a single trip to Nynäshamn.
January 7th 2024: Arrived Nynäshamn.
January 8th 2024: Services Liepaja – Travemunde.
January 15th 2024: Arrived Ventspils and laid up.
January 28th 2024: Left Ventspils.
January 29th 2024: Arrived Klaipeda to take up TT charter for services Klaipeda – Karlshamn .
March 8th 2024: Reportedly sold to Sea Lines for Black Sea services on routes between Turkey -Romania.
© Gena Anfimov (Klaipeda, 29/04/2024)
May 17th 2024: Left Klaipeda for Ventspils.
May 23rd 2024: Taken over by her new owners.
May 30th 2024: Left Ventspils for Riga.
May 30th 2024: Arrived Riga for refit.
June 13th 2024: Left Riga for the Black Sea.
© Göran Olsson (Helsingborg, 15/06/2024)
June 28th 2024: Arrived Istanbul Anchorage.
July 1st 2024: Anticipated arrival Karasu, Turkey.
July 4th 2024: Arrived Constanta, Romania.
July 9th 2024: Took up service Constanta – Karasu.
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: Bernt Anderson, Gena Anfimov, Tim Becker, Kim Bridgland, Aubrey Dale, Brian Fisher, Fotoflite, Frank Heine, Dennis Hopkins, Ingvar, Pieter Inpyn, Dirk Jankowsky, A G Jones, Ken Larwood, Göran Olsson, Mike Sartin, Simonwp, Michael Woodland, Gena Anfimov, Carsten Dettmer and Andreas Wörteler for their assistance in producing this feature.
Special thanks go to the World Ship Society (East Kent Branch).
very interesting article, thank you