FerriesMoby LinesNorth Sea FerriesP&O Normandy FerriesPast and PresentSeabridgeSealinkStena LineStena RoRo

MV Moby Vincent (Ex St Brendan/Ex Stena Normandica) – Past and Present

IMO Number: 7360605

MV Moby Vincent

ex St Brendan, Stena Normandica

© Achim Borchert (Frank Heine Collection)

© Achim Borchert (Frank Heine Collection)

Steel twin screw motor vessel built by Rickmers Werft. GmbH, Bremerhaven in 1974 (Yard No. 380) for Stena Ab, Goteborg as a roll-on roll-off car and commercial vehicle ferry

Technical Data

  • Length: 120.78m (overall) 107.02m (between perpendiculars)
  • Breadth: 19.51m/ 21.50m (moulded with sponsons)
  • Depth: 11.26m
  • Draught: 5.90m (maximum)
  • Tonnage: 5,426 – 5,607.94 – 12,108 gross/2,675 – 2,897.02net/2,854 – 2,550 – 2,541 deadweight
  • Engines: Two 12 cylinder MAK 12M 551 AK diesels
  • Power: 10384 kW/14,120 bhp
  • Speed: 17.5 knots/20.25 knots (max)
  • Capacity: 1,084 passengers, 480 cars or 116 commercial trailers
  • Call Sign: SMVN, C6ZY,IBMY,
  • IMO Number: 7360605
  • Official Number: 399798 (Sealink) 11478 (LR 1984 – 85)
  • Registry: Gothenburg/Sweden 🇸🇪, Nassau/Bahamas 🇧🇸, Napoli/Italy 🇮🇹, Funchal/Portugal 🇵🇹, Napoli/Italy 🇮🇹
  • Sister Ships: Stena Atlantica (381), Stena Nautica (379), Stena Nordica (382)

History

“A unit in a series of four extremely load efficient short distance ferries, the so called Rickmers  (Seabridge) design by Knud E. Hansen, which the Stena companies had built in Germany between 1974 and 1975”.

1974: Keel laid.

May 11th 1974: Launched.

December 10th 1974: Delivered to Stena Ab, Gothenburg.

December 1974 – January 1975: Chartered to Enterprise Nationale de Transport Maritime des Voyageurs (E.N.T.M.V.), Algeria and operated between Marseille – Alicante – Algiers.

April 22nd 1975: Commenced service between Gothenburg – Kiel as a freight only vessel. During the summer she also operated between Gothenburg – Frederikshavn.

September 1975: Chartered to Enterprise Nationale de Transport Maritime des Voyageurs (E.N.T.M.V.), Algeria. Commenced service between Marseille – Alicante – Algiers.

January 1976 – April 1976: Chartered for a journey between USA – Persian Gulf.

April 1976: Commenced service between Gothenburg – Frederikshavn.

   

© Reinhard Nerlich

June 20th 1976: Chartered to Gedser – Travemünde Ruten A/S, Gedser, Denmark.

June 21st 1976: Left Gothenburg for Gedser.

© Reinhard Nerlich © Reinhard Nerlich  

© Reinhard Nerlich

June 1976 – December 24th 1976: Operated between Gedser – Travemünde.

February 1977: After an ordinary overhaul she commenced service between Gothenburg – Frederikshavn.

March 1st 1977 – March 10th 1977: Chartered to North Sea Ferries B.V., Rozenburg. Operated between Rotterdam – Hull.

© Cees de Bijl  © Cees de Bijl   

© Cees de Bijl

Edmund Ziegler Collection

Edmund Ziegler Collection

March 11th 1977 – January 21st 1978: Operated by North Sea Ferries between Rotterdam – Ipswich.

February 13th 1978: Chartered to Normandy Ferries. Commenced service between Southampton – Le Havre.

April 1978: Commenced service between Gothenburg – Frederikshavn.

May 1978: Commenced service between Gothenburg – Kiel as a cargo ferry.

© Fotoflite Image Ref 343419 © Fotoflite Image Ref 343420 © Fotoflite

© Fotoflite (06/06/1978)

July 1978 – December 1978: Chartered to Enterprise Nationale de Transport Maritime des Voyageurs (E.N.T.M.V.), Algeria.

December 1978: Refurbished and refitted for new charter, also fitted with side-sponsons.

March 1979: Chartered to Sealink UK Ltd., London for a nineteen month period until the arrival of the new ship under construction in Belfast.

Nigel Thornton Collection Courtesy of Jim Ashby  

Nigel Thornton Collection (Left) and Courtesy of Jim Ashby (Right)

John Hendy Collection Courtesy of Simonwp

John Hendy Collection (Left) Courtesy of Simonwp (Right)

April 3rd 1979: Arrived in Fishguard.

April 4th 1979: Commenced service between Fishguard – Rosslare.

© Miles Cowshill  

© Miles Cowshill  © Miles Cowshill  

© Miles Cowsill

June 1979 – September 23rd 1979: Suffered mechanical problems and had to be withdrawn to undergo major engine repairs.

© Chris Howell © Chris Howell  

© Chris Howell

1983: Upon return from refit the vessel promptly broke down.

1984: In readiness for privatisation, on their re-appearance from overhaul, units of the Sealink UK Ltd fleet all appeared without the B.R. double arrow logo on their funnels. The vessels gradually appeared with white hulls. From that time the company would trade as Sealink British Ferries.

Nigel Thornton Collection  Courtesy of Jim Ashby  

Nigel Thornton Collection (Left) and Courtesy of Jim Ashby (Right)

© Sealink (picture.library@sciencemuseum.ac.uk) © Miles Cowshill  

© Sealink (picture.library@sciencemuseum.ac.uk)

© Miles Cowshill

© Miles Cowsill

February 1984: Registered to Stena Shipping Line Ltd, Nassau, Bahamas. Remained in service Fishguard – Rosslare.

© Paul T © Paul T

© Paul T (Canada 2 Dock, 1985)

April 15th 1985: Sold to Royal Scot Leasing Ltd, Nassau, Bahamas. (Sealink British Ferries Ltd ) and renamed ST BRENDAN. Continued service between Fishguard – Rosslare.

© Miles Cowshill

© Miles Cowsill

Nigel Thornton Collection Nigel Thornton Collection  

Nigel Thornton Collection

© Sealink (picture.library@sciencemuseum.ac.uk) © Ian Collard  

© Sealink (picture.library@sciencemuseum.ac.uk) (Left) and © Ian Collard (Right)

February 1985: Sealink and B & I Line announced they had concluded discussions about a joint operation in an effort at solving over-capacity on the Irish Sea.

January 1987 – February 4th 1987: Annual overhaul.

© Miles Cowshill © Miles Cowshill

© Miles Cowsill

May 1988: Unable to operate service (for the third time since the start of the year) owing to problems with the variable pitch propellers, just three days after NUS members returned to work

Nigel Thornton Collection

October 1989: Sold to Navigazione Arcipelago Maddalenino, Naples, Italy for delivery in 1990.

March 5th 1990: Final day operating between Fishguard – Rosslare, then taken over by her new owner and leaving for Portoferraio.

May 1990: Renamed MOBY VINCENT. During the early 1990s Navarma acquired further used ferries, which replaced the Moby ferries acquired in the 1980s. During the same time “Moby Lines” was adopted as the official company name

© Simonwp

© Simonwp (Genoa, May 1990)

© A Scrimali

Nigel Thornton Collection (© A Scrimali)

© Carlo Martinelli   

© Carlo Martinelli

© Juan G Mata

© Juan G Mata

May 1990: Commenced for Moby Lines between Livorno – Bastia.

July 1990: Commenced service between Genoa – Bastia.

June 1st 1993 – October 2nd 1993: Chartered to Silja Line, Vasa, Finland, and operated between Umeå – Vasa under the trading banner of “WASA SUN”.

October 1993: Returned from charter and once more operated Moby Lines services.

1994: Operated between Livorno – Bastia.

© Frank Heine © Frank Heine  

© Frank Heine (Livorno, 26/07/1996 – 30/07/1007)

June 1997 – August 1997: Chartered to Comanav, Morocco and operated between Tangier – Algeciras.

1998: Transferred to the Portuguese ships register with home port of Funchal, Madeira.

1998: Commenced service between Genoa – Bastia.

1999: Transferred to the Italian ships register, home port of Naples.

June 1st 2000: Commenced service between Civitavecchia – Olbia.

2001: Registered to Moby Lines S.r.l., Naples, Italy.

© Frank Heine © Frank Heine  

© Frank Heine (Livorno, 21/07/2002 – 24/07/2004)

Moby Lines entered an agreement with Warner Bros. to paint their vessels in liveries featuring Looney Tunescharacters. However, only the larger ships have such liveries,

© Enrico Righetti © Enrico Righetti  

© Enrico Righetti

© Enrico Righetti

Courtesy of Daniel Ferro © Carlos Moreno Trobat  

© Courtesy of Daniel Ferro (Left) and © Carlos Moreno Trobat (Right)

June 2009: Had a “Ducktail” stability sponson added at Sarimi Shipyard.

© Mikael Soderholm

© Mikael Soderholm

2017: Currently operating services between Bastia – Livorno.

© Bram Provost

© Bram Provost

© Nicolas Lévy © Nicolas Lévy  

© Nicolas Lévy  © Nicolas Lévy  

© Nicolas Lévy  © Nicolas Lévy  

© Nicolas Lévy  © Nicolas Lévy 

© Nicolas Lévy  © Nicolas Lévy  

© Nicolas Lévy

July 2020: Still maintains services between Bastia – Livorno.

© Nicolas Lévy  © Nicolas Lévy

© Nicolas Lévy

© Nicolas Lévy (Bastia, 03/08/2020)

September 30th 2020: Moored in Livorno.

2022: In service Livorno – Bastia.

© Nicolas Lévy © Nicolas Lévy

© Nicolas Lévy (Bastia, 23/07/2022)

2023: In service Livorno – Bastia.

© Nicolas Lévy © Nicolas Lévy © Nicolas Lévy

© Nicolas Lévy (Bastia, 24/07/2023)

October 22nd 2023: Laid up in Livorno. Her future is uncertain.

January 22nd 2024: Reportedly sold for scrapping at Aliaga.

April 12th 2024: Left Livorno showing destination as Aliaga.

April 15th 2024: Arrived off Aliaga.

© Selim San

🆕 © Selim San (Aliaga roads, 18/04/2024)

April 18th 2024: Beached.

© Selim San

© Selim San

© ShipBreaking FB

🆕 © ShipBreaking FB

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: Ian Collard, Miles Cowshill, Daniel Ferro, Fotoflite, Frank Heine, John Hendy, Chris Howell, Nicolas Lévy, Carlo Martinelli, Juan G Mata, Carlos Moreno Trobat, Bram Provost, Enrico Righetti, Selim San, Simonwp, Mikael Soderholm, Paul T and Andreas Wörteler for their assistance in producing this feature.

Special thanks go to the National Railway Museum/Science & Society Picture Library.

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

3 Comments

  1. hi there, many thanks for sharing these great pictures of St. BRENDAN and the timeline. I have fond memories of the Roslare – Fishguard crossing in the mid-eighties for a couple of years every couple of months, travelling from London to Waterford to see my girlfriend at the time. I travelled in high seas in the winter and calm summer nights always the night crossing and breakfast in the canteen at 5am, there are times in the winter when we has to sit on the floor in the bar / lounge when it was too rough ( main areas of the ship closed off in winter). Even then the poker buy in the games room off the bar would play on, often by himself chainsmoking cigarettes. I was young and met a lot of interesting people, I simply loved the St. BRENDAN. I’ve travelled half the world since but these are some of my best memories. Thanks again and all the best.

    1. Brendan,

      Thank you for taking the time to comment and I am very pleased that the article stirred those fond memories.

      I spend a lot of time creating these articles and I am grateful for your appreciation.

      Special regards
      Nigel Thornton

  2. Great work. Thank you for taking the time to put this together.
    Sweet Jesus I hated that xxxxxxx tub!
    It was old when it was delivered on to the F-R crossing!
    A miserable stability free POS replacing another Sealink POS (but an honest one) MV Avalon.
    That route was always served by the worst ferry Sealink or Stena had in it’s fleet.
    To this day it’s the same. (Don’t believe me?) Compare Superfast V (VI) (VII) Belfast to Cairnryan with Stena Europe a 40+ year old tub akin to Normandica.
    I believe they are or have replaced Europe with a Japanese built ferry (usually excellent) but will not be surprised if they find some other old wreck on a route somewhere and swap them over this year.

    I have a mug with a black+white image of Stena Normandica on it somewhere.

    ……………………………………………………………………………………………….. (Edited with permission)

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