MV Beauport
ex Reine Mathilde, Prince of Brittany, Prince of Fundy
© Ken Larwood
Steel twin screw motor vessel, built in 1970 by Schiffbau-Gesellschaft Unterweser, AG, Bremerhaven (Yard No. 477), for Lion Ferry Ab, Halmstad as a roll-on, roll-off passenger and vehicle ferry
Technical Data
- Length: 118.52m (overall) 103.00m (between perpendiculars)
- Breadth: 18.19m
- Depth: 11.54m
- Draught: 4.750m
- Tonnage: 5,465 gross/2,907 net/1080 – 1348 deadweight
- Engines: Two 12-cylinder Pielstick 12 PC 2V diesels
- Power: 8827 kW/2000 HP
- Speed: 17.0 knots
- Capacity: 1,020 passengers, 210 cars
- Call Sign: FNRP, C6JV8
- IMO Number: 7010755
- Official Number: 716417
- Port of Registry: Halmstad/Sweden 🇸🇪, Morlaix/France 🇫🇷, Nassau/Bahamas 🇧🇸
- Sister-Ship: Saint Patrick (I)(485)
History
February 8th 1970: Launched.
June 10th 1970: Delivered to Lion Ferry Ab, Halmstad.
Postcards
Courtesy of Simonwp
June 1970: Commenced services between Portland, USA – Yarmouth, Canada.
January 1976: Chartered out as a hotel-ship in Stavanger, Norway.
November 27th 1976 – March 1978: Services between Varberg – Grenå.
April 17th 1978: Chartered to Brittany Ferries, Morlaix, France for two years with a purchase offer. Renamed PRINCE OF BRITTANY for services between Portsmouth – St Malo.
Postcard
Postcard (Left)
February 19th 1979: Services between Plymouth – Santander.
January 1980: Sold to Brittany Ferries, Morlaix ,France.
© Ken Larwood
December 30th 1988: Final day in service between St Malo – Portsmouth.
December 30th 1988: Registered to Soc. Econ. Mixte d’Arm Naval du Calvados, Caen, France and renamed REINE MATHILDE.
December 1988: Departed for extended refit at Jos L Meyer Werft.
February 18th 1989: Left Papenburg for France.
© Frits Olinga (18/02/1989)
March 17th 1989: Commenced services between Portsmouth – Caen/Ouistreham.
© Tony Garner (Portsmouth 20/05/1989)
April 10th 1990: Suffered an engine-room fire and was towed to Le Havre for repairs.
July 6th 1990: Returned to service.
February 1991: Sold to Marne Invest, Nassau, Bahamas and renamed BEAUPORT.
October 17th 1991: Arrived at Husband’s Shipyard, Southampton for rebuilding.
January 28th 1991: Chartered to British Channel Island Ferries and commenced service, as a freight only ferry, between Poole – Jersey – Guernsey.
© Ken Larwood
February 23rd 1991: Passenger certificate awarded.
© Simonwp (Poole (01/07/1992)
© Patrick Hill (St Helier, 04/05/1993)
October 31st 1993: At the end of her charter, final day in service on the Channel Islands routes and went to lay up in Southampton.
1994: Registered to Beauport Shipping Ltd, Nassau, Bahamas (Mgrs. International Shipping Partners A/S).
June 2nd 1994: Left Southampton for Bari.
June 1994 – August 1994: Chartered to Stern Maritime Line for services between Bari – Cesme.
© Frank Heine (Igoumenitsa, 25/07/1994)
September 1994: Chartered to Hellenic Inter Ferries for services between Brindisi – Igoumenitsa – Patras.
April 1995: Charter company went bankrupt and she was laid up in Patras.
June 10th 1995: Chartered to Compagnie Marocaine de Navigation,(COMANAV), Morocco.
June 14th 1995 – September 27th 1995: 09 27. Insatt mellan Seté, France – Nador, Morocco.
1995 (winter): Laid up in La Spezia, Italy.
April 1996: Chartered to Compagnie Marocaine de Navigation,(COMANAV), Morocco on short term contracts and used as a troop-transport between Morocco – Yugoslavia.
May 1996: Chartered to porn company “Private” who used her as a floating Night/Sex Club around the Mediterranean and up to Copenhagen. Traded under the name of “Private Lady“, but venture was short lived owing to financial reasons.
© Carlo Martinelli (La Spezia 12/05/1996)
June 1996 – September 1996: Chartered to Compagnie Marocaine de Navigation, (COMANAV), Morocco for services between Seté, France – Nador, Morocco.
© Frank Heine (Seté, 12/06/1995)
September 1996: Laid up in Marseille.
June 1997 – September 1997: Chartered to Compagnie Marocaine de Navigation, (COMANAV), Morocco for services between Seté, France – Nador, Morocco.
September 1997: Laid up in Marseille.
1998: Chartered to Cocorico Lines.
June 1998 – September 1998: Chartered to Compagnie Marocaine de Navigation, (COMANAV), Morocco for services between Seté, France – Nador, Morocco.
September 1998: Laid up in Marseille.
June 1999 – September 1999: Chartered to Compagnie Marocaine de Navigation, (COMANAV), Morocco for services between Seté, France – Nador, Morocco.
September 1999: Laid up in Marseille.
May 2000: Chartered to Sancak Lines, Turkey.
June 2nd 2000 – September 15th 2000: Services between Brindisi – Cesme.
September 20th 2000: Laid up in Marseille.
December 2000: Chartered to Government of Trinidad & Tobago, Port Of Spain, Trinidad & Tobago.
Andreas Wörteler Collection
December 10th 2000: Services between Port Of Spain – Scarborough (Tobago).
July 1st 2005: Completion of charter and laid up “For Sale”.
July 2005: Sold to Indian breakers.
September 14th 2005: Arrived at Alang, India.
September 15th 2005: Beached and scrapping commenced.
© Zahan
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: Tony Garner, Frank Heine, Patrick Hill, Carlo Martinelli, Frtits Olinga, Simonwp and Andreas Wörteler for their assistance in producing this feature.
Article © Nigel Thornton and Ray Goodfellow (Dover Ferry Photos Group)
