British and Irish Steam Packet Company (B&I Line)Danske Statsbaner (DSB)FerriesIrish Continental Group (ICG)Lion FerryPast and PresentStena LineTrasmediterránea

MV Stena Nautica (Ex Isle of Innisfree (I)) – Past and Present

IMO Number: 8317954

MV Stena Nautica

ex Lion King II, Lion King, Isle of Innisfree (I), Niels Klim

© Mikkel

© Mikkel

Steel twin screw motor vessel, built in 1986 by Nakskov Skibsværft A/S, Denmark (Yard No 234) as a passenger and roll-on roll-off car and commercial vehicle ferry for the Danske Statsbaner (DSB)

Technical Data

  • Length: 134.02 – 135.47 metres (overall)(1985), 126.02m (Between Perpendiculars)
  • Breadth of Hull: 24.62 metres
  • Depth to main deck: 8.00m
  • Draught: 5.54m (maximum)
  • Tonnage: 11602.42 – 19763 gross/6154 – 6180 net/2813 – 2568 – 2500 deadweight
  • Engines: Two B&W 8L45GB diesels
  • Power: 12,488 kW/16950 bhp
  • Speed: 17.1 knots (19.4 knots maximum)
  • Capacity: 2,000 – 1,720 – 663  passengers, 411 – 350 – 330 – 411 cars, 36 – 40 @ 15m lorries
  • Call Sign: OWDW, ZCA03, SGQU
  • IMO Number: 8317954
  • MMSI Number: 265859000
  • Official Number: 716308 (LR 2001 – 02)
  • Registry: Aarhus/Denmark 🇩🇰, Hamilton/Bermuda 🇧🇲, Halmstad/Sweden 🇸🇪, Hamilton/Bermuda 🇧🇲, Gothenburg/Sweden 🇸🇪
  • Sister ship: Pedar Paars (233)


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

November 1984: Keel laid.

May 14th 1985: Christened.

May 29th 1985: Launched.

© Pieter Inpyn  © Pieter Inpyn

Aarhus 01/06/1987 (Left) and Aarhus 01/06/1988 (Right) © Pieter Inpyn

April 21st 1986: Delivered to Danske Statsbaner (Danish State Railways), Aarhus, Denmark.

Nigel Thornton Collection  Nigel Thornton Collection

Nigel Thornton Collection

April 1986: Commenced services between Aarhus – Kalundborg.

 

© Bernd Crause (Aarhus, 06/11/1990)

1990: Sold to Stena AB, Gothenburg, Sweden for delivery in 1991.

© Stena Rederi AB

Artists Impression © Stena Rederi AB

General Arrangement (as built)

  

  


May 19th 1991: Final service between Århus – Kalundborg.

May 20th 1991: Taken over by Stena AB and renamed STENA NAUTICA. Registered to Stena AB, Hamilton, Bermuda and laid up in Århus.

© Pieter Inpyn  © Pieter Inpyn

© Pieter Inpyn

© Pieter Inpyn (Aarhus 1/06/1991)

July 1991: Laid up at Svendborg Værft A/S, Svendborg, Denmark.

© Simonwp

© Simonwp (Svendborg 01/08/1991)

January 1st 1992: Agreement to charter to the British and Irish Steam Packet Company (B&I Line), Dublin, Ireland from March 1992.

January 24th 1992 – March 6th 1993: Chartered to the Danske Statsbaner (DSB), Copenhagen, Denmark for services between Aarhus – Kalundborg.

March 7th 1992: Refit at Svendborg Værft A/S, Svendborg.

March 1992: Renamed ISLE OF INNISFREE.

March 23rd 1992: Left Svendborg for Pembroke Dock.

March 26th 1992: Arrived at Pembroke Dock.

March 31st 1992: B&I services between Rosslare and Pembroke Dock.

© Robbie Cox  © Fotoflite

© Robbie Cox (Left) and © Fotoflite (Right)

© Aubrey Dale  © Aubrey Dale

© Aubrey Dale

February 20th 1993: Conducted berthing trials in Dublin and Holyhead before returning to Rosslare.

January 27th 1994: Collided whilst berthing at Holyhead and sustained significant hull damage and was taken out of service for repairs.

© Andreas Wörteler  © Andreas Wörteler

© Andreas Wörteler

March 1st 1994: Resumed service.

© Ian Collard

© Bernd Crause (Holyhead 14/05/1994)(Left) 🆕 © Ian Collard (Right)

February 20th 1995: Services between Rosslare and Pembroke Dock.

March 14th 1995: Final services for B&I then to lay up at Dunkerque as STENA NAUTICA

© Tony Garner  © Tony Garner

© Tony Garner (Dunkerque 26/03/1995)

April 1995: Chartered to Lion Ferry, Halmstad and renamed LION KING.

April 27th 1995: Trials in Halmstad and Grenaa.

May 8th 1995: Commenced services between Halmstad – Grenaa.

 

© Bernd Crause (Halmstad, 07/07/1995)

© Andreas Wörteler  © Andreas Wörteler

© Andreas Wörteler

© Andreas Wörteler (Grenaa 22/07/1995)

April 30th 1996: Renamed LION KING II.

May 6th 1996: Final service before being laid up in Landskrona. Renamed STENA NAUTICA.

June 15th 1995: Left Landskrona for Algeciras

June 20th 1995: Arrived Algeciras.

June 24th 1996 – September 17th 1996: Chartered to Cia, Trasmediterranea, Madrid, Spain for services between Algeciras – Tangier.

© Fotoflite

© Fotoflite

© Miguel Ramos

© Miguel Ramos

 

Postcards – Nigel Thornton Collection

September 1996: Upon completion of the charter she was laid up in Dunkerque.

© Andreas Wörteler  © Andreas Wörteler

© Andreas Wörteler (Dunkerque 13/10/1996)

January 3rd 1997: Chartered to the Dutch Ministry of Defence for a single trip between Holland and Norway.

January 12th 1997 – January 19th 1997: Services for Stena Line between Karlskrona – Gdynia.

January 21st 1997: Returned to lay up at Dunkerque.

© Pieter Inpyn  © Pieter Inpyn

© Pieter Inpyn (Dunkerque 01/05/1997)

September 1997: Chartered to British Ministry of Defence for Zeebrügge – Immingham.

December 8th 1997: Services between Halmstad – Grenaa.

© Ulrich Streich

© Ulrich Streich

January 31st 1999: Final service between Halmstad – Grenaa.

February 1st 1999: Commenced service between Varberg – Grenaa.

© Frits Olinga  © Frits Olinga

© Frits Olinga

September 2000: Passenger certificate reduced to 100 passengers.

April 6th 2001 – September 16th 2001: Passenger certificate raised to 2000.

December 17th 2001: Taken out of service and rebuilt at Öresundsvarvet, Landskrona. She was rebuilt in order to transport more freight. Her lower passenger deck was converted into an additional full height vehicle deck, and her passenger certificate was subsequently reduced from 2000 to 653, whilst her freight capacity increased from 604 to 1235 lane meters. The once prominent funnel was also reduced in height changing the vessels external appearance.

© Mikkel

© Mikkel

February 22nd 2002: Returned to service.

December 20th 2002 – January 5th 2003: Refit.

February 16th 2004: En-route between Grenaa – Varbergs and in thick fog collided with Jamaican registered cargo vessel JOANNA. STENA NAUTICA was badly damaged but there were no reported injuries to her 91 passengers and 37 crew. Swedish sea rescue stated that the ferry was in a sinking condition and would be towed to shallower waters outside Varberg. The cargo ship continued to its Swedish destination port of Falkenberg.

© Dieter Potts

© Dieter Potts

 

  

  

Bernt Anderson Collection

© Preben Mogensen

© Preben Mogensen

February 25th 2004: After sealing the leaks and pumping out the engine-room she was towed to a ferry ramp in Varberg to unload.

February 26th 2004: Arrived, under tow, at Cityvarvet, Gothenburg.

Bernt Anderson Collection

March 5th 2004: Towed from Cityvarvet to Remontowa, Gdansk, Poland for repairs.

June 21st 2004: Arrived Varberg from Remontowa, Poland.

June 24th 2004: Resumed service between Varberg – Grenaa.

December 10th 2004: Transferred to Stena Rederi AB, Gothenburg, Sweden.

© Simonwp

© Simonwp (Grenaa, 0105/2012)

January 24th 2013: A fire broke out in a truck on her car deck. No serious damage was caused nor were there any reported injuries. The fire was quickly extinguished by the ship’s crew.

January 25th 2013: Returned to service.

July 8th 2014: Whilst departing Grenaa she collided with a pier and was holed. Taken out of service for repairs.

July 10th 2014: Arrived Fayard, Odense for repairs.

July 30th 2014: Left Fayard for Varberg.

July 31st 2014: Returned to service.

November 22nd 2015: Whilst berthed at Grenaa was stuck by the Drilling Platform SEA WORKER which was blown off her moorings. No serious damage nor casualties were reported.

© Willem Oldenburg

© Willem Oldenburg

August 2017: Remains in service Varberg – Grenaa.

© Andreas Wörteler   © Andreas Wörteler 

© Andreas Wörteler 

© Andreas Wörteler (Grenaa 27/08/2012)

April 29th 2019: Stena announced that, from 2020, she would open the new route between Halmstad – Grenaa.

January 31st 2020: Came off service at Grenaa and sailed to Halmstad.

February 1st 2020: Arrived Halmstad and commenced services Halmstad – Grenaa.

February 25th 2021: Arrived in Landskrona for refit.

March 10th 2021: Returned to service Halmstad – Grenaa.

November 25th 2023: Came off service at Grenaa and sailed to Landskrona.

November 26th 2023: Arrived in Landskrona for refit.

December 17th 2023: Left Landskrona.

December 18th 2023: Arrived Grenaa and resumed service Grenaa – Halmstad.


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: Mikkel, Ian Collard, Robbie Cox, Bernd Crause, Aubrey Dale, Nigel Scutt (Fotoflite), Preben Mogensen, Tony Garner, Pieter Inpyn, Willem Oldenburg, Frits Olinga, Dieter Potts, Miguel Ramos, Simonwp, Micke Asklander, Ulrich Streich and Andreas Wörteler for their assistance in producing this feature.

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

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