MV Najd I
ex Najd, Roi Leopold III
Courtesy of Karel Goutsmit
Steel twin screw motor vessel, built and engined by Cockerill’s of Hoboken (Yard no 777) in 1956 for the Belgian Marine Administration’s Ostend-Dover passenger service.
Technical Data
- Length on Deck: 114m (374 ft)(overall) 108.56m (356.2 ft) (between perpendiculars)
- Breadth of Hull: 15.9m (49.10 ft)(extreme) 14.23m (46.7 ft) (moulded)
- Depth: 7.3m (24.11 ft) (moulded)
- Draught: 4.45m (13 ft)(maximum)
- Tonnage: 3,388 gross, 3,794 /1,513 net, 1,710/408 deadweight
- Engines: Two 12-cylinder Cockerill/Sulzer two-stroke single acting diesels.
- Power: 11190kW
- Speed: 22 knots
- Capacity: 1700 passengers, 30 cars (in holds)
- Call Sign: ORAL
- Registry: Ostend/Belgium 🇧🇪
- IMO Number: 5298808
- Sister Ships: Koningin Elizabeth (779), Reine Astrid I (785)
History
“The first of a trio of mailboats built for the 1958 World Fair in Brussels. Their design was based on KONING ALBERT but their Lascroux-funnels (all uptakes are combined into one rising to the top of the funnel and large air-intakes at the front lift fumes upwards to avoid fumes and soot descending down on the decks), gave the ships a more modern and lean appearance”
November 9th 1955: Launched
Courtesy of Karel Goutsmit (Left) Roy Thornton Collection (Right)
Roy Thornton Collection (Postcards)(All)
June 22nd 1956: Delivered to Regie voor Maritiem Transport, Oostende, Belgium.
© A G Jones (all as noted) © Fotoflite (as noted)
Roy Thornton Collection (Fotoflite)
July 1956: Commenced service between Ostend and Dover.
© Ken Larwood (both)
Courtesy of Karel Goutsmit (Dry Dock, 1967)
1968: English port became Folkestone.
Roy Thornton Collection
1969 (High Season): Made one sailing between Ostend – Harwich.
November 1st 1971: Belgian Marine became the Belgian Maritime Transport Authority – Regie voor Maritiem Transport (RMT).
1973: Belgian Sealink livery
© Tony Garner (Left) Courtesy of Jim Ashby (Right)
1975: Summer weekends and “specials” only.
Roy Thornton Collection
September 24th 1976: Laid up in reserve.
March 2nd 1978: Sold to Najd Marine Corp., Panama.
🆕 RMT Facebook
March 10th 1978: Left for Piraeus to be rebuilt, Renamed NAJD.
1978: Commenced service between Jeddah – Aqaba – Port Suez.
1979: Registered to Najd Shipping Co., Saudi Arabia.
1980: Registered to Najd Trading & Constructions Est., Saudi Arabia.
1986: Renamed NAJD I.
1987: Broken up in Pakistan.
All information is believed to be correct and no responsibility is accepted for errors or omissions. All items included in this article are subject to © copyright. We would like to take this opportunity of thanking: Jim Ashby, Fotoflite, Tony Garner, Karel Goutsmit, A G Jones, Ken Larwood and Arne Pyson for their assistance in compiling this feature.
Article © Nigel Thornton and Ray Goodfellow (Dover Ferry Photos Group)
