MV Oleander approaching Oostende |
|
| Career | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Pride of Free Enterprise (1980 - 1988) Pride of Bruges 1 (1988 - 1999) P&OSL Picardy (1999 - 2001) Oleander (2001 - Present) |
| Operator: | Townsend Thoresen (1980-1987) P&O Ferries (1987 - 2001) Transeuropa Ferries (2001 - Present) |
| Port of registry: | Dover, UK (1980 - 2001) Limassol, Cyprus (2001 - Present) |
| Builder: | Schichau Unterweser AG, Germany |
| Yard number: | 2281 |
| Launched: | 1979 |
| Maiden voyage: | 1980 |
| Identification: | IMO number: 7820497 Callsign P3ZJ8[1] |
| Status: | in active service, as of 2012[update] |
| General characteristics | |
| Tonnage: | 13,728 tons[2] |
| Length: | 132.5 m (434 ft 9 in)[2] |
| Beam: | 23.15 m (75 ft 11 in)[2] |
| Draught: | 5.72 m (18 ft 9 in)[2] |
| Installed power: | 24000 bhp[2] |
| Propulsion: | 3 × Sulzer 12ZV40/48 engines |
| Speed: | 22 knots (41 km/h; 25 mph)[2] |
| Capacity: | 1,326 passengers[2] |
Oleander is one of a class of three roll-on/roll-off (RORO) ferries built for Townsend Thoresen at the end of the 1970s. Her two sister ships were the MS Anthi Marina and the infamous MS Herald of Free Enterprise. She currently operates as the MV Oleander for Transeuropa Ferries
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The Oleander was built by Schichau Unterweser AG for European Ferries services between Dover and Calais. Initially entering service with them in 1980.[3] In 1987 European Ferries was purchased by P&O European Ferries, in the same year the Oleanders sister ship, Herald of Free Enterprise capsized just outside Zeebrugge. As a result of these two events, the Pride of Free Enterprise was renamed the Pride of Bruges under a rebranding exercise undertaken by P&O following the bad publicity of the Herald of Free Enterprise disaster. [4]
In 1998 P&O European Ferries merged its Short sea routes with Stena Line to form P&O Stena Line. As a result of this merger the vessels were again rebranded, this time the vessel was renamed to P&OSL Picardy[3]. In 2000 the P&OSL Picardy was laid up pending sale, eventually being sold to Transeuropa Ferries[3].
Transeuropa Ferries renamed the vessel Oleander and introduced a freight only service between Ramsgate and Oostende which began on 4 July 2002.[5] Two years later, on 20 July 2004 the Oleander was joined by the Larkspur to provide a joint passenger/freight service also operating between the two ports.[6]
On 3 March, 2010 "Oleander" was in service between Algeciras and Tanger Med for Comarit.