MS Stena Superfast X

The SeaFrance Moliere at sea
History
Name:	2002–07: Superfast X 2007–08: Jean Nicoli 2008–12: SeaFrance Molière 2012: Molière 2012–14: Dieppe Seaways 2014–present: Stena Superfast X
Owner:	2002–07: Superfast Ferries 2007–08: Veolia Transport 2008–12: Sarl Poquelin Bail/SeaFrance 2012–14: Scapino Shipping Ltd 2014–present: Stena North Sea Ltd[1]
Operator:	2002–07: Superfast Ferries 2007: SNCM 2007: COTUNAV 2007: ANEK Lines 2008–12: SeaFrance[2] Nov 2012 – Nov 2014: DFDS Dec 2014 – present: Stena Line
Port of registry:	2002–07: Piraeus,  Greece 2007–08: Ajaccio,  France[2] 2008–12: Calais,  France[3] 2012: Valletta, Malta[2] 2012–15: Le Havre, France 2015–present:Cardiff, GB
Route:	Dover–Calais (Until November 2014) Holyhead–Dublin (From March 2015)
Builder:	Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft, Kiel, Germany
Yard number:	360[2]
Launched:	18 November 2000[2]
Christened:	26 February 2002 by Patricia Lederer[2]
Acquired:	26 February 2002[2]
In service:	27 February 2002[2]
Identification:	IMO number: 9211511[2] Call sign: FNKG MMSI number: 226269000
Status:	In Service
General characteristics (as Superfast X)[2]
Class and type:	Superfast VII class fast ropax ferry
Tonnage:	30,285 GT 5,295 DWT
Length:	203.30 m (667 ft)
Beam:	25.00 m (82 ft)
Draught:	6.50 m (21 ft 4 in)
Ice class:	1 A Super[4]
Installed power:	4 × Wärtsilä-Sulzer NSD ZA V40S diesels combined 46,000 kW
Propulsion:	2 propellers[5]
Speed:	30.4 kn (56.30 km/h)[6]
Capacity:	626 passengers (728 after 2004 refit) 653 cars 1,891 lane meters
General characteristics (as SeaFrance Molière)[5]
Tonnage:	30,285 GT
Decks:	10
Speed:	28.4 kn (52.60 km/h)
Capacity:	1,200 passengers 660 cars 1,900 lane meters
Notes:	Otherwise the same as above

MS Stena Superfast X is a fast ropax ferry in service between Holyhead in the UK and Dublin in Ireland for Stena Line. She replaced Stena Nordica on the route in March 2015. The ferry was refurbished in Gdańsk, Poland for her new service and was returned to her original design before her SeaFrance career and looks identical to her sisters Stena Superfast VII & VIII. Before November 2014 she operated between Dover and Calais for DFDS Seaways France and between 2008 and 2012 for SeaFrance.

Concept and construction

The Superfast X was the last ship in a series of four identical ice classed fast ferries built by HDW for Superfast Ferries' new Baltic Sea services. She was launched on 18 November 2000,^[2] on the same date as her sisters Superfast VII^[7] and Superfast IX^[8] The Superfast X was delivered to her owners on 26 February 2002 and christened on the same date by Patricia Lederer, wife of the HDW project director for the Superfast ships.^[2][9]

Service history

The Superfast X entered service for Superfast Ferries on 27 February 2002 on the Hanko–Rostock route. She remained on that route until 19 April 2002, when she was laid up in Kiel at HDW. On 17 May 2002, she re-entered service, on the Rosyth–Zeebrugge route. In January and February 2004, the Superfast X was rebuilt at Fosen Mekaniske Verksted, Fosen, Norway with additional passenger berths.^[2] On 7 August 2006, Superfast Ferries announced it had sold the Superfast X to Veolia Transport for Euro 112 million.^[10] The ship was delivered to her new owners on 12 February 2007 and renamed Jean Nicoli.^[2]

In March 2007, the Jean Nicoli made crossings from Le Havre to Marseille, carrying cars on board. During April the same year, she was chartered to COTUNAV for traffic from Italy and France to Tunisia. At the end of April she was laid up, initially at La Seyne, later at Marseille. From 8 September until 2 October 2007 she was chartered to ANEK Lines for service on its Patras–Corfu–Igoumenitsa–Venice route.^[2] On 27 December 2007, the ship was sold to SeaFrance.^[2]

In the beginning of April 2008, the Jean Nicoli was delivered to SeaFrance and renamed SeaFrance Molière. On 3 April 2008, she left Marseille for Arno Dunkerque for rebuilding into a short distance ferry.^[2][5][11] After transfer to the leasing company Sarl Poquelin Bail, she entered service with SeaFrance in freight only operation on 19 August 2008 and began passenger service on 1 September 2008.^[2][12]

From 16 November 2011, she was laid up, initially at Dunkerque, due to the commercial court ordering that Seafrance be liquidated, and, following its sale, at Tilbury in England.

In October 2012, DFDS chartered the ship to be used on its Dover–Dunkerque crossing.^[13] During a short refit by Arno at Dunkerque she was renamed Dieppe Seaways and returned to the French registry. She re-entered service on 7 November though, following a change of plan, on the Dover-Calais route.^[14]

On 1 May 2014, the Dieppe Seaways suffered a fire from an overheated boiler in the engine room as she approached Dover from Calais. All 316 passengers disembarked safely on arrival. However, in responding to the fire, seven crew members and three firefighters were injured with flash burns.^[15][16]

At the end of her charter to DFDS Seaways in November 2014, Stena Line took possession of the vessel returning her to her original name, albeit with a Stena prefix, and sending her for an extensive refit to return the cargo arrangements to their original configuration and refurbish the interiors similar to sisterships MS Stena Superfast VII and MS Stena Superfast VIII operating on the Cairnryan (Loch Ryan) to Belfast route.^[1] After refit the ship replaced MS Stena Nordica (which itself is being chartered to DFDS Seaways to take up the timetable Stena Superfast X previous operated) on the Holyhead–Dublin Port route on 9 March 2015.^[17] Stena Superfast X substantially increased the freight and passenger capacity on the route and coincided with the withdrawal of the Stena HSS service to Dún Laoghaire.^[18]

References