Operator Namma Shipping Lines Yard number 214 In service 1977–present Length 129 m | Port of registry Panama Completed 1977 Draft 4.7 m Builder Denmark | |
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Name 2007–present Masarrah
1997 - 2007 Express Aphrodite
1996 - 1997 Stena Adventurer
1991 - 1996 Stena Hibernia
1977 - 1991 St. Columba | ||
MS Masarrah is a ferry originally named St. Columba, but also known as the "Pelican Ship" by some. Built in 1977, at the Aalborg Shipyard in Denmark, St. Columba was originally a Sealink UK ferry, operating between Holyhead and Dún Laoghaire in the Irish Sea. She now operates between Duba and Jeddah for Namma Shipping Lines.
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Fire
On 31 January 1990, a fire broke out in the engine room of St. Columba. Fortunately, none of the 199 passengers on board were injured, however a fireman suffered a fractured ulna.
The Captain, John Bakewell praised the work of the staff on board the ferry in preventing the spread of the fire, and keeping the passengers safe and re-assured. As there was too much oil to re-ignite the engines, the ship had to be towed for the remainder of the journey to Holyhead port.
Ownership by Stena Line
In 1990, Sealink was taken over by Stena Line, and with this new investment, came a £8 million re-fit for St Columba, and her name was changed to Stena Hibernia. In 1996, with the introduction of the HSS fast ferries, Hibernia was again re-named, this time as Stena Adventurer, with the intention of her moving to the English Channel to serve the Dover to Calais route. This move, however, never materialised, and Stena Adventurer was sold to Agapitos Express Ferries of Greece.
Ownership by Agapitos Express Ferries
Stena Adventurer was renamed Express Aphrodite.