Length 134 m | Yard number 234 Beam 25 m | |
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Name 1986—1991 Niels Klim1991—1992 Stena Nautica1995-1996 Lion King1996 Lion King II1996-present Stena Nautica Operator 1986—1991 DSB Färjedivision1992-1995 B&I Line1995-1996 Lion Ferry1996 Trasmediterranea1997 Dutch MoD1997 UK MoD1997-present Stena Line Port of registry 1985-1991 Århus 1991-1995 Nassau 1995-1996 Halmstad1996-2001 Nassau 2001-present Göteborg | ||
MS Stena Nautica is a ro-pax ferry currently in operation between Varberg and Grenå for Stena Line. She was built in 1986 as MS Niels Klim and served on the DSB Arhus - Kalundborg along with her sister MS Peder Paars until 1991.
Contents
Concept and construction
In September 1983 DSB ordered two relatively large ferries for service on the intra-Denmark Århus—Kalundborg route from the Nakskov Skibsværft in Nakskov, Denmark. Although ordered by the ferry division of the Danish State Railways, the ships did not have the facilities for transporting trains, but were constructed to transport road freight and passengers. Both ships were named after characters from the works of Ludvig Holberg, a Norwegian-born writer considered to be the father of modern Danish literature. First of the ships, delivered in 1985, was named MS Peder Paars after the poem Peder Paars. The second, delivered a year later, was named MS Niels Klim after the protagonist in Niels Klim's Underground Travels.
Early career
That year both ships were taken over by Stena Line. The Peder Paas was renamed MS Stena Invicta and served on the Dover - Calais route for most of the 90s. The Niels Klim was renamed MS Stena Nautica but spent most of 1991 laid up in Arhus. In 1992, she was chartered to B&I Line for use on their Irish Sea services and was renamed MS Isle Of Innisfree; Initially she served Pembroke Dock - Rosslare and later Holyhead - Dublin. However, her slow service speed of 17 knots frequently resulted in delays.
Current operations
In 1995, she returned to Stena Line and operated on their Lion Ferry subsidiary between Varberg / Halmstad and Grenå. She has since remained on that route, despite occasional charters, the closure of the Halmstad leg and the incorporation of Lion Ferry into Stena Line.
In 2002, she was rebuilt in order to transport more freight. Her lower passenger deck was converted into another vehicle deck, and her passenger certification was subsequently reduced from 2000 to 653, while her freight capacity increased from 604 lane meters to 1235.
Collision
On February 16, 2004, MS Stena Nautica had a mid channel collision with the freight ship, MS Joanna, in heavy fog. The Nautica was holed just above the engine room and took on a significant amount of water. Fortunately, sea conditions were calm, which meant the event could have been much worse. All passengers were evacuated to MS Stena Germanica. The Nautica was eventually towed to Varberg, and later to Gothenburg and Gdansk for repairs. She reentered service four months later.
Fire
On 24 January 2013 the Swedish Baltic Sea ferry has broken out in the early morning as the fire rescue headquarters in Gothenburg. On board was at the time of the fire, 77 passengers and 40 crew members. The truck erupted in a fire on the car deck and it was fast under control. The fire was not able to spread. The ferry was in the Kattegat on the way from Danish Grenå to Varberg in Sweden.