Name MV Al Arabia Port of registry Moroni, Comoros Builder Belliard Hoboken | Owner none - scrapped Route none-scrapped Launched 1975 | |
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Christened 1975 Prinses Maria Esmeralda, 1995 + 1998 Wisteria, 1997+2000 Beni Ansar, 2007 Aquaba Express, 2007 Al Arabia | ||
The MV Al Arabia was a roro-ferry who has seen service on several routes. It was built for the Belgium state-owner operator Regie voor Maritiem Transport België as the Prinses Maria Esmeralda. She sailed on the Oostend-Dover route.
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Under the name Wisteria she also sailed on the route Oostend-Ramsgate and on the Almeria to Nador line. This 1975 built ship is a sistership of the MV Eurovoyager and MV Larkspur. You shouldn't mix-up this Wisteria with the current, 1978 built, MV Wisteria that sails on the Almeria-Nador route for FerriMaroc or Acciona Trasmediterránea
History
In 1975 the Belliard Shipyard built the ship under dock-number 877. The ship was ordered by the state-owned operator Regie voor Maritiem Transport België. She was christened Prinses Maria Esmeralda. She sailed on the Dover-Oostend route.
In 1995 the ship was sold to Transeuropa Ferries en christened MV Wisteria and started sailing on Oostend-Ramsgate
During some summers the ship was chartered to ferry-operators between Spain and Morocco and Tunisia. Since 2000 it moved permanently to run on the Almeria to Nador route until it was sold for scrap in 2007 to India
Sisterships
The Prinses Maria Esmeralda was one of three sisterships ordered by RMT. In 1978 the Prins Albert came into service and is now sailing as the MV Eurovoyager for Comarit/Comanav from Almeria to Al Hoceima.(see picture left)
The other sister ship was the Princesse Marie Christine, currently the MV Primrose also sailing for Comarit/Comanav on routes between Almeria and Morocco.