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F/B PLATITERA

Descrizione: C:\Users\Michele\Documents\Immagini\indice generale foto\Fast Ferries\Platitera - IMO 8822167 (2003)\FAST FERRIES FB Platitera 11_Personale 05Ge07.JPG

Photo © Michele Lulurgas, Corfu, 05/01/07 #5364  

 

Ship

Platitera (2003)

ΠΛΑΤΥΤΕΡΑ

Building Spec.

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries,

Shimonoseki, Japan, 1990 – N° 931

Call Sign

SVJB

IMO Number

8822167

GRT

2.320

DWT

949

Dimensions

83,5 x 15,22 x 3,91

Engines

2 Daihatsu 8DLM-32, 4.416 kW

Speed

15,3 knots

Passengers

967

Beds

 

Cars

180

Lane Metres

228

Sister Ships

Agia Theodora

Registry Port

Piraeus

Flag

Greek

Former Names/Own.

Chiezuru Maru – Awaji Ferry Boat 1990-99

Ferry Express – Highroad Shipping 1999-03

New Names/Own.

Maria Buono – Medmar 2007à

Line

 

 

As the Shimonoseki yard of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries usually launches fast and huge ro-paxes, is very hard to believe that the tiny “Chiezuru Maru” was built in the “Temple of Japanese shipbuilding industry”. But this is true. She was ordered by Awaji Ferry Boat of Kobe (where another yard of M.H.I. is based, that time engaged in building the “Victory” of Higashi Nihon Ferry), a company established in 1965 by the owner of Sanyo company to link Kobe with the nearby island of Awaji, where the shipowner Toshio Iue lived; as long as the ferry was sailing on a very short route, she had very limited passenger facilities; probably the passengers remained in their veichles during the crossing, because of the large openings both on main garage and on upper garage, which was able to carry only cars. After the building of the Akashi Kaikyo Ohashi bridge in 1998, which linked directly Kobe and Awaji, the company ceased its service and its ferries were renamed and reflagged to Honduras; this one was renamed “Ferry Express”, then was bought by Corfu Fast Ferries in October 2003, rebuilt at Ambelaki Shipyards of Salamina and entered service in February 2004. The fact that I can’t understand about this ferry, considering its former Japanese appearance, is how could she have sailed both in Pacific Ocean, Japanese Sea, Indian Ocean, which are the only way to get from Kobe to Piraeus Roads… Due to the liberalization to Corfu – Igoumenitsa ferry services occurred in early 2007, the company decided to reduce its Corfu – Igoumenitsa presence by selling this ferry to Naples-based Medmar, which renamed her as the “Maria Buono” for the lines to the islands of Naples Gulf.

 

AWAJI FERRY BOAT F/B Chiezuru Maru – Photo from the book “History of Japanese Car Ferries”

 

Descrizione: C:\Users\Michele\Documents\Immagini\indice generale foto\Fast Ferries\Platitera - IMO 8822167 (2003)\FAST FERRIES FB Platitera 01_Personale 05Ge07.JPG

Photo © Michele Lulurgas, Corfu, 05/01/07 #5354

 

Descrizione: C:\Users\Michele\Documents\Immagini\indice generale foto\Fast Ferries\Platitera - IMO 8822167 (2003)\FAST FERRIES FB Platitera 03_Personale 05Ge07.JPG

Photo © Michele Lulurgas, Corfu, 05/01/07 #5356

 

Descrizione: FAST FERRIES - Platitera

Photo © Michele Lulurgas, Corfu, 05/01/07 #5357

 

Descrizione: C:\Users\Michele\Documents\Immagini\indice generale foto\Fast Ferries\Platitera - IMO 8822167 (2003)\FAST FERRIES FB Platitera 05_Personale 05Ge07.JPG

Photo © Michele Lulurgas, Corfu, 05/01/07 #5358

 

Descrizione: FAST FERRIES - Platitera

Photo © Michele Lulurgas, Corfu, 05/01/07 #5360

 

Descrizione: C:\Users\Michele\Documents\Immagini\indice generale foto\Fast Ferries\Platitera - IMO 8822167 (2003)\FAST FERRIES FB Platitera 08_Personale 05Ge07.JPG

Photo © Michele Lulurgas, Corfu, 05/01/07 #5361

 

Descrizione: C:\Users\Michele\Documents\Immagini\indice generale foto\Fast Ferries\Platitera - IMO 8822167 (2003)\FAST FERRIES FB Platitera 09_Personale 05Ge07.JPG

Photo © Michele Lulurgas, Corfu, 05/01/07 #5362

 

Descrizione: C:\Users\Michele\Documents\Immagini\indice generale foto\Medmar\Maria Buono - IMO 8822167 (2007)\MEDMAR FB Maria Buono 01_Demetrio Neri 13Gi07.jpg

MEDMAR F/B Maria Buono – Photo © Demetrio Neri, Naples, 13/06/07 #6943

 

Descrizione: C:\Users\Michele\Documents\Immagini\indice generale foto\Medmar\Maria Buono - IMO 8822167 (2007)\MEDMAR FB Maria Buono 02_Demetrio Neri 13Gi07.jpg

MEDMAR F/B Maria Buono – Photo © Demetrio Neri, Naples, 13/06/07 #6944

 

Descrizione: C:\Users\Michele\Documents\Immagini\indice generale foto\Medmar\Maria Buono - IMO 8822167 (2007)\MEDMAR FB Maria Buono 03_Demetrio Neri 22Gi07.jpg

MEDMAR F/B Maria Buono – Photo © Demetrio Neri, Naples, 22/06/07 #6945

 

MEDMAR F/B Maria Buono – Photo © Demetrio Neri #8340

 

MEDMAR F/B Maria Buono – Photo © Yvonne Maruhn, Ischia, by courtesy of Roman Maruhn #8341

 

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