Fast Ferries Andros

Fast Ferries Andros is a ferry belonging to the Greek shipping company Fast Ferries. The ferry, built in 1989 at the Fukuoka Zosen KK shipyard in Fukuoka as Shinko Maru, was delivered to the Japanese company Nippon Kaiun on 18 November 1989. In April 2015, following a layup period of nearly three years, the vessel was purchased by Fast Ferries and subsequently renamed Fast Ferries Andros.

Fast Ferries Andros in Piraeus
History
Name	(1989–2000): Shinko Maru (2000–2003): Choonhyang (2003–2015): Eptanisos (2015–present): Fast Ferries Andros
Owner	(1989–2000): Nippon Kaiun (2000–2003): Chonghaejin Maritime Co Ltd (2003–2015): Strintzis Lines (2015–present): Fast Ferries
Operator	(1989–2000): Nippon Kaiun (2000–2003): Chonghaejin Maritime Co Ltd (2003–2012): Strintzis Ferries (2015–present): Fast Ferries
Port of registry	(1989–2000): Kobe, Japan (2000–2003): Mokpo, South Korea (2003–present): Piraeus, Greece
Route	Rafina – Andros – Tinos – Mykonos
Builder	Fukuoka Zosen K.K. Fukuoka, Japan
Yard number	1152
Launched	1989
Completed	1989
Acquired	April 2015 (by Fast Ferries)
Maiden voyage	November 1989
In service	November 1989
Identification	IMO number: 8907280 Call sign: SVQE MMSI number: 237955000
Status	In service
Notes	Underwent a major refit and stabilization upgrade following her acquisition by Fast Ferries in 2015.
General characteristics
Tonnage	4,682 GT 1,003 DWT
Length	115.14 m (377 ft 9 in)
Beam	21.00 m (68 ft 11 in)
Draft	4.9 m (16 ft 1 in)
Installed power	2 * Pielstick 9PC2-6L
Propulsion	Twin screw
Speed	20.0 knots (service) 21.5 knots (max)
Capacity	1,200 passengers 280 cars

Service

The ferry, built in 1989 at the Fukuoka Zosen KK shipyard in Fukuoka as Shinko Maru (神高丸), was delivered on 18 November 1989 to the Japanese company Nippon Kaiun, for which it entered service in the same month on the routes between Kobe and Takamatsu, replacing the Kandaka Maru, which at the same time was sold to a Philippine company.

On 30 September 1998, with the closure of the route, she was taken out of service and put up for sale, and on 15 July 2000, after nearly two years of lay-up, she was sold to South Korea's Chonghaejin Maritime, from which she was renamed Choonhyang.

On 30 January 2003 she was sold to the newly founded Strintzis Ferries and, renamed Eptanisos , on 5 March she was transferred to the Perama shipyard, where she underwent major refitting works in preparation for her new role. Once the works were completed, in August she entered service on the routes between Killini, Ithaca and Kefalonia.

On 10 July 2011 it was transferred permanently to the Patras, Ithaca and Kefalonia routes replacing its fleetmate Kefalonia, which was simultaneously transferred to the Eptanisos route .

On 31 October 2012, with the cessation of the Greek company's activities, it was decommissioned in Drapetsona together with the Kefalonia . On 6 August 2013 it was then transferred to the bay of Elefsina.

In April 2015, after almost three years of lay-up, she was purchased by Fast Ferries, from which she was renamed Fast Ferries Andros the following month during a refit in Elefsina. After the refit, on 5 August she initially started service on the routes between Rafina, Syros, Tinos and Mykonos. In 2016 she was then transferred to the routes between Rafina, Andros, Tinos and Mykonos.

From 1 October 2017 to 13 January 2018 she was chartered to Blue Star Ferries, for which she operated on the routes between Piraeus, Syros, Tinos and Mykonos as a replacement for Blue Star Patmos, which was undergoing repairs after running aground at Ios . After the charter ended, she returned to service for Fast Ferries on the routes between Rafina, Andros, Tinos and Mykonos.

In 2021 it also operated the connections between Rafina, Andros, Tinos, Mykonos and Paros. In 2026 it was again chartered by Attica Group to operate in the Piraeus - Syros - Tinos - Mykonos route.

Accidents and Incidents

On 9 September 2023, while attempting to depart from the port of Rafina in severe weather conditions—with north-north-easterly winds reaching 7–8 Beaufort— Fast Ferries Andros was involved in a major multi-vessel anchor fouling incident.

During its departure maneuvers, the vessel dragged the anchor chain of the nearby moored Ekaterini P, shifting it toward the anchored Superferry. To avoid a collision, the Superferry performed an emergency departure, slipping its port anchor and chain to leave the harbor safely. In the ensuing maneuvers to control the vessels, the mooring lines of both the Ekaterini P and Fast Ferries Andros snapped sequentially. The port anchor chain of the Ekaterini P subsequently became entangled in the starboard propeller of the Fast Ferries Andros.

As the captains attempted to disentangle the ships, the bow of the Ekaterini P made minor contact with the stern of Fast Ferries Andros, though no hull breaches occurred. While Ekaterini P was able to safely divert to Lavrio to disembark its passengers, the Fast Ferries Andros—carrying 730 passengers and 48 crew members—was immobilized and forced to anchor outside Rafina harbor with the assistance of a tugboat.

During the early morning hours of the following day, commercial divers successfully cleared the fouled anchor chain from the vessel's starboard propeller. The Fast Ferries Andros was then safely towed back into the port of Rafina by the tugs Pantanassa and Megalochari XIV, where the Central Port Authority of Rafina issued a temporary detention order pending a full damage survey and re-certification by its classification society.