MS Pride of Free Enterprise
 Oleander at Ostend. | |
| History | |
|---|---|
| Name |
|
| Owner |
|
| Operator |
|
| Port of registry | |
| Builder | Schichau Unterweser AG, Germany |
| Yard number | 2281 |
| Launched | 31 May 1980 |
| Completed | 1980 |
| Maiden voyage | 1980 |
| In service | 1980 |
| Out of service | 2015 |
| Identification |
|
| Fate | Scrapped at Alang, India in 2015. |
| General characteristics | |
| Tonnage | 13,728 |
| Length | 132.5 m (434 ft 9 in)[1] |
| Beam | 23.15 m (75 ft 11 in)[1] |
| Draught | 5.72 m (18 ft 9 in)[1] |
| Installed power | 24000 bhp[1] |
| Propulsion | 3 × Sulzer 12ZV40/48 engines |
| Speed | 22 knots (41 km/h; 25 mph)[1] |
| Capacity | 1,326 passengers[1] |
MS Pride of Free Enterprise was a roll-on/roll-off passenger and freight ferry. Originally built for European Ferries in 1980, she subsequently operated under the names Pride of Bruges (1987–1999), P&OSL Picardy (1999–2001), Oleander (2001–2013), and Sherbatskiy (2013–2015). She was scrapped at Alang Ship Breaking Yard in late 2015 under the name Sher.
History
[edit]
Pride of Free Enterprise was built by Schichau Unterweser AG for European Ferries services between Dover and Calais, initially entering service with them in 1980.[2] In 1987 European Ferries was purchased by P&O European Ferries; in the same year her sister ship, Herald of Free Enterprise capsized just outside Zeebrugge. As a result of these two events, Pride of Free Enterprise was renamed Pride of Bruges under a rebranding exercise undertaken by P&O following the bad publicity of the Herald of Free Enterprise disaster.[3] P&O Ferries would later use the Pride of Bruges name for another vessel between 2003 and 2020.
In 1998 P&O European Ferries merged its Short sea routes with Stena Line to form P&O Stena Line. As a result of this merger the vessels were again rebranded, this time the vessel was renamed to P&OSL Picardy.[2] In 2000 P&OSL Picardy was laid up pending sale, eventually being sold to Transeuropa Ferries.[2]
Transeuropa Ferries renamed the vessel Oleander and introduced a freight only service between Ramsgate and Ostend which began on 4 July 2002.[4] Two years later, on 20 July 2004 Oleander was joined by Larkspur to provide a joint passenger/freight service also operating between the two ports.[5] From 2010 onwards Oleander was often sailing on the Spain - Morocco lines on short term leases from TEF to Comarit or FerriMaroc.[2] When TEF went into bankruptcy in April 2013 the Oleander moved on more permanent basis to Acciona Trasmediterránea and sailed on the Almeria to Nador route as M/F Sherbatskiy. The ship was renamed Sher for her last voyage to the scrapyard at Alang, India and broken up in late 2015.[2]
Sister ships
[edit]- Spirit of Free Enterprise (1979) - Pride of Kent (1987) - MS Anthi Marina (2006) - scrapped: September 2012.
- Herald of Free Enterprise (1979) - capsized 6 March 1987 in Zeebrugge harbour - re-floated, renamed to Flushing Range for the final trip to the scrapyard. Scrapped: 1988
References
[edit]- 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Transeuropa Ferries: Oleander". Archived from the original on 22 March 2012.
- 1 2 3 4 5 "M/F Oleander". The ferry site. Retrieved 16 Jan 2009.
- ↑ "Trans Europa Ferries - Oleander". Simplon Postcards. Retrieved 16 Jan 2009.
- ↑ "Transeuropa Ferries increases frequency on Ramsgate with the introduction of Oleander". Port of Oostende. 5 July 2002. Archived from the original on 7 June 2008. Retrieved 16 Jan 2009.
- ↑ "Official announcement of the passenger service: Revival of a direct link passenger service between Ostend and Ramsgate". Port of Oostende. 11 Jun 2004. Archived from the original on 2008-06-07. Retrieved 16 Jan 2009.
