Tanit (ship)

Tanit in Genoa
History
Name	2012–present: Tanit
Owner	2012–present: Compagnie Tunisienne de Navigation (COTUNAV)
Operator	2012–present: Tunisia Ferries
Port of registry	2012–present: La Goulette / Tunis, Tunisia
Route	La Goulette – Marseille La Goulette – Genoa
Ordered	2010
Builder	Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME) Geoje, South Korea
Yard number	7501
Laid down	2011
Launched	2011
Christened	June 2012
Completed	May 2012
Acquired	2012
Maiden voyage	21 June 2012
In service	2012
Identification	IMO number: 9598579 Call sign: TSNC MMSI number: 672748000
Status	in service
Notes	Named after the ancient Punic goddess Tanit
General characteristics
Class & type	Custom DSME Ro-Pax Cruise Ferry
Tonnage	52,645 GT 6,189 DWT
Length	212.00 m (695 ft 6 in)
Beam	30.00 m (98 ft 5 in)
Draught	7.50 m (24 ft 7 in)
Decks	13
Ramps	Stern loading ramps and bow clam shell
Installed power	4 × MAN 12V48/60B diesel engines (total 57,600 kW / 77,240 hp)
Propulsion	2 × controllable pitch propellers
Speed	27.5 knots (50.9 km/h; 31.6 mph) (service)
Capacity	3,200 passengers (682 cabins / 2,284 berths) 1,060 vehicles / 3,000 lane metres for freight
Crew	130–150

Tanit is a 212.00-metre Ro-Pax cruise ferry owned and operated by Compagnie Tunisienne de Navigation (COTUNAV / Tunisia Ferries). Built in 2012 by Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME) in Geoje, South Korea, she serves as the flagship of the COTUNAV fleet. Powered by four MAN 12V48/60B main engines producing 57,600 kW, she reaches service speeds up to 27.5 knots, operating primary Mediterranean crossing routes between Tunisia, France, and Italy.

Characteristics

The Tanit, 212 metres long and 30 metres wide and with a gross tonnage of 52,645 tonnes, is able to carry a maximum of 3,200 passengers and 1,060 cars. It is also capable of reaching a maximum speed of 30 knots, achieved thanks to the thrust of its four 12-cylinder MAN diesel engines. As required by SOLAS regulations for passenger ships, the ferry is characterised by having two separate engine rooms, a solution already adopted previously on several military vessels, on the Italian transatlantic liners Michelangelo and Raffaello and, in the ferries of the Bithia and Nuraghes classes. This feature allows the engine room to remain operational even in the event of fires or accidents in one of the two engine rooms.

Service

Ordered on 29 July 2010 by CoTuNav at the Daewoo Shipbuilding & Heavy Machinery Ltd shipyard in Okpo with the name Hannibal, it was however launched with the name Tanit on 26 November 2011. On 29 May 2012 it was delivered to the Tunisian company and the following day it sailed for La Goletta, where it arrived on 16 June.

On 22 June 2012 it entered service on the connections between Marseille, Tunis and Genoa, replacing the Habib. In September 2016 it was chartered to the Navantia shipyard in Cadiz and used as a floating hotel to house workers engaged in the renovation of the Disney Wonder. The following October it returned to regular service for CoTuNav. From March to April 2019 it was again chartered to the Navantia shipyard in Cadiz and used as a floating hotel to accommodate workers employed in the renovation works of the Carnival Triumph.