AF Marina

AF Marina in Bari
History
Name	(1994–2012): Toscana (2012–present): AF Marina
Owner	(1994–2012): Tirrenia di Navigazione (2012–present): Adria Ferries S.p.A.
Operator	(1994–2012): Tirrenia di Navigazione (2012–present): Adria Ferries
Port of registry	(1994–2012): Cagliari, Italy (2012–2013): Valletta, Malta (2013–present): Naples, Italy
Route	Ancona / Bari / Trieste – Durrës Former: Genoa – Porto Torres Former: Civitavecchia – Olbia
Ordered	1992
Builder	Cantiere Navale Visentini Porto Viro, Italy
Yard number	163
Laid down	1993
Launched	1994
Completed	November 1994
Acquired	November 1994 (as Toscana) November 2012 (by Adria Ferries)
Maiden voyage	November 1994
In service	1994
Identification	IMO number: 9059107 Call sign: IBAW MMSI number: 247324300
Status	In service
General characteristics
Class & type	Visentini Ro-Pax Ferry
Tonnage	14,169 GT 6,550 DWT
Length	166.20 m (545 ft 3 in)
Beam	22.00 m (72 ft 2 in)
Draught	5.80 m (19 ft 0 in)
Decks	7
Ramps	Dual stern loading ramps
Installed power	1 × Sulzer 16ZAV40S diesel engine (total 11,520 kW / 15,448 hp)
Propulsion	1 × controllable pitch propeller
Speed	20.0 knots (37.0 km/h; 23.0 mph) (service)
Capacity	600 passengers (119 cabins / 519 beds, 125 reclining seats) 1,600 lane metres for vehicles / freight (~300 cars)
Crew	35

AF Marina is a 166.2-metre Ro-Pax ferry owned and operated by Adria Ferries. Built in 1994 by Cantiere Navale Visentini in Porto Viro, Italy, she was originally delivered to Tirrenia Navigazione as Toscana. Rebuilt in 1996 to expand her passenger accommodations, she was acquired by Adria Ferries in 2012 and renamed AF Marina. Powered by a Sulzer 16ZAV40S main engine generating 11,520 kW, she operates at a service speed of 20 knots, primarily serving trans-Adriatic routes between Italy and Albania.

Characteristics

The Toscana ferry was initially used as a merchant ship and was only converted to passenger transport in 1996, with the addition of a deck. It is 22 metres wide, 166 metres long and has a gross tonnage of 14,169 GT. After being transformed into a Ro-Pax ferry, the Toscana was able to carry 600 passengers, 300 cars and 1,670 linear metres of cargo. In the summer of 2006, the ferry benefited from a transformation of its internal structure, exactly like other ships of the company in previous years. The cabins were modernised and enlarged, the furnishings and interior finishings of the common areas were revisited, while the hotel services were brought to the level of the latest units to enter service (Bithia class and Nuraghes class). The external livery was also changed, from the orange colour typical of the merchant ships of the fleet, to the classic white and blue colour of Tirrenia. The unit is structured on seven small decks located towards the stern:

• Deck D : 39 second class cabins
• Deck C : 28 second class cabins and chart room
• Deck B : 7 cabins, one cabin for disabled people and 125 second class seats
• Deck A : 11 first class cabins, TV room, bar, self service, tourist office
• Covered Bridge : 33 cabins, infirmary, open-air parking for cars and semi-trailers
• Main Garage : cars and semi-trailers
• Lower Garage : cars

Each deck is connected by stairs and elevators. On the main deck, from the center of the ship to the bow, there is a large open space where semi-trailers and cars can be parked. This configuration is typical of merchant ships. Boarding and disembarking takes place through the stern door.

Propulsion

The 'Marina is equipped with a single diesel engine, which in case of failure renders it no longer operational. This unit is a 16-cylinder Sulzer ZAV40S capable of delivering 11,520 kW of power. Thanks to this engine the vessel can reach a cruising speed of 18.5 knots.

Service

The ferry, built as a freight vessel, was launched on 16 July 1993 in the Visentini shipyard in Donada with the name Toscana and delivered on 10 March 1994 to Tirrenia di Navigazione, for which it entered service on 21 June on freight connections between the continent and Sardinia.

In 1996, after just two years of service, she underwent major transformation works in a shipyard in Messina, which allowed her passenger capacity to be increased to 600, making the ferry a true Ro-Pax. Once the transformation was completed, the ferry returned to service as a passenger vessel on the connections between Civitavecchia and Olbia and on those between Genoa and Porto Torres. However, on 15 October 1998, due to the limited passenger capacity for the routes on which she was employed, the ferry was transferred to the connections between Livorno and Cagliari, which were clearly more suitable for the transport of goods. In the 1999 summer season she was then also used on the connections between Genoa and the Sardinian port. Over the years, the ferry was also occasionally used on other routes of the Tirrenia network, mainly aimed at the transport of goods but also requiring the transport of a certain number of passengers, connecting the continent with Sardinia and Sicily, between the ports of Livorno, Genoa, Naples, Trapani, Palermo and, in the Adriatic, Ancona and Split.

In the summer of 2005, with the entry into service of the new Bithia and Nuraghes class units, the ferry was transferred permanently to the connections between Cagliari, Naples, Palermo and Trapani.

In November 2012, as part of the formation of the newly formed Tirrenia CIN, it was sold to Adria Ferries, from which it was renamed AF Marina and transferred from the Tyrrhenian to the Adriatic, from Naples to Ancona. Delivered to the new owner, the ferry subsequently took service on the connections between Ancona, Durazzo and Trieste under the Maltese flag, which was then lowered the following May in favour of the Italian one. In January 2021 it was chartered to GNV, for which, on 15 January, it inaugurated the new freight connections between Palermo and Valletta. Once the charter ended, the ferry returned to service for Adria Ferries on the connections between Bari and Durrës.

On 15 April 2026, at a press conference in Cyprus, Deputy Minister of Shipping Marina Hadjimanoli announced the charter of the ferry to Scandro Holding, which will use it from 29 May to 1 September on the connections between Limassol and Piraeus, replacing the Daleela. Following this, on 15 May the ferry made its last crossing between the two shores of the Adriatic and eight days later it set sail from Durrës to Limassol, where it arrived on 26 May, starting three days later to connect the Cypriot port with the Greek one.