Highspeed 3
 Highpseed 3 off Mykonos | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Name |
|
| Owner |
|
| Operator |
|
| Port of registry | |
| Builder | Austal (Balamban Shipyard, Philippines) |
| Yard number | 62 |
| Launched | 25 September 1998 |
| Completed | 1998 |
| Acquired | 2024 (by Hellenic Seaways) |
| Maiden voyage | 1998 |
| In service | 1998 |
| Identification |
|
| Status | In service |
| Notes | Sister ship to Adnan Menderes |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | Austal Auto Express 86 |
| Tonnage |
|
| Length | 86.60 m (284 ft 1 in) |
| Beam | 24.00 m (78 ft 9 in) |
| Draft | 3.2 m (10 ft 6 in) |
| Installed power | 4 × MTU 20V 1163 TB73L diesel engines (26,000 kW) |
| Propulsion | 4 × Lips waterjets |
| Speed |
|
| Capacity |
|
Highspeed 3 is a catamaran belonging to the Greek shipping company Hellenic Seaways. The catamaran, the second of two sister ships, was launched on 25 September 1998 at the Austal shipyard in Balamban under the name Turgut Özal. It was subsequently delivered to the Turkish operator İDO on 6 November 1998.
Service
[edit]The catamaran, the second of a series of two sister units, was launched on 25 September 1998 at the Austal specialist shipyard in Balamban with the name Turgut Özal and delivered on 6 November to the Turkish İDO, for which it entered service shortly after on the routes between Yenikapı and Bandırma, joining the sister ship Adnan Menderes.[1]
On 28 July 2019, after twenty-one years of service in the Sea of Marmara, the catamaran was sold to the Greek Fast Ferries, by which it was renamed Thunder[2][3][4] and transferred to the Perama shipyards under tow of the tug Pantokrator[5] where it underwent major renovation works during 2020, later completed in the nearby Salamina shipyards.[6] After the technical stop, the catamaran then entered service in 2021 on the connections between Piraeus, Syros, Mykonos and Naxos, where it operated until 2023, when it was transferred to those between Piraeus, Syros, Mykonos, Paros, Ios, Santorini and Heraklion.[7] On 25 September 2024, at the end of the fourth season on behalf of Fast Ferries, the catamaran was sold for 17.75 million euros to the compatriot Hellenic Seaways,[8][9][10][11] by which it was renamed Highspeed 3[12][13] and reintroduced in 2025 on the connections between Piraeus, Syros, Mykonos, Paros, Ios, Santorini and Heraklion.
Sister ships
[edit]References
[edit]- ↑ "HSC TURGUT ÖZAL (1998)". www.faktaomfartyg.se. Retrieved 2026-07-10.
- ↑ Newsroom (2019-09-04). "Fast Ferries acquires high-speed ferry from Turkey | eKathimerini.com". www.ekathimerini.com. Retrieved 2026-07-10.
{{cite web}}:|last=has generic name (help) - ↑ "İDO, 'Turgut Özal Feribotu'nu Fast Ferries firmasına sattı". DenizHaber (in Turkish). Retrieved 2026-07-10.
- ↑ Ακτοπλοϊα, Ελληνική (2019-08-29). "Το TURGUT OZAL αγοράστηκε από την FAST FERRIES - Ελληνική Ακτοπλοϊα" (in Greek). Retrieved 2026-07-10.
- ↑ sandra (2019-08-30). "FAST FERRIES Purchased HSC TURGUT OZAL". Ferry Shipping News. Retrieved 2026-07-10.
- ↑ "İDO, 'Turgut Özal Feribotu'nu Fast Ferries firmasına sattı". Deniz Haber (in Turkish). 2019-09-02. Retrieved 2026-07-10.
- ↑ "Highspeed 3". greekpassengerships. Retrieved 2026-07-10.
- ↑ "Acquisition of a Po-Pax Highspeed Vessel". www.attica-group.com. Archived from the original on 2025-09-11. Retrieved 2026-07-10.
- ↑ sandra (2024-09-27). "Attica Group Acquires HSC THUNDER". Ferry Shipping News. Retrieved 2026-07-10.
- ↑ Ακτοπλοϊα, Ελληνική (2024-09-25). "ATTICA GROUP: Απέκτησε το Ε/Γ-Ο/Γ ταχύπλοο THUNDER από την FAST FERRIES - Ελληνική Ακτοπλοϊα" (in Greek). Retrieved 2026-07-10.
- ↑ vvegiazi (2024-09-27). "Attica: Ολοκληρώθηκε η απόκτηση του «THUNDER» από τη Fast Ferries, έναντι 17,75 εκατ. ευρώ". Metaforespress (in Greek). Retrieved 2026-07-10.
- ↑ sandra (2024-10-18). "HSC THUNDER Renamed HIGHSPEED 3". Ferry Shipping News. Retrieved 2026-07-10.
- ↑ Τσαμόπουλος, Μηνάς; newmoney, Ειδήσεις για την Οικονομία | (2024-10-27). "Με τα χρώματα της HSW βάφτηκε το πρώην Thunder νυν Highspeed 3". Ειδήσεις για την Οικονομία | newmoney (in Greek). Retrieved 2026-07-10.